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EXT. SOMEWHERE IN THE DESERT SOUTHWEST - DAY BEGIN TITLES OVER: It is early morning and already hot. INSECTS drone, crackle, and scurry for shade. PRAIRIE DOGS burrow to escape the sun. We can see the heat shimmering off the surface of the Earth. On a dusty highway, a pair of VULTURES dine on a dead coyote. One of them snags an intestine and tugs a few feet of it out of the carcass. In the distance, where a long, dusty road meets the horizon, a small shape appears -- a Sixty-four-and-a-half Mustang convertible, its top down. Its candy-apple red burns like a brilliant fireball under the sun. As the car drifts closer, we see steam escaping from under the hood. Sammi Smith's "Please Help Me Get Through The Night" plays on the car's radio. INT. BOBBY COOPER'S MUSTANG - DAY At the wheel, ignoring impending disaster, BOBBY COOPER, young, good-looking, fiddles with the RADIO dial, annoyed only to find country stations. He's been driving since noon yesterday and it shows -- along with a heavily-bandaged left hand resting on the steering wheel. He finds something by Pearl Jam or Smashing Pumpkins and he cranks it. He pops a Percodan with his good hand as, in the shimmering distance ahead, he sees black shapes in the road and lays on the horn. BOBBY Get off the goddamn road! EXT. DESERT ROAD - DAY As the MUSTANG powers by, the VULTURES move off the shoulder, silently watching. INT. MUSTANG - DAY The RADIO blares as BOBBY fights to stay awake. His attention is caught by blue and red lights flashing in the oncoming lane. He sits up as the POLICE CAR (SHERIFF POTTER inside) closes quickly. The SIREN starts faintly, then SCREAMS as the cruiser roars past at speed. BOBBY Fuck you! There is a loud pop from the front of the Mustang and a thick cloud of steam now pours from the hood. The temperature gauge now starts rising. BOBBY No!...Not now!...Shit! A couple of SEMIS roar past in the opposite direction, buffetting the Mustang with their air waves. EXT. FORK IN THE ROAD - DAY The car rolls into a fork in the road, limping with the droop of an animal that won't make another hundred yards. One sign on the larger road says "GLOBE" is 29 miles away. The other sign, on the lesser road, tells us "SUPERIOR" is only 2 miles. A third sign confirms his destiny with "Gas, Food, 1 Mile." BOBBY seems to have no choice. He aims the car down the lesser road towards "Superior, Arizona." EXT. OUTSKIRTS SUPERIOR - DAY The car rattles on its last legs, as BOBBY mutters incantations, noticing a old, ghostlike MINING COMPANY at the base of the mountains overlooking the TOWN. It's deserted now, no one visible, the gates shut, but in its vast, dark bulk, we sense the ancient richness and power of this town. Bobby moves on. EXT. HARLIN'S GARAGE - DAY Down the road from the MINING COMPANY, BOBBY'S CAR pulls into a small GAS STATION, made of weather-beaten wood, its windows long since dusted over. The pumps themselves look to have been manufactured in the early fifties. Above the station is a sign so faded it's barely readable: HARLIN'S. Bobby gets out of the car and with great care, favoring his bandaged left hand which seems to give him a great deal of pain, he opens the hood. A plume of steam hits him in the face. BOBBY Oh shit! Bobby looks around for someone, anyone. After a few moments he reaches into the car and blows the horn. He waits, then blows it again. From out of the station walks DARRELL - a slow-looking man in coveralls caked with grease and dirty. He looks the part of a yokel. BOBBY You Harlin? DARRELL Nope. Darrell. BOBBY Harlin around? DARRELL He's up at the Look Out. Darrell points a scraggly finger at a plateau in the distance. BOBBY Will he be back soon? DARRELL Doubt it. He's dead. The Look Out's a cemetery. BOBBY You own this place? DARRELL Yep. BOBBY Then why do you call it Harlin's? DARRELL 'Cause Harlin used to own it. BOBBY But he's dead. DARRELL So? Bobby is confused, but chooses to drop the matter. BOBBY You want to take a look at my car? I think the radiator hose is-- DARRELL Damn. Gonna be another hot one today. Sometimes I don't even want to get out of bed. Course don't want to get out for the cold one's neither. Then of course the clouds come in... Darrell mops his brow with a greasy rag. It doesn't so much wipe the sweat as it does streak his forehead with dirt. BOBBY Look, Harlin, I've got places to be. DARRELL Darrell-- BOBBY OK. Darrell... Could you just take a look at my radiator hose. It's busted. Darrell is clearly upset at being cut off. He leans into the car and looks at the engine. BOBBY So? DARRELL It's your radiator hose. It's busted. BOBBY I know it's busted. What did I just tell you? DARRELL Well, you know so much why don't you just fix it yourself? BOBBY If I could do you think I'd be standing here wasting my time. Can you fix it, or do I have to go somewhere else? DARRELL Somewhere else? Mister, somewhere else is fifty miles from here. Only other gas station down in town closed 3 years ago when the mine got shut... BOBBY Okay, I'm stuck. You happy? Now can you fix it, or not? DARRELL Yeah, I can fix it. BOBBY Great! DARRELL Gotta run over to the yard and see if I can find a hose like this one, or close enough. Gonna take time. BOBBY How much time? DARRELL Time. BOBBY (rewinds his watch) What time is it now? DARRELL Twenty-after-ten. BOBBY Jesus. Twenty-after-ten and it must be ninety already. DARRELL Ninety-two. Course half hour from now might be seventy-two. These clouds move around a lot. Bobby wipes the bandaged hand across his forehead. DARRELL What happened to your hand? Self-consciously Bobby quickly drops his hand to his side. BOBBY Accident. DARRELL You got to be more careful. Hands is important. Let me show you something. When I was a kid, now I don't know if you can still see it, but I gashed my fingers in a lawnmower. BOBBY I'm very interested in this but is there someplace... DARRELL Diner up a piece. Not much, but us simple folk like it. BOBBY I'll be back in a couple of hours. And be careful with her, will you? Darrell slams down the hood. DARRELL Just a car. Bobby reaches into the car, pulls out a small ugly gym bag which he slings onto his shoulder and moves to the trunk, pops it open. BOBBY It's not just a car. It's a sixty-four and half Mustang convertible. That's the difference between you and me, and why you live here and I'm just passing through. The trunk lid rises in the air, partially blocking Bobby from Darrell, acting as a partition between them. BOBBY Now do you mind? I got to get some stuff out of the trunk. He throws the car key to Darrell who takes the hint, spits grotesquely into the dirt, scratches his nuts, and walks back to the shack. Concealed by the trunk lid, Bobby pulls out a GUN (a .9mm black Baretta), wrapped in a t-shirt, from the top of the bag. Perhaps we see a flash of green money, lots of it. Sports pages and betting sheets are piled inside. With a look around, Bobby takes the gun and stashes it underneath the rubber mat in the trunk. Briefly we notice a towing ROPE under the mat. There is a small travel bag, from which he peels a fresh bottle of Percodan, quickly taking two, as well as the sports page. INT. HARLIN'S GARAGE - DAY DARRELL watches out of the darkened office through the front window, as BOBBY slams the trunk and starts walking down the road, with the bag on his shoulder. EXT. DESERT ROAD - LATER BOBBY walks along a dusty patch of road into town past a sign saying "SUPERIOR - HOME OF THE GOLDEN DOOR RETIREMENT COMMUNITY." As he walks on, a pair of MOTORCYCLERS roar past on their Harleys blanketing him in a cloud of DUST. He shouts after them, but his words are lost under the whine of the cycle engines. EXT. SUPERIOR MAIN STREET - DAY BOBBY hits town, such as it is: The Freeway left here a few years back. There are only a few little stores: A general store, a catalog outlet, a post office that doubles as a bus depot. All of them built for the desert heat. The busiest spot in town seems to be the truckstop/diner with a few 18 wheelers parked outside it. At the corner of one street sits an old BLIND MAN dressed in raggedy clothes, perhaps an Indian. His SEEING-EYE DOG lies next to him. He's talking to TWO OLD MEN, veterans perhaps, Indian or Spanish. They both have missing limbs and slide off with furtive alcoholic looks as Bobby passes. The Blind Man yells out in an American Indian accent. BLIND MAN Hey! You there! BOBBY You want something, old man? BLIND MAN Don't call me old man. Ain't you got no respect, boy? BOBBY You want something? BLIND MAN Yeah I want something. I want you to run over to that machine and get me a pop. BOBBY You can't do that yourself? BLIND MAN Hell no, I can't do that myself. I'm blind. Can't you see that? BOBBY I'm sorry, I didn't-- BLIND MAN What'd you think I was doing out here with these glasses on? Sunnin' myself? BOBBY I don't know. I thought you were keeping the sun out of your eyes. BLIND MAN I ain't got no eyes. You want to see? BOBBY Christ no! BLIND MAN Lost my eyes in Vyee-et-nam. Lost them fighting the commies. Fought the war and lost my eyes fightin' the commies just so you can come around here and make fun of me. BOBBY I said I was sorry. BLIND MAN Don't be sorry. Just run over there and get me my pop before I die of thirst. BOBBY Yeah, sure. You got change? BLIND MAN Change? You want my change? I fought the war and lost my eyes just so I could give you my change? BOBBY All right, old man. Christ. Bobby walks across the street to a very old soda machine; it has bottles instead of cans. The blind man shouts to Bobby. BLIND MAN Get me a Dr. Peppa! I don't want no Colas. Colas ain't nothing but flavored water. Bobby puts change in the machine and pulls out a bottle of Dr. Pepper. He starts back to the blind man. BLIND MAN Don't forget to open it for me. I can't be opening my own bottle. BOBBY Christ! Bobby goes back to the machine and opens the bottle, then walks back to the old man who pours a splash on the ground. BLIND MAN A little for Mother Earth. I'm about fifty percent Indian, you know. To all our relations. He takes a hearty swig of the soda. BLIND MAN Ah! Just what I needed! Want some? The blind man holds the bottle out to Bobby. A string of saliva runs from his lips to the bottle's neck. BOBBY I'll pass. Bobby reaches down and pets the old man's dog. Flies buzz around both the dog and the Blind Man. BOBBY I think you'd better give your pooch a sip. He looks sick. BLIND MAN That's 'cause he's dead. Bobby jumps back. BOBBY Oh, Jesus. BLIND MAN I hope you wasn't pettin' him none, was you? BOBBY What the hell are you keeping a dead dog around for? BLIND MAN He's only just dead. What was I supposed to do with him? I can't take him away anywhere. And nobody wants to take him for me. Do you? BOBBY Hell no! BLIND MAN See. Ain't nothing I can do but keep him here beside me. That's where he belongs anyways. Me and Jesse, that's my dog, not anymore, but me and Jesse we been pals since the war when I lost my eyes. He was just a pup then... a companion that's loyal, that'll keep coming back to you no matter how much you kick him...I miss him. (as Bobby moves away) I'll see ya later, unless I come across something worse. Bobby noticing a beautiful woman down the street, GRACE McKENNA, compulsively turns and catches up to her. She is dressed better than the usual t-shirts and tank tops of this town -- perhaps a mail-ordered dress or a mother's hand-me-down. With her raven hair and caramel skin, it is obvious she is Native American. Her arms are full with an awkward package she can barely manage. BOBBY Can I give you a hand, beautiful? GRACE I'm just going to my car? BOBBY That's right on my way. GRACE My mother told me never to accept offers from strangers. BOBBY My name is Bobby. Now I'm not a stranger anymore. See how easy it is for us to get to know each other, beautiful? GRACE Do you have to call me that? BOBBY I don't know your real name. GRACE Maybe I don't want you to. Grace stops walking. BOBBY Maybe, but if you didn't I think you would have kept on walking. GRACE You're pretty full of yourself, aren't you? BOBBY I like that about me, beautiful. GRACE It's Grace. BOBBY May I carry your package, Grace? Grace hesitates, then gives the package to Bobby. He has trouble with it himself. BOBBY Jesus. GRACE You sure you can manage? BOBBY I got it. GRACE Do you want me to carry your pack for you? Bobby blurts out emphatically. BOBBY No! He catches himself, and softens a bit. BOBBY No, I've got it. GRACE What happened to your hand? BOBBY Accident. GRACE You should be more careful. They start walking towards Grace's car. GRACE It's very nice of you to help me. That package is kind of heavy, and it's so hot. BOBBY No trouble at all, really. They get to a car and Bobby puts down the package. BOBBY Wasn't nothing. GRACE Oh, this isn't my car. It's down a ways. I should have parked closer. I just didn't think it would be so heavy. I could drive up. BOBBY That's all right. I got it. Bobby takes up the package and they begin walking again. The package seems to have gained weight. GRACE It's just new drapes and curtain rods. If I had known it was going to be so heavy I would have had them delivered up to the house. Bobby struggles with the package. Sweat starts to sheet his face. BOBBY (panting) That a fact? GRACE I just got tired of looking at the old drapes. My mother made them. Had them long as I can remember. You ever seen something and just knew you had to have it? BOBBY (straining) Yes, I have. GRACE 'Course they cost a little more than I should really be spending. But, damn it, I don't hardly ever do anything nice for myself. I deserve nice things. BOBBY (can hardly talk) I ... can't ... argue ... They arrive at a JEEP SAHARA. GRACE This is it. Bobby practically drops the package. He is covered with sweat. GRACE Thank you, Bobby. BOBBY You're welcome, Grace. GRACE You're not from around here, are you? BOBBY Why you say that? Just because I help a lady with her package? GRACE You don't have that dead look in your eyes like the only thing you live for is to get through the day. BOBBY I just drove in this morning. GRACE Drove into Superior? What for? BOBBY Didn't have a choice. My car overheated up the road. GRACE You're lucky you didn't break down in the desert. Day like today, you'd be dead in no time. When you leaving? BOBBY Not until my car's fixed. I don't know how long that's going to take. GRACE And here I've made you all hot and sweaty. Grace steps to Bobby and places her hand against his chest. She rubs away some of the sweat. They look at each other a beat. A POLICE CAR, seen earlier, pulls up beside them from behind and idles. SHERIFF VIRGIL POTTER is a weathered, handsome, middle-aged man with suspicious eyes, black haired in contrast to Bobby's sandiness. SHERIFF Morning Grace. GRACE Morning Sheriff. Got my drapes. SHERIFF Well it's about time. Looks like you found yourself a helper too. Bobby wants to shrink behind the drapes. GRACE Well, he offered, and I just couldn't refuse. His car overheated. SHERIFF Oh? Bobby turns to the Sheriff and forces a smile. BOBBY Morning, officer. SHERIFF Son. (beat, to Grace) Little excitement out at the reservation this morning. Wayne and Dale Elkhart were up drinking all night and then Wayne starts chasing Dale around the desert with his shotgun. BIA handled it. I went by for backup. GRACE Anybody hurt? SHERIFF Hell, no. That Wayne can't shoot when he's sober, much less drunk. He's lucky he didn't kill his own danged self. (beat) Well, anyhow, you stay cool. Nice meeting you, son. BOBBY Same here, officer. The Sheriff drives on. Pause. They look at each other. GRACE Well, I guess I could use some help getting this box into the house. Not far. You could shower, get something cool to drink. Bobby considers the offer, but there's not much considering to do. BOBBY Well, I could use something cool. EXT. DESERT ROAD - DAY BOBBY rides along with GRACE in her JEEP. GRACE Where you coming from? BOBBY All over. Chicago, Houston, Detroit. Just lately Dallas. GRACE You've been around. BOBBY I guess I've got wander in my blood. GRACE Where you headed? BOBBY I don't know. I have to make a stop in Vegas. Business to finish. Then maybe I'll head to Santa Barbara. I might be able to pick up some action there. GRACE So, what is it you do, Mister...? BOBBY Cooper. Bobby Cooper. Oh you know, whatever pays best. Little bartending, used to teach tennis, played a little competition ... (drops it). GRACE I never played tennis. You just travel around Bobby-- no direction, no steady work. You must like taking chances. BOBBY If you're going to gamble, might as well play for high stakes. GRACE What happens when you lose? BOBBY I pack up and go somewhere else. GRACE (wistfully) Somewhere else. I've never been anywhere else. Just once. Years ago. Went to the State Fair. It was nice, but it wasn't nothing. BOBBY I couldn't stay in this place. I wouldn't. I'd just pick up, do whatever I had to do, and get out. Grace looks to Bobby and smiles. GRACE Sometimes I feel the exact same way. INT. GRACE'S BEDROOM/BATHROOM - LATER - DAY BOBBY, naked, steps into the shower and turns on the water. It shoots from the shower head and cascades over his body. As the water falls over him we hear a Russian accented voice: VOICE(V.O.) I want my money. Bobby press his left hand against the white tile to steady himself. His hand is curled in such a way we cannot see his pinky or ring finger. Bobby leans back in the shower. Just as he does: EXT. ALLEY - NIGHT It is raining hard. Matching the backwards motion of the last scene BOBBY is thrown violently against a brick wall, facing out. VOICE(V.O.) I want my money. BOBBY Look, I'll get the money! You don't want to do this! VOICE (V.O.) Take two for now. One a week, punk... Bobby is being pressed against the wall by two muscular GOONS. Another MAN stands partially hidden behind the goon's frame. With one hand one goon flattens Bobby's hand against the brick, with his other he clips two fingers off with a GARDEN SHEAR. We see Bobby's face in agonizing pain, then he slides screaming to the ground until he is framed between the legs of the men. As Bobby clutches his left hand the rainwater runs in streaks down his ashen, blank face. INT. GRACE'S BEDROOM/BATHROOM - MOMENTS LATER We see BOBBY's face reliving the experience as once again we hear the voice. VOICE (V.O.) Two weeks, asshole. Get the money or you gonna lose your nose and ears. Bobby has slumped to the floor of the shower, looking to his left hand, almost crying, unable to tolerate it. As a streak of blood snakes down the white tile we see that the pinky and ring FINGERS have been cut off at the joints. INT. GRACE'S BEDROOM/BATHROOM - DAY BOBBY, his hand rebandaged, is putting on his clothes. BOBBY (to himself) You're still lucky. As he does he looks at himself in the mirror. He bends to pick up his shirt which is draped over the gym bag. As he lifts it we can see, perhaps more closely than at the garage, that the bag is 3/4 filled with money. He closes the bag and stands. In the MIRROR, hidden in the doorway, he sees GRACE watching him. Bobby slows perceptibly, but does not try to hide himself. After a moment Grace walks into the room carrying a glass of lemonade. GRACE Thought you might like a refill on your lemonade. Bobby takes the lemonade and drinks it down. He rubs the glass against his forehead. BOBBY That's good. Cools you right off. (tentatively) I saw you watching me. GRACE I'm sorry. I didn't mean to. BOBBY I didn't say it bothered me. GRACE Did you like it; me watching you? BOBBY I guess. I've got an ego same as any man. GRACE Good, 'cause I liked what I saw. Bobby gives a smile as devilish as it is pleasant. Grace slides an ice cube from the glass between her lips. He notices a framed picture of GRACE and an OLDER MAN. BOBBY Nice place. GRACE Thank you. Grace sits on the edge of the bed. Bobby indicates the picture, ironic. BOBBY Who's that, your father? GRACE (without much thought) Stepfather... BOBBY (coy) Got a boyfriend? GRACE No. Not really. Bobby senses she's lying but plays along. BOBBY Must get kind of lonely for a woman living by herself in a big house. GRACE I guess it must. BOBBY What do you do anyway? GRACE A little of this, a little of that. Mostly I tell fortunes. BOBBY Where'd you learn to do that? GRACE From my father. He was the tribe's shaman. BOBBY A medicine man? GRACE Those are white words, not ours. BOBBY Nice house for a shaman's daughter. You must be good. GRACE Come here. Bobby goes to Grace and kneels before her. She takes his head in her hands and looks deep into his eyes. Her voice goes thick, but soft, like a morning fog. GRACE There's something in your past; something you want to keep hidden. There's a pain. Something ... someone you can't forget. And there is something you want very badly. It seems very far away to you, but you are determined, and you will do what you must to get it. Bobby closes his hands on Grace's and takes them from his face. He is more than slightly spooked by the accuracy of Grace's reading. BOBBY My face tell you all that? GRACE It tells me what every face tells me. Everybody has a past, they have a pain, and they have something they want. (seductively) What is it you want? BOBBY The same thing you do. They silently stare into each other's eyes. GRACE Really? I want to hang drapes. Grace walks from the room. For a moment Bobby stares after her. He takes an ice cube from his glass and crunches it in his teeth. INT. GRACE'S LIVING ROOM - DAY GRACE is standing on a step ladder trying to hang the drapes. BOBBY notices a photo of Grace with an older INDIAN WOMAN, her mother? GRACE Hold me. Bobby stands behind her, gently places his hands on Grace's waist. GRACE Tighter. I won't break. You know girls are a lot tougher than men think. Bobby holds her tighter as she finished hanging the drapes. His eyes are transfixed on her ass. GRACE There. All done. Lift me down. BOBBY What? GRACE Lift me down. Bobby lifts Grace down from the ladder. He holds her, his hands around her waist. GRACE You can let go of me now. I'm safe.(with a wicked smile) How do they look? BOBBY Like you. GRACE Beautiful? BOBBY (kidding) Like they're made of polyester. GRACE I like them. I was sick of looking at this room. I think they add a little life. BOBBY Nothing like a little liveliness. With a sexy pout Grace loads the next question. GRACE No more drapes to hang. Now what should we do? BOBBY I have an idea. GRACE And what would that be? Bobby steps close to Grace and takes her by the shoulders. He pulls her to him and presses his lips hard to hers. Grace doesn't respond. BOBBY All right, Grace. No more games. GRACE (innocently) Games? BOBBY You flirt with me, then you run cold. You lead me on, then slap me down. I don't go for being jerked around. GRACE Really? And what game did you want to play? You carry my box for me, and I fall into bed with you? Bobby grabs up his pack. BOBBY I think I can find my own way back to into town. GRACE Maybe I like to find out about a man first. Maybe I like to know what he's made of. BOBBY I'm just flesh and blood, baby. That and a few memories of bad women; just like most guys. But you already know that. You read my mind, remember? Thanks for the lemonade. Bobby turns to leave. GRACE You never did answer my question. BOBBY Still playing? GRACE That's not an answer. What is it you want? BOBBY You know what I want. GRACE Maybe I just want to hear you say it. For a beat Bobby stands and stares hard at Grace. His pack slides from his shoulder and thuds on the floor. With great determination, like a beast closing for the kill, Bobby moves for her. Grace stands firm, ready for him; her head tilts back. Her breath comes deep and hard. Just as Bobby is about to reach her, just as he is about to take her, he is stopped dead by the booming voice of JAKE McKENNA. JAKE (O.S.) Grace! Bobby turns to face Jake: An older man, still large and formidable for his age. GRACE (nonplussed) Jake. I thought you... JAKE Who the hell is this!? BOBBY Who the hell are you? JAKE I'm her husband. BOBBY (shocked whisper) Husband ...? JAKE Now who the hell are you, and it better be good, or God help me I'll break you in half. BOBBY Easy, chief. I... I was helping your wife. I met her in town. She needed a hand with her drapes. That's all. JAKE Didn't much look like you were hanging drapes. BOBBY I swear to you that's all that happened. I haven't so much as set foot in your bedroom. JAKE A lot that means. BOBBY Grace, tell him. Grace says nothing. She picks up a glass of lemonade and sips at it coolly. BOBBY Damn it, Grace! Tell him. GRACE (coyly) If he says that's what happened, Jake, it must be true. JAKE Oh yeah, and I suppose you didn't have anything to do with it Grace, he just wandered up here by hisself. I got a mind to put you over my knee and paddle your ass raw! BOBBY (to Grace) You bitch! Is this what it's all about? You sucker me up here so you can watch the two of us beat the shit out of each other over you? You both... Forget it! (heads for the door) JAKE Where you going! BOBBY (exiting) 'Scuse me, you want to take my head off, mister. I won't even try to stop you. I deserve it for being an idiot. But if you're not, I think I'll be on my way... Ow! Jake punches him in the nose. JAKE You can't just walk in here and walk out, you sonufabitch! I'm gonna tear you a new asshole! BOBBY You broke my nose! JAKE It ain't broke. It probably isn't, but it bleeds. Bobby feels the blood and then sees it on his shirt. BOBBY Goddamn it! I'm... you're lucky I don't sue you. JAKE (opens the door) Get goin' Junior. Bobby glares back at Grace who gives him a maddening little smile. BOBBY You people are crazy! He storms out holding his nose. EXT. DESERT ROAD - LATER - DAY BOBBY, holding a handkerchief to his nose which has stopped bleeding, hauling his bag on his shoulder, walks back to town along the side of the road. Already he is caked with a mixture of sweat and dust, looking up at the relentless sun that beats down on him. BOBBY Fuckin' shithole! A CADILLAC slows beside him, JAKE driving. BOBBY What the fuck do you want? JAKE I'll give you a lift, son. Too hot to be walking... People die out here, y'know. Bobby continues walking. JAKE Aw, you're not still upset about that love tap, are you? If I meant you real trouble, I'd have given it to you by now. Get in, lad. Come on. Get in. Bobby gets in. JAKE After you huffed off, Grace lied so bad, I got so pissed off, I pulled down her pants to paddle her ass raw and finger-fucked it instead. Sorry I lost my cool like that. It's a funny thing, women. BOBBY Yeah... JAKE Say, what happened to your hand? BOBBY Accident. JAKE You've got to be-- BOBBY Yeah, I know. More careful. JAKE I guess we've never been introduced proper. Jake McKenna. BOBBY That's a solid name. JAKE I'm a solid man. BOBBY Bobby Cooper. JAKE "Bobby Cooper." What brings you to Superior, Coop? BOBBY An overheated car. JAKE Oh? Darrell taking good care of you? BOBBY Darrell's a moron. JAKE (laughs) Yeah, he sure is a character. You need any help with that car now?... Where you headed? BOBBY California... JAKE Live there? BOBBY Got work. I know a man who's got a boat. Wants me to sail it for him. JAKE You a sailor man? That'd be the life. Drive across the country, step on a boat and just sail away. A man could pretty well disappear like that. Just sail away until all he was was a memory. I guess a little place like this would just be a dot on a map to you after awhile. BOBBY I hope so. (beat) Listen, McKenna about your wife: If I had known she was married-- JAKE It wouldn't have made a difference to you, now would it? Not a wit. Do you know why? Because you're a man without scruples. BOBBY Wait a second-- JAKE Ah, I can smell it on you. Jake wipes his hand across the back of Bobby's neck and holds it to his nose. BOBBY Hey! JAKE That's the sweat of a man who hasn't an honest bone in his body. Don't be offended, lad. A man who's got no ethics is a free man. I envy that. Beside, how can I blame you? That Grace sure has a mind of her own, and a body to match, don't she? Eh? Jake nudges Bobby who smiles a nervous smile. JAKE She does at that. I knew when I married her she was a free spirit. A woman with her looks and a man my age; what was I to expect? But you see a woman like that in a town like this and you don't think, you do. So, I married her. What are you to do, eh? Women. BOBBY Can't live with them, and you can't shoot 'em. Jake looks at Bobby, his lips curled into a sly smile. JAKE "You can't shoot 'em!" I like that. (laughs) I bet she led you on good, didn't she? Taking you up to the house to hang drapes. Oh that's a good one. Bet she had you hard as a rock wiggling her ass in your face. I bet you just wanted to pull down her pants and hog her out. Then me busting in like some wild bear. Ha! Bet you had a fire going under you. BOBBY Like you don't know. JAKE Mad like a dog in heat, I bet you were. I can tell you got a temper on you. Bobby gives a little laugh. JAKE Bet you just wanted to snap her neck right then, didn't you? Bet you just wanted to kill her. Bobby starts to laugh heartily. Jake joins in, then stops abruptly. JAKE Would you? BOBBY Would I what? JAKE Would you kill her? Bobby starts to laugh. Bobby stops laughing. JAKE Because I'm sick and tired of her little games. Because you could do it and drift away on your boat and no one would ever see you again. Because I've got a fifty-thousand dollar life insurance policy on her, and I would be more than happy to give the man who does her in a good chunk of it. For a moment Bobby sits in silence not sure of what to make of the offer. BOBBY I've done a few things but I'm not a murderer, Mr. McKenna. JAKE How do you know if you've never tried? BOBBY This is a joke, right? You just want to rattle me. Right? They reach town and Jake stops the car near a small GROCERY STORE. JAKE That's right. Nothing but a joke. That's all. Bobby gets out of the car. With a big smile Jake says: JAKE Enjoy your stay, lad. Jake speeds away. Bobby looks after him. BOBBY Who are these people? INT. SMALL GROCERY STORE - LATER The store is small and dark and empty save for a tiny, older Mexican WOMAN who is behind the counter. BOBBY enters. BOBBY Got any cold soda? WOMAN Eh? BOBBY Soda. You got any soda? WOMAN Hablar slowly, por favor. My ingles no es bien. BOBBY Soda. You know. Bobby cups his hand and brings it to his mouth pantomiming. WOMAN Oh. Something to eat. Si. She holds up a pack of Twinkies. BOBBY Not eat. Drink. What the fuck is drink in Spanish ... uh, agua? The old woman's eyes widen. She starts to scream, but quickly clamps her hands over her mouth. For a moment Bobby thinks the woman is screaming at what he has said. Then, as if he feels a presence behind him, Bobby turns slowly to face the TWO tough-looking, unshaven, tattoo-covered BIKERS. One holds a gun. BIKER That's right, lady. Keep it in you and nobody gets hurt. That goes for you too, stud. Gimmie the money. Now! WOMAN Eh? SECOND BIKER The dinero, Senora. Hand it over. Bobby shifts his weight trying to hide his pack behind his back. The woman goes to an old-fashioned cash register and rings it open. She hands the money to the biker. BIKER That's it? Lady, I got kids to put through school. WOMAN Es all I have. The biker turns to Bobby. BIKER Okay, pal. Whatcha got? Give it, now. Bobby pulls a thick wad of cash ($1,000 plus) from his pant pocket, tosses it on the counter. BIKER (thumbing through it, impressed) Nice...Just who are you beautiful? What else you got for papa? Bobby makes a show of pulling out his wallet, flings it to him. BIKER Better...you're getting tasty. Now toss the bag, sweetie. BOBBY It's just books. BIKER I'm a reader. Toss it. BOBBY (an entreaty) It's personal things...family things. BIKER How touching...I like family values. Give it to me. Bobby takes an unsteady breath. BOBBY No. BIKER No? SECOND BIKER Hey man, forget it. Come on. BIKER No? WOMAN Senor, give him the bag. BIKER That's all right. He doesn't want to give me the bag... SECOND BIKER He's fucking with you man. Shoot him. BIKER (cont'd) ...he doesn't have to give me the bag. The biker grabs Bobby's bag. Bobby flinches in anticipation of a shot but refuses to let go of the bag. The biker swings the gun hard, clipping Bobby across the forehead. Bobby falls against the counter and to the floor. The woman starts to scream. The biker grabs up the pack, then, looking back at the woman, sees a ring on her finger. He grabs her hand and pulls at the ring. The woman screams wildly. SECOND BIKER Let's go, man. BIKER A little extra never hurt, Benji, would you just relax. WOMAN No! No! My wedding ring. He pulls the ring from the woman's finger and pushes her back. With Bobby's bag slung over his shoulder he turns to leave. BIKER Now we go. WOMAN You go to El Diablo! From beneath the counter the woman pulls a shotgun. The woman fires A SHOT that rips through the bag and into the back of the biker. He falls to the ground, very dead, amid a shower of blood and shredded money. SECOND BIKER Bugger! You bitch! The Second Biker now sees the money floating all over the place out of the torn bag. His eyes go big with greed as he FIRES at the old woman, who ducks behind the counter. The Biker grabs for the bag and what's left of the money, not expecting the feisty old lady to pop up and unload her SECOND BLAST into him and the bag. Whatever was left of the money on the first round is now gone to shreds along with the bag and the Biker who is very dead. Bobby is staggered, crawls towards the shreds. WOMAN (cursing in Spanish) Hijos de puta. Bayan a comer su propia mierda en el infierno. (TRANSLATION: Sons of bitches. Go eat your own shit in hell). She comes around the counter to his side as he grabs his wallet and the $1000 cash roll from the dead biker's pants. WOMAN I call the sheriff. BOBBY No! No police. Bobby gives her a hundred dollars. WOMAN A hundred dollars? No police? Bobby gives her some more cash. She looks at him. Finally he gives her the entire wad. BOBBY No police until I leave. Bobby stumbles from the store as the screen burns a bright white. FADE TO: EXT. STREET - LATER BOBBY, dazed and holding his head, sits on the ground next to a SPIGOT that is dripping water. He cups his hands under the water and splashes it against his face, lightly wiping the cut above his eye. The SHERIFF'S CAR goes wailing by on the main drag. Recoiling from being spotted, Bobby tries to take another drink. A SCORPION crawls out of the faucet. He jumps back. EXT. HARLIN'S GARAGE - LATER DARRELL is leaning under the hood of a car working on its engine as BOBBY walks up. BOBBY Hey. DARRELL Hey, your ... what the hell happened to you? BOBBY Nothing. DARRELL Don't look like nothing. BOBBY Just banged my head. It was an accident. DARRELL Another accident? You got to be more careful. Bobby rolls his eyes. Then notices the front fenders have been removed. BOBBY What the hell happened to my car? DARRELL Bottom hose was shot too. Rotted clear through. Had to put a new one in. Runs like a dream now. BOBBY (suspicious) How much? DARRELL Well ... you got your parts, you got your labour ... let's call it a hundred-fifty bucks. BOBBY How much!? DARRELL Hundred-fifty. BOBBY To replace a goddamn radiator hose!? DARRELL A goddamn radiator hose in a sixty-four-and-a-half Mustang. You know how long it took me to find that hose? BOBBY About an hour and a half, because that's all the longer I've been gone. DARRELL Actually, it's been about three hours. You're the one thinks that car's so damn fancy. What you expect but fancy damn prices? BOBBY That's a Ford, not a Ferrari. You going to tell me no one else in this shit hole drives a Ford? DARRELL "That's not just a Ford, that's a sixty-four-and-a-half Mustang." BOBBY What's that got to do with the radiator hose? DARRELL I don't know, but "it's the reason I'm living here and you're just passing through." Now you owe me a hundred-fifty dollars. BOBBY It might as well be fifteen-hundred dollars, because I don't have the money. DARRELL Then you ain't gonna have the car. BOBBY Listen, man. I got rolled half an hour ago for everything I had. Bobby digs through his bloodied wallet, trying to hide it from Darrell. He fishes out a five dollar bill. Then digs out a bloody one dollar bill from his pocket. BOBBY I've got five...six dollars. Darrell snatches the five from him and adds it to a thick wad of greasy bills he carries in his overalls. DARRELL Then you're only a hundred-forty-five in the hole. You can keep that dollar. Now why don't you just take your American Express Gold Card, and call that guy with the big schnooz on TV and have him send you the money lickity split. BOBBY I don't have a goddamn credit card. DARRELL Now that's too bad. I sure hope you know how to wash dishes or shovel shit 'cause you're gonna have to work this one off. Bobby proffers his Movado watch. BOBBY Look, I got a Movado. It's worth at least seven, eight hundred. You could sell it for that. DARRELL (studying it) Who the hell to? Shit, can't see no numbers. BOBBY You don't need numbers. That's why it's expensive. Look at the gold. Darrell doubts that, shake his head. DARRELL ...got no day, got no date. Probably ain't worth a duck's fart (proffers his own watch). This one here cost me $3.75 and it's got every doodad you can imagine. No sir I'll stick with this (walks away). BOBBY You son of a bitch! I'll have my lawyers shut you down. DARRELL You ain't got no credit card but you got a lawyer. Sweet talk me all you want. Didn't you read the sign? It says... BOBBY What sign? Fuck the sign. I want my car. DARRELL I want my hundred and forty-five dollars. Bobby stands his ground for a moment as if deciding whether or not to fight for the car, then wheels and walks away. Darrell looks at him, smirks. INT. TRUCK STOP/DINER - LATER It is a little worn diner-type stop one would find on most any open road: Counter with stools, laminated menus, a Wurlitzer in the corner belching out country TUNES. Business is slow but it's the only restaurant in town. There is a SHORT ORDER COOK in the kitchen, and FLO, a hard-looking waitress is behind the counter. A couple of regular drivers, ED and BOYD, are seated on the stools, Boyd is flipping a coin. ED One-hundred-thirteen degrees. That was back in July of forty-seven. That afternoon it dropped down to forty three! True story. BOYD One time last year I remember it went from 98 to 23 same day. Wind, black clouds come out like... BOBBY comes out of the men's room and sits at the end of the counter. He has cleaned himself up a bit but still looks like a mess. He buries his face in the menu. BOBBY You got a beer? FLO What kind? BOBBY Beck's. FLO No Beck's. A-1, Coors... BOBBY Heineken? FLO No, we ain't got no Heineken. We got Miller. BOBBY Genuine Draft? FLO No. Just plain ol' Miller. Now you can fuckin' take it or you can fuckin' leave it. BOBBY I'll fuckin' take it. To go. SHORT ORDER COOK Flo, cheeseburger bleedin'. FLO I'll be right back with that beer. Flo moves off. BOBBY ...and a waitress named Flo. Christ. As Bobby stares at the money on the counter in front of him, he hears, from somewhere outside the diner, the sound of a POLICE RADIO crackling. He now feels something against his foot. He looks down and sees a CAT rubbing against his leg. He gives it a good kick sending it sliding across the floor with a screech. BOBBY Fucking cat. In the background, two teenagers sit at a booth. TOBY looks the part of a local, wearing jeans and a white T-shirt. His hair is cropped close and he looks to be a senior in high school. His girl, JENNY, is nondescript, neither ugly nor beautiful. She is the kind of girl most guys would pass without a second look. Toby gets up from his booth and goes to the bathroom. After he is gone Jenny walks to Bobby. JENNY Hey, Mister. You gotta quarter for the juke? BOBBY What? JENNY I wanna play a song on the juke. You got a quarter? Bobby looks at Jenny, then picks a quarter from his winnings and flips it to her. He can't resist putting a little charm into it. JENNY What happened to your hand? BOBBY I cut it shaving; I know, I gotta be more careful. JENNY Got any requests? BOBBY That country shit all sounds the same to me. JENNY How about I pick one out for you? Bobby half smiles. Jenny plays a song. Patsy Cline's "Your Cheatin' Heart." Jenny takes up a stool next to Bobby's. JENNY You like Patsy Cline? I just love her. How come, I wonder, she don't put out no more new records. BOBBY Cause she's dead. JENNY Gee, that's sad. Don't that make you sad? BOBBY I've had time to get over it. JENNY You're not from around here, are you? Where you from? BOBBY Oz. JENNY You ain't from Oz. Oz is in that movie. BOBBY You're too quick for me. Toby walks back into the room. He looks at Jenny. He looks at Bobby. He looks at Jenny talking to Bobby. He loses it. TOBY No....No....No I'm seeing but I'm not believin'...Stop the wedding. This can't be. Hey! What are you doing with my girl? Bobby says nothing, ignoring Toby. TOBY I axed you a question. JENNY Aw, Toby, we weren't doing nothing. We was just talking. TOBY You shut your mouth, girl, and get back over to our table. (to Bobby) Now, I'm not going to axe you again, Mister. What were you doing with my girl? BOBBY I wasn't doing anything. TOBY That's not the way it looked to me. Looked to me like you was trying to make time with her. BOBBY Make time? Is everybody in this town on drugs? JENNY Honest, Toby. I just axed him for a quarter for the jukebox. TOBY Stay out of this, Jenny. We got man's business to take care of. I ain't never taken no drugs, mister, and ... BOBBY Then maybe you should've. Look, pal, I wasn't making a play for your girl. TOBY You expect me to believe that? BOBBY I don't care what you believe as long as you leave me alone. TOBY Mister, I'm calling you out. BOBBY What? You want to fight? Over her? Bobby looks Jenny over. FLO Toby, you go finish your soda and leave the man alone. TOBY (to Bobby) You know who I am? Toby N. Tucker. Everyone round here call me TNT. You know why? BOBBY Let's see...they're not very imaginative? TOBY 'Cause I'm just like dynamite. And when I go off, somebody gets hurt. BOBBY Fine. I was making time with your girl. Now I'm scared to death and I learned my lesson. Now can you go away? TOBY Not before I settle with you, chickenshit! BOBBY Christ, I don't believe this! TOBY Stand up. BOBBY I wasn't hitting on your girl! TOBY Stand up, Mister, or I'll beat you where you sit. Bobby sits for a beat. he doesn't need a fight with Toby now with his damaged hand nor does he need to be noticed either. He sits there. FLO Toby, you stop it now! Can't you see he's got a hurt hand? TOBY Don't you never mind, Flo. This is gonna be over real quick. Reluctantly Bobby rises, facing off against Toby, each clenching their fist and waiting for the other to make the first move. The tension builds. We see it on the faces of Jenny, Flo and the regulars. Just then the record on the juke ends and the needle scratches off. There is the crackle of a police radio as the door to the diner opens and SHERIFF VIRGIL POTTER walks in. The tension eases. Toby, mindful of the sheriff, steps closer to Bobby and whispers menacingly into his ear. TOBY You're lucky, Mister. Don't think it's over. I called you out and I'm gonna see this through. You hear me? (to Jenny) Come on, girl. I got half a mind to make you walk home. Toby takes Jenny by the arm and pulls her out of the diner. FLO My lord, that little baby of yours Virgil, has gotten cuter'n a bunny's nose. SHERIFF What was that all about? FLO You know how that Toby is. Thinks every man he sees is after his Jenny. SHERIFF More like Jenny is after every man she sees. FLO (to Bobby) You pay Toby no mind. He just likes to show off for his girl. Give him a couple of hours, he'll cool off. Still want that beer? BOBBY (tense, seeing the Sheriff) I'll take it to go. Bobby holds his hand to his face to cover the cut on his forehead. ED How's it with you, Sheriff? SHERIFF Already started out bad. Couple of bikers from out of town tried to knock over Jamilla's grocery store this morning. It was a real shootout. BOYD What happened? SHERIFF The old witch killed 'em both. ED Holy shit! FLO Poor thing. Is she all right? SHERIFF Sure, when the sons of bitches tried to steal her wedding ring. That's when she started shooting. Can't blame her. The ring was all Carlos left her when he died. Store's a mess. BOYD It's the desert. That's what it is. The desert makes everybody crazy. Ain't that right, Sheriff? People go crazy out here. ED Come on, Boyd. I've got to make tracks. That yogurt's got to make Santa Fe before it spoils. BOYD Dr. Pepper don't have that problem. Ed and Boyd toss a few bills on the counter and exit. Flo stands near the cash register with Bobby's beer. FLO I can't open off-sale for you, sugar. Bobby pays for the beer ($1.75). Flo opens the register. FLO Let me get your change. SHERIFF Flo, I'm just gonna help myself to a refill on the coffee. The Sheriff reaches around the counter for the pot. FLO You be careful now, Virgil. Just as the words leave Flo's mouth the Sheriff spills the pot. It shatters against the floor spilling hot coffee everywhere. Flo runs over to him. SHERIFF Son of a bitch! FLO Virgil! Now look at what you done! Are you all right? SHERIFF I think I burned my gun hand! As Flo bends to wipe the counter, Virgil touches her intimately. SHERIFF (Cont'd) How 'bout we put something soft on it later? (a look) FLO (quietly) I could put some butter on it, hon'. (Her normal abrasive voice) It'd serve you right, you asshole. Put it under some cold water. Joe, run get a mop and clean this fuckin' mess up. While everyone is distracted Bobby notices that the register drawer has been left open. He looks around to make sure he is not being watched. Slowly he eases his hand towards the drawer. It gets closer and closer. As he is about to grab the money there, the cat - the same one he kicked away earlier - hisses and claws at his hand. Bobby jumps back startled. FLO Shasta! Now why'd you go and scare the nice man like that? Sorry about that, mister. Let's see, you want $3.25. (gives it to him) You try to have a nice day now, would you? BOBBY Sure, I'll try. With the Sheriff occupied, and the Mexican Jose mopping the floor, Bobby exits. EXT. PHONE BOOTH - STREET - DAY BOBBY begs on the phone. BOBBY Cici? Cici, it's Bobby...Bobby Cooper...Yeah, look, I know it's been a while, but I'm kind of in a jam...yeah...One-hundred-fifty dollars...That's a lie. I called you on your birthday..Two years ago...I can't help it if you didn't get the message. Cici, honey, I don't want to argue. I need you to wire me the money...Because they're fucking going to KILL ME! I didn't steal your CD's...Yeah, well where's my Mr. Coffee. Cici...Cici... Bobby slams the phone. BOBBY Bitch. Cunt. JUMP CUT TO: EXT. SAME PHONE BOOTH - STREET - DAY BOBBY is on another call, circling a local sports page betting line. BOBBY 73-11, this is Pluto. What's the line on Dallas? GAMBLER'S VOICE Pluto. Fucking deadbeat. We head about you. You owe "the commie" 13 dimes, why you tryin' to get in my office? Lose this fuckin' number. BOBBY Mike...Mike...you asshole. GAMBLER'S VOICE Mike who? (hangs up) Bobby, frustrated, clicks off. JUMP CUT TO: INT. MR. ARKADY'S OFFICE - DAY It is the kind of cheesy, temporary office one would expect to find in a Las Vegas apartment building overlooking the DOWNTOWN STRIP. MR. ARKADY, dressed in a silk suit with conspicuous jewelry, sits behind his desk eating lunch and cleaning his nails. SERGEI, his goon in a shiny polyester shirt, hovers over his boss helping feed and manicure him. These are the TWO MEN from Bobby's earlier FLASHBACK. They are dangerous in an endearing way. Sergei answers the phone. In the background is a very voluptuous female, obviously from the Middle East. SOFIA. SERGEI Da? MR. ARKADY Sergei, what are you, a Neanderthal? How many times do I have to tell you? You answer a phone "hello," not "da." SERGEI (nods yes) Sorry, Mr. Arkady.(into phone)"Hello?" OPERATOR(V.O.) I have a collect call from Bobby Cooper. Will you accept the charges? SERGEI Mr. Arkady, deadbeat Cooper's calling. Mr. Arkady doesn't acknowledge him. SERGEI He's calling collect. At this Mr. Arkady's head springs up. He snatches the phone from Sergei. MR. ARKADY (overly sweet) Bobby, what a surprise. I expected to be seeing you, not talking to you over the phone. INTERCUTS TO: EXT. PHONE BOOTH - STREET BOBBY on the phone. BOBBY I know, Mr. Arkadin. I know. I was on my way to you, it's just ... what a day I've had. I know I'm coming up with a highly improbable story, and I know you're not going to believe this, but this ...is... what happened. I had the money, I swear I had it. I was on my way to Vegas when my car breaks down in the middle of nowhere. Mr. Arkady cleans his nails completely disinterested in what Bobby is saying. MR. ARKADY That's a shame, Bobby. A real shame. BOBBY And that's not the half of it, Mr. Arkadin... MR. ARKADY "Arkady" BOBBY Right, Mr. Arkady. And that's not the half of it. I got your money, and I go into this little grocery store in this hicktown to get something to eat and then... well, it gets robbed! MR. ARKADY ...And let me guess. This robber -- he gets your money. BOBBY No. Two of them. Two robbers. And they both get nailed... get shot by the old lady. MR. ARKADY The old lady? BOBBY With a shotgun! She kills both of 'em, and... and the money in my bag gets all shredded to bloody pieces. Not one bill is left alive. I mean, what are the odds? MR. ARKADY (beat, dry) Pretty long, Bobby. BOBBY Mr. Arkady, honest, I ad to beat it outta there before the cops showed. So now I don't have a cent to my name. I can't even get my car out of the garage. I tell you, Mister... (pause) if it weren't for bad luck I wouldn't have nay fuckin' luck at all, you know? (beat, waits) So, I was wondering if you could wire me a hundred fifty-dollars so I could get my car out of this garage, see? The bus depot here has a Western Union thing. And of course I'll pay it back with the rest of the money. MR. ARKADY(V.O.) Which you don't have. BOBBY But which I can get. No problem. Look, I can sell my car in Vegas. Blue book it's worth 16 at least. I just need the 150, uh... Sergei looks like he's ready to pound heads. MR. ARKADY (pause) Where are you? BOBBY (hopeful) Uh...a little shithole in Arizona called Superior. About 200 miles east of Phoenix. MR. ARKADY (pausing, V.O.) Superior, hunh? Bobby suddenly feeling suspicious. BOBBY(V.O.) Yeah, if you could send it care of... MR. ARKADY ...Now, let me get this straight. Two years you give me problems with your fuckin' payoffs. Now you owe me thirteen-thousand dollars, you call me - collect - then ask me to wire you one-hundred-fifty dollars just so you can get your car fixed. BOBBY(V.O.) A hundred-forty-five would probably cover it. MR. ARKADY A hundred and ... Now you listen to me you deadbeat little punk: I don't care if you got hit by a truck and run over by a steamroller. You owe me thirteen-thousand dollars and I want it. I don't care how you get it, or where from, but I want it on my desk tomorrow, or I'll show you what real bad luck is. Sergei snaps a pencil he's holding in his hand, which goes flying by Arkady's head, forcing him to duck. MR. ARKADY Do you understand me you little fuck? BOBBY (snaps) Oh, fuck you too! MR. ARKADY What'd you say to me! BOBBY Shit I'm sorry!...you can't believe the strain I'm under. I'm just under a lot of strain here. There is a sharp silence at the other end. Bobby waits. MR. ARKADY Bobby, you owed me that 'bread' 4 weeks ago. Now you tell me you want another week. That's 5 weeks, Bobby. That's also 5 fingers, cause you and I know it's a finger a week Bobby. So you got balls. Good--now you come here tomorrow and you talk to me real nice and maybe I don't take the other 3 fingers you owe me, you see? Tomorrow -- and Bobby, don't make me come look for you, okay...have nice day. He hands the phone back to Sergei. SERGEI (into phone) You got that? -- have nice day (hangs up). MR. ARKADY The nerva that piece of shit! And look at you, you Neanderthal -- don't you fuckin' break pencils, you goombah! SOFIA Finger? What are you, a faggot? In my country a man don't pay we cut off his head. Arkady motions Sergei to come close. MR. ARKADY Get your ass down to this Superior, Arizona. Bring me this Bobby Cooper. I don't think he got the lesson. This is your last chance, Sergei. SERGEI Da. EXT. STREET - DAY BOBBY, desperate, stares at the bandage of his wounded hand. It throbs, holding the hand to his ear. We hear an OPERATOR'S VOICE: OPERATOR(V.O.) Hello? BOBBY Hello? OPERATOR(V.O.) Are you finished with your call? BOBBY Yeah. OPERATOR(V.O.) Please deposit an additional seventy-five cents. Bobby slams the phone against the hook. BOBBY Goddamn rat's ass fuck! Shit! Damn! Damn! Damn! He marches from the phone booth, past an old HARDWARE STORE. The phone falls from the hook and we hear a recorded voice: VOICE(V.O.) Thank you for using AT&T. In the store window, Bobby notices a set of garden shears for sale. EXT. EMPTY STREET - LATER DAY BOBBY walks a bit going nowhere in particular. Looking at his watch thinking of Mr. Arkady, he shields himself with one hand from the sun. At the side of an old building, in the bit of shade it throws, he twists at the beer cap which sticks and won't turn. Bobby tries again twisting harder -- too hard -- as the cap jerkily twists off, cutting into his hand as it rotates. Bobby yells in pain. At the same time the beer comes foaming from the bottle and spills onto his sleeve. The bottle slips from his wet fingers and crashes on the ground, emptying. He clutches his bleeding hand, pissed. BOBBY Fuck! Fuck! Fuck! I hate this fuckin' town! I hate it! Do you hear me? (no answer) Get me outta here, please. I gotta get out of this place. As if in answer, a JEEP drives by on the main street. GRACE looks pretty hot up there in the driver's seat, her eyes, behind sunglasses, flicking over him but not acknowledging him as she keeps going. Bobby's eyes throw back his own hostility at her, but unfortunately she misses it, as he now notices -- across the street -- a well-kept building with the most modern decor and signage, reading "McKenna's Realty Co." He thinks about it, in a quandary. EXT. HIGHWAY/CAR - DAY In a rented convertible, we now see SERGEI racing across the desert. His jacket off, a man with a mission. He glances at his watch, eager to get to this "fucking hole in the wall" which is somewhere on this incomprehensible American map he holds in one hand. INT. JAKE'S REALTY OFFICE - DAY BOBBY squats, looking at a real estate model of a desert development. JAKE smiles. JAKE What can I do for you, lad? BOBBY I was hoping we could talk. JAKE Talk? About what? BOBBY About things. About your wife. JAKE Sweet Grace? What about her? BOBBY About what you said this morning. Jake shakes his head as if he doesn't understand. BOBBY You said you had an insurance policy out on your wife. Fifty-thousand dollars. JAKE I do. BOBBY You said you'd cut that up with the man who did her in. JAKE I did? BOBBY Don't play simple with me, Jake. You're a betting man. You want me to spell it out for you? I'll kill Grace if you cut me in on the money. JAKE Boy I think this heat's getting to you the way you're rambling on. BOBBY I'm not rambling. JAKE You're talking like a madman. BOBBY Well then, I guess that qualifies me for citizenship in this town. You're the one brought it up. This morning. In your car. JAKE Oh, that was just loose talk. Husband gettin' pissed off. I don't want anybody dead. BOBBY Bullshit. You wanted me to kill her. JAKE A man doesn't always mean the things he says. BOBBY You meant it. JAKE What makes you say that? BOBBY Because you're a slimy bastard who would have his wife killed just to get his hands on some money. JAKE And what does that make you? BOBBY The slimy bastard who's going to do it for you... (pause) You're a jealous man Jake. If you can't have Grace to yourself...well, you're not the sharing kind. For a moment Jake stares quietly at Bobby. JAKE Well, I guess I have what you call a love-hate relationship with Grace. BOBBY You love her, but you hate her? JAKE No, I hate loving her. I hate the kind of person she is. I hate having to tolerate the little "games" she plays. Like fucking half of the town behind my back and laughing at me. The bitch. She loved to play. She wants me to hit her and when I hit her she likes it. She tortures me. But she's family. She's my little girl. My baby. I couldn't stand to watch her eyes roll back in her head as she sucks her last breath, or to see her pretty pink brains spill from her skull. No. Not me. But you? You got the killing in you, boy...How much you want? A pause. BOBBY Make it twenty. JAKE (stressed, paces) Twenty-thousand? I don't have that kind of money. I won't get the insurance until months after she's dead. I don't imagine you'll want to be stickin' around after poor Grace's demise. Twenty-thousand; that's more money than I could ever get my hands on. BOBBY How much could you get? JAKE Maybe ... ten-thousand. And that's a maybe. BOBBY I need thirteen. JAKE That's a bit much. BOBBY We're not talking about buying a car Jake. We're talking about killing your wife. It's thirteen, or it's nothing. For a moment the two men stand silent. All we hear is the ticking of a grandfather CLOCK that stands in the corner. JAKE You drive a hard bargain, but I had a feeling you were my boy when I met you. BOBBY I'm not your boy. I don't like you. I got no choice but to do business with you. Let's just call this a nasty little marriage of convenience. JAKE Don't say that. I had a marriage of convenience with Grace, and look where that's lead... Well, looks like we got ourselves a contract. BOBBY (sarcastic) Do we shake hands? JAKE If you can't trust the man you've hired to kill your wife ...? The thing is it's got to look like an accident; that's the thing. If it doesn't, then it's no good. I won't get a dime, and it's my neck that'll be on the chopping block while you're living it up somewhere. BOBBY How do you want it? JAKE How the hell should I know? I've never had a wife killed before. Jesus Christ! You want this job, you don't know how to do this? I guess I should have hired a professional. BOBBY You want to do this yourself? I don't have to do this, you know. JAKE Be quiet, boy. I got to figure this thing. I'm thinking. It can't be done at the house. It should be... Jake walks the office thinking. BOBBY Come to think of it, how 'bout some money upfront? JAKE Oh yeah sure. Why don't I buy you a plane ticket right out of here while I'm at it. I know you... (then) This is what you do: Go to the house to see her. BOBBY (beat) And tell her what? EXT. MCKENNA HOUSE - LATER DAY BOBBY stands on the porch talking to GRACE through the screen of the front door. The look on his face is sincere. Hers is skeptical. We see the action take place as we hear Jake's V.O.: JAKE(V.O.) ...I don't know. Tell her you had to see her. Tell her you don't care if she's married or not, you had to be with her. Sweet talk the woman. A young buck like you must be good at that. Then ... maybe shift the conversation. Get her thinking about that jeep of hers. She loves that thing. Maybe the only thing she does love. She'll want to take you for a ride. BOBBY I know you're not surprised I'm back here, cause you can read my mind and all. She's not surprised. GRACE (seeing his new cut) That's some cut. I told you to be more careful. BOBBY Yeah, well I said I was an idiot. Whatta you say we get out of here, take a drive somewhere, talk... GRACE How do you know he's still not here? BOBBY Guys like me take those chances. Let's go. EXT. DESERT - DAY GRACE'S JEEP cuts hard across the desert. Grace has a wild, excited look on her face. BOBBY sits next to her looking somewhat nervous. JAKE(V.O.) She'll take you out somewhere in the desert. She loves it out there; ridin' through the red rock and the mesas. So do I. I guess we got that in common. She'll ride you out someplace quiet. Someplace deserted. FADE TO: EXT. DESERT - LATER DAY GRACE has stopped the JEEP on a plateau. BOBBY sits beneath its shade while Grace walks in the sun seemingly unaffected by the heat. VULTURES swoop above. JAKE(V.O.) There won't be anyone for miles around. Just the two of you and some prairie dogs. That's all. You can sweet talk her a little if you like. Makes no difference to me. Just put her at ease, make her feel relaxed -- then do it. JAKE'S V.O. ends. The scene is now synch with real time. BOBBY Are there snakes out here? GRACE They hear you comin'. They won't bother you. Just don't sneak up on 'em. BOBBY Doesn't the isolation bother you? GRACE Yeah, but I like the sun. I grew up on a reservation. The sun, the desert; they like a religion to us. Jake's the same way. He loves the desert. I guess we're alike that way. That's about the only way. BOBBY You love him? GRACE No. BOBBY Did you ever? GRACE Depends on what you call love. I grew up on a reservation. A patch of desert in the middle of nowhere. That's where they stick Indians, Bobby. That's where they leave us to die. My brother killed himself when he was 19 cause he couldn't take it anymore. There's no hope there... Jake was my ticket out. Mom and me. BOBBY Is that why you're with him? GRACE I let him think he was courtin' me, but I reeled him in like a fish on a line. I wanted him. I wanted what he could give me, and I would've done anything to get him. Is that love? BOBBY I'm guessing no. GRACE Yeah, I guess you're right. BOBBY I take it things didn't much work out the way you planned. GRACE I'm still here, aren't I? See this? Grace sweeps her hand before her across the expanse of the desert. The vultures are very much a part of this landscape. GRACE(CONT) All this nothing? It doesn't get to Jake like it gets to me. He says he don't mind being nothing but a big fish in a small pond. More like a little fish in a dried up watering hole. BOBBY You could leave him. GRACE I don't know how. BOBBY Walk away. GRACE It's not that easy. Maybe you can take chances; maybe you can wander around like some stray wherever you please. I can't. I don't want to be alone. I need to know I'm going to be taken care of. BOBBY You need a meal ticket is what you mean. Some guy you can latch onto just long enough for him to get you out of here. GRACE Is that so bad? It's not like I wouldn't try to make him happy. For awhile, anyway. I mean, I would ... do things for him. I guess I'm no good that way. I guess I tried to sucker you along like that. Do you hate me for it? I wouldn't blame you if you did. But maybe it's like you said: You just got to do whatever it takes to get out. BOBBY (soft echo) Whatever it takes. Grace steps to the edge of the plateau. GRACE I wish I was a bird. I know it's stupid. Every child says that. When I was growing up some of the old ones on the reservation believed people could actually change into animals. I wish I could. We see Bobby behind Grace. He stares at her standing on the edge of the plateau. He rises and walks towards her slowly, but with deliberation. GRACE(CONT) If I was a bird I would fly to Florida; to Disney World. I always wanted to go there. I'd fly to New York. Maybe. I guess New York isn't the best place to be a bird. I'd fly to St. Louis, then New Orleans, all over Texas. Then I'd fly to California. I guess by then I'd have seen it all and I could die. Bobby now stands a few feet behind Grace. She kicks a rock and watches it sail over the lip of the cliff into the nothingness below. GRACE(CONT) They say you don't feel anything. The shock kills you before you hit the ground. I don't know how they would know that. But I heard it's just like flying; straight down into the ground. I guess if it doesn't hurt it's a beautiful thing. Bobby tenses himself. Sweat forms on his brow as he stands directly behind Grace with his hands extended before him. They hover just below her shoulder blades ready to push forward. Suddenly Grace wheels. Startled by Bobby she almost falls over the edge. Bobby grabs her, her weight still going back. Grace's life is literally in his hands. She looks down at the ground far below, then up into Bobby's eyes. She shows no fear, but instead wears a curious smirk. GRACE Hate's a funny thing. Right now I bet you don't know if you want to kill me, or fuck me. Bobby hesitates, then pulls Grace close and kisses her with great ardor on the lips. EXT. APACHE LEAP - DAY On a blanket on the ground, BOBBY and GRACE make love quickly, hotly, her dress pulled up, his pants down. But Grace is troubled and pulls out, further frustrating Bobby. GRACE No...Stop! I can't! Her eyes withdraw into another dimension, as she hikes her dress back up. Bobby comes out of his own head, feels the distance between them. BOBBY What's the matter?...Grace? GRACE Nothing. BOBBY Don't feel like nothing. He finishes relieving himself behind a tree, puts his pants back on. GRACE Get out of town, Bobby, as quick as you can. BOBBY Grace, I've been fucked over too many times, by too many women. You're becoming the queen of hot and cold. GRACE You'd never understand. BOBBY Try me. GRACE It's just such a mess. With Jake I mean... BOBBY Nothing I understand better than a mess. GRACE (in great tension) Jake was with my Mom after my real Dad died. BOBBY You mean the Shaman? GRACE He was a Shaman...in the mine. We had nothin' after he died. Jake took us in, gave us a little money. He used to call me his "little halfbreed"... He kept Mom on the side y'know, cause he was married someplace else. He had kids in Phoenix I think, no one knew him around here...but the thing was...you see... (pause) ...he was raping me the whole time...for years. He loved to do things to me. Believe it or not, he used to say he was in love with my ass. Y'ever been in love with a woman's ass? The dominoes are tumbling for Bobby. BOBBY Yeah. GRACE You're sick too...he loved to do things to me. Control me. My Mom...it tore her up cause she couldn't do nothing about it. She become alcoholic...and the funny thing is-- I liked it. I liked being controlled by Jake. The truth was as far out and crazy as he got, I wanted more. I wanted to go all the way. Women say they don't want to be taken like, really taken -- that's bullshit -- they do. The first time he finished with me, he said I was a woman now. I was 14. Then he started crying like a baby...wanted me to hold him. It's a strange feeling to hate someone so much for so many years, but still want to hold him, comfort him... They found my Mom right down there (points) at the bottom of Apache Leap. She had cactus needles stuck all over her body and Virgil...Sheriff Potter said she was drunk and went insane. But I'll never believe she ran off that cliff by accident. She was born on this earth and she loved it. She was like me. She just wanted to fly away. Bobby is quietly stunned. A whole world has opened up to him; and he isn't sure yet where the story ends. There is some force at work here, beyond his control. GRACE After he got his divorce, he forced me to marry him...but when I saw her body, I swore to her on my soul that some day I'd get Jake for what he did to her... BOBBY I'm sorry... GRACE Yeah. What do you want. Life, right? (shrugs, stoic) Have you ever been to California? BOBBY Yeah. GRACE (as if in a dream) Is it far from here? BOBBY Oh yeah. It's far, it's another world. GRACE Is it pretty? BOBBY Oh yeah. It's beautiful, beautiful beaches. Blue water and clear skies as far as you can see. GRACE (like a little girl) Would you take me with you? BOBBY (pause) I wish I could. GRACE Please. I won't hang on you. As soon as we get there you can dump me. I don't care. I just want to get out of here. BOBBY Honey, baby, I can't. I can't even get out of here myself. Believe it or not, I need a lousy hundred and fifty bucks to get my car back from that crazy mechanic... GRACE Darrell? You know he and Jake are... BOBBY You don't have any money put away, do you? GRACE Jake never gives me more'n twenty bucks at a time, like a bird in a cage, he don't want me goin' anywhere... BOBBY ...you could get me money. I'll get you out of here. She looks at him. GRACE There's money. A lot. The words hang there, thick between them. BOBBY Where? GRACE Jake hides it. In a safe. In the floor. In the bedroom. He counts it. He loves to sit there and count it. BOBBY What do you mean? GRACE At night. He just sits there and laughs and talks to himself and counts it. I heard him. My Mom told me he had a hunnert thousand dollars down there. Maybe more. Bobby's eyes widen in hope. BOBBY In cash? GRACE Oh yeah. There's nothing else with Jake. He don't trust banks. He keeps the money in the floor right under the bed. He loves it so much, he wouldn't think of spending any of it on me. I never seen it but I know he's got more than a hunnert thousand at least... BOBBY One-hundred-thousand!? That son-of-a-bitch. GRACE (puzzled) What do you mean? BOBBY (ignoring her) If it's in a safe we'd have to get the combination-- GRACE It takes a key. He keeps it on himself all the time. I mean all the time. It scratches up against me when we do it. BOBBY If the key's on him, how do we get the key? GRACE Kill him. Spoken almost innocently, it hangs there between them. A silence. BOBBY I can't kill, Grace. I can't kill anybody. GRACE It's not like he's a young man, Bobby. He's had time to live. It'd be quick. I mean, he wouldn't even have to feel it... (seductively) I mean, sometime in the middle of the night, when it's quiet...when he's asleep, you could just come up behind him when he's pounding on me and... Grace lays her hands on Bobby, starting to caress him. He bristles and freezes with fear and disgust. BOBBY Shit! Listen to you... Are you crazy, Grace? He abruptly pulls away. BOBBY Jesus Christ! I think this place is making me crazy. I was crazy to come back here and see you. I'm crazy for listening to anyone in this town, and I'd sure as hell be crazy if I spent another minute with you. Grace rises, covering her nakedness, shooting a hand to his face, like she did when she read his fortune. GRACE But it's in you, Bobby. I see it. I see Death. It's in your heart. Let it out for me. Let it out... He's mesmerized. Then: GRACE Do it for me, Bobby, you'll never regret it. I promise you. I'll do anything for you. Anything. Bobby pauses, terribly torn. BOBBY I...take me back to town... He turns away, towards the jeep. Grace has a tone of desperation in her voice. GRACE You need the money, Bobby. It's a lot more than $100,000. A lot more. How are you going to get out of here? You need the money. Whatever it takes, Bobby, remember? Bobby walks past the jeep, on his way back to town alone. GRACE Where you going? I'll give you the ride...Come back! Bobby? It's three miles. Bobby doesn't look back. Her eyes drift backwards into her solitude. GRACE (to herself) Bobby?...Whatever it takes. EXT. DESERT/ALONG THE ROAD - LATER DAY BOBBY walks through the desert parallel to the road, still in a rage. Desert insects produce a cacophony of drones, buzzes, and clicks. A rattlesnake darts off a rock into the brush. A VOICE whispers to him. JAKE (V.O.) You've got the killing in you, boy. Bobby turns and looks around. Just desert. He continues. JAKE (V.O.) Next time you'll do just fine. BOBBY No! The screen burns a bright white. EXT. STREET CORNER - DAY In a news pot, further down the street from where he was first seen, the old, BLIND MAN sits with his dead DOG, speaking as if into camera, sipping on a Dr. Pepper. BLIND MAN It's the desert that makes you crazy. The loneliness out here. Nobody to talk to. People on the run. Trailer parks. White trash. I seen some peculiar things on a hot day. I seen a scorpion sting itself to death. It just keeps driving its tail into its body again and again. A little killer killing itself. Seen a coyote kill itself too. Just kept on biting and tearing at its own legs. Near tore one clean off before it bled to death. And what a white man'll do when it's freezing one moment, hot as hell the next. A man could get hisself killed just for rubbing shoulders with another (smacking his lips) kiss kissy kiss. Nice pussy y'see, see it coming. I don't know what it is about the desert. I figger it's sort of like putting a kettle of water over a fire. People is mostly water. We boil when it's hot. 'Cept when we boil the water's got no place to go. It just churns inside of us until we can cool off. If it's not too late. BOBBY is now revealed standing next to the blind man, and we realize the blind man has been talking to him all along. Bobby sips a Dr. Pepper as well. BOBBY You sure seen a lot for a blind man. BLIND MAN Just 'cause I ain't got eyes doesn't mean I can't see. BOBBY That a fact? Bobby noticing now all the little NEWSPAPER CLIPPINGS that the Blind Man keeps around him in a sort of inchoate stall. BLIND MAN I can see just fine. For example: You're a young man who thinks he's got someplace to be. A POLICE RADIO crackles, Bobby tensing. BOBBY Maybe I do. BLIND MAN Or maybe you just think you do. Just another small town. One guy chasing you. You go big town. Just gonna have four guys after you instead. Kiss kissy kiss. It gets down to one thing -- are you a human being or are you one of those hungry ghosts out there never satisfied with nothing? Cause you gotta remember you can run just as far as you can, but wherever you go, that's where you gonna be. BOBBY I think I've heard that before. BLIND MAN What do you want for free? BOBBY You sure got a lot of philosophy, old man. BLIND MAN Seems like I do but only cause end of the day we're all eyes in the same head. And everything is everything. BOBBY What? BLIND MAN ...And everything is nothing too. BOBBY (shakes his head) Maybe one day I'll get to sit on a corner and spout wise. BLIND MAN Think you'll live that long? Bobby is clearly unnerved by this. Suddenly the blind man stands, pissed and powerful, sniffing the air with the police radio in it. As SHERIFF POTTER cruises by, glancing at Bobby shrinking. The car goes on up the street. BLIND MAN Cocksucker motherfucker! Cops. I hear you. Always sneaking around. Thinks I can't see him. Well he's right. Motherfucker. But that ain't mean I don't know what's going on around here. They're all cursed. Yes sir. BOBBY Who's cursed? BLIND MAN All them miners last century. Hungry ghosts, killed off all the Indians. Up at the mine. Earth ran red with blood, think I'm fooling around here. White sky was on fire. Grown men cried like babies. I saw a flash, then darkness descended upon me. They put me in the joint. Took my eyes. I cursed them. White people can't seem to stay away from Indians (grabs his bandaged hand, smelling the blood). You gotta watch where ya put your fingers. Pussy pussy pussy, Indian pussy. It sounds demented. Bobby, checking him out to see if he's really blind, walks quietly around him during this monologue and peeks over his glasses trying to see the blind man's real eyes. Although he thinks the Blind Man thinks he's on the other side of him, the Blind Man fools him by suddenly swivelling around and cranking a gob of spit into Bobby's face as if Bobby were on the other side. Bobby, pissed, wipes the spittle from his face. BLIND MAN (finishing) ...but they gotta know you don't fuck around with Indians. BOBBY I thought you said you lost your eyes in the war? BLIND MAN So now you're going to tell me where I lost my eyes. You don't think I know where I lost my eyes? I was there when I lost them. I lost them in the war. The war in the joint. There's always wars in the joint. Cause I was a code talker in the joint and in the war too.(sniffs) Mmmm, nothing like the smell of a naked lady. Be careful, boy. BOBBY Musta been some bad ass nuclear tests here in the 50's. This town's all inbreeding. BLIND MAN Well, people gotta get by somehow. That's the curse. The mines done it. All that uranium, plutonium, fuffonium, fuckononium, assononium, all that "om"! Everybody's got a mother. You don't rip up your mother. You don't rip up the Earth and take everything out. It's like the Cracker Jack box says, "the more you eat, the more you want...."... BOBBY I got things to do. BLIND MAN (offended) Oh well, go do 'em. You don't see me stopping you... Bobby starts to walk away. The Blind Man rattles his tin cup. BLIND MAN ...But ain't you got a little something for the infirm? BOBBY I'm a little short Pops. I'll catch you next time. BLIND MAN Your lies are old, but you tell 'em well. EXT. STREET - DAY BOBBY, depressed, is heading towards Harlin's gas station, passing JENNY sitting on a corner drinking a soda, almost as if waiting for him. She runs to him, and follows him, as somewhere a POLICE RADIO crackles and buzzes. JENNY Hey mister. Mister, I just... I just wanted to thank you. BOBBY For what? JENNY For defending my honor this afternoon. BOBBY I hate to bust your bubble honey, but I wasn't defending you. JENNY But you was going to fight for me. BOBBY I wasn't going to fight for you. I was just going to beat the shit out of your boyfriend. JENNY He's not my boyfriend. I mean, I let him take me out and stuff, but I ain't spoken for. Not yet that is. BOBBY Get it through your head, little girl; I'm not going for you. If this Toby likes you, then if I were you I'd marry him. You're not going to get much better in this town. JENNY That's what I thought until you came riding in. I saw your car over at the gas station. It's a cool car. Want to take me for a ride? Desert's kind of lonely this time of day. BOBBY How old are you? JENNY (beat) Eighteen... Well, I'm gonna be eighteen in two years, but that don't mean you can't take me for a ride if you want. BOBBY No, I don't want to take you for a ride. What I want is for ... Hey, you don't think you can get $150 from your parents, could you? From OFF CAMERA we hear TOBY. TOBY(O.C.) Mister! BOBBY Oh, shit! Toby moves menacingly up the street towards Bobby. TOBY That's right, Mister. You better be afraid. I told you it wasn't over, but you didn't listen. Now I find you sneakin' around with my girl behind my back. BOBBY I wasn't sneaking around with your girl. Would you please tell him? JENNY You're too late, Toby. We're going to get in his fancy car and ride off and leave you behind. BOBBY What the hell are you talking about? JENNY What's your name anyway? TOBY Oh, that tears it, Mister. I'm gonna bust you up but good. I'm gonna bust you into a million pieces and then ... and then bust those pieces up, and then ... and then spread them all around. That's what I'm gonna do. You don't know what you're dealing with, Mister. I'm crazy. I'm psycho crazy. BOBBY Yeah, I know. You're TNT. Just like dynamite. When you go off somebody gets hurt. (at his wit's end) All right. Let's do this. JENNY Toby Tucker, it don't matter to me if you beat him all up and knock out all his teeth and he's just drooling and bleeding all over hisself, 'cause we love each other and we gonna run off, and I'm gonna have his love child. BOBBY Will you shut up! TOBY You gonna pay for that, Mister. Toby and Bobby square off, sizing each other up and preparing for a violent confrontation. Just as the two are about to clash we hear the voice of SHERIFF POTTER from OFF CAMERA. SHERIFF(O.C.) Toby! The two men freeze in their tracks, as Potter drives up fast. TOBY Hey, Sheriff Potter. SHERIFF (tough) Toby, I just came from your mother's place. She's worried sick about you. She says she ain't seen you since this morning. TOBY That ain't true, Sheriff. I was home for lunch. SHERIFF Boy, I'm not trying to hear nothing from you except that you're heading home. Now run along. TOBY Yes, sir. Come on, Jenny. JENNY I want to stay. TOBY I said come on! Toby grabs Jenny by the wrist and literally pulls he along. As she goes she yells back to Bobby. JENNY Bye, Mister. Don't go nowhere without me. I wanna have your love child. Toby points a vicious finger at Bobby. TOBY Next time, Mister. Next time. Toby and Jenny exit leaving Bobby and the Sheriff alone. Bobby would also like to exit fast. SHERIFF Where ya goin'? BOBBY Harlin's. SHERIFF Get in. Bobby has no choice. He gets in. SHERIFF Seen you popping up a little bit of everywhere today. You're not planning on staying are you? BOBBY No, sir. I'm not going to be around long if that's what you're worried about. SHERIFF That's a nasty cut you got there. BOBBY Yeah, fell down and hit a rock. Not as bad as it looks. SHERIFF There was a young fellow over at Jamilla's today when it got hit. Way she tells it he got whacked around good by one of the robbers. BOBBY Sounds like it. I wish I could help Sheriff, but I just want to get my car and get on up the road. JAKE drives up in his GOLD CADDY. His windows whirr down. JAKE Everything all right, Virgil? He eyes Bobby. SHERIFF (a little nervous) Just fine, Jake. Where you going? JAKE I was just up at Darrell's. How's the wife? That little eskimo baby walkin' yet? SHERIFF Oh just fine. JAKE You haven't seen Grace around, have you? I'm looking for her. SHERIFF No. But if I do, I'll tell her you're looking for her, Jake. JAKE (looking at Bobby) Whatcha got there, some trash? He drives off. The Sheriff drives on. SHERIFF Peculiar, how things happen. A man's car breaks down. There's a hold up. People die and all that money -- and now old Jake out looking for his young wife. And then you show up... The Sheriff looks right through Bobby, who knows this is more than a conversation. He pulls up to Harlin's garage. Bobby gets out. SHERIFF Time's running out, son. I'll be seeing you in the morning... With this thinly veiled threat, the Sheriff drives on. As Bobby watches, feeling the pressure to get out now while he can. EXT. HARLIN'S GARAGE - LATER DAY DARRELL is cleaning his tools. Bobby's MUSTANG sits prominently in the car bay, washed and gleaming, as BOBBY walks up. DARRELL Hey there. I was beginnin' to think you wasn't comin' back... You don't look so good. BOBBY Yeah, well, I've been around the bend a bit. DARRELL One of those days you feel like you been runnin' in circles and you ain't no closer to where you tryin' to get than when you started? BOBBY You've been there? DARRELL Hell, I've had days I would gladly trade with a whippin' dog. Ain't much you can do when you feel like that 'cept tough it out. BOBBY You believe that? DARRELL You think bad, and bad is what you get. BOBBY That's a good piece of advice, Darrell. DARRELL No charge. BOBBY Listen, Darrell, about that hundred-fifty bucks for the car, as soon as I get where I'm going I swear I'll-- DARRELL Two-hundred. BOBBY What? DARRELL It's going to cost you two-hundred dollars. BOBBY You said this morning the hose was going to run me one-fifty. DARRELL Yep. For the hose. But while you was gone I replaced a gasket. That's going to run you another fifty. BOBBY I didn't tell you to replace any gasket. DARRELL Yeah, but it was shot. BOBBY I don't give a fuck! I didn't tell you to do it! You can't just do unauthorized work. DARRELL Well, now, you just know all there is about bein' a mechanic, don't you? Didn't you read the sign. BOBBY What sign? DARRELL The goddamn sign on the wall. I can't do unauthorized work? What am I suppose to do? Just let you ride out of here with a bad gasket. Then you get in an accident and get killed. Or worse. Who they gonna blame then? They gonna blame me, and there goes my reputation. BOBBY What reputation? You're nothing but an ignorant, inbred, tumbleweed hick. DARRELL Is that an insult? Are you insulting me. BOBBY Listen you stupid fuck, I want my car. DARRELL Listen to me you sorry sonufabitch. You owe me money, and this car ain't going nowheres until I get it. And if you take another five hours I'll find another fifty dollars worth of work to do on it. Is that clear? Now get out of here 'fore I call the Sheriff, who knows me. Bobby is in a rage. He turns to leave and walks a few paces. He sees a WRENCH lying on a table. For a second his mind reels, then he snatches up the wrench and turns ready to smash it down on Darrell's head. He stops cold. Because ol' Darrell holds a CROWBAR in a batter's stance ready to smash it onto the Mustang. DARRELL You want to play, Mister? I'll play with you. You want to smash something? So do I. Darrell pulls back the crowbar, ready to swing. BOBBY No! Okay! Okay! DARRELL What's the matter? The fight gone out of you? I'm just gonna smash a headlight. Maybe two. BOBBY (pleading, almost crying) Please, just leave the car alone! DARRELL Mister, you already pissed me off but good. Darrell lays the tip of the crowbar on the hood of the car, and drags the tip of the bar across the hood leaving a long scratch. BOBBY (about to lose it) Goddamn you! You son of a bitch! DARRELL There you go, sweet talking me again. Darrell begins to laugh. Bobby, desperate, looks to the trunk, thinking of his gun in there. His POV -- the trunk. A FLASHBACK of the GUN goes through his mind. BOBBY Look, Harlin. DARRELL Darrell. BOBBY Darrell. I'll get you your money. I just have to get something out of the trunk. Using his TRUNK KEY, he tries to open it but realizes the lock has been changed. BOBBY What the fuck did you do to my trunk? DARRELL Well, that key's not gonna work. I had to pop the lock. You didn't leave me the trunk key. BOBBY And you had to go into the trunk, didn't you? DARRELL When I work on a car, I work on a car. BOBBY (snaps) You motherfucker! (etc.) DARRELL You can't help yourself, can you mister? You're out of control. Darrell starts to laugh. It is a repetitive, almost demonic laugh that grows louder as the camera slowly dollies in on Bobby's anguished face. EXT. STREET - DAY As BOBBY steps out into the glaring sun, he notices down at the other end of the town, GRACE'S JEEP parked right outside the SHERIFF'S OFFICE, empty. Presently, GRACE and the SHERIFF walk out TALKING, and she gets in, says a few last words and drives away. Bobby backs around a corner into a sidestreet. Is she selling him out? He's very confused, turbulent. INT. BUS DEPOT - LATER DAY BOBBY enters the BUS DEPOT. The interior is poorly lit. There are a few benches for people to wait on, but they sit empty. Old, faded travel posters hang on the wall. A bored FEMALE CLERK is behind the counter. BOBBY I need a ticket. CLERK Where to? BOBBY Out of here. CLERK But, in particular? BOBBY I ... Mexico. You got a bus that goes to Mexico? That's where I have to go. CLERK Mexico is a large country. Where in Mexico would you like-- BOBBY I don't care, just get me there. The clerk is a little put off by Bobby. He seems delirious. She goes through her schedule looking for a bus. CLERK How about Ciudad Juarez? You could take a local, arrives in two hours, and transfer in Albuquerque. It'll get you across the border. BOBBY How much? CLERK One way, or round trip? BOBBY One way. CLERK 30.55. Twenty more will get you back. Bobby counts his money. BOBBY Twenty-seven, fifty. That's all I got. CLERK The ticket is 30.55. BOBBY (rifling his pockets) I bought a beer. That was a dollar something. Then I gave that girl 25 cents for the juke box. And the blind man...the soda...I..I'd have 30 if...if... CLERK I'm sorry, sir. It's $30.55 for the ticket. BOBBY (to himself) Yeah. Just a little short. Figures. I just wanted to get out, that's all. Bobby starts to walk away. Suddenly he turns, runs back at the clerk, proffers his money, half-crazed, near tears. BOBBY Please, ma'am, you don't understand! I have to get out of here. They're going to come looking for me. They're going to kill me. If I can't get this ticket then I'm going to have to do things to get out of here. You know what I mean! I don't want to hurt anybody, I just want to leave. Please. I can't...I can't. He's so desperate and in her frightened but neutral expression, Bobby experiences the only compassion he ever finds in this whole town. CLERK Okay, I'll give you the ticket, sir, but...just...just, please calm down, please! her sane tone reminds Bobby of how far down he's come. He shrinks, suddenly ashamed of himself. She takes the cash on the counter, hands him a ticket. CLERK Keep your change. Bus three-twenty-three. Leaves at seven fifty two, tonight. BOBBY I'm sorry. It's just ... you know ... She nods, puts a "closed" sign in the ticket window, disappears. EXT. BUS DEPOT - LATE DAY We hear the crackle of the same POLICE RADIO again, OFF CAMERA, as BOBBY walks out of the depot. ticket preciously held in his hand, and suddenly reels as he sees SERGEI, about a 100 yards down the main stretch, slowly rolling into town in his convertible, looking for guess who. BOBBY Holy shit! INT. SERGEI'S CAR - SIMULTANEOUS BOBBY turns away, but not fast enough. SERGEI spots him, hits the pedal. SERGEI Got you, shitface! Bobby Cooper. Bobby Cooper... EXT. MAIN STREET - SIMULTANEOUS BOBBY, ducking around a corner, hears the brief "Whoop" of the sheriff's POLICE SIREN. He glances back. His POV - sure enough, the SHERIFF'S having a field day. He's just pulled SERGEI over. At this distance, we catch snippets of conversation as the Sheriff ambles from his car, checking Sergei's out-of-state plates. SHERIFF Where's the fire sweetheart? Don't know how they work things in Nevada, but we got speed limits in this state. SERGEI Vat? I am going 5 miles an hour! I am looking town. I not even moving. We pop in closer to their conversation -- Bobby relishing this in his mind's eye. Sergei is constantly looking off to where he last saw Bobby. But the Sheriff, strangely, pays no attention to these looks. SHERIFF Whoa, what kind of accent you got there? You one of them Russians? SERGEI I am Russian, da! I am also rich Russian, da? Maybe we work something out, my friend Sheriff? SHERIFF What? You trying to bribe me, mister? Just cause you Russians ain't commies anymore, don't think money can buy everything... Down the street, Sheriff Potter is holding up a concealed GUN. SHERIFF What's that? (He grabs the gun) ..."concealed" is a definite no no in this town, Ivan. You know anything about Jamilla's grocery store? SERGEI What fuckin grocery store, you fucking shithead idiot! You call yourself a police... Sergei looking Bobby's direction. SHERIFF Get out of the car, spread them. You can jawbone all you want or you have the right to shut the fuck up! You commie motherfucker. Either way you're goin' to the can. SERGEI I want my lawyer! Sheriff cuffs Sergei and sticks him in the police car. Bobby can't help smiling as he turns away to the SODA MACHINE seen in an earlier scene. He comes up with the change the bus clerk left him and, dying for a drink in this heat, inserts the coin. Though still under considerable pressure from all sides, this lucky break with Sergei seems like it might be the beginning of something new today -- some luck. The icy cold soda bottle shoots out. Bobby raises it to his lips, about to taste it, about to relax for once. Violently it explodes out of his hands as he doubles over in blinding pain from a KIDNEY PUNCH. He stumbles forward into the soda machine, gasping. The legs of his assailant are close to him, but the face is unseen. Bobby doubles his agony as his bandaged left stump takes the brunt of the blow into the machine, re-opening the wound. Blood starts to seep through the bandage. BOBBY Ow! Bobby crumples to the ground as TOBY now towers over him with his fists curled and a snarl on his lips. TOBY Get up, Mister! Don't ever let it be said Toby Tucker beat the living shit out of someone without giving them a fair chance. BOBBY (gasping) What the hell are you doing? You fucking psycho! TOBY I'm doing what any man would do if he'd been offended. I'm stompin' your ass. BOBBY You idiot! You don't even know what you're fighting over! TOBY My honor, that's what I'm fighting over. Now get up off the ground, or do I have to whoop you where you lie? JENNY comes running up the street. JENNY Toby! Toby Tucker, leave him alone! TOBY You stay away, Jenny. I aim to mess him up, and that ain't a thing for a woman to see. Jenny runs to Bobby and cuddles him where he lays. JENNY Don't be afraid of him none. I don't care what he does to you, we can still be together. BOBBY Get away from me! Bobby sees his bus ticket on the ground. He grabs for it, but Toby beats him to it. TOBY Now, what's this? BOBBY Give it to me! TOBY Mexico? You going to Mexico? BOBBY I'm leaving. You never have to see me again. Just please, give me the ticket! TOBY This means something to you? Jenny means something to me. Toby sticks the ticket in his mouth and chews it up whole. BOBBY Nooo! TOBY (between bites) I'm gonna beat you so bad you gonna be eatin' nothing but soup the erst of your days. Rain dogs is gonna be prettier than you when I'm done. I'm gonna mess you up so bad you gonna make your own momma sick. I'm gonna ... Toby's words drift to Bobby from a million miles away. The world around him is like a dream, or a nightmare. A primal rage wells inside of Bobby that rises up in a howl as he swings the soda bottle up out of nowhere across Toby's head, smashing him backwards. Then he lands blow after blow with his right hand on the boy's face and head. Jenny screams: JENNY Stop it! You're killing him! Jenny grabs Bobby's arm, literally hanging all her weight on it, stopping him from striking Toby again. JENNY You're killing him! Toby!? Toby!? Jenny sinks to the ground and cuddles Toby. Bobby stands. He looks at Toby, then at his bloodied knuckles in disbelief. His bandage is soaked with his own blood, but his adrenaline numbs the pain. JENNY You killed him! You killed him! She wails in the background as he backs away, around the corner, into Main Street, crossing to where the PHONE BOOTH is. EXT. PHONE BOOTH - LATE DAY BOBBY is on the phone. BOBBY Hello, Grace? It's Bobby. INTERCUTS TO: INT. MCKENNA HOUSE - SIMULTANEOUS GRACE, in the kitchen, is also on the phone. GRACE (coolly) I thought you'd be on your way to Vegas by now. Is there something you wanted? BOBBY I wanted to talk. GRACE(V.O.) I don't think we have anything to talk about. BOBBY What about us? GRACE There is no us, remember? BOBBY Except I can't get you out of my head, Grace. (beat) GRACE Stop it. BOBBY (V.O.) Why? Am I making you hot, or does the truth scare you? GRACE Because I know you're full of shit. BOBBY I mean it, Grace. I'm getting out of here, and I want to take you with me. GRACE (V.O.) I thought you couldn't get your car. BOBBY I could if I had Jake's money. GRACE (V.O.) Is that what changed your mind? The money? BOBBY I don't give a damn about the money. I want you, and I want to get us out of this shithole. There's only one way to do that. Pause. GRACE Are you sure?... About me, I mean? BOBBY I came back for you; this morning I came back. Before I even knew about the money. You're what I want. (then) The only reason I stormed off is because you spooked me talking about Jake. But I've had nothing but time to think about it. It keeps coming back to you and me and us getting the hell out of here. But we've got to get the money, baby. We get the money, I get the car, then we get the hell out. GRACE You said you couldn't kill anybody. BOBBY We don't have to kill him. Just knock him out and tie him up 'till we get away. (beat) It was your idea, remember? I'm doing this for you. I'm doing this so you can fly...fly like a bird. Grace bites at a nail and fidgets, but says nothing. BOBBY (V.O.) Grace ... Grace? GRACE After dark. I'll leave the back door unlocked. She quickly hangs up the phone. Bobby also hangs up the phone, an unreadable expression on his face. INT. MCKENNA LIVING ROOM - LATE DAY JAKE sits in an easy chair reading a paper. Puffs of smoke from his pipe rise from behind the paper and hang like a cloud over his head. GRACE stands in the doorway, body stiff and arms crossed, staring at him. JAKE Who was that on the phone? GRACE Wrong number. JAKE You spent a long time talking for a wrong number. But then you make friends so easily. Don't you, Grace? Grace has no answer for that, so she says nothing. A long moment passes, then: GRACE I put up new drapes, Jake. JAKE I know. I was here when your apprentice was helping you. Remember? GRACE You never said anything. About the drapes. JAKE They look nice. GRACE You haven't even looked at them once. Jake lowers the paper, looks at the drapes. JAKE They look nice. GRACE I picked them out for you, Jake. I thought you would like the colors. JAKE (softly, admiring) You look just like your mama when you move like that against the light. Grace stares at the CHAIN now visible around Jake's neck that disappears under his shirt. She knows that hidden there is a key, and she fixes on it intently. JAKE What the hell you looking at, girl? GRACE Nothing, Jake. Absolutely nothing. EXT. DESERT - EVENING The SUN is setting. It strikes the horizon sending a ripple of golden light through the sky. EXT. PORCH OF HOUSE - EVENING A MAN dances in the evening light with a small child in his arms. EXT. CORNER OF HOUSE - EVENING A DOG and CAT huddle together in sleep. EXT. POLICE STATION - EVENING SHERIFF VIRGIL POTTER is tossing horseshoes with his DEPUTIES. EXT. MCKENNA HOUSE - EVENING GRACE watches the sun going down outside her house, cradling herself in her arms. A desert wind gently caresses her. EXT. STREET CORNER - NIGHT The BLIND MAN, along with his dead DOG, sits on the side of the street. BLIND MAN Well, that's it. Sun's going down. People go home, trade stories over dinner. They'll talk about the day, about the heat, laugh about something crazy it made them do. They'll kiss, sleep a few hours, then do it all over again. BOBBY now appears next to the blind man holding two Dr. Peppers. He hands one to the blind man, takes a sip of the other one, and offers him his own change. BOBBY The day wasn't so bad. We all got through it all right. BLIND MAN (giving back the change) Keep it. There's a suggestion of cockiness in Bobby, feeling his luck coming back with the night. His humour is enhanced by his POV down the street: As DARRELL, with his dilapidated truck, readies SERGEI'S convertible for towing. BLIND MAN (OVER) Ain't over yet. Night is part of day; separate, but equal. Night is when you let your guard down; when you see things in the shadows and hear things in the dark. BOBBY Difference between you and me, old man, is I see the glass half full, you see it half empty. BLIND MAN Night is when you want to sleep, but the dry heat keeps you tossin' and turnin'. It's when you wish the sun was bakin' high in the sky so you could see what it is you're afraid of. BOBBY You afraid of the dark? BLIND MAN Afraid of it? Boy, I live in the dark. All cause of a woman who made me this way. People are afraid of what they can't see. I can't see nuthin', so it's all the same to me. Kiss from a beautiful woman, kissy kissy kiss, a lick from a dog, slurp, slurp, the kiss of death (he makes a strange sound). It's all the same to me. BOBBY So, we're all just floating along like twigs in a stream, so enjoy the ride. Is that it? BLIND MAN More or less. BOBBY Not this twig, friend. I got plans. BLIND MAN Nothing makes the Great Spirit laugh harder than a man's plans. We all got plans. I planned on seeing all my life. I know you didn't plan on straying into town. BOBBY No and I don't plan on sticking around either. BLIND MAN Well, don't say I didn't warn you when things go your way. BOBBY You got a lotta philosophy in you, old timer but you don't fool me for one second with all this blind man crap. One minute you lost your eyes in Vietnam, next it's the joint. Now it's a woman? I'm hep to you. The Blind Man slowly lifts his glasses, showing his EYES at last. Where his eyes should be are scars and dead flesh. An ugly sight that even takes Bobby back a step. BLIND MAN Used to be a young smartass like you. Then I got smart with the wrong man's daughter. Got some acid poured on my peepers for my trouble. You know human beings ain't always just human -- they got animals living inside 'em too...People give spare change to war heroes not fools. All fools get is pity. May not have eyes, but I see. And you, boy? The Blind Man puts his glasses back on. BLIND MAN You got my pity. BOBBY (doesn't believe him) Hope she was worth it. BLIND MAN Oh, she was worth it. She was worth every black minute since. Bobby looks at his watch, gets ready to go, drops a coin into the Blind Man's cup. BOBBY Time's up. Any last words of wisdom? BLIND MAN Things ain't always the way they seem. You got to ask yourself: is it worth it? Day comes Earthmaker is going to look in your fucking heart! Then you better know what it is you're doing. Are you a human being -- or just one of them hungry ghosts out there floatin' around? Bobby walks away, smiling. BOBBY You are crazy, you know. Be seeing you, old man. BLIND MAN You know I won't be seeing you. The Blind Man lifts his sunglasses and peers into the cup as if he sees. We don't really know. He reaches into the cup and pulls out the coin Bobby tossed in. BLIND MAN Cheap bastard. Gives me back my own money... Well, Jesse, time's up, let's go for a walk. The Blind Man now stands up and pulls the seeing-eye dog's harness. The DOG struggles to its feet and they walk off down the street together. INT. MCKENNA HOUSE - NIGHT GRACE stands by the back door staring at the bolt lock. JAKE yells to her from another room. JAKE(O.C.) What the hell you doin', Grace? Are you coming to bed, or aren't you? For a moment Grace's hand wavers above the lock. Suddenly, like a snake striking, her hand shoots out and unlocks the bolt. Just as quickly she turns from the door and heads to the bedroom. EXT. YARD - MCKENNA HOUSE - NIGHT A LIGHT is on in the bedroom window. After a moment it dims and the house is dark, silhouetted against the horizon by moonlight. BOBBY steps into frame, carrying an iron pipe. INT. MCKENNA HOUSE/BEDROOM - SIMULTANEOUS We start close on GRACE -- a KEY slapping against her buttocks as bedsprings groan. We reveal Grace copulating on all fours with JAKE from behind. JAKE Ya little bitch, you like it don't you! You like it this way -- rough and hard. Gotta go fuck around on me, like your Mama, but you always gotta come home to Daddy, don't you, cause you know Daddy's the best. GRACE Yes, yes, hit me...beat me, please. JAKE You been a bad girl, Grace. You took my heart from your Mama, didn't ya? You betrayed her! Like you did me. There ain't no forgivin' ya, girl! GRACE Oh no! Oh please forgive me, Papa! JAKE You broke her heart! You broke your Mama's heart. You stole me! That's right. Fuck it away. But it ain't ever goin' away, cause your Mama -- she's like a hungry ghost baby, she won't go away, she won't leave ya alone. GRACE No! No! Please! He hits her. Harder. In a strange flashback of his mind, he now sees Grace's MAMA beneath him, receiving his punishment. He stops, abruptly. He can't go on. Fear coming into his eyes. He starts to whimper, begging for his punishment and/or forgiveness. JAKE Oh baby, I'm so sorry... I'm so sorry... (he starts to cry) I didn't mean to hurt you so bad. It just...got away... He drops down, burying his face between Grace's legs. JAKE Forgive me, baby, forgive me! He hides there from the world that he has created, crying to himself. Grace has an unreadable expression, but that's certainly not a new occurrence in their strange relationship. INT. MCKENNA HOUSE/BACKDOOR - NIGHT The knob of the backdoor twists and the door opens. BOBBY slips quickly through the space and into the house quietly closing the door behind him. It is nearly pitch dark, and he has no bearings. He steps gingerly through the hall, but in the darkness he bumps into a table nearly knocking over a lamp only to catch it just before it crashes into the floor. INT. MCKENNA HOUSE/BEDROOM - SIMULTANEOUS JAKE hears the noise. He raises his head and cocks an ear to the air. She knows who it is, and is concerned; he's too early. GRACE What's the matter? JAKE You didn't hear something? GRACE Yeah, I heard a key slapping against my ass. JAKE There's someone in the house. GRACE (nervous) Maybe...maybe the wind blew something over (encouraging him to continue). Come on baby, keep going. Jake climbs out of bed, throwing on some pants, reaching into a drawer in the chest of clothes, pulling out a small dark metallic OBJECT. GRACE (realizing) What's that? Jake -- where's you get that? JAKE Relax baby. Stay here. He goes to the door. She follows, tries to block the door. GRACE Jake, don't go out there. Call the sheriff. JAKE Shhhh! Just like your Mama, always scared of things... He maneuvers her aside and slips out the door into the corridor. INT. LIVING ROOM/MCKENNA HOUSE - SIMULTANEOUS Crowbar in one hand, BOBBY makes his way slowly through the living room, banging against the edge of a table. He hops silently in pain, then waits at the door to the next room and listens. Hearing nothing he slowly pokes his head into the darkness. A moment later Bobby backs from the door and we see the barrel of his own black .9mm BARETTA pressed against his forehead. JAKE appears now, backing him into the living room. He switches on a LAMP. JAKE Well, well. As I live and breathe. I didn't expect to be seeing the like of you again. Thought you'd be long on your way by now. Jake continues to press the gun to Bobby's head. BOBBY That's my gun...(then) That fucking Darrell! JAKE I like Darrell. He may be an idiot, but he's my half brother. We own Harlin's together, yeah, that little redneck manages to get paid no matter how things work out. BOBBY (realizing) You been workin' me the whole time. JAKE I guess this is what they call "ironee"? Hunh? BOBBY It's not what you think, Jake. JAKE No, but it don't matter anyway when you're lying there with your brains all over my carpet and I'm telling Sheriff Potter about this drifter, didn't have enough money to fix his car. And Darrell happened to find his gun, and through maybe this drifter heard old Jake got some money stashed away, and figgered he might try to break in and steal it! BOBBY Wait a minute. Just listen to me... JAKE ...And he thought he'd clock old Jake McKenna and turn his brains into wall paper...and then maybe borrow $200 or $20,000, or $200,000... BOBBY (very serious) That's not the reason I'm here, Jake. JAKE There's another reason? It better be good. INT. HALLWAY - SIMULTANEOUS GRACE makes her way down the hall in a nightgown, and now hides in shadow, listening. BOBBY (V.O.) I came for Grace. JAKE (V.O.) You came to take my wife from me? INT. LIVING ROOM - SIMULTANEOUS BOBBY (sincere) No. I came to kill her. INT. HALLWAY GRACE'S eyes get real narrow and angry. JAKE (V.O.) Shhh! Liar. BOBBY (V.O.) It's the truth, Jake. INT. LIVING ROOM JAKE That's a thick change of heart from this afternoon. BOBBY Maybe I don't like being played, like she played us today. Maybe I don't like that at all, Jake. I'm just pissed enough, maybe I'll rip the neck off my own grandmother. JAKE You have a lot of talk in you, whole lot of talk. BOBBY Damn it, Jake. There is a guy coming to kill me, and if it comes down to me or Grace, then I pick Grace. You were going to give me thirteen-thousand. Give me two-hundred. I'll kill her and dump the body where no one will ever find it. She showed me the perfect place. There won't be enough left for an autopsy. But I need the the money. I've got to have the money. Jake is silent. He takes his time thinking. Finally: JAKE She's in the bedroom. INT. HALLWAY GRACE, distressed, starts backing off towards the bedroom. INT. LIVING ROOM BOBBY stares at the automatic in JAKE's hand. BOBBY Wanna give me my gun? Jake laughs, a "don't even think about it" look. JAKE A strangling'll do just fine. Go to work. Bobby holds up his eight fingers with a "you try" look. Jake shrugs. Bobby points to the crowbar on the carpet. BOBBY How 'bout the pipe? JAKE (sarcastic) She's got a slender neck. Bobby turns and walks towards the bedroom. Jake follows into an adjoining room. JAKE Hold on a second! Come here! Bobby turns to Jake, who is suddenly extremely upset. JAKE How the hell did you know where the bedroom's at? BOBBY What are you talking about! JAKE (getting closer) This morning when I came in on you and Grace, you swore you hadn't been near the bedroom. Now you make straight for it. INT. HALLWAY GRACE returns to listen. This thing is like a seesaw battle of wills. BOBBY (V.O.) Come on, Jake -- JAKE (V.O.) Don't Jake me boy! It's a big house. You probably didn't even make it out to the desert this afternoon... INT. LIVING ROOM JAKE has come right up on BOBBY in a rage. JAKE ...Or did you just ply the afternoon away between my sheets putting your lips all over her, you little horndog... BOBBY (changing tactics) What difference does it make if I slept with her? We're gonna kill her. JAKE You're right! I don't give a damn about her. But killing her's one thing. Fucking her behind my back, that's another! Suddenly Jake swings his arm, clipping Bobby across the side of the head with the pistol and opening another bloody gash. Bobby crumbles to his knees, crying out. Jake suddenly grabs Bobby by the hair, forcing his face back and smearing his lips with his own in a vengeful kiss. The blood from Bobby's wound runs down to his lips and mixes with Jake's lips. JAKE Now you've tasted both of us! He pulls back the hammer on the gun and levels it at Bobby's head. Bobby sees it coming, plays his last card on his knees. BOBBY O.K.! I admit it! I fucked her! But it's her you have to worry about, not me! She wants you dead, Jake. She wants you dead and she wants your money. JAKE (hesitates) What are you babbling about? BOBBY (talking fast) Think about it! How do you think I got in here? Did you hear any glass break? Did you hear a door splinter? INT. HALLWAY - SIMULTANEOUS GRACE listening. BOBBY (V.O.) How did the evening end? After you went to bed did she linger a bit? Maybe just long enough to leave the door unlocked? Is that what happened? INT. LIVING ROOM - SIMULTANEOUS Like an old rag, JAKE gradually soaks all this up becoming heavier with the weight of the knowledge. JAKE You'd tell me anything to save your pathetic life. BOBBY You know what kind of woman Grace is, Jake. You know how badly she wants to get the fuck out of Superior. What's she to you, Jake; a woman who wants you dead? Let me kill her. All I want is two-hundred dollars to get out of here with. JAKE Two-hundred dollars? BOBBY Two-hundred dollars...I'll do it! I'll kill her! A beat. Jake stares down at Bobby on the floor. JAKE Sweet Christ, I'd be doing the world a favor, ridding it of the likes of you. Get your miserable ass off the floor. You're positively pathetic... Go on, go kill Grace. Bobby slowly stands. JAKE I'm not letting you walk for nothing. Two hundred dollars. Do it, boy. Kill her. Bobby goes. INT. HALLWAY - SIMULTANEOUS GRACE bolts back to the bedroom, the camera following her as she flies. INT. BEDROOM HALLWAY - NIGHT (MOMENTS LATER) BOBBY walks it. His POV -- the door. Every step seems freighted. INT. BEDROOM - SIMULTANEOUS GRACE is in a quandary. How many seconds before Bobby walks in to kill her? Or can he really kill her? She's not sure. She looks around the room frantically. Picks up a lamp, puts it down. She looks quickly through her closet, rummages below in the boxes. Suddenly she finds it. A dangerous looking Indian HATCHET with a feather hanging off its bindings. It's a formidable piece of iron, quite capable of splitting a skull or impaling flesh. Grace hears the footsteps just outside the door. She runs behind the door. A moment later, the bedroom door creaks open and BOBBY quietly enters, approaching the bed. We sense the doubt in his eyes as to whether he can kill her. In a reverse POV, Bobby sees the outline of Grace in the bed as victim...closer, closer. He now lifts the edge of the bedcover but sees a blanket bunched up to resemble a human figure. He suddenly hears a foot fall behind him, then he feels her presence. He spins. She's directly behind him, hatchet raised. His life is in her hands. His eyes, locked in an eternal moment. Her eyes, the hatchet. SNAP CUT TO: INT. HALLWAY - SIMULTANEOUS As JAKE, anxiously torn, waits, there is a LOUD CRASH, followed by SOUNDS of struggle, of murder, of death. Then... GRACE Jake! It is a desperate cry for help. Jake can't help himself. He breaks into a roaring run down the hall to save his beloved. JAKE Grace!! INT. BEDROOM - SIMULTANEOUS JAKE bulls into the bedroom. It's a mess, furniture overturned, sheets and blankets all over the floor. The lights broken. Waiting for him, face down on the floor, is BOBBY'S BODY in a pool of liquid. A broken bottle lies nearby. Bobby's body heaves in its final death throes, and then shudders quiet... Over there, by the bed, is GRACE, who still clutches the HATCHET. The look on her face is pure shock. JAKE Well...looks like you got him, Grace. That's good...that's real good. He must of slipped past me, but you got him. Looks like that drifter from this morning. Got to be careful who you make friends with, sweetheart. Jake eyes the weapon in Grace's hand. JAKE Why don't you put that down? It's all over now. Put it down. Grace eyes the gun in Jake's hand. JAKE Go on, girl. Put it down. What choice does Grace have? She lets the hatchet clank to the floor. JAKE Aww, that's my Grace: Not about to let someone get the best of her. That's what I love about you. As dangerous as you are unpredictable. behind Jake, the lifeless BOBBY rises up from the floor, very much alive, and clobbers Jake with a golf club. Jake is staggered, but he's one tough old customer as he manages to spin slowly, gun still in one hand, as if to fire. Before he can, Grace grabs up the hatchet from the floor and drives it straight into his back. He gurgles, stunned from both sides, but it's like trying to kill Rasputin. He still has the gun as Bobby jumps him from the rear, trying to get his neck in a chokehold. The gun FIRES once, discharging into the wall. The hatchet is ripped from his back. Grace watches as the two men bang into the walls in a rugged rodeo-type fight, Jake seeking to dislodge Bobby off his back. An expression of fear and excitement in her eyes. Finally the two men go crashing to the ground, rolling around, Bobby maintaining his stranglehold, but calling to her, his hands full. BOBBY Grace, goddamit, do something! Jake's eyes rolls up at her like a beaching whale, pleading for help. JAKE Grace...? She commits. Jumping into the fray, it's not clear whose side she's really on as the three of them roll across the floor, strangling, biting, hitting, spitting, scratching, gasping. It's a Guignol, but the pressure from Bobby's forearm is taking its toll on Jake. Trying to bite Jake, Grace bites Bobby instead, but then she scratches Jake's face. Jake is grabbing her hard as Bobby chokes him, trying to use her to leverage himself away. But she manages to rip herself from his grip and scrambles on her knees across the floor. She grabs the hatchet. And stands, moving back towards the two men locked on the floor. Bobby looks up at her, hatchet in hand, no longer sure which way she'll go. Jake, however, gasping for air, eyes bulging, spittle dripping from his mouth, looks at Grace with some inner certainty that she will help him. He gasps the words. JAKE Help me, Grace, help... GRACE Like you helped her, Jake? Grace stands there, deciding, the power of the hatchet in her hands. She raises it suddenly over the two men. It flashes downwards. Deep into the gut of her husband Jake, almost transfixing him to the floor. In the silence that follows, Jake's eyes roll up to meet hers. But all she has for him is a cold, distant stare. Jake's head drops as the life rushes out of him. Bobby falls back from the body puffing and dripping with sweat. BOBBY What the hell'd you wait for? She doesn't answer, turbulence in her face. He rolls Jake's body off, upset. She may have made it a murder, but he was part of it, and he feels the shift in himself. They're both in new territory, feeling an apartness between them. Suddenly JAKE gasps, still alive! It is too much for Bobby. He grabs the hatchet and plunges it down on Jake, silencing him one last time. Grace is pushing the bed away from the wall, slipping down on her knees and prying open several floorboards. GRACE The money's right here! Get the key! BOBBY No! You get it! He doesn't want to get close to Jake. Grace coldly runs over to his corpse, ripping the chain, key and all, from the neck. The action pulls Jake's head up, then she lets it thump back on the floor. She runs back to the floorboards. The top of a thick steel floor safe is revealed. Bobby watches -- his whole life, it seems, hanging on the outcome. With the key, she opens the safe. Inside are rolled-up bundles of cash -- in hundred dollar denominations. She looks up at him, offering it as she reaches in for more. Bobby also gets down on his hands and knees and grabs more and more, sucked into the fever of freedom, far more money than he lost at the grocery store, overcome now with emotions of fear and freedom. They see each other. GRACE Didn't I tell you? BOBBY (plunging into the cash) There must be 150, 200 thousand here! Goddamnit Grace, you were right! GRACE We done it, Bobby. Oh my God! They laugh excitedly and start kissing, rolling in the stacks of cash, some of which sticks to Bobby's sweating back. The day didn't turn out so bad after all for Bobby. GRACE Fuck me baby! BOBBY (looking at Jake) What about him? GRACE Let him watch. I want him to know what he's missing. As they consummate their violent relationship for the first time, Jake's lifeless eyes watch them. EXT. MCKENNA HOUSE - LATER NIGHT The LIGHT in the bedroom window is low candlelight, but we sense something watching them. GRACE's silhouette moves across a window. BOBBY now comes out of the house, cautious, walking down the driveway. He stops, thinks, and walks back to open the hood of GRACE'S JEEP. He reaches into the ENGINE and disconnects something, then closes the hood and walks on. EXT. HARLIN'S GARAGE - NIGHT BOBBY walks up to the SHACK near the garage and bangs on the door. A light goes on in the window. DARRELL shouts out. DARRELL (O.C.) What you want? BOBBY Open up! DARRELL (O.C.) We're closed. Come back when the sun comes up. Bobby, in a hurry to get back should Grace pull any tricks, bangs and kicks against the door. Darrell yanks the door wide. DARRELL What the hell ... oh, it's you. Might've figgered. Listen I got a waitress coming over. What do you want? BOBBY I want my car. DARRELL You got the money? Bobby pulls the money from his hip pocket and hands it to Darrell. The mechanic fingers it suspiciously. DARRELL Two-hundred dollars in hundred-dollar bills. And this morning you was broke. BOBBY That's none of your business. Get the keys. DARRELL I don't want no dirty money. I run an honest business. BOBBY Yeah, like Al Capone on tax day. Get the keys? DARRELL (pause) Well, there's a $50 overnight storage charge we got to talk about. Bobby is ready at first to explode, but then just laughs out loud. You got to give it to a guy like Darrell. He holds up a $100 bill. BOBBY All I got's a hundred, Darrell. You got change? DARRELL No. BOBBY Figgers. There's a scratch on the hood and how much you make selling my gun? Deduct it. Bobby pulls the hundred back from Darrell's grasp. DARRELL (going to get the keys) Don't know nothing about no gun. BOBBY Course you don't. Tell me something Darrell. Forty thousand people die every day! How come none of them are you? DARRELL (throws him the keys) I think you know where to find her. BOBBY And the trunk key. DARRELL (pulls out the trunk key) Topped off the tank for you. No charge. Just my way of doing business. BOBBY (jovial, confident now) Listen up good, Darrell. I'm getting outta this shithole. You're staying! And one little peep outta you -- remember that gun makes you part of the food chain. Your prints are all over it. I'd be awful careful whose rectum I was pointing my finger in, Darrell. Bobby hops in the car, a free man. As Darrell glares at him, bewildered and frightened at the same time. EXT. MCKENNA HOUSE - NIGHT BOBBY turns the MUSTANG up the drive. THE HEADLIGHTS cut the darkness and land on an empty patch where Grace's jeep had been parked. Bobby jumps from the Mustang and runs around frantically. His look is devastated. He falls to his knees, about to sob when: GRACE opens the front door and pokes her head out, putting out several suitcases. GRACE Bobby? What the hell's the matter with you? BOBBY I ... nothing. I just stubbed my toe on a rock. Hurt like hell. GRACE I got the money all packed. I put the jeep and his caddy in the garage. People'll think maybe me and Jake went away. Buy us some time...I know a back road we can take. BOBBY Good thinking. (looking at her four bags) What's all this? GRACE I'm not coming back. BOBBY (accepting) Awright, let's go. I want to be fifty miles from here before the sun comes up. GRACE Funny thing; the jeep wouldn't start. I had to push it. BOBBY (dryly) Funny thing... I'll get the bags. EXT. MCKENNA HOUSE - LATER NIGHT Bobby's MUSTANG is backed towards the front of the house. We see a silhouette of BOBBY and GRACE carrying something wrapped in a BLANKET and dumping it in the trunk. EXT. DESERT HIGHWAY - NIGHT A lone pair of HEADLIGHTS illuminate the night as the Mustang cruises through the dark. As the lights brighten the screen we: FADE TO: INT./EXT. MUSTANG - NIGHT GRACE sits next to BOBBY peering out the windshield, clutching the money in a backpack. She's humming an Indian song. BOBBY I can't see it. GRACE It should be just up ahead. Hold on ... there! There it is! A SIGN illuminated by the HEADLIGHTS. It reads: YOU ARE LEAVING SUPERIOR. THANKS FOR VISITING. Grace lets out a scream of joy, leans over and hugs him. GRACE Oh, God! I can't believe it. I'm out. I'm finally out! The MUSTANG begins to swerve along the road. BOBBY Hey! Take it easy. Want to get us killed? GRACE You don't know what it feels like to be free of that place. BOBBY I don't know about that? GRACE You spent a day in Superior. I wasted my entire life there. I feel like someone just took a million pounds off my shoulders. BOBBY We've still got some dead weight to get rid of. GRACE Can't we just dump him fast someplace? BOBBY I want a place where only the vultures will find him...(then) It'll be over soon, Grace. GRACE Then will you take me on your friends' boat with you? BOBBY I'm not sailing his boat. GRACE But I thought -- BOBBY We're going to buy a boat of our own baby, and sail it wherever we want to go. GRACE Anywhere? BOBBY What the hell? Why not? Where should we go? GRACE Hawaii. I've read all about it. I've dreamed of going there and just lying on the beach while the water licked up against my feet. Oh, God. I'd kill to go there. BOBBY You already have. She gives him a funny look. BOBBY You know I thought you'd left me back there. GRACE What are you talking about? BOBBY (emotional) When I got back from the garage, and your jeep wasn't there, I thought you'd gone and left me and taken the money. (off her look) ...Cause I never had any luck with women, Grace. You don't know what I been through. The shit I've taken. I thought you were like the rest of 'em... but when you came out of the house... well you're here Grace and we might be starting in the shit but we're starting where I never been -- together with someone -- together with you Grace. She responds with a luminous smile. GRACE I love you Bobby. He looks back at her with trust and love in his eyes. BOBBY We're gonna pull this off, Grace. Just then a HEADLIGHT rakes them from the rear as we hear, again, the ominous crackle of a POLICE RADIO and the short brutal "Whoop" of the siren, as Sheriff Potter's VEHICLE rolls up quickly behind them. Grace's face is caught like a surprised deer in the headlamps. GRACE Oh, my God! (then) Don't stop! Bobby is in a bind. The siren whoops again. The lights flash to highbeam. BOBBY He must've seen us swerving on the road, that's all, just gonna give us a ticket for swerving... But even Bobby has trouble believing that as the POLICE VEHICLE pulls out sharply alongside his and SHERIFF POTTER motions to him aggressively to pull over on the shoulder. SHERIFF (into loudspeaker) Pull over, goddamnit, pull over! GRACE Keep going! She seems to be panicking. Bobby pulls over. BOBBY Fuck this!...Just shut up, Grace. We done nothing! Be cool. Let me do the talking. He doesn't know anything. His vehicle pulled up on the shoulder in front of them, the Sheriff gets out, shining his power flashlight into their faces. BOBBY (starts) 'Evening Sheriff, sorry bout that but this jackrabbit... Bobby has no time to react as the Sheriff is suddenly there at his window, jerking his door open, angry. A GUN in his hand, pointed at them, his eyes on Grace. SHERIFF You had to fuck him, didn't you! GRACE (nervous cool) I would never do that to you, baby... He killed Jake -- said he'd kill me if I didn't come with him. All he wants is the money. Bobby looks at her. He cannot believe what he just heard. BOBBY What! SHERIFF (flipping, yelling) Don't lie to me! Grace knows the jam is up. GRACE OK...but he never made me cum! Really Virgil, I was only doing what I had to do so we could be free. Just like we talked about. It meant nothing. A pause. Virgil wants to kill her, but he also wants her back badly. BOBBY You fucking him too Grace? Is everybody fucking everybody in this town? She ignores him. Her attention on the backpack with the money between her legs -- the gun is there, inside an outer flap of the bag. SHERIFF You fuck this guy -- get him to do your dirty work and you think you can take the money and dump me? GRACE No baby, you got it wrong. SHERIFF This road don't go to Globe, Grace -- where were you going to meet me? His flashlight on the four suitcases in the backseat. She doesn't have an answer to that one. GRACE It's not like that it... Look, Virgil, I got the money here. She gets out of the car on her side, comes around to him, the pack of money slung on her shoulder, hard to see in the dark. SHERIFF (hurt) Oh Grace, you can say what you want...but, I watched you fuck that pervert for years while you're telling me you loved me? What happened to going to Milwaukee together? You and me -- gonna open up the finest sporting goods store that city ever did see? Get us a place on the north shore, by the lake? Season Brewer tickets! Just you and me, Grace. What happened? GRACE All talk, that's all you did was talk, and all I did was sit around getting older waiting for you to free me! You never did nothin' Virgil, you're weak! (pointing to Bobby) He did! The Sheriff, deeply wounded, casts a hot vicious gaze on Bobby. SHERIFF This is some girl you and me got here Bobby, yessir, an excellent cocksuck too, wouldn't you say? (back at Grace)... Course you had a lotta practice haven't you darling, going way back to your crazy mama! GRACE (deadly) Shut up, Virgil! Take your share of the money. It's not so bad. SHERIFF I don't want the fuckin' money! I'm not gonna give up everything I got for a lousy 50,000 dollars. It's you. You Grace or nothing. The whole thing... I want you to be my wife...(hopeful). What do you way Grace? GRACE You sound just like Jake... I did see into the future, Virgil, but you weren't in it. Go back to your family. They love you. Bobby gets out of the car, misunderstanding the situation. BOBBY (misunderstanding) Look, we got more. We got $200,000 at least. Split it three ways, we all walk away... The Sheriff snaps and smashes Bobby with his flashlight, knocking him to the ground, kicking him again and again, gathering the psychic force to murder him. Grace tries to approach. SHERIFF Shut up, boy! You don't know shit round here! (to Grace) Get back. Did she tell you that story about the bird flying away? BOBBY (rolling on the ground) Ow! Look, I ... ow! GRACE Stop! Stop it! SHERIFF (kicking again and again) Were you going to help her fly away, asshole? What'd you think, you were the first boy to drift through this town she came on to? She tell you the story about old Jake forcing her to marry him? That's a good story... How he killed her crazy Mama? Bobby in bloody agony. Grace stunned that Virgil would reveal this now publicly. GRACE Goddamnit Virgil, stop! Don't! SHERIFF ...But I bet the story she didn't tell you was the best story of all. How old crazy Jake was really her Papa. And she liked fucking Papa! And now she's killed the sonufabitch! Just like she's gonna kill you! Grace plunges into the pack, pulls the gun and shoots Virgil across the car in the gut. GRACE No...you! You! The Sheriff flies back onto the road, stunned, not realizing what's happened. Bobby watches unbelieving as Grace quietly steps up over the Sheriff. She puts the next round in his nuts, a modern fury enacting ancient wrath. BOBBY Grace. No! The Sheriff is wide-eyed, dying in shock. Grace then fires right at his head in a coup de grace that blows his brains out the back of his head. Grace and Bobby both stare, then Grace jumps into action, dragging the body. She snaps to Bobby. GRACE Help me get him off the road. Into the car! We'll ditch his car... Get the fuck up! Bobby stares at her. EXT./INT. MUSTANG - NIGHT They're driving. GRACE and BOBBY, wordless, each thinking in separate worlds. Grace wipes her hands. The bag with the money between her legs. The Baretta is back in the bag. BOBBY (finally) Jesus, did you have to kill him? GRACE Get real Bobby. He was gonna kill you and me. BOBBY He was in love with you Grace. He would've done what you wanted, you could've made a deal and ... GRACE The only deal he had in mind was killing you for Jake's murder and blackmailing me into sucking his dick for the rest of my life... no thanks. BOBBY He was a cop, Grace, they never stop looking for you when you kill a cop... GRACE He was a scumbag!... He wanted me, Bobby. These guys don't let go! Even when they're dead... (softer) You don't know what it was like, Bobby. Those two, they were the same. A silence. The oncoming road. GRACE So, aren't you going to ask me? BOBBY Ask you what? You mean what kind of horrifying sick shit is coming next? GRACE Don't you want to know...? I bet it's burning a hole in your brain just now? BOBBY Let it go, baby. It's the past. I got a past... GRACE Don't you really want to know? Was Jake my Daddy? Was I fucking my own Daddy? Don't you want to know that? BOBBY (shouting) What do you want me to say! She's yelling, emotionally out of control. GRACE Yes! I was! I was fucking Daddy! And I married him!... I married him...okay? She looks at Bobby, forces him to look at her. Finally: BOBBY Why? GRACE I don't know why! She drops back in her seat. Tears come. GRACE All I wanted was to be a kid... He took that from me... They all did... (very quietly, dangerously) They treated me like meat. A piece of meat. Fuck me. Blow me. Bend over. Stick their fingers up my ass... Fuck them! Fuck the whole town! They deserved to die! A pause. BOBBY And us Grace? What do we deserve? GRACE (crying quietly to herself) "Nin chonk, nin chonk," my Mama used to say in Apache. "Your worst is doing this to you," she said, "your worst has killed you." And "Be go tsee" -- "you will find out the result of what you have done..." Just when you think it's over, when you've gotten away, it begins. Cause you never get away. Bobby stares straight ahead at the oncoming road. Can he still love her? She seems to be reading his thoughts, like she said she could. GRACE It's easy to judge someone else when you don't know nothing about it... I'm Apache, Bobby. You don't eat what I eat. You don't see what I see. Don't judge me. A silence. Two former lovers in the dark of a car moving through the strangeness of an Arizona desert at night. BOBBY I don't want to think anymore. GRACE (quietly) Then drive... The lights of the car fade until there is nothing but darkness. THE SUN COMES UP: EXT. CANYON - END SPOT - DAWN In the vast reaches of a deserted canyon, where VULTURES circle in a hot white sky, we find the MUSTANG parked at the edge of a drop. We hear the SOUND of a body being dragged. D.J. (V.O.) ...Nobody's sure where it was heading so fast but the way it hit the semi, it won't be getting home now! Hey area weather is gonna be hot! Hot! Hot! Then cold! Cold! Cold! Just like yesterday. Just like every day. Some surprise, huh? So if you're planning on anything, don't. You don't like the weather, just wait one minute. Got any brains, get up to Alaska and get yourself some trailer park where you don't see no desert for miles and miles... BOBBY (over) Right there... Drop it there. I got it. BOBBY is giving GRACE instructions as they drop SHERIFF VIRGIL POTTER'S corpse over a drop onto some rocks 30 yards below. GRACE See ya, Virgil. God bless. Bobby pushes him over, his hand hurting. The body crashes below. It's hard work. They head back for the Mustang, to retrieve JAKE'S body in the popped trunk. But Grace notices Bobby glancing at the Baretta now tucked in her waist. The silence is tense between them, the rocks and gravel crunching under their shoes as they walk. GRACE (indicates the gun) Is this what's bothering you Bobby? BOBBY No Grace, my hand's bothering me. GRACE You think now that Jake's dead, there's all that money there and I don't need you anymore, and I might just sneak up behind you sometime and...pop! She pulls an imaginary trigger on Bobby, mimicking the recoil of a gun. Bobby is nervous. GRACE Don't you think I would've done it if I wanted to? What can I do to make you relax, baby? BOBBY You could give me my gun back. Grace smiles. GRACE Why don't we just finish what we started. She stares down at Jake. She can't help feeling some old feelings. As Bobby walks back to the front of the car, turns off the annoying radio. He watches as she softly prays over Jake, whose face is concealed by the blanket in which he is rolled. GRACE (after a moment with Jake) What do you think happens to someone's spirit when they die? BOBBY I think nothing happens. You're dead meat. That's it. GRACE You don't believe in anything do you, Bobby? BOBBY I believe in this moment, that's all. There is nothing else. (lifting Jake by the shoulder) Come on. He must weigh 300 pounds. Grace leans into the trunk to take his boots when he makes his move, quickly, closing on her when she's off guard. He slams her hard in the face, coldly sending her sprawling to the ground, dazed. He steps over her and grabs the gun in her waist, checks it. She puts her hand to her mouth, feels the blood on her finger tips. She looks at him and laughs a wild crazed laugh that cuts into Bobby like a knife. GRACE You hit me, Bobby? You hit a woman, you motherfucker! Didn't your Momma ever teach you anything...? Her eyes go to the gun in his hand and she stops laughing. Her calm is extraordinary, as if expecting to die. GRACE Well? For a moment, Bobby does nothing, then he slips the gun through his belt. BOBBY Well, nothing. We dump Jake, we split the money, then you're on your own. GRACE Don't leave me. I want to say with you, Bobby. BOBBY Why? So when the cops catch up with us you can sell me out again? GRACE I was just baiting him! Bobby, I had to tell him that to get his guard down. Just like you told Jake you was going to kill me! BOBBY You lied to me all along! Lies, all lies. Your mother, your father, what story are you on now? How come the town didn't know you was his daughter? GRACE (in pain) Cause my Mom slept around. A lotta men! Anybody could've been my father. But we knew. BOBBY (not listening) Well you got what you wanted all along by fucking me. I wish you had told me the goddamn truth in the first place! GRACE (screws out) I didn't want you to know! Don't you... unnerstand? Bobby's got a headache now. It's too much to understand, too much talk. Too much history has taught him to doubt. BOBBY When you're finished with me, I'm next! I been there, baby. I been there with other cunts...sorry, not anymore. I'll take you as far as California. If we can make that. After that you're on your own. Try Mexico. With all this bread, you can live like a queen. GRACE I don't want to go to Mexico, Bobby! Please, I really want to be with you. Don't blow this. Don't you think I care about you? BOBBY I think you're a lying, back-stabbing psycho bitch, and one day you'll kill me. But it's nice to know you cared... The expression on Grace's face changes as rapidly as the desert weather, a coldness passing over and through her. GRACE You don't know your own mind. It blocks your heart. Keeping a wary eye on Grace, Bobby starts hauling Jake out of the trunk. BOBBY Give me a hand. He wrestles Jake up to a sitting position. He grabs a can of beer from a warm six-pack in the trunk and shoves it into a pocket of Jake's coat. BOBBY Poor old Jake, a few drinks, a fight with the sheriff over his wife. And both of 'em ended up dead. Grace takes his boots. BOBBY Time to go for a walk, Jake. GRACE My mother died in this canyon. BOBBY Save the Mom routine, will ya Grace. It doesn't work with me. One, two, three... They lift the corpse, and with great effort, haul it towards the edge of the drop. As they pause on the way, Bobby, wary of Grace's strange coldness, tries to soften the blow of separation. BOBBY Look, it's not so bad we split up. It might be months before they find these guys. If at all. I mean with the mountain lions around here. Remember, if they can't find no bodies, there's no crime... (She doesn't respond.) We'll be in Phoenix by noon. Lose this car, get another one. Texas, Mexico are big countries, all that money Grace, you'll meet someone else, you know, there's a lot of hope with a $100,000... They lift Jake again, and move to the edge. GRACE Hope is a four-letter word. BOBBY But we all need that too. Hold him. He props Jake at the edge, standing, and transfers the weight onto Grace. Jake's head is on her shoulder. BOBBY You make a pretty couple. It seems he might push them both over but instead takes the gun, wipes it of his prints, and slips it through Jake's belt. BOBBY Won this in a poker game in Reno. God knows who it's registered to. You shoulda been more careful, Jake. See you later. As he takes Jake's weight off Grace and pushes it over the drop. Grace watches him go, her eyes shifting to Bobby, his back momentarily to her, also watching. She moves towards him. Bobby turns, slips on the edge. BOBBY Now all we got to do is try and-- He feels a blur of motion, almost like a bird, and he is falling...falling, his life coming to an end. Grace is standing somewhere up above, briefly seen. Did she push him? He doesn't know. He's stunned as he falls on the rocks next to the bodies of Jake and Virgil. He screams out in sharp pain. His leg feels broken. But he is alive. Grace walks away, cutting it all off, deeply shaken. She must get away from the past and all these hollow men. She closes the trunk of the Mustang, gets in the driver's seat, reaches for the ignition key. Her hand fumbles for it a moment. It isn't there. GRACE Shit! She sits there. Bobby is calling from below. BOBBY Grace! Help me, Grace...! We been through too much together. We've only had one day, but you and me have been through more than most people ever will. I know you were angry at me, and, you know, you were right! I'm sorry I hit you. I was wrong about leaving you. You don't belong in Mexico. She finally gets out and walks back to the edge of the cliff, looks down. BOBBY Thank you. Thank you. I...I knew you wouldn't leave me, Grace. GRACE Bobby? Are you all right? BOBBY I busted my leg! GRACE Can you make it back up? BOBBY Grace -- in the trunk of my car is a tow rope. It should reach down here. Go get it, throw it down. She looks. Of course the trunk is closed. She closed it. GRACE Bobby, the trunk...it's locked. Throw the keys up to me. I'll get the rope. Bobby's eyes pass over Jake a few feet away, his eyes staring upwards in death. They take in the gun still attached to his waist. He knows the trunk wasn't locked when they took Jake out. BOBBY I can't throw that far. You got to climb down here and get the keys. You can make it. It's the only way Grace. Grace looks down at the drop. It's a tough descent but she knows she could make it and get back up as well. BOBBY Grace!...Please, Grace! You have to help me. Grace takes a look around. GRACE Okay. I'm coming. Calm down! She starts down the cliff face. As she descends, he talks deliriously. BOBBY (off) I knew you'd help me. I knew you wouldn't leave me baby, cause we're tied together too close. We belong together always. Grace makes it to the bottom of the drop, and walks cautiously towards Bobby. GRACE (yelling back, echoing) Bobby! Don't flip out on me. I can't do this alone. I know you don't trust me, but you gotta pull yourself together, I'm not gonna leave you...I never wanted it to go down like this. It was different with you Bobby. You had dreams like me. You listened... I would've gone anywhere with you, Bobby. We can make this work. I'm sorry...I really am. I didn't wanna hurt you. Can he believe her? She sounds so sincere this time. She's heading for the body of Jake. And the gun. Bobby knows that and is already crawling there. BOBBY (as he crawls) They're right here, Grace. The keys. Come get me out of here... Know why else I could never leave you? GRACE Why's that? BOBBY 'Cause I love you. Inching closer. Closer. They meet at the apex of Jake's corpse. GRACE And I love you too. BOBBY And love's a funny thing. Sometimes I don't know if I want to love you... Grace leans close to Bobby. He dangles the keys out in front of her, but she doesn't reach for them. Her eyes go to Bobby. She reaches for him. At that instant Bobby's hands shoot out and clamp hard around her. A sharp gurgle is all that escapes Grace as Bobby twists the life from her, as Jake leers up at them. BOBBY ...or kill you. Grace twists and flails in Bobby's hands, but in spite of his bleeding stump, he holds her like a bear trap holds a grizzly. BOBBY I love you Grace, but I just can't trust you! She looks at him, trying to protest, shaking her head. Grace's flailing goes into overdrive. Somewhere in his semi-delirious state, Bobby's eyes might notice the gun at Jake's waist is no longer there. Grace manages one word: GRACE Jake... BOBBY He can't help you now, honey! Bobby is in agony as he kills her, part beast, part lover, he kills that which he loves. Suddenly, a SHOT is heard. Bobby buckles with the blast, hit in the side. He kills her with one last wrenching thrust of his hands, breaking her neck. Bobby looks down at Jake's gun, which she clutches in her hand, and sees the hole in his side and the river of blood that flows from it. He manages to stand, looks at Jake; their bodies lying side by side. Bobby, with great difficulty, claws his way back up the rocks to the car, his fast-flowing wound staining the white rocks with blood. He makes it to the top and, losing more blood, climbs into the driver's seat. He checks the money in the bag. All there. All his. As he pulls a huge clot of blood from his side, the vultures circle. Perhaps one, smarter than the others, lands close by. It spooks Bobby but he's okay. He looks in the mirror. BOBBY You're still lucky. He puts the key in the ignition, the engine comes to life. BOBBY (waves back) Adios -- Suddenly, the RADIATOR HOSE Darrell installed blows apart loudly. Bobby knows exactly and immediately what it is as a cloud of steam now rolls from under his hood. He shakes his head, frustrated. BOBBY (sighs) Oh shit!...(then) Arizona. He can't help but laugh at his bad luck. As we rise off the desert floor and take flight with the vultures, eventually leaving them all as specks of earth in the vast empty canyons of Arizona. THE END

Revised, 05/25/94 White Revised, 06/01/94 Blue Revised, 06/07/94 Pink Revised, 06/11/94 Yellow 1 -BLACK The lonely sound of a buoy bell in the distance. Water slapping against a smooth, flat surface in rhythm. The creaking of wood. Off in the very far distance, one can make out the sound of sirens. SUDDENLY, a single match ignites and invades the darkness. It quivers for a moment. A dimly lit hand brings the rest of the pack to the match. A plume of yellow-white flame flares and illuminates the battered face of DEAN KEATON, age forty. His salty-gray hair is wet and matted. His face drips with water or sweat. A large cut runs the length of his face from the corner of his eye to his chin. It bleeds freely. An un-lit cigarette hangs in the corner of his mouth. In the half-light we can make out that he is on the deck of a large boat. A yacht, perhaps, or a small freighter. He sits with his back against the front bulkhead of the wheel house. His legs are twisted at odd, almost impossible angles. He looks down. A thin trail of liquid runs past his feet and off into the darkness. Keaton lights the cigarette on the burning pack of matches before throwing them into the liquid. The liquid IGNITES with a poof. The flame runs up the stream, gaining in speed and intensity. It begins to ripple and rumble as it runs down the deck towards the stern. 2 EXT. BOAT - NIGHT - STERN 2' A stack of oil drums rests on the stern. They are stacked on a palette with ropes at each corner that attach it to a huge crane on the dock. One of the barrels has been punctured at it's base. Gasoline trickles freely from the hole. The flame is racing now towards the barrels. Keaton smiles weakly to himself. The flame is within a few yards of the barrels when another stream of liquid splashes onto the gas. The flame fizzles out pitifully with a hiss. Two feet straddle the flame. A stream of urine flows onto the deck from between them. BLUE 06/01/94 2. The sound of a fly zipping. Follow the feet as they move over to where Keaton rests at the wheel house. CRANE UP to the waist of the unknown man. He pulls a pack of cigarettes out of one pocket and a strange antique lighter from the other. It is gold, with a clasp that folds down over the flint. The man flicks up the clasp with his thumb and strikes it with his index finger. It is a fluid motion, somewhat showy. Keaton looks up at the man. A look of realization crosses his face. It is followed by frustration, anger, and finally resignation. VOICE (O.S.) How are you, Keaton? KEATON I'd have to say my spine was broken, Keyser. He spits the name out like it was poison. The man puts the lighter back in his pocket and reaches under his jacket. He produces a stainless .38 revolver. VOICE (O.S.) Ready? KEATON What time is it? The hand with the gun turns over, turning the gold watch on its wrist upward. The sound of sirens is closer now. Headed this way. VOICE (O.S.) Twelve thirty. Keaton grimaces bitterly and nods. He turns his head away and takes another drag. The hand with the gun waits long enough for Keaton to enjoy his last drag before pulling the trigger. GUNSHOT The sound of Keaton's body slumping onto the deck. YELLOW 06/11/94 3. MOVE OUT ACROSS THE DECK. Below is the stream of gasoline still flowing freely. The sound of the gasoline igniting. The flame runs in front of us towards the barrels, finally leaping up in a circle around the drums, burning the wood of the pallet and licking the spouting stream as it pours from the hole. MOVE OUT ACROSS THE DOCK, away from the boat. The pier to which the boat is moored is littered with DEAD BODIES. Twenty or more men have been shot to pieces and lie scattered everywhere in what can only be the aftermath of a fierce fire-fight. A BARGE COMES INTO VIEW. On the deck of the barge is a tangle of cables and girders. The mesh of steel and rubber leaves a dark and open cocoon beneath its base. MOVE INTO THE DARKNESS. Sirens are close now. Almost here. The sound of fire raging out of control. SIRENS BLARING. TIRES SQUEALING. CAR DOORS OPENING. FEET POUNDING THE PAVEMENT. MOVE FURTHER, SLOWER, INTO THE DARKNESS Voices yelling. New light flickering in the surrounding darkness. SUDDENLY, AN EXPLOSION. Then silence. TOTAL BLACKNESS. We hear the voice of ROGER "VERBAL" KINT, whom we will soon meet. VERBAL (V.O.) New York. - six weeks ago. A truck loaded with stripped gun parts got jacked outside of Queens. The driver didn't see anybody, but somebody fucked up. He heard a voice. Sometimes, that's all you need. YELLOW 06/11/94 4. BOOM 3 INT. DARK APARTMENT - DAY - NEW YORK - SIX WEEKS PRIOR TO PRESENT DAY The black explodes with the opening of a door into a dark room. Outside, the hall is filled with blinding white light. Shadows in the shapes of men flood into the room. We can make out men in hoods with flashlights. They are laden with weapons. VOICES POLICE. SEARCH WARRANT. DON'T MOVE. It is a blur of violent action and sound.'Beams of flashlights cut the darkness in all directions. FINALLY: A dozen flashlights land on one man. He lies naked in bed, Merging from a deep sleep. He squints at the flood of blinding white light, more annoyed than frightened. He nearly laughs at the sound of countless guns cocking. He is McMANUS. Age twenty-eight. VOICE (O.S.) Mr. McManus? McMANUS Yeah. VOICE (O.S.) Police. We have a warrant for your arrest. McMANUS Will they be serving coffee downtown? Two dozen black gloved hands grab him and yank him out of bed. 4 INT. AUTO BODY SHOP - DAY 4 An old paint mixer vibrates furiously. TODD HOCKNEY, a dark, portly man in his thirties is working on an old Fire-bird. A YOUNG HISPANIC KID mixes paint a few feet away. SUDDENLY, the garage door opens TO REVEAL: YELLOW 06/11/94 4A . A row of five men silhouetted by the bright sun. Hockney squints. YELLOW 06/11/94 5. HOCKNEY Can I help you? Hockney's voice is gruff. MAN Todd Hockney' Hockney reaches for something just inside the door of the Fire-bird. HOCKNEY Who are you? All six men INSTANTLY PRODUCE GUNS and aim them at Hockney. MAN Police. Hockney withdraws a filthy towel and wipes grease and sweat from his forehead. HOCKNEY We don't do gun repair. S EXT. STREET - NEW YORK - DAY FRED FENSTER, a tall, thin man in his thirties strolls casually down the street. He is dressed conspicuously in a loud suit and tie with shoes that have no hope of matching. He smokes a cigarette and chews gum at the same time. He happens to glance over his shoulder and notice a brown Ford sedan with four men in it cruising along the curb. He picks up his step a little. The Ford keeps up. He looks ahead at the corner. He tries to look as comfortable as he can, checking his watch as though remembering an appointment he is late for. The Ford stays right on him. SUDDENLY, he bolts. He gets no more than a few yards before cars pour out of every conceivable nook and cranny. Brakes are squealing, radios squawking, guns cocking. Fenster is surrounded instantly. He stops short and flaps his hands on his thighs in defeat. 6 INT. MONDINO'S RESTAURANT - DAY An attractive man and woman walk quickly through the front of a small New York cafe. They are charged with nervous, excited energy. YELLOW 06/11/94 5A. The man is DEAN KEATON, a well dressed, sturdy looking man in his forties with slightly graying hair. He looks much better than he did in the opening scene. The woman with him is EDIE FINNERAN, age thirty-three, poised and attractive - Easily the calmer of the two. BLUE 06/01/94 6. They come to a staircase at the back of the restaurant leading down to a dark room. Edie takes Keaton's arm and stops him. EDIE Let me look at you. Keaton is uncomfortable in his suit, or perhaps the situation. Still, he smiles with genuine warmth. Edie straightens his tie and picks microscopic imperfections from his lapel. EDIE (CONT'D) Now remember, this is another kind of business. They don't earn your respect. You owe it to them. Don't stare them down but don't look away either. Confidence. They are fools not to trust you. That's the attitude. KEATON I'm having a stroke. EDIE You've come far. You're a good man. I love you. Keaton blinks then stammers, looking for a response. PAUSE EDIE (CONT'D) Live with it. She kisses him and runs down the steps with Keaton close behind. Keaton playfully grabs her ass and she nearly stumbles down the stairs. 7 INT. RESTAURANT - DOWNSTAIRS They come to the bottom of the steps giggling and jabbing each other. Once off the stairs they instantly transform as though hit with cold air. They assume a cool, professional exterior and walk two feet apart. One would look at them and see only two business associates here to ply their trade. They walk across the dimly lit dining room to a table in the far corner where two men are already waiting. The first is MR. FORTIER, age thirty-five, the other is MR. RENAULT, age sixty. Both men are impeccably dressed with a distinguished air. They stand and smile. YELLOW 06/11/94 7. FORTIER Edie, nice to see you. EDIE Sorry we're late. FORTIER Nonsense. Sit, please. RENAULT (struggling with English) You must be Mr. Keaton. EDIE I'm sorry. Dean Keaton Renault's hand is already out. RENAULT Monsieur Renault. A pleasure. KEATON How do you do? They shake hands. Keaton takes Fortier's hand next. FORTIER Monsieur Fortier. So nice to finally meet you. Everyone sits at the table. All faces are smiling. LOW ANGLE: UNDER TABLE Edie's hand reaches out and finds Keaton's leg. Her hand runs high up his inner thigh and squeezes firmly. Her face is absolutely calm, giving no hint of what her hand is doing. Keaton smiles and clears his throat. 8 INT. MONDINO'S RESTAURANT 8' Follow a waiter past the flight of steps. PAN DOWN TO REVEAL: Five sets of feet arriving at the bottom. The feet in the middle wear shoes notably nicer than the rest. YELLOW 06/11/94 7A. PAN UP TO REVEAL: SPECIAL AGENT DAVID KUJAN (Pronounced Koo-yahn), U.S. CUSTOMS. Thirtyish, dark-haired and determined. 9 SCENE DELETED 9' PINK 06/07/94 8. 10 INT. RESTAURANT - DOWNSTAIRS 10 FORTIER Edie brought us your proposal and I'll be honest. We're very impressed. A bit skeptical, I must admit, but impressed. KEATON Skeptical. RENAULT We find the concept brilliant, but New York is difficult for new restaurants. How can we be certain that our money will be returned in the long run? Keaton looks at Edie and smiles confidently. KEATON It's simple gentlemen, design versatility. A restaurant that can change with taste without losing the overall aesthetic. Our atmosphere won't be painted on the walls. FORTIER This was the part of the proposal that intrigued us, but I'm not sure I follow. KEATON Let's say for example - VOICE (O.S.) This I had to see myself. Keaton looks up. He sees David Kujan. Behind him are the very serious looking guys in suits. Keaton is not happy to see them. KEATON Dave. I'm in a meeting. KUJAN Time for another one. KEATON This is my attorney, Edie Finneran. (Gesturing) BLUE 06/01/94 9. KEATON (cont'd) This is Mr. Renault and Mr. Fortier. Everyone, this is David Kujan. KUJAN Special Agent Kujan. U.S. Customs. (Gestures to men behind him) These gentlemen are with the New York police department. You look great, Keaton. Better than I would have thought. RENAULT Is there a problem, Mr. Keaton? KUJAN The small matter of a stolen truck-load of guns that wound up on a boat to Ireland last night. Renault and Fortier's confusion is giving way to suspicion. FORTIER Mr. Keaton? KEATON If you will excuse us for a moment, gentlemen. KUJAN We need to ask you some questions downtown. You'll be quite awhile. Renault starts to get up. RENAULT We should leave you to discuss whatever this is. KEATON Please. Sit. Keaton stands up and throws a wad of money on the table to cover the check. He looks at Edie. She moves to stand, but he sits her back down with a hand on her shoulder. KEATON Enjoy the meal. (To Edie) I'LL call you. Kujan takes him by the arm, but Keaton yanks away. YELLOW 06/11/94 10. He looks out over the dozens of other faces in the restaurant. Everyone is looking at him with some level of surprise. If Keaton is humiliated by the whole affair, he hides it well. 11 INT. LOCK-UP HALLWAY - NIGHT 11' A police officer steps into the frame and opens the steel door. FOLLOW A PAIR OF FEET as they shuffle across the cement floor. The shoes are shabby and worn, as are the wrinkled pants that hang too low and loose at the cuffs. The right foot is turned slightly inward and falls with a hard limp. It is clear that the knee does not extend fully. The sound of a steel door opening. The bottom corner of a steel cage comes into view. Another set of feet falls into step with the first. Another steel door and another set of feet. Another door, another and another. Five pairs of feet walk single file down the hall. The lame feet are in the front of the line. They come to another steel door, this one solid and covered with dents and rivets. CRANE UP TO REVEAL: ROGER KINT, VERBAL to his few friends. He has a deeply lined face, making his thirty-odd years a good guess at best. From his twisted left hand, we can see that he suffers from a slight but not debilitating palsy. Behind him are Dean Keaton, Fred Fenster, McManus and Todd Hockney. t Verbal steps through the door, followed by the rest. VERBAL (V.O.) It didn't make sense that I be there. I mean these guys were hard-core hijackers, but there I was. At that point, I wasn't scared, f knew I hadn't done anything they could do me for. Besides, it was fun. I got to make like I was notorious. 12 INT. LINE-UP ROOM 12 The five men are ushered into the room in front of a white wall painted with horizontal blue stripes. Each has a number at either end to denote the height of the man in front of it. Between these lines are thinner blue lines to tell the specific height in inches. SCRIPT DATE 5/25/94 11. Bright lights shine on all of them. They squint, eyes adjusting. Keaton leans forward a bit and looks at the men in line with him. He shares a look of familiarity with Fenster and then McManus. Hockney smiles at all of them. McMANUS (To Keaton) Where you been, man? VOICE (O.S.) SHUT UP IN THERE. Alright, you all know the drill. When your number is called, step forward and repeat the phrase you've been given. Understand? The men all nod. VOICE (O.S.) Number one. Step forward. Hockney takes a step forward. He looks directly into a mirror on the other side of the room. It is three feet square and we can make out faint light behind it. It is a two-way. He speaks in a complete dead-pan. HOCKNEY Hand-me-the-keys, you-fucking-cock- sucker. VOICE (O.S.) Number two. Step forward. McManus steps up and makes a gun with his thumb and forefinger. He mocks criminal intensity, pointing at the mirror. He camps up his line. McMANUS Give me the keys, you motherfucking, cocksucking pile of shit, or I'll rip off your VOICE (O.S.) KNOCK IT OFF. Get back in line. McManus steps back. The rest of the men do their bit as Verbal speaks. BLUE 06/01/94 12. VERBAL (V.O.) It was bullshit. The whole rap was a setup. Everything is the cops' fault. You don't put guys like that in a room together. Who knows what can happen? 13 INT. INTERROGATION ROOM - NIGHT 13 McManus sits in a chair in front of a white wall. He smiles at someone off-screen. OVERLAPPED: MCMANUS This has to be embarrassing for you guys, huh? I mean you know and I know this is a load of shit, but at least I don't have a captain with his dick in my ass making me play along. That has got to suck, VOICE (O.S.) Are you done? McManus Do you work for a broad? That would have to be the worst. VOICE (0.8.) Are you done? McMANUS Still, I guess dignity is a small pries to pay for medical and a pension. A small pension, mind you, but a pension nonetheless. VERBAL (V.O.) They drilled us all night. Somebody was pissed about that truck getting knocked off and the cops had nothing. They were hoping somebody would slip. Give them something to go on. They knew we wouldn't fight it because they knew how to lean on us. They'd been doing it forever. Our rights went right out the window. It was a violation. I mean disgraceful. BLUE 06/01/94 12A. VERBAL (V.O.) They went after McManus first. He was a good guy. Crazy though. A top notch entry man . VOICE (O.S.) So where'd you dump the truck? McMANUS What truck? VOICE (O.S.) The truck with the guns, fucko. McMANUS You kill me, you really do. Where's my phone call? VOICE (O.S.) Right here. Suck it out. McMANUS Clever guy. VOICE (O.S.) You want to know what your buddy Fenster told us? BLUE 06/01/94 13. McMANUS Do I look stupid enough to fall for that? Jesus Christ. Beat me if you gotta, but no more of the candy-land tactics, man. VOICE (O.S.) WHERE'S THE FUCKING TRUCK? 14 INT. INTERROGATION ROOM 14 Now Fenster is in the seat. He sweats profusely. FENSTER I want to call my lawyer. I don;'t know about any truck. I was in Connecticut all night on Friday. VOICE (O.S.) That's not what McManus said. OVERLAPPED: FENSTER Who? VOICE (0.8.) McManus. Be told us another story altogether. FENSTER t Was it the one about the hooker with dysentery I swear , she never mentioned money until I came. VOICE (O.S.) Be fold us about the truck. FENSTER s To be honest, it was more like a + mobile home. She made a lot of money, t VOICE (O.S.) + Who took the guns off your hands? FENSTER Hey, are we talking about the same thing? VOICE (O.S.) I'm losing my patience. BLUE 06/01/94 13A. VERBAL (V.O.) Fenster always worked with McManus. He was a real tight-ass, but when it came to the job, he was right on. Smart guy. A gopher. Got whatever you needed for next to nothing. FENSTER You guys got nothing on me. Where's your probable cause? VOICE (O.S.) You're a known hijacker. You're sweating like a guilty motherfucker. That's my p.c. Save us the time. Tell us where the truck is. Fenster knocks on the table. FENSTER HELLO? Can you hear me in the back? P.C. He looks under his chair. FENSTER (CONT'D) Where is it? I'm lookin'. It's not happening. What's going on with that? I want BLUE 06/01/94 14. 15 INT. INTERROGATION ROOM 15 Hockney's turn in the chair. He laughs it all off. HOCKNEY - my lawyer. I'll have your badge, cocksucker. OVERLAPPED: HOCKNEY (CONT'D) I know you. You don't think I know you're on the take. This whole fucking precinct is dirty. You don't have a fucking leg to stand on. VERBAL (V.O.) Hockney was just a bad bastard. Good with explosives. Mean as a snake when it mattered . VOICE (O.S.) You think so, tough guy? I can put you in Queens the day of the hijacking. HOCKNEY I live in Queens. What the fuck is this? You come into my store and lock me up in front of my customers. What the hell is wrong with this country? Are you guys gonna charge me or what? VOICE (O.S.) You know what happens if you do another turn in the joint? HOCKNEY I'll fuck your father in the shower. Charge me, dick-head. 16 INT. INTERROGATION ROOM 16 Now Keaton sits in the chair, cool and indifferent. VERBAL (V.O.) Keaton was the real prize for them, for obvious reasons. VOICE (O.S.) I'll charge you when I'm ready. BLUE 06/01/94 14A. KEATON with what? VOICE (O.S.) You know damn well, dead-man. KEATON Hey, that was your mistake, not mine. Did you ever think to ask me? I've been YELLOW 06/11/94 15. KEATON (cont'd) walking around with the same face, same name - I'm a businessman, fellas. VOICE (O.S.) What's that? The restaurant business? Not anymore From now on you're in the getting-fucked-by-us business . I'm gonna make you famous, cocksucker. Keaton shows just a flicker of contempt. The threat has hit home. KEATON Like I said. It was all your mistake. Charge me with it and I'll beat it. Let's get back to the truck. A FIST flies into the frame and connects with Keaton's jaw. His head snaps back, blood flowing freely from his mouth. 17 DELETED 17 18 INT. CELL BLOCK 18 Keaton is brought in to a holding where he joins Fenster, Hockney, Verbal and McManus. He sits in a corner and keeps to himself. Fenster is in mid-tirade. FENSTER Somebody should do something. What is this shit - getting hauled in every five minutes? Okay, so I did a little time, does that mean I get railed every time a truck finds its way off the planet? McManus is silently staring at Keaton, who sits on a bench, looking away. HOCKNEY These guys got no probable cause. SCRIPT DATE 5/25/94 16. FENSTER You're fuckin' A right, no P.C. Well screw P.C. No right. No goddamn right. You do some time, they never let you go. Treat me like a criminal, I'll end up a criminal. HOCKNEY You are a criminal. FENSTER Why you gotta go and do that? I'm trying to make a point. KEATON Then make it. Christ, you're making me tired all over. McManus looks at Keaton. McMANUS I heard you were dead, Keaton. KEATON You heard right. HOCKNEY The word I got is you hung up your spurs, man. What's that all about? McMANUS What's this? HOCKNEY Rumor has it, Keaton's gone straight - cleaning house. I hear he's tapping Edie Finneran. McMANUS Who? HOCKNEY She's a heavy-weight criminal lawyer from uptown. Big-time connected. She could erase Dillinger's record if she tried. I hear she's Keaton's meal ticket. (To Keaton) Is it true? McMANUS What about it, Keaton? You a lawyer's wife. What sort of "retainer" you giving her? SCRIPT DATE 5/25/94 17. Keaton shoots McManus a fiery glare. FENSTER I'd say you've gotten on his main and central nerve, McManus. KEATON Do your friend a favor, Fenster, keep him quiet . McMANUS You're clean, Keaton? Say it ain't so. Was it you that hit that truck? FENSTER Forget him. It's not important. I was trying to make a point. KEATON (Ignoring McManus) This whole thing was a shakedown. McMANUS What makes you say that? KEATON How many times have you been in a line- up? It's always you and four dummies. The P.D. pays homeless guys ten bucks a head half the time. No way they'd line five felons in the same row. No way. And what the hell is a voice line-.up? A public defender could get you off of that. FENSTER So why the hell was I hauled in and cavity searched tonight? KEATON It was the Feds. A truck load of guns gets snagged, Customs comes down on N.Y.P.D. for some answers - they come up with us. They're grabbing at straws. It's politics - nothing you can do. FENSTER I had a guy's fingers in my asshole tonight. HOCKNEY Is it Friday already? SCRIPT DATE 5/25/94 18. FENSTER Fuck you. I'11 never shit right again. So who did it? Own up. KEATON I don't want to know. McMANUS Nobody asked you, workin'-man. HOCKNEY Fuck who did it. What I want to know is, who's the gimp? ALL EYES suddenly turn on Verbal. He has been quietly listening the whole time without uttering a word. KEATON He's alright. HOCKNEY How do I know that? How about it, pretzel-man? What's your story? KEATON His name is Verbal Kint. I thought you guys knew him. McMANUS Verbal? VERBAL Roger really. People say I talk too much. HOCKNEY Yeah, I was gonna tell you to shut up. KEATON We've met once or twice. Last time was in... VERBAL County. I was in for fraud. KEATON You were waiting for a line-up then, too. What happened with that? VERBAL I walked. Ninety days, suspended. YELLOW 06/11/94 19. HOCKNEY So you did it? VERBAL To your mother's ass. Verbal looks away from Hockney, awaiting a violent response. Everyone slowly starts to laugh. Hockney looks as if he is about to boil in his own skin. KEATON (To Hockney) Let it go. Verbal smiles at Keaton appreciatively. McManus stands and walks to the toilet in the corner of the cell. He starts taking a leak; McMANUS Look, we've all been put out by this, I figure we owe it to ourselves to salvage a little dignity. Now Fenster and I got wind of a possible job - KEATON Why don't you just calm down' HOCKNEY What do you care what he says? McMANUS Yeah, I'm just talking here, and Hockney seems to want to hear me out. I know Fenster is with me - (To Verbal) How about you, guy? McManus finishes pissing. VERBAL I'm interested, sure. McMANUS There, so you see, I'm going to exercise my right to free assembly. McManus taps the bars of his cell and the others LAUGH. KEATON I'm not kidding. Shut your mouth. YELLOW 06/11/94 19A. McMANUS You're missing the point. YELLOW 06/11/94 20. KEATON No, you're missing the point. Shut up. I don't want to hear anything you have to say. I don't want to know about your "job". Just don't let me hear you. I want nothing to do with any of you - (Beat) I beg your pardon but all of you can go to hell. McMANUS Dean Keaton, gone the high road. What is the world coming to? McManus and Keaton stare at one another for a long and tense moment. Finally McManus turns to the others. McMANUS (CONT'D) Forget him then. (Whispering) Now I can't talk about this here in any detail, but listen up... Everyone but Keaton gravitates toward McManus's cell as he begins to speak in low, hushed tones. VERBAL (V.O.) And that was how it began. The five of us brought in on a trumped-up charge to be leaned on by half-wits. What the cops never figured out, and what I know now, was that these men would never break, never lie down, never bend over for anybody. .. Anybody. 19 EXT. PIER - DAY - SAN PEDRO - PRESENT DAY 19 It is morning in the aftermath of the opening scene. Harsh sunlight shines on a line of body bags on the dock. Police swarm everywhere, photographers are taking pictures of the scene while a team of men in rolled up sleeves and plastic gloves pick at the remains. Two men on a fire boat operate a water cannon, dousing the smoldering remains of a burned-out ships hull. Watching this from the edge of the pier is a man in a dark suit. He is SPECIAL AGENT JACK BAER of the F.B.I. He is tall and fit, in his late thirties. He gazes out over the water thoughtfully. YELLOW 06/11/94 21. A UNIFORM COP trots up to him. COP Who are you? Baer holds up his badge without looking at the man. BAER Agent Jack Baer, F.B.I. How many dead? Before the cop can answer, Baer turns and walks along the line of body bags. COP Fifteen so far. We're still pulling some bodies out of the water. Baer eyes the corpses on the dock, burned beyond recognition. COP Looking for anyone in particular? Baer looks at the cop for the first time, unamused. BAER f don't want any of the bodies taken away until I've had a chance to go over this, understood? COP I have to clear the scene. I've got word direct from the Chief Baer lights a cigarette, only half listening. BAER (Unimpressed) Yes, the chief. Spooky stuff. Any survivors? COP Two. There's a guy in county hospital, but he's in a coma. The D.A. has the other guy - A cripple - from New York I think. Listen, the Chief said - BAER Excuse me. Baer walks away from the cop, ignoring him completely. He wanders through the carnage on the pier. YELLOW 06/11/94 22. 20 MT. OCEAN 20 A half mile out from the pier. The sea is choppy, stirred by the wind. An object floats into view a few feet away, bobbing in the water. It is A DEAD BODY - a man, face down, wearing a CHECKERED BATHROBE. He drifts quietly toward the open ocean. 21 INT. HEARING ROOM - DAY - LOS ANGELES PRESENT 2: Verbal Kint sits in a chair in front of a microphone attached to a tape recorder, his brow beaded with sweat. On the wall behind him is the seal of the STATE OF CALIFORNIA He is cleaner, better kept, in a well-cut suit and neatly trimmed hair. He looks older than he did in New York - worn down. A flurry of voices banter off screen. Verbal's eyes follow the voices back and forth. VOICE #1 (O.S.) My client offers his full cooperation in these proceedings. In exchange, his testimony is to be sealed and all matters incriminating to himself are to be rendered inadmissible. VOICE #2 (O.S.) The district attorney's office will comply provided - VOICE #1 No provisions, nothing. My clients testimony for his immunity. VOICE #2 May-I be frank, Counselor? I suspect your political power as much as I respect it. I don't know why Mr. Kint has so many faceless allies in City Hall, and I don't care. The embarrassment he helped cause the city of New York will not happen here. VOICE #1 Immunity. YELLOW 06/11/94 22A. VOICE #2 Counselor, I will prosecute your client. VOICE #1 Then prosecute. I will be very impressed to see if the District Attorney manages to bring in twenty-seven simultaneous counts of murder against one man with cerebral palsy. I would think a man with your job would agree with these alleged "faceless people in City Hall" you mention. VOICE #2 1 One would think the counsel is veiling a threat. VOICE #1 + Counsel isn't veiling anything. VOICE #2 I'11 take my chances then. I'11 feel safer without a job if a man like Mr. Kint is behind bars. VOICE #1 Mr. Kint will plead guilty to weapons possession. VOICE #2 You're joking. VOICE #1 Weapons. Misdemeanor one. VOICE #2 Counselor, you're insulting me. VOICE #1 Counselor, you're bluffing. Shall I push for misdemeanor two? Voices mumble off screen. Verbal fidgets in his chair. VOICE #2 + Misdemeanor one. Fine. This is ludicrous. A tiny smile and a genuine look of disbelief flash across Verbal's face. YELLOW 6/11/94 22B. VOICE #2 (CONT'D) (Clearing throat) As for the rest of the charges grand larceny, arson... murder - the district attorney will accept the subject's testimony in connection with the above mentioned events and in exchange will offer complete immunity. The transcript... The transcript of said testimony will be sealed and all matters incriminating to Mr. Kint will be rendered inadmissible. Verbal lets out a long-held sigh of relief. 22 INT. POLICE STATION - HALLWAY - DAY 22 David Kujan is walking quickly beside SERGEANT RABIN, a dark and weathered looking man in his late thirties. They move up a staircase into the heart of police headquarters. KUJAN What do you mean I can't see him? RAB IN The D.A. came down here last night ready to arraign before they even moved him to county. Kint's lawyer comes in and five minutes later, the D.A. comes out looking like he'd been bitch-slapped by the boogey man. They took his statement and cut him a deal. KUJAN Did they charge him with anything? RAB IN Weapons. Misdemeanor two. KUJAN What'the fuck is that? Rabin motions for Kujan to lower his voice. He points out that they are walking through a bullpen filled with desks where a number of other police are working within earshot. RABIN I give the D.A. credit for getting that much to stick. This whole thing has turned political. The Mayor was here - the chief - the Governor called this morning, for Christ's sake. This guy is YELLOW 06/11/94 220. RABIN (cont'd) protected - From up on high by the prince of fucking darkness. KUJAN When does he post bail? RAB IN Two hours, tops. KUJAN I want to see him. Rabin comes to an office door with his name on it. He opens it and lets Kujan in before following. PINK 06/07/94 23-24. 23 INT. RABIN'S OFFICE 23 RABIN + Dave, please. Rabin's office can only be described as a disaster area. The desk is cluttered with weeks, perhaps months or even years of paperwork that could never conceivably be sorted out. Above his desk is a bulletin board. It is a breathtaking catastrophe of papers, wanted posters, rap-sheets, memos and + post-its. This is in the neighborhood of decades. Rabin is a man with a system so cryptic, so far beyond the comprehension of others, he himself is most likely baffled by it. RABIN (CONT'D) Even if I was to let you talk to him, he won't talk to you. He's paranoid about being recorded and he knows the interrogation rooms are wired KUJAN This won't be an' interrogation, just a... friendly chat to kill time. RAB IN (enunciating) He won't go into the interrogation room. KUJAN Someplace else, then. RAB IN Where? Kujan looks around Rabin's messy office. RABIN (CONT'D) No, no, no, no, no. KUJAN If it was a dope deal, where's the dope, if it was a hit, who called it in? RABIN And I am sure you have a host of wild + theories to answer these questions. KUJAN You know damn well what I think. YELLOW 06/11/94 24A. RABIN That's crazy, Dave and it doesn't matter. He has total immunity and his story checks out. He doesn't know what you want to know. KUJAN I don't think he does. Not exactly, but there's a lot more to his story. I want to know why twenty-seven men died on that pier for what looks to be ninety-one million dollars worth of dope that wasn't there. Above all, I want to be sure that Dean Keaton is dead. RAB ZN He's dead. KUJAN Two hours. Just until he makes bail. RAB IN They're all dead. No matter how tough you r. say this Keaton was, no one on that boat could've made it out alive. PINK 06/07/94 25-29. 24 INT. HOSPITAL - DAY 24 A door marked INTENSIVE CARE. The door BURSTS OPEN. SUDDENLY, the hallway is a flurry of activity. DOCTOR LISA PLUMBER, age fifty, walks quickly beside JACK BAER . Baer walks with all of the determination of a battalion of Chinese infantry. DOCTOR RIDGLY WALTERS, a young intern in his late twenties rushes up to them. PLUMBER Ridgly, this is Special Agent Jack Baer from the F.B.I. Agent Baer, this is Doctor Ridgly Waiters. RIDGLY Nice to meet you. BAER Is he talking? RIDGLY He regained consciousness less than an hour ago. He spoke - not English - then he lapsed. BAER Hungarian? YELLOW 06/11/94 30. RIDGLY I don't BAER It was Hungarian. Most of them were Hungarians. Any fluent Hungarians on your staff? RIDGLY We have a Turkish audiologist. Ridgly opens a door and Baer barrels through. 25 INT. HOSPITAL ROOM 25 (<< .. DENOTES LINES SPOKEN IN HUNGARIAN) + Baer comes to an abrupt halt at the foot of a bed surrounded by a massive tangle of medical equipment. In the center of it all is the as yet unnamed ARKOSH KOVASH, mid-thirties. His body is nearly mummified in bandages and plaster from waist to chin. BOLD IS OVERLAPPED: KOVASH s <<Are you the police? I need the police. He'll find out I'm here and he'll kill me. I need the police. I will tell them anything they want to know. Please, I am going to be killed.>> BAER will he die? PLUMBER There's a chance. Baer walks over to Rovash and kneels down on the bed beside him. He looks closely at his battered and scalded face. He listens to him far a moment. Kovash goes on incessantly. KOVASH <<Find someone who understands me, you idiot, I'm going to be killed, You'll all be killed if he has to do it. Help me, God. They're all stupid. Get someone who understands me or we're all going to die.>> YELLOW 06/11/94 30A. Baer pulls a cellular phone out of his jacket and dials. BAER Call hospital security and put a man on the door until the police get here. KOVASH <<Why are you just standing there, you idiot? I'm not speaking English am I? Wouldn't it make sense to find someone who could talk to me so you could find the person that set me on fire, perhaps? He is the Devil. You've never seen anyone like Keyser Soze in all your miserable life you idiot. Keyser Soze. Do you at least understand that? Keyser Soze. The Devil himself. Or are you American policemen io stupid that you haven't even heard of him. Keyser Soze, you ridiculous man. KEYSER SOZE . >> BLUE 06/01/94 31. Ridgly runs out of the room. Kovash babbles louder and louder, trying to get Baer's attention. Baer sticks a finger in one ear to block him out and hear the phone. PLUMBER Is he dangerous? BAER Yes. Someone picks up on the other end of the phone. BAER (CONT'D) Joel, it's Baer. I'm down at L.A. county. The guy they pulled out of the harbor is ARKOSH Kovash... Yes, I'm sure... No, he's all fucked up... What? I can't hear you. (To Arkosh) Shut up, Hugo, I'm on the phone. (Into Phone) Yes... No... Not until I put someone on him. Listen, I need you to send me someone who can speak Hungarian. He's awake and talking like a Thai hooker... How should I know? Get me someone who can talk to him - Baer is suddenly distracted by something Kovash has said. In the middle of a long string of unintelligible dialect, he has spouted two words that have gotten Baer's attention. He turns and looks down at the tattered man in the bed. Kovash realizes Baer is listening and says the two words again. KOVASH Keyser - Soze. BAER What? He waves his hand, gesturing for Kovash to say it again. KOVASH Keyser - Soze. BAER No shit? (Into Phone) Joel, call Dan Metzheiser over at Justice and find Dave Kujan from Customs. YELLOW 06/11/94 32. 2 INT. HALLWAY - POLICE STATION 26 Rabin walks out of a small room. Behind him, we catch a glimpse of a workroom with a bench covered with wires. Kujan comes out a moment later, gently fixing his tie. Rabin opens the door to his office and Kujan enters. Rabin follows, looking up and down the hall before closing the door behind them. As the door closes we can just make out the back of Verbal's head. He is seated in Rabin's office, smoking a cigarette. 27 INT. RABIN'S OFFICE 27 Kujan and Rabin sit down across from Verbal. YELLOW 06/11/94 34. KUJAN (Exasperated) Verbal, you know we're trying to help you. VERBAL Sure. And I appreciate that. And I want to help you, Agent Kujan. I like cops. I would have liked to have been a Fed myself but my C.P. was - KUJAN Verbal, I know you know something. I know you're not telling us everything. VERBAL I told the D.A. everything I know. 28 28 INT. WORKSHOP Rabin stands over LOUIS, a messy looking technician at his workbench in a room full of electronic equipment. He adjusts several dials on a receiver until the voices of Kujan and Verbal come clearly through a tinny speaker on the wall. Rabin reaches over for a nearby pot of coffee. KUJAN (VOICE) I know you liked Keaton I know you think he was a good man. VERBAL (VOICE) I know he was good. KUJAN (VOICE) He was a corrupt cop, Verbal. 29 INT. RABIN'S OFFICE 29 VERBAL Sure. Fifteen years ago, but he was a good thief Anyway, the cops wouldn't let him go legit. KUJAN Keaton was a piece of shit. VERBAL You trying to get a rise out of me, Agent Kujan? YELLOW 06/11/94 34A. KUJAN I just want to hear your story. YELLOW 06/11/94 35. VERBAL It's right here. He taps a finger on the stack of paper that Kujan brought in. Kujan picks it up and thumbs through it. KUJAN According to your statement you are a short-con operator. Run of the mill seams. Everything you do, you learned from somebody else. VERBAL That's been suppressed. Anything in there is inadmissible. KUJAN Oh, I know. Sweet deal you have. Total immunity . VERBAL (laughing) Well I do have the weapons charge. I'm looking at six whole months hard time. KUJAN (smiling) You know a dealer named Ruby Deemer, Verbal? VERBAL You know a religious guy named John Paul? KUJAN You know Ruby is in Attica? VERBAL He didn't have my lawyer. KUJAN I know Ruby. He's very big on respect. Likes me very much. Verbal sees this getting to something. His smiles fades. KUJAN (CONT'D) Now I know your testimony was sealed. Ruby is well connected. He still has people running errands for him. What do you think he'd say if he found out you dropped his name to the D.A.? SCRIPT DATE 5/25/94 36. VERBAL There's nothing in there about Ruby. KUJAN I'11 be sure to mention that to him. Verbal is not smiling anymore. He stares at Kujan with utter contempt, knowing he is being shafted. KUJAN (CONT'D) The first thing I learned on the job, know what it was? How to spot a murderer. Let's say you arrest three guys for the same killing. Put them all in jail overnight. The next morning, whoever is sleeping is your man. If you're guilty, you know you're caught, you get some rest - let your guard down, you follow? VERBAL No. KUJAN I'11 get right to the point. I'm smarter than you. I'11 find out what I want to know and I'11 get it from you whether you like it or not. VERBAL I'm not a rat. Kujan puts his hand on the transcript of Verbal's confession. Rabin walks in with a cup of coffee. Verbal takes it with his good hand and sips it with a relish. VERBAL (CONT'D) Ahhh. Back when I was picking beans in Guatemala we used to make fresh coffee. Right off the trees I mean. That was good. This is shit, but hey... RAB IN Can we get started again? KUJAN Now what happened after the line-up? Verbal sneers at Kujan, unable to change the subject. BLUE 06/01/94 37. 30 EXT. POLICE STATION - NIGHT - NEW YORK - SIX WEEKS PRIOR 30 Keaton stops at the top of the front steps of the police station and lights a cigarette. Edie comes out behind him, fuming mad. EDIE ...and the desk Sergeant is actually trying to tell me he can't release you? Can you believe that? You weren't even charged. New York police - Jesus. I want to take pictures of your face to bring to the D.A. first thing in the morning. KEATON Just forget about it. He looks across the street and sees Fenster and McManus talking by a newsstand. McManus is thumbing through magazines. EDIE Absolutely not. Keaton looks to his right and sees Hockney trying to hail a cab. EDIE (CONT'D) I'11 have this thing in front of a grand jury by Monday. KEATON Edie, please. I don't want to hear this right now. What did Renault and Fortier say? EDIE They want more time to think about investing. KEATON Goddamnit. EDIE They just said they wanted time. KEATON Time for what, Edie? Time to look into me a little more, that's what. No matter how well you cover my tracks now, they'll find out who I am. SCRIPT DATE 5/25/94 38. EDIE Give me some credit. I got you this far, let's go to the grand jury. This is never going to stop if we - KEATON No. It's never going to stop, period. It won't take more than a week before every investor in this city is walking away from us. It's finished. I'm finished. Just then, Verbal bumps into him on his way out the door. He excuses himself and hobbles down the steps, oblivious to who he has bumped into as he tries to navigate the stairs. EDIE Don't give up on me now, Dean. KEATON They'll never stop. EDIE I love you. KEATON (To himself) They ruined me tonight. EDIE Dean, I love you. Do you hear me? Verbal gets to the sidewalk and stops. He turns, realizing it is Keaton on the steps. EDIE (CONT'D) Let's just go to my place. We'll worry about this tomorrow. Keaton and Verbal look at one another for a moment. Keaton then looks over to the newsstand and sees Fenster looking at him. KEATON Huh? McManus notices Fenster and glances up from his magazine to see what he is looking at. + EDIE Come home with me, please. Dean? SCRIPT DATE 5/25/94 39. Keaton looks at Hockney who has one foot in a cab. He is looking at Fenster and McManus who are looking at Keaton. This makes Hockney look up at Keaton as well. SUDDENLY, Edie tunes in to what is going on. She notices the others on the street. She reaches over and takes Keaton by the arm, pulling gently. She glares at the others. EDIE Come home, Dean. KEATON (Distant) Alright. Verbal looks at everyone else from where he stands on the street. Fenster, McManus and Hockney all look at him and then at each other. It is a strange moment of unspoken understanding. All eyes finally turn to Keaton, high on the front steps of the police station as he walks away with Edie. 31 INT. HALLWAY - DAY 31 Verbal stands in front of an apartment door. He hesitates for a long moment before he knocks. After a moment, the door opens and Keaton stands on the other side of it. He is wearing a bathrobe and smoking a cigarette. He looks at Verbal without any expression whatsoever. KEATON What are you doing here'! How did you find me? VERBAL I just asked one of the detectives downtown. He seemed pretty happy to tell me. Keaton curses under his breath and motions for Verbal to come in. 32 32 INT. EDIE'S APARTMENT Verbal walks in and sits down on the couch, watching Keaton cautiously. He looks around the large apartment, beautifully furnished and decorated. SCRIPT DATE 5/25/94 40. Edie walks into the room in a man's button-down shirt and sweat pants. EDIE Dean, who was at the She stops when she sees Verbal. Verbal stands and smiles nervously. VERBAL How do you do? KEATON Verb - Roger, this is Edie Finneran. Edie, this is Roger Kint, he was at EDIE (Cold) I know who he is. VERBAL I hope I didn't disturb you. EDIE I hope so, too, Mr. Kint. Can I get you something to drink? VERBAL A glass of water would be nice. Edie shoots a look at Keaton on her way out of the room. Keaton tries to hush his voice despite his anger. KEATON What the hell do you want? VERBAL I wanted to talk to you. The other guys - KEATON I did you a favor by standing up for you last night, but don't think we're friends. I'm sorry, but I have other things - VERBAL They're gonna do a job. Three million dollars, maybe more. Keaton is speechless. Verbal sits on the couch again. SCRIPT DATE 5/25/94 41. VERBAL (CONT'D) They sent me to offer you a cut. We could use a fifth man - a driver - That's all you'll do. Edie walks in with a glass of ice water and hands it to Verbal. VERBAL (CONT'D) Thank you. Verbal drinks slowly. Edie stands over him, her face blank. It is an awkward moment. She deliberately makes Verbal uncomfortable. LONG PAUSE - FINALLY: EDIE So what is it you do, Mr. Kint? VERBAL Umm ... EDIE A hijacker like Dean, here? Or something more creative? KEATON That's enough, Edie. EDIE (Angry) I don't know what you came here for, but we won't have any part of it. KEATON Edie, please. Keaton takes Edie by the arm and tries to guide her toward the other room. She pulls away, anger turning to rage. EDIE I've spent the last year of my life putting his back together again - I won't have you come in here and - What makes you think - GET OUT. GET OUT OF m HOME. HOW DARE YOU COME HERE? Keaton is pulling her now. She yanks her arm away and shoves him. YELLOW 06/11/94 42. EDIE Don't touch me. Just don't, She turns and walks out of the room. Somewhere in the back of the apartment, a door slams. Keaton turns and glares at Verbal. Verbal cringes. KEATON Get out. VERBAL If you'll just let me - SUDDENLY, KEATON LUNGES. He grabs Verbal by the lapels and lifts him off the couch, moving him effortlessly across the room and slamming him into the wall next to the front door. He opens it. VERBAL (CONT'D) Don't hurt me. KEATON (Seething) Hurt you, you sonofabitch? I could kill you. Keaton starts to shove Verbal out the door. VERBAL (Quickly) They're going to hit the Taxi Service. Keaton freezes. LONG PAUSE. VERBAL New York's Finest Taxi Service. KEATON They - That's bullshit. They don't operate anymore. VERBAL McManus has a friend in the Fourteenth Precinct. They're coming out for one job - Thursday. They're picking up a guy smuggling emeralds out of South America. Fenster and McManus have a fence set to take the stuff. YELLOW 06/11/94 43. KEATON What fence? Who? VERBAL Some guy in California. His name is Redfoot. KEATON Never heard of him. Keaton moves to throw Verbal out. Verbal grabs Keaton and holds tight. VERBAL You have to come. KEATON What's with you? What do you care whether I come or not? VERBAL They - They don't know me. You do. They won't take me unless you go. Look at me. I need this. KEATON Tough break. VERBAL Don't tell me you don't need this. Is this your place? Keaton is unable to answer. VERBAL (CONT'D) They're never going to stop with us, you know that. This way we hit the cops where it hurts and get well in the mean time. Keaton lets Verbal go and steps back, thinking. VERBAL (CONT'D) As clean as you could ever get, they'll never let you go now. SCRIPT DATE 5/25/94 44. VERBAL (cont'd) I'm not knocking you. You look like you've got a good little seam going with this lawyer - WHAM. Keaton punches Verbal in the stomach and drops him to one knee. Verbal coughs and tries to find his breath. KEATON You watch your mouth. VERBAL (Gasping) Okay, okay. You say it's the real thing? That's cool. Keaton reaches for Verbal. Verbal flinches. Keaton gently helps him up and guides him to the couch. They bath sit. Keaton reaches for a pack of cigarettes and lights one for each of them. KEATON I apologize. Verbal takes one and has a few drags, catching his breath and rubbing his stomach in pain. FINALLY: VERBAL I was out of line. KEATON You okay? VERBAL I'11 be alright. KEATON Well, I'm sorry. VERBAL Forget it. (Beat) I'11 probably shit blood tonight. Keaton laughs. Verbal thinks about it for a moment and laughs with him. Keaton's laughter trails off. He thinks for a moment. SCRIPT DATE 5/25/94 45. KEATON How are they going to do it? VERBAL McManus wants to go in shooting. I said no way. KEATON Fenster and Hockney? VERBAL They're pretty pissed off. They'll do anything. Now I got a way to do it without killing anyone: but like I said, they won't let me in without you. KEATON Three million? VERBAL Maybe more. KEATON No killing? VERBAL Not if we do it my way. LONG PAUSE KEATON (Lost in thought) I swore I'd live above myself. Verbal smiles, knowing he has him. 33 EXT. KENNEDY AIRPORT - DAY 33 VERBAL (V.O.) New York's finest Taxi Service was not your normal taxi service. It was a ring of corrupt cops in the N.Y.P.D. that ran a high-profit racket, driving smugglers and drug dealers all over the city. For a few hundred dollars a mile, you got your own black and white and a police escort. They even had their own business cards. OSCAR WHITEHEAD, a tall gray-haired man in his fifties comes out of the international terminal in a white linen suit. He holds a large suitcase in his right hand. BLUE 06/01/94 46. VERBAL (V.O.) After a while, somebody started asking questions and the taxi service shut down. Ever since then, Internal Affairs had been waiting to catch them in the act. Oscar stands on the curb long enough to light a cigarette. After a moment, a POLICE CRUISER pulls up to him. He opens the back door and gets in. VERBAL (V.O.) And that was how we started. McManus came to us with the job; Fenster got the vans; Hockney supplied the hardware; 'I came through with how to do it so no one got killed - but Keaton - Keaton put on the finishing touch. A little "Fuck you" from the five of us to the N.Y.P.D. The car drives out of the airport. A VAN follows at a distance. 34 INT. POLICE CAR 34 SERGEANT JIM STRAUSZ, a meaty, imposing looking man in his forties drives the car. Beside him is a thin, greasy looking PATROLMAN, STEVE RIZZI. They are two drivers for New York's Finest Taxi Service. RIZZI How was the flight? Oscar hands Rizzi a thick envelope. OSCAR Will that get me to the Pierre? Rizzi counts the stack of hundred dollar bills in the envelope . RIZZI That'll get you to Cape God. The two men laugh. Strausz watches the road, expressionless. 35 EXT. HIGHWAY 35 The cruiser heads towards the heart of Manhattan. YELLOW 06/11/94 47. 36 EXT. STREET - LATER 36 The police car makes its way down a wide, abandoned street. A WHITE MINIVAN pulls out behind it and heads the same way. 37 INT. POLICE CAR 37 Strausz looks in the rear-view mirror. The white minivan is flashing his high-beams. STRAUSZ What the RIZZI LOOK OUT. Strausz looks in front of him. A green minivan swerves in front of them from out of nowhere. Strausz slams on the brakes and skids to a halt. The white minivan rams them from behind. Strausz and Rizzi are stunned for a moment as two more vans screech up on either side of the cruiser, boxing it in with only a few inches between them. The cruiser is surrounded on all sides. SUDDENLY, SHOTGUN BARRELS come through the open windows. They come to rest, one on Strausz's left temple one on Rizzi's right. RIZZI looks out of the corner of his eye. He sees the driver of the van next to him holding the shotgun with one hand. A stocking is over the driver's head. Strausz looks straight ahead. The minivan in front of them is missing a back window. Another man with a stocking on his head aims a sub-machine gun at them from inside. By the twisted right hand holding the front of the gun, we know it is Verbal. Strausz and Rizzi raise their hands without being asked. 38 EXT. STREET 38 The driver of the white van gets out with a gallon jug in one hand and a sledge hammer in the other. Moving like lightning, he jumps onto the roof of the police car SCRIPT DATE 5/25/94 48. 'He stands on the front of the roof and swings the hammer down. 39 INT. POLICE CAR 39 SMASH The hammer punches three huge holes in the windshield and finally caves it in. Strausz and Rizzi are covered with pebbles of broken glass. Whitehead clutches his bag in the back seat. He trembles in terror. The man standing on the roof doubles over and sticks a gun in Strausz's face. His face hangs upside down and looks gruesome - covered from the mouth up in a stocking. By the voice, we know it is McManus. McManus GIVE ME THE SHIT. STRAUSZ Give it up. Oscar hands the suitcase up front and Strausz passes it to McManus. 40 INT. FRONT VAN 40 Through the front windshield of the front van we see Keaton at the wheel. Verbal is behind him leaning out the back window. Beneath Keaton's stocking mask we see he is trembling and sweating - sickened by what he is doing. He glances up at the rear-view mirror and looks at the scene outside. He looks down at the floor in shame, shaking his head. 41 INT. POLICE CAR 41 McMANUS The money. Strausz looks at Rizzi. McMAMJS (CONT'D) THE MONEY. LET'S HAVE IT. Rizzi hands the money through the remains of the windshield. YELLOW 06/11/94 49. McManus takes the money and stuffs it in his jacket. He steps back and takes the cap off of the gallon jug. He quickly pours some kind of liquid all over the roof of the car. STRAUSZ Do you know who I am? A hand reaches into the driver's side window and rips Strausz's badge off of his shirt. Strausz dares to turn his head right at the shotgun pointing at him through the window. On the other end is a masked and smiling Todd Hockney. HOCKNEY We db now, Jerk-off. McManus lights a pack of matches and drops them on the roof of the car as he jumps off. THE LIQUID IGNITES, the roof of the car is instantly in flames. Strausz and Rizzi attempt to bail out, but the vans are too close for them to open the doors. The vans pull away. Strausz and Rizzi escape from the car. Oscar is trapped inside, SCREAMING. Strausz and Rizzi stop, each expecting the other to go let Oscar out. 42 EXT. STREET - LATER 42 The scene is swarming with fresh police cars. Strausz and Rizzi are fielding questions from a dozen other cops. Photographers are everywhere. VERBAL (V.O.) The papers got Keaton's call that day and were on the scene before the cops were. Strausz and Rizzi were indicted three days later. Within a few weeks, fifty more cops went down with them. It was beautiful. Everybody got it right in the ass, from the chief on down. YELLOW 06/11/94 50. 43 INT. GARAGE - NIGHT 43 Hockney, Fenster, McManus and Verbal are all laughing in a secluded garage. They are still in their black clothes from the robbery. Hockney is throwing everyone a can of beer. Keaton sits off by himself. He watches the others, unable to join in the festivities. The others sit around a cheap card table. It is covered with emeralds. Dozens of them. Everyone is in awe. McManus There's more than I thought. HOCKNEY When does the fence come? McMANUS Redfoot? He never comes to see me. I have to go see him. VERBAL In California? McMANUS Yeah. It'll take a few days. Me and Fenster HOCKNEY Hold the fuckin' phone. You and Fenster? No, no, no. McMANUS Guys, come on. HOCKNEY I'm sure you can understand my hesitation. FENSTER Then who goes? HOCKNEY We all go. How about it, Keaton? All eyes turn to Keaton. He comes out of his trance. KEATON We need to lay low for a while. YELLOW 06/11/94 51. McMANUS Fine with me. PAUSE Everyone looks at each other, their moment of distrust blowing over. All eyes drift back to the emeralds on the table. Hockney begins to snicker, then McManus, then Fenster. Verbal joins in at last. McManus grabs Verbal and hugs him, shaking him violently. McMANUS (CONT'D) My boy with the plan. SUDDENLY, everyone yells and pours beer over Verbal's head. He laughs as he is drenched in white foam, nearly choking as the others chant his name. Keaton watches from across the room, trying to smile in vain. 44 SCENE DELETED 44' 45 INT. WAITING ROOM - LAW OFFICE - DAY 45' Keaton and Verbal sit side by side on a sofa. A sign on the door behind them reads: MONTGOMERY and LaGUARDIA - ATTORNEYS AT LAW. VERBAL We're going to miss the flight. KEATON We'll make it. VERBAL Don't do this. Send her a card - something. KEATON We'll make it. VOICE (O.S.) Ms. Finneran will be with you in a moment. Keaton stands and paces across the waiting room. He comes to a set of glass doors and looks through them. YELLOW 06/11/94 51a. Keaton realizes he is standing on a balcony overlooking a library below. He sees Edie working in the library with an old woman. The two women talk for a moment. SUDDENLY, Keaton turns with a start. Verbal is standing behind him. VERBAL We're gonna miss the plane. (beat) She'll understand. YELLOW 06/11/94 52. Edie is smiling and laughing with the old woman. Keaton's face is marked with guilt and anguish. Keaton turns and walks out of the waiting room. Verbal takes one last glance at Edie and turns back to Keaton. 46 46 INT. LIBRARY Edie seems to sense something behind her. She turns and looks through the glass doors and up into the waiting room. NOTHING IS THERE. She goes back to chatting with the old woman. 47 INT. RABIN'S OFFICE -DAY - LOS ANGELES - PRESENT 47 KUJAN Heartwarming. Really, I feel weepy. VERBAL You wanted to know what happened after the line-up, I'm telling you. KUJAN Oh come on, Verbal. Who do you think you're talking to? You really expect me to believe he retired? For a woman? Bullshit. He was using her. VERBAL He loved her. KUJAN Sure. And I'm supposed to believe that hitting the Taxi Service wasn't his idea either. VERBAL That was all Fenster and McManus. KUJAN Come on. Keaton was a cop for four years. Who else would know the Taxi Service PINK 06/07/94 53. KUJAN (cont'd) better? That job had his name all over it. VERBAL You keep trying to lay this whole ride on t Keaton. It wasn't like that. Sure he knew, but Edie had him all turned around. r I'm telling you straight, I swear. + KUJAN Let me tell you something. I know Dean Keaton. I've been investigating him for three years. The guy I know is a cold- + blooded bastard. L.A.P.D. indicted him on three counts of murder before he was kicked off the force, so don't sell me the hooker with the heart of gold. + VERBAL You got him wrong. KUJAN Do I? Keaton was under indictment a total + of seven times when he was on the force. + In every case, witnesses either reversed + their testimony to the grand jury or died + before they could testify. When they t finally did nail him for fraud, he spent + five years in Sing Sing. He killed three prisoners inside - one with a knife in the tailbone while he strangled him to death. Of course I can't prove this but I can't prove the best part either. Kujan pauses to drink some coffee. KUJAN (CONT'D) Dean Keaton was dead. Did you know that? r He died in a fire two years ago during an investigation into the murder of a witness who was going to testify against him. Two people saw Keaton enter a warehouse he owned just before it went up. They said he had gone in to check a + leaking gas main. It blew up and took all of Dean Keaton with it. Within three months of the explosion, the two witnesses were dead, one killed himself in his car and the other fell down an open elevator shaft. PINK 06/07/94 53A. 48 48 SCENE DELETED 49 SCENE DELETED/DIALOGUE MOVED - BOTTOM SCENE 47 49 PINK 06/07/94 54. 50 INT. WORKSHOP 50 Rabin and Louis look at one another as they listen. KUJAN (On Speaker) Six weeks ago I get an anonymous call telling me I can find Keaton eating at Mondino's with his lawyer, and there he is. Now because he never profited from his alleged death and because someone else was convicted for the murder we tried to pin on Keaton, we had to let him go. 51 INT. RABIN'S OFFICE 51 KUJAN (CONT'D) He was dead just long enough for a murder rap to blow over, then he had lunch. SCRIPT DATE 5/25/94 55. VERBAL I don't know about that. KUJAN I don't think you do. But you say you saw Keaton die. I think you're covering his ass and he's still out there somewhere. I think he was behind that whole circus in the harbor. My bet is he's using you because you're stupid and you think he's your friend. You tell me he's dead, so be it. I want to make sure he's dead before I go back to New York. VERBAL (Blurting) He wasn't behind anything. It was the lawyer. KUJAN What lawyer? PAUSE KUJAN (CONT'D) What lawyer, Verbal? Verbal stammers for a moment, looking around wildly. VERBAL Back when I was in that barber shop quartet in Skokie, Illinois I used to have Kujan grabs Verbal's shirt and yanks him half out of his seat. KUJAN You think I don't know you held out on the D.A.? What did you leave out of that testimony? I can be on the phone to Ruby Deemer in ten minutes. VERBAL The D.A. gave me immunity. KUJAN NOT FROM ME, YOU PIECE OF SHIT. THERE IS NO IMMUNITY FROM ME. You atone with me or the world you live in becomes the hell you fear in the back of your tiny mind. Every criminal I have put in prison, YELLOW 06/11/94 56. KUJAN (cont'd) every cop who owes me a favor, every creeping scumbag that works the street for a living, will know the name of Verbal Kint. You'll be the lowest sort of rat, the prince of snitches, the loudest cooing stool pigeon that ever grabbed his ankles for the man. Now you talk to me, or that precious immunity they've seen so fit to grant you won't be worth the paper the contract put out on your life is printed on. Verbal looks at Kujan with utter contempt. VERBAL There was a lawyer. Kobayashi. KUJAN Is he the one that killed Keaton? VERBAL No. But I'm sure Keaton's dead. KUJAN Convince me. Tell me every last detail. 52 SCENE DELETED 52 53 INT. HOSPITAL - DAY 53 (<< >> DENOTES LINES SPOKEN IN HUNGARIAN) + Kovash's room is now filled with people. Jack Baer stands next to DANIEL METZHEISER, a balding man in his forties. Next to him is Doctor Plumber. Across from her is Ridgly Waiters. Sitting beside the bed is TRACY FITZGERALD, a casually dressed woman in her late twenties. She holds a 15x20 inch drawing pad on her lap. Police fill the hall. People are talking loudly outside. LIONEL BODI, a cop in his mid-twenties pushes his way in. BAER Are you the translator? BODI Patrolman Lionel Bodi, sir. YELLOW 06/11/94 57. PLUMBER Agent Beer, this is getting out of hand. BAER I'11 see to it we're gone before he blows his porch light, Doctor. Baer gestures to Tracy. BAER (To Bodi) This is Tracy Fitzgerald. She's a composite sketch artist from county. The young couple smile at one another nervously. BODI Hi. TRACY Hi. METZHEISER (Impatient) I've got a noon meeting, Baer. PLUMBER Agent Baer, please. BAER Everyone calm down. (To Bodi) Ask this man about the shoot-out in the harbor. BODI <<My name is Bodi. How are you'>> Kovash smiles with relief when he hears his own language. KOVASH <<How am 17 You are as stupid as that one, but at least I can talk to you.>> BODI <<You'll be alright. He is from the F.B.I. He is here to help you. He wants to know what happened in the harbor.>> KOVASH <<We were there to buy a man and take him back to Hungary.>> YELLOW 06/11/94 57A. BODI He says they were buying It doesn't make sense. I'm sorry, I'm a little rusty. They were there to buy something. BAER Dope, we know. KOVASH + <<You don't understand me either? God help me, they are all idiots. s (talking slowly) + We were there to buy a man, you simple boy. A witness. I don't know his name. A witness who knew the Devil.>> BODI Not dope. Something else. Some what?.. He doesn't knob what they were buying. But not dope... people. KOVASH <<I'll tell you everything. I'11 even say it slow enough for you to understand it. Just tell this man I want protection. Real protection.>> YELLOW 06/11/94 58. METZHEISER Your witness is whacked, Baer. BODI He says he'll tell us everything he knows if we protect him. .BAER Tell him fine. BODI <<He says that is fine.>> KOVASH <<No, no, no. I need a guarantee from the ridiculous man. I am going to be killed. I have seen the Devil and looked him in the eye.>> BODI No good. He needs guarantees. He says... his life is in danger... He has seen the Devil... looked him in the eye. METZHEISER I'11 be on my way. Baer grabs Metzheiser by the arm. BAER (To Bodi) Tell him to tell this man what he was telling me before. Who is the Devil? Who did he see? BODI <<Who is this Devil you keep talking about?>> KOVASH Keyser Soze He was in the harbor shooting everyone in sight.>> Metzheiser is suddenly interested. BODI He says he saw him in the harbor. He was shooting... Killing... Killing many men. METZHEISER Did he say Keyser Soze? He saw Keyser Soze YELLOW 06/11/94 58A. BODI He says he saw him in the harbor. He was shooting... Killing... Killing many men. METZHEISER Did he say Keyser Soze? He saw Keyser Soze. KOVASH <<Keyser Soze. Keyser Sate. I've seen his face. I see it when I close my eyes.>> BODI He says he knows his face. He sees it when he closes his eyes. YELLOW 06/11/94 59. METZHEISER Ask him what this Devil looks like. BAER (To Tracy) Ready? Tracy holds up her pad and pencil. She nods. 54 EXT. LOS ANGELES SKYLINE - DAY - FIVE WEEKS PRIOR 54 VERBAL (V.O.) McManus' fence was this guy named Redfoot. He had a good reputation around L.A. Seemed like a good guy - Looked like a cowhide full of thumbtacks. 55 EXT. FRIENDSHIP BELL - NIGHT 55' All five guys stand in a group. It is utterly quiet. An old but well kept Cadillac creeps into the lot from the far end and idles up to them. The windows are tinted too much to see in. The car passes within a few feet of them and drives on. A moment later, a chrome and leather monster of a Harley Davidson pulls into the lot. The rider is dressed in an almost comical array of leather, silver and suede. He waves to the Caddy as it parks a few yards from Keaton and the others. It sits quietly, almost menacing. As he gets closer, we can see he is wearing one black boot and one red. Keaton is still looking at them when the bike pulls up to them and stops. REDFOOT and McManus shake hands. REDFOOT How've you been? McMANUS Good. You? REDFOOT Alright. How's it going, Fenster? FENSTER Getting by. SCRIPT DATE 5/25/94 60. REDFOOT You got it? McManus holds up a briefcase. Redfoot takes it and gets off the bike. He walks over to the Caddy. The door of the Caddy opens. Redfoot hands the case to Someone inside that we cannot see. The door closes. KEATON (Whispering) Snazzy dresser this guy. A moment later, the door of the Caddy opens again. Someone hands Redfoot a different briefcase and he walks back over to McManus. He hands him the case. McManus hands the case back to Hockney. Hockney opens it, revealing the stacks of money inside. REDFOOT You must be Keaton. McMANUS Jesus, I'm sorry. Redfoot, this is Dean Keaton, that's Todd Hockney, and that's Verbal Kint. REDFOOT (To Verbal) The man with the plan. Verbal smiles. REDFOOT (CONT'D) Are you guys interested in more work? McManus moves to answer, but Keaton cuts him off. KEATON We're on vacation. REDFOOT I've got a ton of work and no good people. McMANUS What's the job? SCRIPT DATE 5/25/94 61. Keaton shoots McManus a foul look. McManus pretends not to notice. REDFOOT A jeweler out of Texas named Saul. He rents a suite at a hotel downtown and does free appraisals. Buys whatever he can. Word is he moves with a lot of cash. I'11 take the merchandise, you keep the green. HOCKNEY Security? REDFOOT Two bodyguards. Pretty good. McMANUS Give us time to check it out? REDFOOT I'd expect nothing less. McMANUS We'll call you. REDFOOT Take your time. Enjoy L.A. KEATON A friend of mine in New York tells me you knew Spook Hollis. REDFOOT I hear you did time with old Spook. Yeah, he was a good egg. I used to run a lot of dope for him. Fuckin' shame he got shivved. KEATON I shivved him. Now McManus is shooting the angry look at Keaton. KEATON (CONT'D) Better you hear it from me now than somebody else later. REDFOOT Business or personal? SCRIPT DATE 5/25/94 62. KEATON A little of both. REDFOOT Ain't it a crime? Call if you're interested. Redfoot fires up his bike and takes off with the Caddy close behind. McMANUS (To Keaton) What's your fucking problem? KEATON One job, that was the deal. McMANUS Take it as it comes, brother. KEATON This is bullshit. McManus laughs and walks away. Fenster and Hockney follow. Verbal turns to Keaton. VERBAL What is it Keaton? KEATON (Distant) Something - I don't know. (Shaking himself) I ever tell you about the restaurant I wanted to open? Keaton walks off. Verbal follows him in confusion. VERBAL (V.O.) L.A., was good for about two hours. We were from New York. There's no place to eat after one; you can't get a pizza that doesn't taste like a fried fruit-bat, and the broads don't want to know you if you don't look like a broad. Within a few days the last of us was ready to go back to N.Y., but Keaton wouldn't have it, so he really didn't have a choice. We went to work. YELLOW 06/11/94 63. 56 56 INT. PARKING GARAGE - NIGHT McManus walks along a line of cars. He comes across a black Mercedes and stops. He looks down at the license plate and walks over to the next car, a green Honda. He pulls a slim- jim out of his jacket and pops the lock an the Honda. He reaches in and opens the hood. He walks around and sticks his head in the engine. 57 INT. VAN 57 Verbal sits behind the wheel. Keaton is beside him. Hockney and Fenster are in the back. They all watch McManus from where they are parked a few dozen yards away. 58 INT. PARKING GARAGE 58 DING-DING The elevator bell sounds at the far end of the garage. The doors open. Two men in ill-fitting suits get out and look around cautiously. The first is TUCCI, a big bellied, white haired menace. The other is HIGHAM, lean and bad skinned. They are bodyguards and give it away by their every careful move. They turn back to the elevator and motion to someone inside. Out walks SAUL BERG, a slightly overweight man in his forties with an open collar silk shirt and a thick gold chain on his hairy chest. He carries a LARGE ALUMINUM BRIEFCASE. He lets his guards do the worrying. He walks straight to his car. Saul passes McManus under the hood of the Honda. He takes out his keys and pushes a button on his key chain. The Mercedes beeps three times and tells Saul his alarm is off. Tucci keeps an eye on McManus. Higham watches Saul. McManus pretends to tinker with the car's engine. He has put a pistol just inside the grill and keeps it within reach. The van on the other side of the garage starts and pulls out of the spot. It cruises over toward the Mercedes. Tucci sees the van. He and Higham are suddenly busy trying to keep track. They hear laughing behind them and turn around. YELLOW 06/11/94 64. FENSTER and HOCKNEY are walking towards them. They are sporting mustaches and sunglasses in addition to matching suits, each with loud plaid sport coats, decades out of style. Saul glances at Tucci and Higham. HIGHAM Just get in the car Saul. Under the hood of the Honda and out of sight, McManus pulls on a black ski mask. The van gets closer. HOCKNEY I get out of the car, and man if the thing wasn't wrecked. And I see this broad in the back seat with nothing on. Saul gets in the car quickly but calmly as Fenster and Hockney laugh and talk louder. They look drunk - The desired effect. HOCKNEY (CONT'D) I'm laughing so hard I can't breathe - Tucci and Higham try to take it all in stride. Saul's reverse lights come on and he begins to back out of the spot. HOCKNEY (CONT'D) ...And the fat guy comes out of the car with his pants on backwards and says - SUDDENLY, the van revs and screeches to a halt behind Saul's Mercedes, blocking him in. Hockney and Fenster drop the drunk act and snap to. They both pull out guns and start screaming. HOCKNEY (CONT'D) DON'T MOVE, YOU FUCKERS. FENSTER RIGHT THERE. FREEZE. McManus comes up from under the hood. Tucci and Higham throw their hands in the air. Hockney and Fenster grab them and reach into their belts to get their guns . Keaton jumps out of the van and runs up to Saul's car, his face covered in a ski mask. He yanks on the door handle but it is locked. Saul sits in terror behind the wheel. Keaton pulls out a pistol and smashes the window with it. YELLOW 06/11/94 65. KEATON Give me the case. Saul reaches over for the case. Keaton trains the gun on him. SUDDENLY, Saul comes up with a pistol and points it at Keaton. Keaton sidesteps and grabs his wrist. The gun goes off into the fender of the Honda. Hockney and Fenster both look over at the sound of the gun. Tucci and Higham seize the opportunity. Tucci grabs Hockney, Higham grabs Fenster. The four men grapple for the guns. Fenster's gun falls to the floor. McManus picks it up. He trains a pistol on each bodyguard and takes a breath. They are some ten feet apart and moving erratically. Hockney and Fenster constantly fall in the line of fire. McManus walks around the four men, keeping a pistol trained on each of the guards. Finally he comes to an angle where they are all in front of him. One guard is a few feet away, the other is ten feet past him. McMANUS' P.O.V. The closer of the two moves in and out of the sights of the pistol in McManus' right hand, the one farther away does the same with the left. Verbal gets out of the van and moves towards them to help. BOOM Both of McManus' guns go off like one shot. Tucci and Higham collapse, each with a bullet in his head PAUSE The only sound is Saul grappling with Keaton for the gun. His arm is halfway out the window. His elbow rests in the door frame. Keaton cannot get the gun out of his hand. Finally, he pushes down with all his weight. Saul's elbow breaks backwards on the door frame. He screams in agony. The gun falls from his hand. BLUE 06/01/94 66. All five of the men look at each other for an impossibly long moment. The confusion is only aggravated by Saul's screaming. SLOWLY, Keaton raises his pistol and aims it at Saul. His hand trembles, his eyes squint to near slits. His finger tenses and slacks off over and over again on the trigger. BOOM VERBAL SHOOTS SAUL. Keaton looks at him in surprise. Verbal trembles more than he does. The garage is silent. HOCKNEY What the hell? McManus Bad day. Fuck it. DING-DING The elevator light comes on. All five men look. KEATON Move. Keaton reaches into the car and grabs Saul's case. Everyone else piles into the van. Keaton gets in as Verbal is driving for the exit. 59 INT. VAN 59 The mood in the van is grim. Everyone is silent. Keaton pops the clasps on the case and opens it. KEATON Son of a bitch. Everyone looks in the case. It is filled with cash on one side. The other side is filled with clear plastic bags of WHITE POWDER. 60 EXT. PARKING LOT - NIGHT 60 Keaton and the others stand in silhouette in front of the lights of an oncoming car in the distance. We can make out McManus loading a gun. + KEATON What are you doing? YELLOW 06/11/94 67. McMANUS What does it look like? I'm going to kill him. KEATON We did it your way. Now I'11 deal with him. MCMANUS You gonna kill him? KEATON I'm going to deal with him. The car, Redfoot's escort Caddy, is now in front of them. The horn lets out three short blasts. Redfoot comes around from behind the Caddy on his motorcycle. He gets off the bike, trying to hide a faint smile. McManus throws Saul's case on the ground in front of him. McMANUS What the fuck is this, Redfoot? REDFOOT Get a grip. I didn't know. KEATON You didn't know. YELLOW 06/11/94 68. REDFOOT The job got thrown to me by this lawyer. KEATON Who is he? REDFOOT Some Limey. He's a middle-man for somebody. He doesn't say and I don't ask. KEATON We want to meet him. REDFOOT He wants to meet you. He called last night and asked me to set it up. What do I tell him' KEATON Tell him we'll meet. McMANUS If you're lying, Redfoot... REDFOOT McManus, you're a real bad-ass, but get off my tip. McManus lunges for Redfoot. The Caddy doors instantly pop open and rifle barrels come into view from within. Fenster and Hockney draw guns and aim at the Caddy. Keaton and Verbal grab McManus and hold him back. Redfoot gets on his Harley, smiling defiantly. REDFOOT (CONT'D) Real shame about Saul getting whacked. Lot's of cops looking for the guys that did it. I'm sure They'll get around to asking me. He starts his bike. YELLOW 06/11/94 69. McMANUS Fuck you. Redfoot drives off..The Caddy waits until he is completely out of sight before following. 61 INT. RABIN'S OFFICE - DAY - PRESENT 61 KUJAN So this lawyer... VERBAL Kobayashi. KUJAN Came from Redfoot. VERBAL Right. KUJAN And why leave this out when you talked to the D.A.? A KNOCK AT THE DOOR Rabin sticks his head in. RAB IN Someone to see you, Agent Kujan. Kujan steps out into the hall, shutting the door behind him. 62 INT. OUTSIDE RABIN'S OFFICE 62 Kujan smiles instantly, recognizing the man standing with Rabin. KUJAN Jack. What are you doing here? BAER I've been looking all over for you. You still after the coke that walked out of that blood bath in the harbor? KUJAN Yeah. BAER You can stop looking. There was no coke. I've been in L.A. county with a guy they PINK 06/07/94 70. BAER (cont'd) pulled out of a drainpipe in San Pedro yesterday after the shoot-out. He came to + this morning and started talking. He was part of a Hungarian mob there to do a deal with a bunch of goats from Argentina. He says it was definitely not a dope deal. KUJAN There was ninety-one million - BAER We know, but our man says no way on the dope. This Hungarian tells me the whole bunch was pulling stumps for Turkey the next' day. They had no time to negotiate that kind of product and no means to move it. KUJAN What was the money for? BAER He didn't know. No one doing the deal knew except a few key people. This guy says they were real hush about it. Whatever it was it was highly sensitive. KUJAN I don't get it. BAER They tell me you got the cripple from New York in there. He mention Keyser Soze KUJAN Who ? BAER Bear with me here... 63 63 INT. RABIN'S OFFICE - LATER BOOM - The door bursts open. KUJAN Who is Keyser Soze Verbal looks up in shock. He drops his cigarette and trembles at the mere mention of the name. YELLOW 06/11/94 71. VERBAL Ahhh fuck. 64 INT. HOLLYWOOD ATHLETIC CLUB - DAY - TWO WEEKS PRIOR 64' Keaton stands while the rest sit and listen. KEATON So I need to know if anyone can think of anybody. Somebody with power. Enough to possibly track us from New York. McMANUS Look. We've been over it for an hour now. I say we pack up and run. Let's go back to New York. At least get out of L.A. SUDDENLY, The sound of a man clearing his throat. Everyone turns to the door behind them. MR. KOBAYASHI a tall, slim, well groomed man stands in the hall. He has a briefcase in his hand. He smiles politely. KOBAYASHI Mr. Keaton? Keaton stands back and lets him in. Kobayashi looks them over. KOBAYASHI (CONT'D) I am Mr. Kobayashi. I've been asked by my employer to bring a proposal to you gentlemen. That must be Mr. Hockney. I recognize Mr. Fenster from his mug shot, as well as Mr. McManus. (To Verbal) I can only assume that you are Mr. Kint. I believe you were the one who disposed of Saul. My employer sends his gratitude. A most unexpected benefit. Everyone looks at one another in shock that he would know this. KEATON What can we do for you? BLUE 06/01/94 72. KOBAYASHI My employer requires your services. One job. One day's work. Very dangerous. I don't expect all of you to live, but those who do will have ninety-one million dollars to divide any way they see fit. KEATON Who's your boss? KOBAYASHI My employer wishes to remain anonymous. KEATON Don't jerk me off. We all know what this is. You don't work with me if I work with you without knowing who I'm working for. Now let's cut the shit. Who's the man? KOBAYASHI I work for Keyser Sate. A strange look crosses Keaton's face. Skepticism, mockery and just a hint of fear. Hockney, McManus and Fenster all share similar looks. KEATON What is this? VERBAL Who's Keyser Soze? KOBAYASHI I am sure you've heard a number of tall tales, myths and legends about Mr. Soze I can assure you gentlemen, most of them are true. VERBAL Who's Keyser Soze? KOBAYASHI Judging by the sudden change in mood, I am sure the rest of your associates can tell you, Mr. Kint. I have come with an offer directly from Mr. Soze. An order actually. KEATON An order. BLUE 06/01/94 73. KOBAYASHI In nineteen-eighty one, Mr. Keaton, you participated in the hijacking of a truck in Buffalo, New York. The cargo was raw steel. Steel that belonged to Mr. Soze and was destined for Pakistan to be used in a Nuclear reactor. A very profitable violation of U.N. Regulations. You had no way of knowing this, because the man shipping the steel was working for Mr. Sate without his knowledge. + (Beat) Mr. Fenster and Mr. McManus hijacked a twin-prop cargo flight earlier this year out of Newark airport. The plane was carrying platinum and gold wiring. Also set for Pakistan. Kobayashi turns and points at Hockney. KOBAYASHI (CONT'D) Two months ago, Mr. Hockney stole a truck carrying gun parts through Queens - Everyone looks at Hockney. He smiles shyly. It occurs to them all that he robbed the truck for which they were all arrested in the first place. KOBAYASHI (CONT'D) - guns allegedly set to be destroyed by the state of New York. They were to be "lost" in a weigh station and routed to Belfast. Again, Mr. Sate using pawns who had no knowledge. (turning to Verbal) Which brings us to Mr. Kint. Verbal crumbles under his stare. KOBAYASHI (CONT'D) Nine months ago, one of Mr. Soze less than intelligent couriers was taken in a complicated confidence seam by a cripple. He was relieved of sixty-two thousand dollars. Now (To all of them) - It has taken us some time to find you. Our intention was to approach you after your apprehension in New York. BLUE 06/01/94 74. KEATON You set up the line-up. KOBAYASHI Mr. Soze made a few calls, yes. You were not to be released until I came to see you. It seems Mr. Keaton's attorney, Ms. Finneran, was a bit too effective in expediting his release. Holding the rest of you became a moot point. KEATON What about Redfoot? KOBAYASHI Mr. Redfoot knew nothing. Mr. Soze rarely t works with the same people for very long, and they never know who they're working for. One cannot be betrayed if one has no people. FENSTER So why tell us? KOBAYASHI Because you have stolen from Mr. Soze. That you did not know you stole from him is the only reason you are still alive, but he feels you owe him. You will repay your debt. HOCKNEY Who is this guy? How do we know you work for Soze KOBAYASHI I don't think that is relevant, Mr. Hockney. The five of you are responsible for the murder of Saul Berg and his bodyguards. Mr. Redfoot can attest to your involvement, and we can see to it that he will. He is not of your "superior" breed. MCMANUS This is a load of shit. KOBAYASHI The offer is this, gentlemen. Mr. Soze's primary interest, as I am sure you all know, is narcotics. He's been - competing shall we say, with a group of YELLOW 06/11/94 75. KOBAYASHI (cont'd) Argentinians for several years. Competing with Mr. Soze has taken its toll. These Argentinians are negotiating the sale of ninety-one million dollars in cocaine in three days time. Needless to say, this purchase will revitalize the diminishing strength of their organization. Mr. Soze wants you to stop the deal. If you choose, you may wait until the buy. Whatever money changes hands is yours. The transaction will take place on a boat in San Pedro. Mr. Soze wants you to get to the boat and destroy the cocaine on board. Then you are free of your obligation to Mr. Soze. KEATON Give me one good reason why I shouldn't kill you right now. Kobayashi smiles and puts his briefcase on the table in front of him. KOBAYASHI A gift from Mr. Soze gentlemen. He turns and walks out of the room. Keaton walks over to the case and opens it. He reaches in and pulls out five thick manila envelopes, each marked in bold black letters. "KEATON", "McMANUS", "HOCKNEY", "FENSTER" and "KINT" Keaton pulls out the files, revealing a map underneath. Keaton hands each man his file. He opens his first. He pulls out a thick stack of papers and thumbs through them. KEATON Jesus Christ. Open them. All of the men open their files. Inside are mug shots of each man in his respective file as well as a printout of his criminal record. But there is more. HOCKNEY They know everything. McMANUS This is my life in here. Everything I've done since I was eighteen. BLUE 06/01/94 76. FENSTER Everybody I ever worked with, did time with. HOCKNEY They fucking know everything. Keaton pulls out a large black and white photograph of himself and his lawyer EDIE FINNERAN. They are laughing arm in arm by a fountain in New York. He hides the photo from the others. KEATON This is not right. FENSTER I don't know. Who was that guy that used to talk about Soze in New York? McMANUS Bricks Marlin. FENSTER Yeah. He said he did jobs for him. Indirect stuff. Always five times more money than the job was worth. KEATON Come on. The guy is a pipe dream. This Kobayashi is using him for window dressing . FENSTER I don't know. This is bad. HOCKNEY It's bullshit. This guy could be L.A.P.D. I think it's a setup. FENSTER The way I hear it, Soze is some kind of butcher. No pity. KEATON There' is no Keyser Soze Verbal thumbs through his file. A long list of names, numbers, addresses. It is a detailed portfolio of his entire criminal and personal life. He looks up at Keaton. BLUE 06/01/94 77. VERBAL Who is Keyser Soze 65 INT. RABIN'S OFFICE - DAY - PRESENT 65 Kujan leans into Verbal's face. He hangs on his every word. VERBAL He is supposed to be Turkish. Some say r his father was German. Nobody believed he was real. Nobody ever saw him or knew anybody that ever worked directly for him, but to hear Kobayashi tell it, anybody could have worked for Soze. You never knew. That was his power. The greatest trick the Devil ever pulled was convincing the world he didn't exist. One story the guys told me - the story I believe - was from his days in Turkey. There was a petty gang of Hungarians that wanted their own mob. They realized that to be in power you didn't need guns or money or even numbers. You just needed + the will to do what the other guy wouldn't. After a while they come to power, and then they come after Soze He was small time then, just running dope, they say... 66 SCENE DELETED 66 67 INT. SOZE'S HOME - DAY 67 Three of the Hungarians come bursting into Keyser Soze's + home. They grab his five children and round them up in the front room. One of the men grabs his wife and back-hands her across the face. BLUE 06/01/94 78. VERBAL (V.O.) They come to his home in the afternoon looking for his business. They find his wife and kids in the house and decide to wait for Sate. 68 INT. SOZE'S HOME - LATER 68' The front door opens and in walks Keyser Sate. We are never t allowed to see his face. Sate's wife lies in the corner, beaten and bruised. Her dress is tattered to shreds. She cannot look up at her husband. The three Hungarians stand to greet him. Two hold guns in their hands. The third holds a straight razor. He grabs Soze youngest boy and holds the razor to his throat. VERBAL (V.O.) He comes home to his wife raped and his children screaming. The Hungarians knew Soze was tough. Not to be trifled with. So they let him know they meant business. The Hungarian smiles. Soze's wife SCREAMS IN HORROR. The Hungarian holds up a BLOOD SOAKED RAZOR. SUDDENLY, he grabs another child. A little girl no older than six. VERBAL (V.O.) They tell Soze they want his territory - all his business. Soze looks over the + faces of his family... Then he showed these men of will what will really was. SUDDENLY, Soze pulls out a pistol and shoots the two men with guns. He turns and aims at the third man holding his child. The man threatens to cut the child's throat, slicing just enough to draw blood. SOZE FIRES. The stunned Hungarian watches the child fall from his arms. Sate turns the pistol on the next child, then the next and the next. He kills his children one by one in front of the Hungarian. PINK 06/07/94 79. VERBAL (V.O.) He tells him he would rather' see his family dead than live another day after this. SOZE walks over to his wife, crying and beaten on the floor and holds up her head. She gives him the strangest look. One of trust perhaps, saturated with fear and humiliation. He puts the gun between her eyes and fires. VERBAL (V.O.) He lets the last Hungarian go, and he goes running. He waits until his wife and kids are in the ground and he goes after the rest of the mob. He kills their kids, he kills their wives, he kills their parents and their parents' friends. A dark and looming figure of a man walks in front of a wall of fire - a black shadow blurred by waves of heat. VERBAL (V.O.) He burns down the houses they live in and the stores they work in, he kills people that owe them money. And like that he was gone. Underground. No one has ever seen him again. He becomes a myth, a spook story that criminals tell their kids at night. If you rat on your pop, Keyser Sate will get you. And nobody really ever believes. 69 69 INT. RABIN'S OFFICE - DAY KUJAN Do you believe in him, Verbal? VERBAL Keaton always said: "I don't believe in God, but I'm afraid of him." Well I believe in God, and the only thing that scares me is Keyser SOZE. 70 70 INT. WORKSHOP Jack Baer and Rabin listen to Verbal on the speaker with one ear. RAB IN You give this any weight, Agent Baer? PINK 06/07/94 80. BAER I can introduce you to Dan Metzheiser from Justice. He has a file on Sate in D.C. It's been a hobby of his for a few years. A lot of guys equate him to that reporter on the Incredible Hulk. RABIN Had you heard of him before? BAER On the street? A few times. Outside stuff. Somebody was working for a guy who was working for a guy who got money through Keyser Soze. That kind of shit. Could be an old badge. A hex sign to keep people from fucking with you back when a name meant something. RAB IN But you're here. BAER Shit yeah. I got a guy trying to walk out of the hospital on d fried drumstick to get away from SOZE. I'11 run it up the flagpole. 71 INT. RABIN'S OFFICE 71 VERBAL I came clean. I told it like it happened on the boat. So what if I left out how I got there? It's got so many holes in it, the D.A. would've told me to blow amnesty out my ass. So you got what you wanted out of me. Big fucking deal. KUJAN And this is why you never told the D.A. VERBAL You tell me, Agent Kujan. If I told you the Loch Ness Monster hired me to hit the harbor, what would you say? KUJAN Turn state's evidence. Take the stand on this and we'll hear it out. BLUE 06/01/94 81. VERBAL I've got immunity now. What can you possibly offer me? KUJAN If there is a Keyser Soze he'll be looking for you. VERBAL Where's your head, Agent Kujan? Where do you think the pressure's coming from? Keyser Soze - or whatever you want to call him - knows where I am right now. He's got the front burner under' your ass to let me go so he can scoop me up ten minutes later. Immunity was just to deal with you assholes. I got a whole new problem when I post bail. KUJAN So why play into his hands? We can protect you. VERBAL Gee, thanks, Dave. Bang-up job so far. Extortion, coercion. You'll pardon me if I ask you to kiss my pucker. The same fuckers that rounded us up and sank us into this mess are telling me They'll bail me out? Fuck you. You think you can catch Keyser Soze? You think a guy like that comes this close to getting fingered and sticks his head out? If he comes up for anything, it will be to get rid of me. (beat) After that, my guess is you'll never hear from him again. 72 INT. HALLWAY OUTSIDE HOSPITAL ROOM - DAY 72 Doctor Plumber watches from out in the hall. + Kovash spits out a constant river of Hungarian while Bodi tries to keep up, relaying everything to Tracy Fitzgerald. She sketches frantically while Daniel Metzheiser looks on. The composite sketch of Keyser SOZE is taking form. BLUE 06/01/94 81A. (<< >> Denotes liners spoken in Hungarian.) BODI c <<What sort of nose did he have?>> KOVASH <<It was smaller than that. Sharper.>> BODI (To Tracy) + The nose is sharper. Smaller too. + (To Arkosh in Hung.) <<And what about the hair? You said something earlier about it.>> KOVASH <<It is longer than that. And not so dark. >> BODI <<Are you sure?>> KOVASH <<Don't be stupid.>> BODI (To Tracy) He says the hair is longer and lighter. PINK 06/07/94 82. 73 73 EXT. BEACH - DAY Waves pound across a stone jetty. A MAN sits fishing while his young son, BRANDO strolls toward the open sea. He pokes at rocks and seaweed with a fishing pole. He glances down at Something wedged between the rocks beneath his feet. He pokes at it. He notes the checkered pattern of the fabric entwined with the twisted mess. It is the bloated carcass of THE MAN IN THE CHECKERED BATHROBE. BRANDO pokes it's eye with the fishing pole. It pops. 74 74 SCENE DELETED/DIALOGUE MOVED PINK 06/07/94 83. 75 75 INT RABIN'S OFFICE VERBAL That was how I ended up in a barber shop quartet in Skokie, Illinois. KUJAN This is totally irrelevant. VERBAL Oh, but it's not. If I hadn't been nailed in Illinois for running a three card monte in between sets, I never would have took off for New York. I never would have met Keaton, see. That barber shop quartet was the reason for everything. KUJAN Can we just get back to Kobayashi? VERBAL The quartet is part of the bit about Kobayashi. The quartet was in my file, along with every other thing I had done since high school, see? Aliases, middle- men. They knew me better than I did. They knew all of us. Kujan looks at his watch. KUJAN You're stalling, Verbal. VERBAL Give a guy a break, huh? KUJAN What happened? Verbal slumps a bit. He realizes his stalling tactic has failed. VERBAL We woke up the next morning and Fenster was gone. He couldn't handle the idea of slumming for SOZE. He left a note wishing us good luck and took a chunk of the money we'd scraped together. SCRIPT DATE 5/25/94 84. KUJAN Then what? VERBAL McManus was furious. He was talking about tracking him down and ripping his heart out and all sorts of shit. That night we got the call. KUJAN What call? VERBAL Kobayashi told us where we could find Fenster. 76 EXT. BEACH - NIGHT - TWO WEEKS PRIOR 76 Keaton looks out over the ocean and smokes a cigarette. KEATON What do you want to do with him? McManus kneels in the sand. Hockney and Verbal stand behind him, staring at something in front of them. It is the body of Fred Fenster, literally peppered with bullet holes. McManus stares at him, fighting any flicker of emotion. McMAMJS I worked five years with Fenster. More jobs, more money than I can count. KEATON I'm sorry, McManus. McMANUS I want to bury him. KEATON No time. McManus springs to his feet and points a pistol at Keaton. Keaton turns to face him and raises his head. McManus might as well be pointing a feather-duster. McMANUS YOU WILL FIND TIME. You're not the only one with debts, man. YELLOW 06/11/94 85. KEATON No shovel. McMANUS WITH OUR HANDS. 77 MT. BEACH 77' Everyone digs in the sand on the deserted beach with their hands. They are up to their waists in the hole they have scooped out. Fenster's body is a few feet away. HOCKNEY This is nuts. McMANUS Dig. HOCKNEY This is fucking dry sand, man. When he rots, the surfers'll smell him from a hundred yards out. McMANUS DIG, YOU FUCKER. Hockney can see that McManus has truly gone over the edge for now. Keaton gives him a look that says don't argue. HOCKNEY Keaton, we gotta go. They're gonna find him. KEATON Dig. VERBAL What are we gonna do? HOCKNEY I can run. I got no problem with that. KEATON They don't seem to have a problem with it either. McMANUS Nobody runs. HOCKNEY This ain't my boy we're burying. I don't owe anybody. SCRIPT DATE 5/25/94 86. McMANUS We got a deal here. HOCKNEY Since when? McMANUS Since tonight. + HOCKNEY Fuck that. McMANIJS It's payback. KEATON IT'S NOT PAYBACK. I don't answer to you. + It's precaution. You want payback? You want to run? I don't care. I'm going to finish this thing. Not for Fenster, not for anybody else, but for me. This Kobayashi cocksucker isn't going to stand over me. (Beat) All of you can go to hell. Keaton turns and digs furiously with both hands. Hockney takes a moment and slowly starts to do the same. The four men dig for Fenster. The first to find some rest. 78 INT. RABIN'S OFFICE - DAY - PRESENT 78 Verbal smokes with his good hand shaking badly. KUJAN And after they killed Fenster nobody would run? VERBAL I wanted to. I thought we could make it. KUJAN Why didn't you say anything? VERBAL I tried, believe me, but Keaton wouldn't have it. It was too far-fetched for him. Keaton was a grounded guy. An ex-cop. To a cop, the explanation is never that complicated. It's always simple. There's PINK 06/07/94 87. VERBAL (cont'd) no mystery on the street, no arch- criminal behind it all. If you got a dead guy and you think his brother did it, you're going to find out you're right. Nobody argued with Keaton. They just set their minds on whacking Kobayashi. 79 EXT. PARKING LOT - NIGHT - TWO WEEKS PRIOR 79 Redfoot's Harley rests on the roof of the Caddy in a mangled heap. The body of the Caddy is riddled with bullet holes. Redfoot's dead body has been shoved head-first through a hole in the windshield up to his waist, recognizable only by the trademark red boot. 80 80 INT. OFFICE BUILDING - DAY Kobayashi walks through the front door of a plush office tower followed by two bodyguards. He heads toward the elevator, failing to notice Hockney a few feet away, reading a newspaper. We see a wire running from Hockney's ear to his collar. HOCKNEY He's coming up. 81 81 INT. HALLWAY - FORTIETH FLOOR Keaton, McManus and Verbal stand by the six elevators on the fortieth floor. They are all wearing khaki overalls and tool belts with walkie-talkies. They look like servicemen. All of the elevators have been propped open and stranded. McManus moves into one of the elevators. As the doors close i behind him, he scrambles for the ceiling hatch. 82 82 SCENE DELETED PINK 06/07/94 88. 83f 83 SCENE DELETED 84 84 SCENE DELETED 85 85 SCENE DELETED 86 86 INT. HALLWAY Keaton and Verbal listen for anything on the radio. 87 87 SCENE DELETED 88 88 SCENE DELETED PINK 06/07/94 89. 89 89 INT. LOBBY The elevator opens. Kobayashi and his bodyguards get on the elevator. 90 90 INT. ELEVATOR The elevator is empty except for the three men. McManus has vanished. Kobayashi presses a button and they are on the way. SUDDENLY, the ceiling hatch opens and McManus' arm comes out. POP - POP. Two shots from a suppressed pistol and the guards drop to the floor, DEAD. Kobayashi looks up with surprising calm into McManus' barrel. McManus Press forty. 91 91 INT. HALLWAY - FORTIETH FLOOR The elevator opens and Kobayashi is greeted by Keaton and Verbal. McManus drops from the ceiling hatch and pushes him out. BLUE 06/01/94 90. Verbal and McManus grab the dead bodies and drag them out of the elevator. They drag them to the next elevator which has been forced open, revealing an empty shaft. KEATON The answer is no. KOBAYASHI Mr. Soze will be most - KEATON Listen to me, cocksucker. There is no Keyser Sate. If you say his name again, I'11 kill you right here. KOBAYASHI A strange threat. I can only assume you're here to kill me anyway. Pity about Mr. Redfoot. McMANUS Fair trade for Fenster. The elevator opens and Hockney steps out. KOBAYASHI Ahh, Mr. Hockney. Do join us. KEATON We know you can get to us, and now you know we can get to you. I'm offering you the chance to call this off. KOBAYASHI Mr. So- My employer has made up his mind. He does not change it. KEATON Neither do we. McMANUS You got Fenster, you may get more, but you won't get us all. Not before one of us gets to you. KOBAYASHI I believe you, Mr. McManus. I quite sincerely do. You would not have been chosen if you were not so capable, but I cannot make this decision. Whatever you can threaten me with is... ludicrous in comparison to what will be done to me if BLUE 06/01/94 91. McMANUS Just so you know. I'm the guy. I'm the one that's gonna get through to you. KOBAYASHI I am sorry, Mr. McManus. (To Keaton) f implore you to believe me, Mr. Keaton. Mr. Soze is very real and very + determined. KEATON We'll see. McManus holds a pistol to Kobayashi's chin. The lawyer's cool eyes never falter'. KOBAYASHI Before you do me in, you will let me finish my business with Ms. Finneran first, won't you? SUDDENLY, Keaton grabs McManus' hand and pulls the gun away before he can shoot. KEATON What did you say? KOBAYASHI Edie Finneran. She is upstairs in my office for an extradition deposition. I requested she be put on the case personally. She flew out yesterday. Everyone looks at Keaton. KOBAYASHI (CONT'D) No matter. Kill away, Mr. McManus. KEATON You're lying. KOBAYASHI Am I? 92 92 INT. HALLWAY - FIFTIETH FLOOR Everyone follows Kobayashi quietly down a dimly lit, oak- lined hallway. Verbal holds a small pistol discreetly in the small of Kobayashi's back. SCRIPT DATE 5/25/94 92. They come to a glass office foyer. Kobayashi gestures and everyone looks through the glass into the lobby beyond. EDIE FINNERAN is talking casually with the receptionist. 93 INT. LOBBY 93 Edie glances toward the men in the hall. Keaton turns quickly on his heels, facing the others. From where Edie stands, it looks as though Kobayashi is talking to a group of harmless maintenance men. They see A LARGE MAN dressed very much like the two dead bodies left in the hall downstairs. The man notices Kobayashi and the others. He stands and stares menacingly. KOBAYASHI Ms. Finneran's escort in Los Angeles. Never leaves her for a moment. I thought you'd like to know she was in good hands. Keaton's mind races for an alternative. He can find none. Verbal lowers his gun without being told. KOBAYASHI (CONT'D) Get your rest, Gentlemen. The boat will be ready for you on Friday. If I see you or your friends before then, or fail to check in every half hour with that unpleasant looking man in there, Ms. Finneran will find herself the victim of a gruesome violation before she dies. As will your father, Mr. Hockney. and your Uncle Randall in Arizona, Mr. Kint. I might only castrate Mr. McManus' nephew, David. Do I make myself clear? All of the men surround Kobayashi, aching to kill him. KOBAYASHI I'11 take care of the dead men downstairs. We'll add them to the cost of Mr. Fenster. Now if you'll excuse me. Kobayashi walks into the office. Edie turns to greet him. Keaton slowly turns and watches as they shake hands and talk. Kobayashi says something they cannot hear and Edie laughs, her back to the window. SCRIPT DATE 5/25/94 93. Kobayashi smiles over her shoulder at Keaton. All the while, the bodyguard watches Keaton. He nods politely before Keaton and the others leave. Verbal watches for a moment more and follows. 94 EXT. HILLSIDE ROAD - DAY 94' Keaton, Verbal, Hockney and McManus sit in a rented sedan overlooking San Pedro harbor. Another file from Kobayashi's briefcase is laid out on the dashboard. This has a map and a good fifty pages of information in it. KEATON It's a logistical nightmare. Close quarters, no advance layout, ten men, maybe twenty. HOCKNEY Can we stealth these guys? KEATON Doubtful. With all that coke, they'll be ready - which brings me to sunny spot number two. Even if one of us gets through and jacks the boat, we get nothing. McMANUS And if we wait for the money? KEATON Ten more men at least. In my opinion, it can't be done. Anyone who walks into this won't come out alive. McMANUS I'm for waiting for the money. HOCKNEY Me too. VERBAL Did you hear what he just said? HOCKNEY If I'm going in, I want a stake. YELLOW 06/11/94 94. McMANUS So do I. Verbal is shocked by what he is hearing. He looks at Keaton as if to ask him for his decision. Keaton's cold stare is all the answer Verbal needs. He slumps in his seat, resigned to the others. VERBAL I just can't believe we're just gonna walk into certain death. PAUSE They all suddenly realize the weight of their situation. FINALLY: McMANUS News said it's raining in New York. No one knows quite how to respond. 95 EXT, PIER - SAN PEDRO - NIGHT 95 A large boat, sleek and yacht-like, but without finesse. This is a boat for business - heavy and fast. It is moored to the pier. A large crane hoists a pallet of fuel drums from the dock. It swings slowly over the boat. A man on the dock yells in Spanish to the crane operator. 96 EXT. BOATHOUSE 96 Behind an old and weathered boat in dry-dock, Keaton and Verbal watch the boat from the shadows. VERBAL What-are they speaking? KEATON Russian, I think. I don't know. VERBAL Hungarian? YELLOW 06/11/94 95. KEATON Knock it off. DOLLY OVER TO REVEAL: McManus climbing up the side of the boathouse. CONTINUE PAST HIM TO REVEAL: r A large boat. A very large boat. 97 EXT. BARGE 97 Hockney maneuvers through a mesh of twisted steel, arriving at a vantage point near the stern of the large boat. HOCKNEY'S P.O.V. A black van pulls up and parks near the crane. Four men in suits get out. One remains with the van and the other three walk toward the boat. On the boat, five men come up from below deck. They are tense and cautious around the men in suits. Someone speaks in Spanish and someone else in Russian. It takes a moment before anyone speaks the same tongue. They settle on French for both negotiators. Hockney sits in the van. He handles a large shoulder bag + stuffed with plastique. He tests a timer on top. He picks up a walkie-talkie. HOCKNEY Are we ready, kids? 98 SCENE DELETED 98 99 SCENE DELETED/MOVED TO BOTTOM SCENE 97 99 100 EXT. BOATHOUSE.-- ROOF 100 McManus is positioning himself on the roof of the boathouse. He stops and grabs his radio. McMANUS If I didn't have to stop and answer you, I would be. YELLOW 06/11/94 95A. 101 MT. BOATHOUSE 101' KEATON (into radio) Everyone shut up. I'm ready. McManus, you better be set up in ten seconds. McMANUS (On radio) I'm there. YELLOW 06/11/94 96. KEATON (To Verbal) I want you to stay here. Understand? VERBAL + But I'm supposed to - KEATON If we don't make it out, I want you to take the money and go. VERBAL (Confused) Keaton, I can't just - KEATON I want you to find Edie. Both of you find some place safe. Tell her what happened - Everything. She knows people. She'll know what to do. If we can't get Kobayashi my way, she'll get him her way. VERBAL What if I KEATON Just do what I tell you. Keaton turns and takes a few steps. He stops and looks back, his face marked with guilt and agony. KEATON (CONT'D) Tell her I... Tell her I tried. Keaton leaves before Verbal can respond. He walks down a ramp toward the boat. He is no more than a few yards out of the shadows before the first man sees him. 102 EXT. DOCK 102' One of the men in suits starts to yell to the others. Men pull out guns and try to look as cool as they can. Keaton walks right into the face of all of these men, undaunted. His hands are in his pockets. Above him, in the darkness, McManus pokes his head out and YELLOW 06/11/94 97. spies Keaton. He pulls his head back and sticks out the barrel of the rifle. Keaton comes to a stop about twenty feet from fifteen men all together. 103 EXT. BOATHOUSE - ROOF 103' McMANUS'S P.O.V. McManus stares through the scope of his rifle at the scene. The cross-hairs breeze past Keaton and find a target. A man in a suit. McMANUS Pow. He moves to another and then another, picking up speed and mock-shooting the men. He is steady and quick. It is clear he could take all fifteen in a few seconds. McMANUS (CONT'D) Pow-pow-pow-pow-pow-pow . Oswald was a fag. 104 EXT. DOCK 104' The men shout questions at Keaton in a number of languages. 105 EXT. BARGE 105' HOCKNEY'S P.O.V. A few men standing on the dock near the stern of the large boat, move towards the commotion. Hockney bails out and runs quickly and quietly through the shadows, bringing the bomb with him. 106 EXT. BOATHOUSE'' 106' Verbal remains in the darkness, looking frightened. 107 INT. BOATHOUSE - ROOF 107a McManus still wanders with his scope. McMANUS Old McDonald had a farm, ee-aye, ee-aye, oh. And on this farm he shot some guys. Ba-da-bip, ba-da-bing, bang-boom. YELLOW 06/11/94 98. 108 EXT. DOCK 108' Finally two men walk right towards Keaton. The rest train guns on him. They reach for his arms, pointing their guns right at him. At the far end of the dock, Hockney throws his bomb onto the stern of the large boat. IT EXPLODES The men surrounding Keaton, are distracted. Keaton pulls a pistol out of each pocket and shoots the two men closest to him. 109 EXT. BOATHOUSE - ROOF 109' McMANUS ELVIS HAS LEFT THE BUILDING. He fires as fast as he can. 110 EXT. PIER 110 The men from the boat and the men in suits try to peg Keaton, but McManus' sniping has them running. 111 INT. CRANE 111 The crane operator opens the door to bails out, leaving the crane in motion.,, 112 EXT. BOATHOUSE - ROOF 112' McManus runs across the roof of the boathouse and jumps down to the pier. He arrives at a thick mooring cable and climbs across to the boat. i MEANWHILE ON THE DOCK: Keaton climbs up onto a small lifeboat hanging from the side of the larger boat. From this he climbs aboard the large boat. YELLOW 06/11/94 99. 113 EXT. DOCK 113f Hockney is firing in all directions. SUDDENLY, he realizes no one is left on the dock. PAUSE FINALLY, he turns and runs back for the van parked on the pier above. He finds a ramp leading from the dock to the pier. At the van, he finds the one man who has stayed behind to protect it. I i The man hears Hockney coming and raises his gun. Hockney runs i straight at him, screaming frantically. i HOCKNEY (In Spanish) <<DON'T SHOOT, DON'T SHOOT. LET'S GET THE + FUCK OUT OF HERE. EVERYONE IS DEAD.>> BOOM i He shoots the man point blank in the face and runs over his body as it falls. He gets to the back door of the van and yanks it open. The inside is stacked with large wooden crates. 114 INT. VAN 114 Hockney, suddenly oblivious to the sound of gunfire, opens one of the crates and looks inside. IT IS FILLED WITH MONEY. Cash and negotiable bonds of all kinds. He smiles. BOOM BLOOD sprays all over the money. Hockney looks at it, puzzled. Hockney raises a blood-soaked hand from his belly. He turns and stares in horror. YELLOW 06/11/94 99A. BOOM - Another shot takes off the top of his head. 115 EXT. PIER 115 McManus runs like a wild man across the deck, heading for the hatch . He shoots in all directions as though he has eyes in the back of his head. He sees Keaton climbing onto the deck of the boat. YELLOW 06/11/34 100. 116 EXT. WAREHOUSE 116 Verbal is wrestling with what to do. He finally makes a break for the other side of the boathouse. 117 EXT. BOAT DECK 117' The crane continues to swing. A single bullet hits one of the barrels on the suspended pellet. Gasoline pours out through the bullet-hole. 118 SCENE DELETED ' 118f 119 EXT. BOAT 119 Keaton finds the hatch and goes below, shooting a man on his way up the stairs. McManus jumps on board and runs down behind him. 120 EXT'. PIER 120' Verbal arrives at the top of the ramp leading from the dock to the pier. + He ducks down behind a guardrail beside the ramp. He turns and sees Hockney's dead body next to the van. He looks around frantically, frozen in terror. It is quiet, except for the sounds of screaming, far off in the bowels of the boat and the hum of the crane. 121 INT. RABIN'S OFFICE - DAY - PRESENT 121 KUJAN Why didn't you run? PINK 06/07/94 101. VERBAL I froze up. I thought about Fenster and how he looked when we buried him, then I thought about Keaton. It looked like he might pull it off. A KNOCK ON THE DOOR. Rabin steps in and motions for Kujan to come outside. 122' 122 INT.HALLWAY Rabin and Jack Baer are in the hall. Rabin hands Kujan a thick manila folder. Kujan thumbs through it. BAER A boy came across a body on the beach this morning. Thrown clear when the boat burned. Shot once in the head. Two guys from the F.B.I. just identified him. + KUJAN And ? RABIN His name was Arturo Marquez. A petty smuggler out of Argentina. He was arrested in New York last year for trafficking. He escaped to California and got picked up in Long Beach. They were setting up his extradition when he escaped again. Get this - Edie Finneran was called in to advise the proceedings. KUJAN Kobayashi. Bear nods. RAB IN I called New York County and they fared me a copy of Marquez's testimony. He was a rat. Kujan pulls out page after page from the file. KUJAN A big fucking rat. PINK 06/07/94 102. RABIN + Arturo was strongly opposed 'to going back to prison. So much so that he informed on close to fifty guys. Guess who he names for a finale? Kujan finds one sheet and notices a paragraph is highlighted. KUJAN Keyser Soze BAER There's more. 123 INT. RABIN'S OFFICE - MOMENTS LATER 123 Kujan walks in and sits down in front of Verbal. He smiles. KUJAN I'11 tell you what I know. Stop me when it sounds familiar. Verbal is confused. KUJAN There was no dope on that boat. 124 INT. BOAT - NIGHT - ONE WEEK PRIOR 124 Keaton is weaving through tight, low-ceiling corridors, looking in every cabin, working his way towards the bottom of the boat. ELSEWHERE IN THE BOAT, McManus is tearing though the corridors, seemingly less interested in securing the cargo as he is in killing everyone on board. He screams like a lunatic, shooting everything in his path, killing some men with his bare hands, shooting others, stabbing others still with a knife he has brought along. 125 125 INT. CORRIDOR JAIME, one of the men from the boat, is half-pushing, half- helping a thin and sweaty looking MAN IN A CHECKERED BATHROBE towards a cabin at the end of the hall. The man in the robe is trembling. He seems stricken with fear. BLUE 06/01/94 103. MAN IN ROBE He's here. I saw him on deck. Jaime pushes him inside the cabin and shuts the door. A stereo playing softly in the room mixes with the man's panicked breathing. The man in the robe screams through the closed door, his voice echoing off of the metal bulkheads. MAN IN ROBE (CONT'D) I'M TELLING YOU IT'S KEYSER SOZE. Jaime stands outside the door of the cabin and turns to face down the hall. Off in some other part of the boat, he can hear McManus wailing like a banshee and the ever-less frequent sound of gunshots. 126 INT. HOLD 126 Keaton has come to the four-foot-high door to the hold. The door is open slightly. Keaton finds this strange. He pushes the door open and steps inside. The hold is empty. He hears a noise behind him. He wheels around to fire. He sees McManus in the door. His face is covered with blood. McMANUS Did you hear what I heard? KEATON What happened to you? McMANUS Keyser Soze is on the boat. KEATON What? McMANUS I heard somebody screaming his nuts off. He said Keyser Soze was on the boat. KEATON Are you alright? McManus rubs some of the blood off with his sleeve. SCRIPT DATE 5/25/94 104. McMANUS Huh? Oh, It's not mine. KEATON There's no coke. McManus looks around the hold as though he'll see four and a half tons of dope in some corner where Keaton might have missed it. The two men look at one another. There is a long, pregnant silence. McMANUS Let's get the fuck out of here. KEATON Right behind you. 127 INT. CORRIDOR 127 Keaton and McManus step out of the hold, walking slowly and cautiously back from where they came. They hear the sounds of footsteps running on the deck above and the occasional hollered sentence in Spanish. KEATON Where's Hockney? McMANUS I don't think he made it to the boat. They come to a corner. They can go left or right. KEATON I can't remember which way. McMANUS Right - BOOM - BOOM Gunshots fill the hallway from behind them. They do not stop to turn around. Keaton goes left, McManus goes right. They run in opposite directions with the sound of gunfire right behind them. 128 INT. HALLWAY - CABIN 128 Jaime squints and cocks his head. YELLOW 06/11/94 105. SOMEONE IS COMING. He raises a pistol and crouches by the door. 129 INT. CABIN 129 The man in the bathrobe sits on the foot of the bed watching the door. He hears the sounds of fighting somewhere not too far away. He crawls over the bed and squeezes between it and the bulkhead. Only the top of his head is visible. He starts to cry. BOOM - BOOM - Two shots just outside in the hall. SUDDENLY, the door bursts open. Jaime collapses in a heap on the floor, a bullet hole in his eye. A FIGURE LOOMS IN THE DOOR The man in the bathrobe looks up at the figure. We cannot see him. MAN IN ROBE I told them nothing. BOOM The man in the robe falls dead. 130 EXT. DECK - MOMENTS LATER 130 The boat is quiet now. Keaton walks out onto the deck. He looks out over the pier and sees Verbal standing in the middle of the carnage, frozen. Their eyes meet. Keaton waves at him as if to shoe him away. 131 EXT. PIER - TOP OF RAMP 131 Verbal hesitates and finally moves towards the van with the money. He looks back over his shoulder and sees Keaton. Keaton sees him looking and waves again, hurrying him along. Verbal turns away and focuses on the van. 132 132 EXT. DECK Keaton hears a noise behind him. He swings around and points his gun at McManus again. He puts the gun down. YELLOW 06/11/94 106. McManus smiles. He walks slowly across the deck towards Keaton. Something is not right about him. McMANUS Strangest thing... He slumps to the deck. Keaton rushes over to him. He kneels down and sees a pipe sticking out of the back of McManus's neck. 133 EXT. PIER 133' Verbal approaches the van, stepping over Hockney's body. He closes the back doors of the van. , He looks to his left at the huge loading crane. He glances upward along the giant' arm as it swings steadily on. Somewhere, off in the distance, the sound of SIRENS can be heard. 134 EXT. DECK 134 Keaton kneels by McManus, trembling with rage. After a moment he stands, looking down at McManus' dead body. 135 EXT. PIER 135 SUDDENLY, Verbal realizes something. He turns and goes to call out a warning to Keaton. He is too late. 136 EXT. DECK 136 Keaton never sees the crane coming. WHAM The pellet of barrels hits him square in the back and sends him flying into the wheel house of the boat. Keaton is still for a moment. Finally, he tries to get up, but finds he cannot move his legs. 137 EXT. PIER 137 Verbal runs down the ramp as fast as he can. He comes to a rope ladder hanging down the side of the boat. + SUDDENLY, he stops dead in his tracks, looking up at the boat. YELLOW 06/11/94 106A. >From where he stands, he can just make out the figure of a TAU, THIN MAN walking along the edge of the deck. He moves quietly and calmly in the shadows towards the crane, looking out of place in his expensive suit. YELLOW 06/11/94 107. Something about this man terrifies him. 138 SCENE DELETED ' 138' 139 INT. RABIN'S OFFICE - DAY - PRESENT . 139 KUJAN And that's when you say in your statement that you saw... Kujan picks up his copy of Verbal's statement to the D.A. KUJAN (CONT'D) A man in a suit with a slim build. Tall. VERBAL Wait a minute. KUJAN (Looking at watch) I don't have a minute. Are you saying it was Keyser Soze? You told the D.A. you didn't know who it was. Verbal is drowning in Kujan's interrogation. He looks dazed. VERBAL I - there had to be dope there. BLUE 06/01/94 108. KUJAN Don't shine me, Verbal. No more stalling. You know what I'm getting at. VERBAL I don't. KUJAN YES YOU DO. YOU KNOW WHAT I'M GETTING AT. THE TRUTH. TRY TO TELL ME YOU DIDN'T KNOW. TRY TO TELL ME YOU SAW SOMEONE KILL KEATON . For the first time, Verbal stands and tries to move away from Kujan, but Kujan stays in his face, backing him into a corner. Verbal shields himself with his hands and shuts his eyes. KUJAN (CONT'D) TRY TO REEF LYING TO ME NOW. I KNOW EVERYTHING . VERBAL I don't know what you're talking about. KUJAN YOU KNOW. YOU'VE KNOWN THIS WHOLE FUCKING TIME. GIVE IT TO ME. Verbal looks into Kujan's eyes with genuine terror. Kujan's face is red, his body trembles. His locomotive breathing is the only sound in the room. VERBAL I don't understand what you're saying. I saw Keaton get shot, I swear to you. KUJAN Then why didn't you help him? VERBAL I WAS AFRAID, OKAY? Somehow, I was sure it was Keyser Soze at that point. I couldn't bring myself to raise my gun to him. KUJAN But Keaton... VERBAL It was Keyser Soze, Agent Kujan. I mean the Devil himself. How do you shoot the Devil in the back? YELLOW 06/11/94 109. Verbal holds up a shaking, twisted hand. VERBAL (CONT'D) What if you miss? 140 EXT. BARGE - NIGHT - ONE WEEK PRIOR 140' Verbal is hiding in the tangle of girders and cables on the barge. VERBAL'S P.O.V. Keaton's body is completely obscured. The man in a suit strides across the deck over to Keaton, stopping to relieve himself on a small fire on the deck. He walks up and stands over Keaton. The two men exchange words and the man in the suit pulls out a pistol. He points it at Keaton. RED AND BLUE LIGHTS FLASH BEHIND VERBAL Verbal turns. He can just make out police cars coming in the distance. BANG Verbal hears a shot from the deck of the boat. He turns in time to see the man in the suit running across the deck toward the gangway. Verbal can barely see the man from where he is now. The man in the suit is covered by shadows and the poor angle from the barge. Verbal strains to see but he cannot. The man in the suit stops long enough to pull out a lighter. He turns and walks back across the deck and out of sight. A moment later flames leap up from on the deck. The mesh of steel and rubber leaves a dark and open cocoon at its base. MOVE INTO THE DARKNESS. Sirens are close now. Almost here. The sound of fire raging out of control. SIRENS BLARING. TIRES SQUEALING. CAR DOORS OPENING. FEET POUNDING THE PAVEMENT. YELLOW 06/11/94 109A. MOVE FURTHER, SLOWER, INTO THE DARKNESS. Voices yelling. New light flickering in the surrounding darkness. BLUE 06/01/94 110. 141 INT. RABIN'S OFFICE - DAY - PRESENT 141 KUJAN Arturo Marquez. Ever hear of him? VERBAL Wha- No. KUJAN He was a stool pigeon for the Justice Department. He swore out a statement to Federal Marshals that he had seen and could positively identify one Keyser Soze and had intimate knowledge of his business, including, but not exclusive to, drug trafficking and murder. VERBAL I never heard of him. KUJAN His own people were selling him to a gang of Hungarians. Most likely the same Hungarians that Sate all but wiped out back in Turkey. The money wasn't there for dope. The Hungarians were going to buy the one guy that could finger Soze for them. VERBAL I said I never heard of him. KUJAN But Keaton had. Edie Finneran was his extradition advisor. She knew who he was and what he knew. VERBAL I don't KUJAN There were no drugs on that boat. It was a hit. A suicide mission to whack out the one man that could finger Keyser Soze so Sate had a few thieves put to it. Men he knew he could march into certain death. VERBAL But how - wait. You're saying SOZE sent t us to kill someone? BLUE 06/01/94 111. KUJAN I'm saying Keaton did. Verbal cannot grasp this. He squints, trying to understand. KUJAN (CONT'D) Verbal, he left you behind for a reason. If you all knew Soze could find you anywhere, why was he ready to send you off with the money when he could have used you to take the boat? VERBAL He wanted me to live. KUJAN Why did he want you to live? A one-time dirty cop without a loyalty in the world finds it in his heart to save a worthless rat-cripple? No, sir. Why' VERBAL Edie. KUJAN I don't buy that reform story for a minute. And even if I did, I certainly don't believe he would send you to protect her. So why? VERBAL Because he was my friend. KUJAN No, Verbal. You weren't friends. Keaton didn't have friends. He saved you because he wanted it that way. It was his will. Verbal grinds to a mental halt, trying to grasp the implication . SUDDENLY: VERBAL No... KUJAN Keaton was Keyser Soze VERBAL NO. SCRIPT DATE 5/25/94 112. KUJAN The kind of guy who could wrangle the wills of men like Hockney and McManus. The kind of man who could engineer a police line-up from all his years of contacts in N.Y.P.D. Verbal stands on wobbly legs, shaking with anger. VERBAL NO, NO, NO, NO, NO. KUJAN THE KIND OF MAN THAT COULD HAVE KILLED EDIE FINNERAN. A strange look crosses Verbal's face. Shock perhaps, or revelation. KUJAN (CONT'D) They found her yesterday in a hotel in Pennsylvania. Shot twice in the head. It starts to sink in with Verbal. His eyes swell. VERBAL Edie... KUJAN He used all of you to get him on that boat. He couldn't get on alone and he had to pull the trigger himself to make sure he got his man. The one man that could identify him. VERBAL This is all bullshit. KUJAN He left you to stay behind and tell us he was dead. You saw him die, right? Or did you? You had to hide when the first police cars showed up. You heard the shot, just before the fire but you didn't see him die. VERBAL I knew him. He would never - KUJAN He programmed you to tell us just what he wanted you to. Customs has been SCRIPT DATE 5/25/94 113. KUJAN (cont'd) investigating him for years. He knew we were close. You said it yourself. Where is the political pressure coming from? Why are you being protected? It's Keaton making sure you tell us what you're supposed to. Immunity is your reward. VERBAL BUT WHY ME? WHY NOT HOCKNEY OR FENSTER OR McMANUS? I'm a cripple. I'm stupid. Why me? Verbal hears the weight of his words and falls back in his chair, Kujan looks at him with some pity,; but he is too far in to stop. KUJAN Because you're a cripple, Verbal. Because you're stupid. Because you were weaker than them. Because you couldn't see far enough into him to know the truth. Verbal is crying now. He shakes his head, eyes closed. KUJAN (CONT'D) If he's dead, Verbal - if what you say is true, then it won't matter. It was his idea to hit the Taxi Service in New York, wasn't it? Tell me the truth. VERBAL (Sobbing) It was all Keaton. We followed him from the beginning. Kujan smiles with triumphant satisfaction. VERBAL (CONT'D) I didn't know. I saw him die. I believe he's dead. Christ KUJAN Why lie about everything else, then? VERBAL You know what it's like, Agent Kujan, to know you'll never be good? Not good like you. You got good all fucked around. I mean a stand up guy. I grew up knowing I was never going to be good at anything 'cause I was a cripple. Shit, I wasn't BLUE 06/01/94 114. VERBAL (cont'd) even a good thief. But I thought the one thing I could be good at was a keeping my mouth shut - keeping the code. I didn't want to tell you for my dignity, that's all, and you robbed me, Agent Kujan. You robbed me. Kujan pulls the microphone out from under his tie and puts it + on the desk. Verbal actually manages to snort a laugh, but only briefly, overcome by an apparent wave of nausea. KUJAN You're not safe on your own. VERBAL You think he's..? KUJAN Is he Keyser Soze I don't know, Verbal. It seems to me that Keyser Sate is a shield. Like you said, a spook story, but I know Keaton - and someone out there is pulling strings for you. Stay here and let us protect you. VERBAL I'm not bait. No way. I post today. KUJAN You posted twenty minutes ago. Captain Leo wants you out of here a.s.a.p., unless you turn state's. VERBAL I'11 take my chances, thank you. It's tougher to buy the cheapest bag-man than it is to buy a cop. KUJAN Where are you going to go, Verbal? You gonna run? Turn states evidence. You might never see trial. If somebody wants to get you, you know They'll get you out there. VERBAL Maybe so, but I'm no rat, Agent Kujan. You tricked me, that's all. I won't keep my mouth shut 'cause I'm scared. I'11 keep it shut 'cause I let Keaton down by getting caught - Edie Finneran too. And if they kill me, it's YELLOW 06/11/94 115. VERBAL (cont'd) because They'll hear I dropped dime. They'll probably hear it from you. Verbal stands, mustering his shattered dignity and walks towards the door. Rabin opens it for him from outside. For once Kujan cannot bring himself to look at Verbal. Verbal turns to the door, stopping to look Rabin in the eye. VERBAL (CONT'D) Fuckin' cops. He steps out of the room and into the hall. Rabin follows him. 142 INT. HOSPITAL - DAY 142 Daniel Metzheiser comes out of Arkosh Kovash's room with a single sheet of 15x20 inch paper in his hand. He inspects the sketch with great interest. He folds the edges of the paper back to make it smaller. 143 INT. HOSPITAL RECEPTION ROOM 143 Metzheiser walks behind the reception desk without asking the nurse for permission and helps himself to the fax machine. 144 INT. DEPOT - LATER 144 Verbal is downstairs in the depot of the police station picking up his personal belongings. A FAT, WHITE-HAIRED COP is checking off the items as he takes them out of the tray in which they are kept. COP One watch: gold. One cigarette lighter: gold. One wallet: brown. One pack of cigarettes. Verbal collects his personal items and shuffles on his lame leg toward the exit. 145 INT. DISPATCHER'S OFFICE 145 Jack Baer stands by a fax machine. A green light comes on next to a digital display. The display reads: RECEIVING BLUE 06/01/94 116. 146 INT. RABIN'S OFFICE 146 Kujan stares solemnly at the bulletin board, drinking from Rabin's coffee cup. Rabin sits at the desk, sifting through the mound of gapers as though considering organizing them once and for all. RAB IN You still don't know shit. KUJAN I know what I wanted to know about Keaton. RAB IN Which is shit. KUJAN No matter. He'll have to know how close we came. RAB IN Keyser Sate or not, if Keaton's alive he'll never come up again. KUJAN I'11 find him. RAB IN Waste of time. KUJAN (To himself) A rumor is not a rumor that doesn't die. RAB IN What? KUJAN Nothing. Something I - forget it. Kujan shakes his head. He gestures to the desk. KUJAN (CONT'D) Man, you're a fucking slob. Rabin regards the mess of his office. RAB IN Yeah. It's got it's own system though. It all makes sense when you look at it right. You just have to step back from BLUE 06/01/94 117. RABIN (cont'd) it, you know? You should see my garage, now that's a horror show... Kujan is not listening. He has been staring at the bulletin board, lost in thought, his unfocused eyes drifting across the mess of papers, not looking at anything at all. 147 EXT. STREET 147 Verbal steps out into the sunlight, putting on a pair of cheap sunglasses. He looks up and down the crowded street. People on their way to and from lunch, no doubt. Cars choke the street in front of the police department as they wait for pedestrians to clear the way. 148 INT. DISPATCHER'S OFFICE - 148 A single sheet of paper comes out of the fax machine, face down. 149 INT. RABIN'S OFFICE 149 Kujan still stares at the bulletin board. SUDDENLY, Kujan's face changes. He leans in closer to the bulletin board and squints his eyes. His face changes again. First a look of puzzlement, then confusion - finally realization. The coffee cup tumbles from his hand. It hits the floor with the SMASH of cheap porcelain. Coffee splatters everywhere. Rabin snaps out of his droning and looks up in surprise. KUJAN'S P.O.V. Kujan is staring not at what is on the bulletin board, but at the bulletin board itself. His eyes follow the aluminum frame, mounted firmly to the wall. One might note it's sturdy construction and it's convenient size. Big enough to hold a lifetime of forgotten and disregarded notes and facts. Years of police trivia that has been hung and forgotten with the intention of finding a use for it all someday. One might want such a bulletin board for one's self. One would look to see who makes such a bulletin board. Kujan's eyes are locked on a metal plate bearing the manufacturer's name. YELLOW 06/11/94 118. It reads: QUARTET - SKOKIE, ILLINOIS Kujan's eyes flash all' over the bulletin board. He finds a picture of Rabin in the far corner. He stands beside a scale in fishing gear. He proudly holds a hand out to his freshly caught marlin. His eyes skim quickly over and stop on an eight and a half by eleven inch fax sheet of what must be a THREE HUNDRED POUND BLACK MAN. Kujan glazes over his name, it is irrelevant. His aliases stand out. Slavin, BRICKS, Shank, REDFOOT, Thee, Rooster... KUJAN'S EYES WIDEN with sudden realization. He runs for the door. His foot crushes the broken pieces of Rabin's coffee cup. The cup that hovered over Verbal's head for two hours. Kujan is in too much of a hurry to notice the two words printed on the jagged piece that had been the bottom of the cheap mug. KOBAYASHI PORCELAIN. 150 EXT. HALLWAY 150 Kujan is sprinting wildly down the hall for the stairs. 151 EXT. STREET 151 Verbal looks behind him and sees ANOTHER COP standing just inside the doorway, lighting a cigarette. The cop notices Verbal and watches him in the way that cops look at people they cannot place in the category of idiot citizen, or stupid criminal. Verbal smiles politely, meekly at the cop and walks down the steps into the moving throng. 152 INT. DEPOT 152 Kujan runs up to the desk where Verbal had only moments before picked up his belongings. Rabin is right behind him, a look of absolute confusion on his face. KUJAN WHERE IS HE? DID YOU SEE HIM? t COP The Cripple? He went that way. YELLOW 06/11/94 118A. The cog gestures towards the door. Kujan runs outside looking around frantically. 153 SCENE DELETED 153' YELLOW 06/11/94 119. 154 EXT. SIDEWALK 154 Verbal limps his way carefully across the sidewalk, avoiding people as best as he can. He looks over his shoulder, getting farther away from the police station. He can see Rabin and the cop on the steps, looking around with strange, lost expressions on their faces. He does not notice the car creeping along the curb beside him. 155 INT. CAR 155 DRIVER'S P.O.V. The driver's hands tap the wheel patiently. His eyes follow Verbal as he fumbles through the crowd. 156 EXT. SIDEWALK 156 Kujan pushes and shoves, looking this way and that. 157 EXT. STREET 157 LOW ANGLE on the feet of dozens of people. Verbal's feet emerge from the crowd on the far side. They hobble along the curb. SUDDENLY, the right foot seems to relax a little, the inward angle straightens itself out in a few paces and the limp ceases as though the leg has grown another inch. CRANE UP VERBAL'S BODY Verbal's hands are rummaging around in his pockets. The good left hand comes up with a pack of cigarettes, the bad right hand comes up with a lighter. The right hand flexes with all BLUE 06/01/94 120. I- of the grace and coordination of a sculptor's, flicking the clasp on the antique lighter with the thumb, striking the flint with the index finger. It is a fluid motion, somewhat showy. Verbal lights a cigarette and smiles to himself. He turns and sees the car running alongside. 158 INT. DISPATCHER'S OFFICE 158 Jack Beer pulls the sheet out of the fax machine and turns it over, revealing the composite sketch of Keyser SOZE. Though crude and distorted, one cannot help but notice how much it leaks like VERBAL KINT. 159 EXT. STREET 159 The car stops. The driver gets out. IT IS KOBAYASHI, or the man we have come to know as such. He smiles to Verbal. Verbal steps off of the curb, returning the smile as he opens the passenger door and gets in. The man called Kobayashi gets in the driver's seat and pulls away . A moment later, Agent David Kujan of U.S. Customs wanders into the frame, looking around much in the way a child would when lost at the circus. He takes no notice of the car pulling out into traffic, blending in with the rest of the cars filled with people on their way back to work. BLACK

INT. ALICE'S ROOM - NIGHT NIGHT IN ALICE'S ROOM. A little bit of moonlight coming in through the tiny window might make a highlight here and there but that's about all. Words begin to crawl across the screen: WRITTEN WORDS (crawl) Of good family, albeit one of modest means, she was a comely young woman and not without prospects. Therefore it was at once heartbreaking and astonishing to her mother that she would enter into marriage with William Munny, a known thief and murderer, a man of notoriously vicious and intemperate disposition. We can HEAR STRAWBERRY ALICE and DAVEY BUNTING breathing heavily and the bed creaking. WRITTEN WORDS (crawl) They were married in St. Louis in 1870 and they traveled North to Kansas where he engaged in farming and swine husbandry. Davey and Alice are picking up speed now, breathing faster and even snorting a little, and it's cold as Jesus in Nebraska in the winter so when the blanket slips, Alice snarls and gasps. ALICE The blanket, for chrissake, cowboy, the blanket. There are six of these little rooms... one for each whore... behind Greely's Beer Garden and Billiards and the walls are just boards so you can hear what's happening in the other rooms and right now, from DELILAH'S room, you can hear a high-pitched, merry little giggle and that's important. WRITTEN WORDS (crawl contd.) She bore him two children in the eight years of their marriage and when she died, it was not at his hands as her mother might have expected, but of smallpox. That was in 1878. DELILAH'S VOICE o.s. No, please.... No, no goddamn you. Alice and Davey have stopped fucking and started listening but they don't move. WRITTEN WORDS (Crawl cont'd) It wasn't until 1881... three yeats later... that a cowboy named Mike cut up a whore in Big Whiskey, Nebraska in the Niobrara River country. (end crawl) MIKE'S VOICE o.s. Davey, come a runnin' lad an' hold the thieving cunt... A blur of action as Davey leaps from the bed and dashes out of the room naked... MIKE'S VOICE o.s. ...brand you like a damn steer, bitch... and Alice is right behind him, wrapping herself in a blanket as she goes. INT. DELILAH'S ROOM - NIGHT DELILAH is backed up against the wall, her face bleeding, and she is throwing the contents of her chamber pot on MIKE who is advancing on her with an open barlow knife and Davey busts into the room naked and Alice follows him and people are shouting in other rooms. MIKE (wiping shit off himself) Hold the bitch, Davey, hold her. The one coal oil lamp in the room gives off just enough light that you can make all this out. Certainly you can see that Mike, who is wearing leggings and no shirt, is a big tough man, unshaven, eyes inflamed with whiskey... MIKE HOLD HER, DAMMIT, DAVEY! If you don't hold her I'll cut her tits off. LITTLE SUE, a fifteen year old whore, is in the doorway, eyes wide with terror and Alice screams at her. ALICE Get Skinny, for God's sake! SKINNY! Davey is reluctant about the whole thing but he is afraid of Mike and he gets behind Delilah and grabs her. DAVEY Wh-what you gonna do, Mike? Mike is doing it now and Delilah is screaming while he carves her face with the barlow knife and blood is all over, splashing on Davey and Davey, who is just a kid, after all, nineteen with a big shock of unruly red hair and innocent blue eyes, is horrified. MIKE Thieving cunt, I'll... DAVEY Mike, don't, Jesus, don't... ALICE SKINNY! Bring your gun. Alice can't wait for Skinny and she jumps on Mike's back and brings the big man down and she fights him though she's not a big woman. Alice is twenty-five but she's been around some, whored some tough cow-towns, and she has too much bone and character in her face to be outright pretty but she attracts men like flies. Sure she has some smallpox scars on her face, but they're common and there are only a few of them, not like on Skinny whose mean little face is eaten right up with them. VIEW ON SKINNY DUBOIS STANDING THERE IN THE DOORWAY, his nasty face eaten with smallpox scars and he is looking at Delilah who is a fountain of blood, looking at her coldly, and looking down at the melee on the floor and, pointing the big Navy Colt in his hand, he says, SKINNY Get offa her, asshole. And he says it so cold and with such authority that everything goes quiet. EXT. MAIN STREET - DAY SNOW/MOONLIGHT/THE SHADOWY BUILDINGS and the silence of the Nebraska winter except for the sound of the snowshoes. The snow has obliterated the Main Street of Big Whiskey giving the impression that the dark, low buildings are scattered at random. The only structure with any sign of life is Greely's Beer Garden and Billiards which shows a glowing window and two horses out front and that is a hundred yards away from the struggling silhouettes of the two men on snowshoes. The big one is LITTLE BILL DAGGETT and he is very big, wrapped in a huge bearskin robe. The smaller one is CLYDE LEDBETTER who isn't small though he has only one arm. LITTLE BILL ...wouldn't let you settle it, huh? CLYDE Hell, you know how Skinny is. Says he's gonna shoot 'em... ...an I says, "Skinny, you can't do that," an' he says, "Well, then get Little Bill down here an' let's settle this" an' I says, "Bill's sleepin', Skinny," an'... They make their way in silence through the snow, getting close now, close to Greely's and the lights. INT. DELILAH'S ROOM - NIGHT DELILAH ON HER BED, her face covered with blood-soaked rags except for her eyes. Alice has hot water and is ministering to her and Little Bill is looking down at her from his enormous height, still in his bearskin. He looks disgusted. LITTLE BILL She ain't gonna die, huh? You can now see fear in Delilah's eyes, and the other whores ...CROW CREEK KATE with crazy pop-eyes and frizzy hair, and LITTLE SUE who is fifteen and meek even when she isn't terrified, and FAITH who is the oldest of them and not very attractive and SILKY who is blonde and the prettiest... are watching from vantage points in the doorway or in the room. ALICE (determined) She's gonna live. (Little Bill turns to go) She didn't steal nothin', She didn't touch his poke. LITTLE BILL (stopping and turning) No? ALICE All she done was... when she seen he had a teensy little pecker... she gave a giggle. That's all. She didn't know no better. Little Bill turns away, disgusted, and starts out of the room and Alice gets up and follows him. ALICE You gonna hang 'em, Little Bill? INT. BAR ROOM - NIGHT Davey sitting naked on the floor of the bar room and Mike is sitting near him, still in his leggings and both men are shivering because they are fifteen feet from the potbellied stove where Clyde is standing watching them. It is a big room, with a crude bar and four tables and some moose and elk heads on the wall. The door near the rear where it says "Billiard Room" leads not to a Billiard Room but to the six little "rooms" that are the whorehouse and and now you can hear Delilah groaning from there. And Little Bill enters from the back of the bar room, stooping to pass through the doorway under the sign that says "Billiard Room." Little Bill is huge and ominous. Some say he acquired the bearskin by staring the bear to death and others say he drowned the animal in spit. Anyhow, he's big with a drooping moustache and he is sucking on his church warden's clay pipe and you know he isn't scared of anything. And the two cowboys are scared to death, not just shivering from the cold, and Bill just looks down at them and sucks on his pipe and Alice comes in from the back way too and then Skinny and a couple of the whores gather in the doorway. LITTLE BILL Clyde, step across to the German's an' fetch up one of his bullwhips. Stark terror on the faces of Davey and Mike as Clyde exits. ALICE A whippin'? That's all they get? After what they done? LITTLE BILL (sucking on his pipe) Whippin' ain't a little thing, Alice. ALICE But what they done, they... SKINNY (he has a piece of paper in his hand) Shut up, Alice. Little Bill, a whippin' ain't gonna settle this. LITTLE BILL No? SKINNY (showing the paper) This here's a lawful contract... betwixt me an' Delilah Fitzgerald, the cut-whore. Now I brung her clear from Boston, paid her expenses an' all, an' I got a contract which represents an investment of capital. LITTLE BILL (sympathetic to the argument) Property. SKINNY Damaged property. Like if I was to hamstring one of their cow ponies. LITTLE BILL You figure nobody'll want to fuck her. SKINNY Hell no. Leastways, they won't pay to do it. Alice is listening to this and her eyes are like coals and you can hear Delilah moaning in the other room. SKINNY (cont'd) She could maybe clean up around the place or somethin', but nobody's gonna pay good money for a cut-up whore. LITTLE BILL (making up his mind and turning to the shivering cowboys) You boys are off of the Spade Outfit. Got your own string of ponies? DAVEY (nodding) I... I got f-f-f-four. LITTLE BILL You? MIKE (sullenly) Six. Skinny nods, pleased, and Alice watches, her eyes still hot. LITTLE BILL Guess you boys just as soon not have no trial an' fuss, huh? Davey and Mike nod, willing to say anything Little Bill wants. LITTLE BILL cont'd (to Mike) Alright. You done the cuttin'... Come the thaw, you bring in five of them ponies an' give 'em over to Skinny here. MIKE Five! LITTLE BILL (to Davey) An' you... you give over two ponies, hear? - Clyde bangs in out of the snow with a buggy whip in his hand. CLYDE I couldn't find no bullwhips, Bill. The German... LITTLE BILL Don't matter, we don't need no whips. (to Mike and Davey) Spring comes an' Skinny don't have them ponies, I'm gonna... ALICE You... you ain't even gonna... whip 'em? LITTLE BILL I fined 'em instead. ALICE For what they done? Skinny gets some ponies an' that's... ? LITTLE BILL (approaching her) Ain't you seen enough blood for one night? Hell, Alice, they ain't loafers nor tramps nor bad men. They're hard workin' boys that was foolish. Why if they was given over to wickedness in a regular way... ALICE (furious) Like whores? SKINNY Alice, tend to Delilah. For a long moment Alice just stands there glaring. INT. DELILAH'S ROOM - DAY DAYLIGHT AND A BASIN OF BLOODY WATER and Little Sue is just dipping another towel in the hot water next to Delilah's bed, changing the bandages. All the whores are there in various states of dress, lounging on the floor, leaning against the wall. SILKY (to Alice) If Delilah don't care one way or the other, what're you so riled about? ALICE (passionately) Just because them smelly assholes like to ride us like horses don't mean we got to let 'em brand us like we're horses. Maybe we ain't nothin' but whores, but by God we ain't horses. Silky is thinking it over, frowning, and then she makes her decision. SILKY (to Alice) I got a hundred an' twelve dollars. That's everythin'. ALICE What about you, Faith? FAITH (reluctantly) Two hundred... (there are gasps) Two hundred an' forty. ALICE (laughing) Jesus, Faith, what you been doin', givin' Skinny somethin' special? All the women laugh and Delilah through her bandages makes a gurgling sound and Little Sue's eyes light up. LITTLE SUE (indicating Delilah) She laughed. ALICE With what Kate got, Silky got some, an' mine, an' Little S... SILKY (soberly) It ain't enough. ALICE (determined) Not yet maybe. EXT. HOG PEN - DAY The hog in the mud, snorting and squealing, ugly as hell and BILL MUNNY in the mud with him, pushing and shoving, trying to move the stubborn animal and Munny goes down face first and comes up more covered with mud than he already was and the words on the screen say, WRITTEN WORDS (super) Some months later, Hodgeman County, Kansas. Munny is thirty-five or forty years old, his hair is thinning and his moustache droops glumly over his stubbled jaw. If it were not for his eyes he would look like any pig farmer with his canvas overalls tucked in his boots pushing on a hog. He is pushing on the hog again, grunting with the effort, when he hears the voice. THE KID'S VOICE o.s. You don't look like no rootin', tootin', sonofabitchin', cold-blooded assassin. MUNNY (looking up, startled) Huh? THE KID is only six feet away, the sun behind him, sitting on a very big and very ancient Morgan horse. He's wearing a wide-brimmed Texas hat, a vest, a holstered pistol, and he is a wiry kid, maybe twenty years old, with scraggly blonde hair, four of his upper front teeth missing, and a funny, squinty way of looking out of his watery blue eyes. Most of all, he doesn't look very prosperous. THE KID I seen how you got only three fingers on your left hand, though, so I guess you're calling yourself Mister Bill Munny. Munny does indeed have three fingers on his left hand and he doesn't like this conversation at all. MUNNY William Munny, yeah. THE KID Same one as shot Charlie Pepper in Lake County? A VOICE Paw! Hey, Paw! The voice belongs to WILL, a skinny ten-year-old who dashes up with his seven-year-old sister, PENNY, right on his heels. The kids are ragged and dirty, they don't look well fed or even very healthy. Even as Will speaks to his father, Munny, his eyes, and Penny's too, go to The Kid. They don't see many strangers. MUNNY What is it, son? WILL Two more hogs got the fever. Munny winces. The Kid ignores the interruption. THE KID You shot Charlie Pepper, didn't you? And you're the one killed William Harbey an' robbed the train over... MUNNY (sharply) Hold on, mister. (to Will) Son, this here pig gotta be moved outta this pen, away from them others. Penny, you give yer brother a hand... PENNY (emotional) This one's sick too? Munny ignores the question, already on his way to the miserable-looking shack. MUNNY Let's talk inside, mister. INT. SOD HUT - DAY Munny selects a tin cup from a wash pan of dirty dishes. It is dark and cool inside his one room sod hut... and poor. The Kid checks one of the three chairs for stability before sitting down. MUNNY You're Pete Sothow's nephew, huh? Hell, I thought maybe you was someone come to kill me... (he has the cups and he crosses to the fire) ...for somethin' I done in the old days. THE KID (sitting) I could of... easy. MUNNY Yeah, I guess so. THE KID Like I was sayin' you don't look like no meaner than hell cold- blooded damn killer. MUNNY Maybe I ain't. THE KID Well, Uncle Pete said you was the goddamndest meanest sonofabitch ever lived an' if I ever wanted a partner for a killin', you was the worst one. Meanin' the best. On account of you're cold as snow an' don't have no weak nerve nor fear. Munny serves the coffee gloomily and sits down. It appears his feelings are hurt but The Kid doesn't notices. MUNNY He said that, huh? THE KID I'm a damn killer myself, only I ain't killed so many as you because of my youth. Schofield Kid, they call me. MUNNY Schofield? You from Schofield? THE KID (laying his Smith & Wesson Schofield .45 on the table) On account of my Schofield model Smith and Wesson pistol. MUNNY Oh. THE KID Well, how about it? MUNNY About what? THE KID Bein' my partner. I'm headin' North up around the Niobrara in Nebraska. Gonna kill a couple of no good cowboys. MUNNY What for? THE KID For cuttin' up a lady. They cut up her face an' cut her eyes out, cut her ears off an' her tits too. MUNNY (horrified) Jesus! THE KID (pleased with the reaction) Thousand dollars of reward. Five hundred a piece. WILL Paw, I can't move that damn pig. Will has slipped into the house with Penny in tow and they are both covered with mud and Will is swearing toshow off to the stranger. MUNNY (embarrassed) No cussin' now, Will. Go on out the pump an' clean up some an' I'll be along. Check them other pens. The two kids back out the door, eyes on the pistol and the stranger, and Munny walks over near the beds with his back to The Kid. MUNNY I ain't like that no more, Kid. Whiskey done it as much as anythin' I guess. (turning to The Kid) I ain't touched a drop in ten years. My wife, she cured me of it... cured me of drink an' wickedness. THE KID Well... you don't look so prosper- ous. Hell, you could buy her a new dress out of your half. We could kill them two an' you could buy your wife one of them fancy... MUNNY She's passed on, Kid. THE KID Huh? MUNNY Been gone near three years now. THE KID (staring stupidly) Oh. EXT. SOD HUT - DAY Will and Penny in front of the house, looking up at The Kid who is mounted again and Munny is standing there taking leave of The Kid. THE KID Don't tell nobody about the reward an' all. Don't need no other gunmen tryin' to collect. MUNNY I don't never see nobody anyhow. THE KID (riding away) If you was to change your mind, might be you could catch me... due West to the Western Trail an' North to Ogallala. Munny waves at The Kid and for a long moment watches him trot across the flat, grassy fields. Then he turns back to his shabby farm and the squealing pigs and the two children who are looking up at him. WILL Who's he? MUNNY (turning away) Best we move that pig. EXT. HOG PEN - DAY Munny in the mud and the pig squealing and Will is there pushing too and Munny goes in face first again and when he comes up he slowly wipes mud from his face and, turning, he looks across the fields. VIEW ON PENNY Coming up beside the pen. PENNY Paw... two of them others ...I think they got the fever. Munny frowns and looks off at the horizon, lost in thought. VIEW ON THE KID Way off in the distance, disappearing on the horizon. EXT. BIG WHISKEY HILL - DAY EXTREME CLOSE UP ON DELILAH Delilah's face! The cut-whore. Skeins of criss-crossing raised flesh, a vicious web of scars dominated by her eyes that are deep and beautiful. She's hanging clothes on a clothes line on Big Whiskey Hill, the gentle slope above the town. Alice, Little Sue, Silky, Kate, and Faith are close by, hanging clothes or washing them in the gurgling stream. Faith is the first to glance down the hill toward the town and to notice. She draws in her breath and turns to Alice and catches her eye and Alice looks down. EXT. MUDDY NORTH ROAD The muddy North Road and the two riders, and they are Quick Mike and Davey Bunting leading their ponies in, passing a crudely painted sign that says: "Ordinance 14. No firearms in Big Whiskey. Deposit them at County Office. By Order of Sheriff." EXT. BIG WHISKEY HILL - DAY The whores on the hill. One by one, with no words exchanged, they feel the silence and turn and exchange glances and they glance at Delilah. She winces and turns back to hanging clothes. VIEW ON A HORSE'S OPEN MOUTH AND SKINNY Inspecting. SKINNY You boys took a while. Couple more days I was gonna call on the Sheriff. The horses are gathered in front of Greely's and Skinny moves among them inspecting them while the two cowboys remain mounted. DAVEY River was swole so we couldn't cross her. Davey is holding the halter of a little paint and when SKINNY starts to inspect the pain, Davey pulls the pony away. DAVEY You got two of mine. This here one ain't yours. Skinny and Davey lock eyes and Skinny is wondering how far to push it when SPLAT!... Davey gets a face full of mud. The three men turn to see the whores coming around the side of Greely's, all except Delilah, and they are throwing mud, scooping it from the sloppy street and... MIKE gets a hit on the chest and then on the face and he gives an ugly look and wheels his horse and digs in his spurs and heads North at a trot and mud continues to rain on him as the whores jeer. SKINNY Damn you. (SPLAT) That ain't no way to behave. (SPLAT) Quit that. Surprisingly, Davey turns his horse right into the barrage of mud and taking it in the face and on the chest he dismounts. His paint takes a big gob of mud on one eye and Davey wipes the mud off tenderly. DAVEY This here pony... I brung it for the lady... the one my partner cut. The whores stop throwing mud abruptly. There is a pause... and they can see that he is just a kid, and that he is sorry as hell and that he is about to cry and they are touched, especially Little Sue. DAVEY It's the best of the lot... better than the ones I give him. (indicating Skinny) She could sell it or... what she wants. ALICE (recovering) A pony!... She ain't got no face left an' you're gonna give her a goddamn mangy pony. DAVEY He ain't m-m-mangy, ma'am, he... SLOP. Davey gets it in the face with a big gob of mud as Alice resumes fire and SPLAT, the paint gets it. Faith and Silky and Kate hesitate just a moment... and then they dig in and start jeering and throwing again and Little Sue bends down slowly and picks up some mud and then she just stands there with it, almost crying, and watches the cowboy turn away under a barrage of mud and mount his pony and ride out, mud hitting him all over and the women jeering and running after him in the muddy street. VIEW ON DELILAH Hanging clothes up on the hill and she canhear the shouting in the distance and she turns and looks down with the beautiful eyes and sees the cowboy riding out of town slowly, chased by the jeering women. INT. SOD HUT - DAY CLOSE on a photograph of CLAUDIA in Munny's hands. He is inside, kneeling on the floor beside an open truck and he is studying reverently the old photo of Claudia, smiling radiantly in her best dress. Finally Munny puts the picture down and digs in the trunk among folded dresses that belonged to her until he feels something metal and he sees the blue steel among the white cloth and then he pulls it out... an old Starr .44 Pistol. EXT. SOD HUT - DAY CLOSE on a Mojav coffee tin as Munny places it on the fence behind his sod hut. Munny has the Starr in his right hand and he turns and walks back toward the house 15 yards away. Will and Penny are watching. They know something is going on, but they don't know how to ask what it is. Munny faces the coffee tin and solemnly extends his pistol arm straight out and carefuly sights along the barrel. BAM! A burst of flame and a puff of black smoke from the gun. The Mojav tin hasn't moved. Slowly, carefully, Munny raises the gun again and aims with great deliberation. BAM! The coffee tin doesn't move. Munny shakes his head slowly in disgust and aims again. BAM! Missed again. Munny gives a quick sheepish glance in the direction of the children. There is a lot of smoke. He aims again and BAM! He misses. Munny is irritated and he aims and fires hastily and flame bursts from the gun and smoke and The tin is unmoved. Will looks at his feet, embarrassed, not wanting to meet his father's eyes. Munny stuffs the pistol in his waistband and disappears into the house. Will and Penny look at one another nervously, wondering what's happening. PENNY Did Paw used to kill folks? Will doesn't answer and then he looks up because Munny steps out of the house again, a sawed off Remington 10 gauge shotgun in his hands. Munny raises the double barreled weapon to his shoulder and aims carefully and... BARRRROOOOOM! The can flies away in pieces and some of the fence, too. EXT. SHADE TREES - DAY A HEADSTONE. It says: "CLAUDIA FEATHERS MUNNY Born, March 11, 1849 Died, August 6, 1878, aged 29 years, in the full enjoyment of that love which constrained her to leave all for Christ and heathen souls Lo, we have left all and followed thee: What shall we leave therefore. 19:25" The headstone is under a couple of shade trees fifty yards from the sod hut. MUNNY is sitting on a rock under the trees looking at the headstone and he has on a cheap black suit now. He twists the hat, tormented... and he starts to say something out loud but he can't because men don't talk to stones. So finally he gets up, slumped in defeat, and he puts a little bouquet of flowers on the grave and he turns away unhappily. EXT. SOD HUT - DAY The ALBINO MARE snorting and shying, anxious to lose the saddle. Will has her by the halter, holding her with effort, in front of the house. WILL She ain't hardly a saddle horse no more, Paw. She ain't used to the feel. Munny walks up and puts his hand on Penny's head fondly. MUNNY Them flowers, Penny, I could tell your Maw liked them, hear? (turning to Will) Take care of your sister, son. You can kill three chickens if you need, not no more. Keep the hogs that got fever separate if you can. An' if you need help, go see Sally Two- Trees over to Ned Logan's. Then he turns to the mare and shoves a foot in the stirrup to mount but the horse shies and Munny goes down in the dust looking very undignified. And Penny is horrified and humiliated for her father whom she worships and Will's eyes are big because Munny's coat came open and he caught a quick glimpse of the Starr pistol stuck in the waist band. MUNNY (brushing himself off, embarrassed) Ain't felt a saddle in a while myself. Then Munny has one foot in the stirrup and the horse starts to shy and Munny has to hop around with one foot stirruped and the other not... and when he tries to swing aboard he falls back... MUNNY Easy old gal, easy... And he still can't make it, so to cover his embarrassment he talks to the kids while he hops around desperately trying to mount. MUNNY Now this here horse is gettin' even on me... hold on gal... for the sins of my youth... In my youth... before I met... your dear departed mother... I was weak an' givin' to mistreatin' horses an' such. An' this here horse... an' that ole pig, too, I guess... is my comeuppance for my cruelty... At last he is in the saddle and takes a deep breath. MUNNY Used to be I could cuss an' hurt an animal... til your departed mother, God rest her, showed me the error of my ways. Munny turns the Albino mare and starts out the gate going Weat toward the fields. MUNNY (over his shoulder) I won't be no longer than a couple of weeks. Remember how the spirit of your departed maw watches over you. Will and Penny are watching him go and Will is fighting back the tears but Penny has lost the battle and she is crying and the horse whinnies. VIEW ON MUNNY Twenty yards away getting up off the ground and trying to catch the shying, prancing horse on foot, his dignity a shambles. INT. ALICE'S ROOM - NIGHT Alice IN PAIN because Skinny is twisting her arm and they are in Alice's room... it is still night... and the other whores are there, scared, nervous. SKINNY (furious) Where'd you get the money, huh? ALICE (in pain) We ain't got it. We ain't got no money. SKINNY You told them cowboys you had it. ALICE We was... lyin'. SKINNY (lets her go) What you gonna do when somebody comes to collect? (yelling) FUCK 'EM? FUCK 'EM A THOUSAND TIMES? (goes to door, then stops) The kind of people who'll come after that thousand, they won't tolerate if you don't have it. They won't just cut your face up a little. (screaming) STUPID CUNTS! EXT. LITTLE BILL'S HOUSE - DAY VIEW on HOT SUN blazing down. BANG BANG BANG, HAMMER ON NAIL and the fingers holding the nail are swollen and purple and then... WHUP Hammer on flesh. LITTLE BILL Oh, shit, shit an' damn, oh fuck my mother and my father, o damn an' jesus. Little Bill is hopping around in his hat and boots and nothing else in front of his brand new one story, four room, frame house that hasn't been painted it's so new and doesn't have a porch yet, though that is being begun... sort of. In fact... the house doesn't look quite right... looks a little lopsided. Skinny Dubois is standing there, in the clearing wiping his brow and catching his breath and watching Little Bill. SKINNY Hit your finger, huh? LITTLE BILL (surprised) Huh? Hullo, Skinny. Snuck up on me. (indicating the house proudly) How do you like her? SKINNY (looking critically) Heard you done the roof yourself. LITTLE BILL Roof? Jesus, Skinny, I done practically every damn thing myself. Roberts boy hauled wood, that's all. SKINNY What's all that wood? LITTLE BILL (enthusiastically) Porch. I'm puttin' a porch on her so's I can puff my pipe of an evening an' drink my coffee an' watch the sun set. Little Bill is back at it, hauling a four by six into position. LITTLE BILL (over his shoulder, proudly) You come clear up here just to get a look at her? The train whistle screams loudly below in the valley and turning nervously, Skinny can see a puff of steam above the distant trees. SKINNY Them whores... (he pauses, reluctant to go on) Little Bill isn't really paying attention to anything but his house. LITTLE BILL Yeah? SKINNY Them whores, they been fuckin' an' fuckin' all them cowboys that come into town the last two weeks... LITTLE BILL (chuckling) Shit, Skinny, we got railroad barons an' cattle barons, but you' re gonna be the first of the billiard barons. SKINNY (ignoring him) ...They been fuckin' 'em, 'an tellin' every bow-legged one of 'em how they're payin' a thousand dollars to whatever sonofabitch kills them two boys which cut up Delilah. Little Bill drops the board he's holding up and turns sharply to Skinny. Down in the valley the train whistle screams and after a long, tense moment, Little Bill turns and looks out over the valley, frowning. LITTLE BILL An' all them cowboys been riding that beef down to Kansas an' Cheyenne? SKINNY (unhappily, dropping his eyes) Yup. LITTLE BILL All week? SKINNY (apologetically) I didn't hear nothin' till last night. LITTLE BILL Word must have got all the way to Texas by now. SKINNY (quickly) Oh, shit, Bill, I guess nobody's gonna come clear from Texas. LITTLE BILL (sitting down) They really got all that money, them whores? SKINNY (sitting beside Bill) You know how women kin lie... I knock 'em around a little, ask 'em where the money is, they say they don't have none?...but they coulda squirreled away that much, the five of 'em. Maybe. (pause) LITTLE BILL That much, huh? SKINNY (hopeful) You could run off them two cowboys. LITTLE BILL (sharply) I could run off them whores. SKINNY (after a pause) Well, I guess they'll just up an' run anyhow, them two. LITTLE BILL (glumly) Nope. They'll stay out on the Spade country where they got friends. The train whistle screams down in the valley and the train is chugging in the distance, pulling out, headed South. SKINNY Shit, Bill, could be nobody won't come at all. EXT. LOGAN HOUSE - DAY SALLY TWO TREES, weeding under a hot sun. She is an Indian woman about forty years old, heavy, and she is pulling weeds from a neat garden near the Logan House and she looks up and she sees something and frowns and keeps looking and doesn't like what she sees, HER POV: A MAN IN THE DISTANCE RIDING AN ALBINO MARE, making his way slowly through the prosperous fields of young corn. VIEW ON SALLY She looks over at her husband, NED LOGAN, who is working not far away and he seems to "hear" her look because he turns to her and, seeing her troubled expression, he follows her look and he too sees the rider on the Albino mare. NED I'll be damned. It's Billy Munny. Ned is about forty, balding, a farmer, but not as seedy looking as his old friend, Bill Munny. VIEW ON MUNNY Trying to dismount and the Albino prancing and Munny staggering and Sally looking at the scene grimly. MUNNY (awkwardly) Hullo Sally... I... uh, I ain't seen you in near as long as this, uh... as this horse ain't felt the saddle. Munny gets up out of the dust looking uncomfortable and Sally just stares at him coldly. NED (warmly) Come on in outta the sun, Bill. Sally, you see to Bill's horse. Munny nods an uncomfortable thank-you to Sally as Ned leads him toward a house that is very different from Munny's. It is a two story frame house freshly painted and surrounded by a well-tended garden, a tool shed, a barn and lush fields. As the men disappear into the house Sally leads the Albino toward the barn. Her sharp eyes don't miss the stock of the shotgun where it protrudes slightly from the bedroll. Her eyes seem to see even into the future... and all they see is trouble. INT. LOGAN HOUSE - DAY CLOSE on CLEAN CERAMIC COFFEE MUGS as NED takes them from a tidy cabinet in his cozy kitchen with the cast iron stove, the solid table. Munny is sitting at the table looking moodily into space. NED (earnestly) We ain't bad men no more, Bill. Hell, we're farmers. MUNNY (thoughtfully) Should be easy killin' em... supposin' they don't run off to Texas first. NED (taking the pot from the stove) How long since you shot a gun at a man? (pause) Nine... ten years? MUNNY Eleven. NED Easy, huh? Hell, I don't know that it was all that easy then... an' we was young an' full of beans. (pouring coffee) Bill... if you was mad at 'em... if they done you wrong... I could see shootin' 'em... MUNNY (looking Ned in the eye) We done stuff before for money, Ned. NED (sitting down) Well, we thought we was doin' it for money... (he pauses, remembering) What'd they do anyhow? Cheat at cards, steal some strays, spit on a rich fella? MUNNY Cut up a woman. Cut her eyes out, cut her tits off, cut her fingers off... done everythin' but cut up her cunny, I guess. NED (after chewing on that one) Well, I guess they got it comin'... (and he pauses and looks Munny in the eye) But you wouldn't go if Claudia was alive. It hits Munny like salt in a wound and he just takes it. They both know Ned is right and they think about it silently. Finally Munny speaks glumly. MUNNY (getting up and going to the door) I guess you wouldn't mind to look in on my youngsters next week. Might be you could help them move a couple of them pigs if they got to separate 'em more. Ned has been thinking about it while Munny's talking, wrestling with it and now Munny is out the door. NED How long you gonna be, Bill? MUNNY Two weeks, I guess. NED This Kid, what's he like? Munny turns and looks at Ned and their eyes meet and Munny realizes Ned is coming. NED Three ways? MUNNY Yup. You still got the Spencer rifle? NED (grinning) Yeah, an' I could still hit a bird in the eye flyin'. EXT. LOGAN HOUSE - DAY Munny landing with a thud in the dust and picking himself up hurriedly and casting a sheepish glance over his shoulder at Ned as he makes another awkward effort to mount the mare. NED (amazed at this per- formance) Jesus, Bill. CLOSE VIEW The sad, wise eyes of Sally Two Trees as she watches the two riders disappearing in the distance. her eyes are saying good-bye. EXT. PATH - DAY THE RIDERS IN THE DISTANCE. One horse is walking and the white one is prancing and shying in an unruly manner while her rider fights desperately for control. EXT. OPEN COUNTRY - DAY SUNSET, and Ned and Munny riding in open country. NED He musta been movin' right along. MUNNY We'll come across him tomorra, I guess. EXT. CAMP - NIGHT Night and the sizzling campfire as Ned empties the grease from the frying pan into the fire. Munny is already lying down, fussing in his blankets to get comfortable and the crickets are chirping up a storm. MUNNY Got used to my bed. Ain't gonna feel to home out here. NED (getting into his blankets) Well, it ain't just the bed I'm gonna miss. I'm... (he stops suddenly) Hell, Billy, I'm sorry. I didn't mean... MUNNY It ain't nothin', don't fret it. (pause) She don't like it much, you goin' off with me. NED Sally? MUNNY She gave me the evil eye. NED It's just... she's a Indian an' Indians ain't... overfriendly. MUNNY I ain't blamin' her, Ned, I ain't holdin' it against her. (pause) She knew me back then... an' she seen what a no good sonofabitch I was... an' she won't allow how I've changed. She just don't know how I ain't like that no more. NED Well, she... MUNNY (urgently) I ain't the same, Ned. Claudia, she... straightened me up, got me clear of the whiskey an' all. Us goin' to do this killin'... that don't mean I'm back to like I was. I just need the money... for a new start... for them youngsters. (long pause) Remember that drover, the one I shot in the mouth so's the teeth come out the back of his head? I dream about him now an' again. I didn't have no reason to shoot him... not one I could remember when I sobered up. NED You was a... a crazy sonofabitch. MUNNY Nobody liked me... none of the boys. They was scared of me... figured I might shoot 'em out of pure meanness. NED You ain't like that no more. MUNNY Eagle... he hated my guts. Bonaparte didn't like me none. NED Nor Quincy, I guess. MUNNY Quincy, he was always watchin' me. Scared. NED You ain't like that no more. MUNNY Hell, no. I'm just a fella now. ain't no different from anyone else no more. After a pause, Ned rolls over to go to sleep and says something kind by way of saying goodnight. NED Hell, Bill, I always liked you... even back then. Ned settles in his covers and so does Munny and the crickets chirp for a long moment but Munny can't sleep with the lie. MUNNY No you didn't. You wasn't no different, Ned. (and we...) EXT. TRAIN - DAY DAYLIGHT and a train whistle SCREAMING. INT. RAILROAD COACH - DAY The headline on the newspaper says "President Garfield Wounded." FUZZY, a cowboy, is sitting in the rocking coach reading the paper with great effort, partly because of the motion of the train and partly because Fuzzy can't read very well... but CROCKER, the rough looking cowboy on the seat next to him can't read at all. CROCKER All I want to know is what sonof- abitch shot him, that's all. Was it one of them John Bull assholes? Across the aisle two well dressed gentlemen are sitting. The one by the window, the lean one in the frock coat and slouch hat, is WW BEAUCHAMP and the one on the aisle, pudgy, pinkcheeked, with neat muttonchop whiskers, wearing a frock coat and waistcoat and a silk slouch hat in spite of the heat, is ENGLISH BOB. English Bob has beady blue eyes, is about thirty-five and pulls constantly on a good cigar. ENGLISH BOB (in a rich English accent) No, sir, I believe the would-be murderer is a gentleman of French ancestry... or so it would seem. I hope I won't give offense if I observe that the French are known to be a race of assassins, though they can't shoot worth a damn...any Frenchman among the present company excluded of course. Crocker, not liking or understanding the interruption, gives English Bob a hard stare. FUZZY (to Crocker) Says here a fellow by the name of "Gitto." "G-U-I--T..." CROCKER (eyes on Bob) Sounds like a damn John Bull to me. "Gitto." THIRSTY, a cowboy sitting behind Crocker, turns in his seat, sensing the tension in the air and WW feels it too and shifts uneasily... but English Bob is unperturbed and he puffs cheerfully on his cigar. ENGLISH BOB Well, sirs... again not wishing to give offense... it might be a good idea if the country were to choose a Queen... or even a King ...rather than a president. One isn't as quick to take a shot at a King or a Queen. The majesty of royalty, you see... CROCKER (provocative) Maybe you don't wish to give offense, sir, but you are givin' it pretty thick. This country don't need no queens whatsoever, I guess. Crocker is shifting in his seat so that the revolver in his holster is prominent and there is uneasy stirring among the nearby passengers. A DRUMMER looks around for exits. CROCKER As a matter of fact, what I heard about Queens... THURSTON Shut up, Joe. CROCKER (to Thurston) Huh? What's got up your ass, Thirsty? This dude asshole... THURSTON (to Crocker, but his eyes on Bob) Might be the "dude" is English Bob ...the one who works for the Union Pacific shootin' Chinamen. Might be he wants for some dumb cowboy to touch his pistol... so's he can shoot him down. English Bob, unperturbed, just pulls on his cigar. CROCKER (sobered) That a fact, mister? You English Bob? ENGLISH BOB (affably) Why don't we shoot some turkeys, friend? Ten shots... a dollar a turkey. I'll shoot for the Queen, and you can shoot for... whomever. EXT. TRAIN - DAY Turkeys bursting from long Nebrasks grass as the train whistle screams. BLAM! A turkey plummets to earth. BLAM! Another goes down. VIEW ON ENGLISH BOB On the swaying platform between cars, his pistol smoking and BOB brings it up again fast and sights and BLAM! AN EXPLOSION OF FEATHERS plummeting down and disappearing in the long grass. VIEW ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE PLATFORM Where WW Beauchamp, Crocker, Thurston, Fuzzy and the nervous Drummer, in a cheap bowler, are standing. They are all impressed with the fact that English Bob is one hell of a shot with a pistol. ENGLISH BOB (to Crocker) I believe that's eight for me... to one for you. A matter of seven of your American dollars. CROCKER (grudgingly counting silver dollars) Pretty damn good shootin'.... (daring) for a John Bull. ENGLISH BOB (accepting the money cheerfully) No doubt your aim was affected by your grief over the injury to your ... uh... president. EXT. TRAIN STOP - DAY Bawling cattle milling in the pens south of Big Whiskey, and the train hissing and steaming at a standstill. CLOSE VIEW Two leather valises and a leather rifle case as MUDDY CHANDLER tosses them on his mud wagon, a sort of open stagecoach. The scene is one of chaos as the train steams and hisses and baggage is tossed off and more is tossed on. CHANDLER It's a nickel up to Big Whiskey, gentlemen. WW hands Chandler the money and, as he and English Bob climb into the mud wagon, they are accosted by GERMANY JOE SCHULTZ who runs the livery stable and does horse business with railway passengers on the side. GERMANY JOE I godd nize horzes I zell you, boyce. Nize prizes for Independence Day, boyce. EXT. MUD WAGON - DAY English Bob and WW riding in the mud wagon, bouncing uncomfortably in spite of the slow pace, and eating dust and sweating profusely. ENGLISH BOB (irritably) It's the climate does it. That and the infernal distances. WW Does what? ENGLISH BOB Induces people to shoot persons in high places. (mopping his brow with his (handkerchief) It's a savage country. That's the second one shot in twenty years. It's uncivilized shooting people of substance. The mud wagon rattles past the South Road sign. It is similar to the one of the North Road and says: No Firearms in Big Whiskey. Ordinance 14. Deposit pistols and rifles County Office. EXT. BIG WHISKY INN - DAY Deputy ANDY RUSSELL stepping out of the County Office as the mud wagon clatters to a stop in front of the Big Whisky Inn. Andy is just twenty, a good looking kid with a badge on his vest and a holstered pistol. He watches the passengers climb out of the mud wagon and, as English Bob alights, his frock coat parts and gives ANDY just the quickest glimpse of a holstered pistol under the coat. ANDY Pardon me, gentlemen, but local ordinance obliges you to surrender your sidearms to proper authority for the duration of your visit. WW looks at English Bob and English Bob turns and looks Andy up and down very coolly. ENGLISH BOB Proper authority eh? (breezily) Well, sir... neither my companion nor I carry firearms on our persons. Rather, we trust in the goodwill of our fellow man and the forbearance of reptiles. And English Bob gives a smart bow, turns with a swirl of coat-tails that allows a brief glimpse of not one, but two holstered pistols, and marches off. As WW follows English Bob, he glances nervously back to see what young Andy will do but Andy just stares nonplussed. In that quick glimpse, Andy saw how the weapons were tied down with thongs, meaning the owner wanted a quick pull... and this shit is out of his league. INT. COUNTY OFFICE - DAY KER-CHICK, CLACK, A HENRY RIFLE COCKED and the action checked. Andy is cleaning the weapon in the County Office. ANDY Unarmed, my ass. SHUCK, KA-CHAK. CHARLEY HECKER breaks open a single barreled shotgun and moves a shell in. CHARLEY (wiping his brow nervously) Christ, it's hot. FATTY ((cheerfully) If I'm gonna get shot, I druther it was hot then cold. Everythin' hurts more in the cold. Fatty is sitting in a chair in front of the empty jail cell cleaning a revolver, oblivious to the tension. FATTY (cont'd) You know how if you hit your thumb in the cold, how it...? CHARLEY Shut up, Fatty. FATTY I only said... Outside a horse clatters up fast and Andy jumps nervously to the window. ANDY Clyde's back. CHARLEY Little Bill with him? ANDY No. CHARLEY (worried) Shit. Clyde bursts in the door. He is wearing two gun-belts crossed, with a holster on each side. Since he has only one arm, he carries one pistol butt forward and the other butt back. CLYDE You boys clean my Remington? FATTY (holding it up) Cleaned an' loaded. CHARLEY Where's Little Bill for Christ sake? CLYDE (inspecting the pistol) Ha. He was building his fucking porch. CHARLEY Building his porch! FATTY If you was to get shot, Andy, would you like it better to be a hot day or...? ANDY (sharply) I ain't gonna get shot. CHARLEY (to Clyde) He's coming ain't he? CLYDE (ejecting shells) 'Course he's coming. FATTY Hey, I just loaded her. Watcha doin? CLYDE I don't trust nobody to load my guns, not for a shootin'. CHARLEY What'd he say? CLYDE Little Bill? He didn't say nothing. Like I said, he was buildin' his porch. Have you seen that thing? FATTY (sulking) It was all loaded. Jesus, Clyde, you got three pistols an' only one arm for Christ sake. CLYDE (to Fatty) I just don't wanna get killed for lack of shootin' back. (to Charley) You know there ain't a straight angle in that whole goddamn porch... or in the whole house for that matter. He's the worst fucking carpenter. CHARLEY (worried) He didn't say nothin', huh? CLYDE (putting the 3rd pistol in his belt) Asked what they looked like, that's all. Christ, maybe he's tough but he sure ain't no carpenter. CHARLEY Maybe he ain't so tough. Clyde looks up, surprised. There is a sudden silence. ANDY (blurting it) He seem like... like he was... scared? CLYDE (amazed) Little Bill? Him scared? CHARLEY We never seen him up against any... like these ones... killers. CLYDE (looking at the frightened faces of Charley and Andy) Little Bill come out of Kansas an' Texas, boys. He worked them tough towns. CHARLEY (ashamed) Just wondered. Anybody could be scared. Andy drops his eyes and looks away from Clyde. CLYDE (with meaning) No. He wasn't scared, boys. He just ain't a good carpenter. INT. BARBERSHOP - DAY English Bob, delighting in the smooth feel of his freshly shaved pink cheeks, climbs cheerfully out of the barber chair, still chattering at the poor BARBER. ENGLISH BOB ...can see that there's a dignity in royalty... a majesty... that precludes the likelihood of assassination. The Barber is applying his little whisk broom to Bob's waistcoat while WW pulls out his purse to make payment. ENGLISH BOB contd. Why, if you were to point a pistol at a King or a Queen, sir, I can assure you your hand would shake as though palsied... BARBER (looking at Bob's pistols) I wouldn't point no pistol at nobody, sir. ENGLISH BOB (putting on his frock coat over his guns) A wise policy. But if you did, I can assure you, the sight of royalty would cause you to dismiss all thoughts of bloodshed and stand... in awe. (pause) Whereas, a president... I mean, why not shoot a president? The Barber doesn't know how to take this guy, and just ogles him. ENGLISH BOB Now this Strawberry Alice person, tell me again. BARBER Down the street and across. Greely's Beer Garden and Billiard parlor. Just ask for Alice and say you want a game of billiards. ENGLISH BOB (about to exit) Billiards, eh? Even though I don't really wish to play? BARBER Don't matter. They burned the table in '78 for firewood. ENGLISH BOB Ah, I see. WW has already stepped out and English Bob follows him out the door. EXT. BARBERSHOP/MAIN STREET - DAY English Bob steps out the door. ENGLISH BOB Come on, WW. Let's... Something's wrong! There is a funny quiet and WW is frozen like a ramrod. English Bob looks around. VIEW ON CHARLIE HECKER Ten yards to Bob's right, pointing a 12 gauge shotgun and Fatty Rossiter a few feet away pointing his old Enfield. VIEW ON ANDY RUSSELL On Bob's left, pale and tense, pointing his Henry, and Clyde Ledbetter kneeling near him, leveling one of his pistols. VIEW ON LITTLE BILL Standing ten yards away in the empty dusty street where the Fourth of July flags are flapping. LITTLE BILL Hullo, Bob. Boys, this here is English Bob. ENGLISH BOB (under his breath) Shit and fried eggs. LITTLE BILL Been a long time, Bob. You run out of Chinamen? ENGLISH BOB (recovering his composure) Little Bill, I thought you were dead. I see you shaved off your chin whiskers. LITTLE BILL (feeling his chin) Well, I was always tasting the soup two hours after I et it. VIEW ON THE STREET Empty, silent. VIEW FACES IN THE WINDOW of the Blue Bottle restaurant. EGGS ANDERSON, TOM LUCKINBILL, MRS. PEEVEY, HOPPITY THOMAS, peering out. VIEW Alice, Kate and Little Sue in Greely's window and, in the open doorway, ready to duck for cover, Skinny and Germany Joe Schultz and PADDY McGEE, the cooper. VIEW ON ENGLISH BOB ENGLISH BOB What I heard was that you fell off your horse drunk and broke your neck. LITTLE BILL I heard that one myself, Bob. Hell, I even thought I was dead til I found out it was just I was in Nebraska. (pause) Who's your friend? ENGLISH BOB WW Beauchamp... Little Bill Daggett and... "friends." WW (nervous) From N-n-newton?... and H-hays and A-a-abilene? ENGLISH BOB (dryly) The same. Charley is taking all this in wide-eyed. LITTLE BILL You work for the railroads too, Mister Beauchamp? WW (scared to death) N-no. I wr-wr-wr-write... I wr-wr-write... LITTLE BILL Letters? ENGLISH BOB Books. He's my biographer. LITTLE BILL (fighting amazement) Oh. And WW is reaching for a pocket. VIEW Andy and Charley and Clyde and Fatty tensing to fire. VIEW ON ENGLISH BOB ENGLISH BOB I wouldn't do it, WW. WW freezes, terrified... and a puddle of urine forms at his feet. WW It's only a b-b-b-book... LITTLE BILL (his pistol half-drawn) A book, huh? (returning his pistol and glancing at the piss) I guess that means you can read... An' I guess you boys seen them signs about surrendering your firearms... But then, like you told old Andy there, you ain't armed, are you, Bob? ENGLISH BOB Not really... (shrugging) Maybe a couple of Peacemakers... (bargaining) I imagine you could overlook those, eh, Bill? If you didn't see them... or hear them? LITTLE BILL (cold as ice) I guess not, Bob. I don't like guns around. With a sardonic glance at the arsenal trained on him English Bob gives a shrug and holds open his coat in surrender, exposing two fancy holstered pistols. Little Bill gives Andy a head signal and Andy steps forward and takes the pistols from English Bob's holsters. LITTLE BILL Charley, see what kind of "books" Mister Beauchamp is packing... but watch you don't get wet. ENGLISH BOB (to Andy) Be careful with those, sonny. Onlookers are stepping out of doorways now and moving timidly into the street forming a large semi-circle. The whores are among them. CHARLEY No shit, Little Bill, all he's got is this here book. Charley holds up a dime novel with a lurid cover showing a gentleman in a top hat protecting a woman with his body while firing two pistols at seven disheveled looking "Western types." The title is "The Duke of Death." LITTLE BILL (reading with effort) The... Duck of Death. WW D-d-d-duke. The D-d-duke of Death. English Bob starts to go but Little Bill puts a hand on his shoulder. LITTLE BILL Give me the .32, Bob. Furious, English Bob turns and looks into Bill's eyes and then, seeing no alternative, opens his vest esposing a small pistol. ENGLISH BOB You leave me at the mercy of my enemies. LITTLE BILL (taking the pistol) Enemies, Bob? You been talking about the Queen again? On Independence Day? A lot of the tension has gone out of the occasion and the crowd is beginning to murmur and people are starting to move and a couple of kids are running when suddenly... CRUNCH! English Bob's face seems to cave in with the force of Little Bill's fist and Bob literally flies backward and slams into the side of the barber shop. VIEW Alice gasping... Andy's jaw drops... Little Sue's eyes bulge... Charley gulps. VIEW ON ENGLISH BOB Slumped against the wall, blood pouring from his unhinged jaw, amazed. ENGLISH BOB Wh... what... ? Little Bill walks calmly up to him and WHAM... kicks him hard in the chest. VIEW Silky having a hard time swallowing and Mrs. Peevey turning away and Eggs horrified and Alice's scared face. VIEW ON ENGLISH BOB Bloody, on all fours, pulling a knife from his waistcoat... but the whole effort is painful and hopeless. He hasn't a chance. Little Bill looks down at him for a moment from his enormous height, watching the smaller man's pitiful effort, then SLAM!... Little Bill kicks him in the ribs hard and you can hear air going out of Bob, and Bill steps hard on Bob's knofe hand and the bones crunch loudly. VIEW WW, white as a ghost and Andy is trying not to vomit. There is the sound of another brutal blow. VIEW English Bob on all fours in the dusty street now, barely conscious. KA-WHUMP! Little Bill kicks him again, not angrily, but hard. LITTLE BILL I guess you think I'm kickin' you, Bob... but it ain't so. (WHAM, another kick) What I'm doin' is talkin', hear? I'm talkin' to all them villains down in Kansas an' them villains in Cheyenne... (WHUMP) Lettin' em know there ain't no whores' gold... Little Bill turns and looks hard at the whores and Alice is sick from the violence and Little Sue is biting her lip and Silky has tears in her eyes. LITTLE BILL (turning back to Bob and kicking him) ...an' how if there was... how they wouldn't want to come lookin' for it anyhow. Little Bill looks down with eyes as cold as ice and English Bob grovels in the bloody dust, barely conscious. EXT. OPEN COUNTRY - DAY Open country under a hot sun and Munny and Ned riding their horses at a walk and the saddles creaking and birds chirping in the five foot high grass. It is late morning in Northern Kansas and they have been riding since dawn, mostly in silence, but Ned has something on his mind and he glances at Munny and frowns and then finally he blurts his question. NED Say, Bill... You ever... ever go into town... an' all? MUNNY (surprised at the question) Sure, I got to. Got to get supplies. NED No. I mean... (embarrassed) ...an' get yourself a woman? You know? Munny looks away quickly, embarrassed, and it seems like he isn't going to answer and then, when he finally does, he keeps his eyes on the horizon. MUNNY Naw. Naw, I don't ever go into town for that. (pause) A man like me... A man like me can't get no woman but one he's gonna pay for... an' that ain't right... buyin' flesh. (looking at Ned) Claudia, God rest her soul, she wouldn't have wanted me doin' nothin' like that, me bein' a father, an' all. (he looks away again) NED (rhetorically) Whaddaya do, just use your hand? MUNNY (after a nervous glance at Ned) Sometimes... yeah. (looking at the horizon) I don't miss it all that much. Ned is shaking his head, wondering at the transformation of his old friend when... CRACK! A RIFLE SHOT and the Albino mare rears violently, whinnying and hurling Munny out of the saddle and... Ned's roan bolts at full speed, Ned barely staying aboard. CRACK! another shot. VIEW ON MUNNY On all fours in the tall grass. He feels his forehead and wipes away a little blood, and shakes his head to clear it. Then he hears rustling in the long grass and he whirls and pulls the Starr out of his belt and sitting back he aims at where he heard the noise and he pulls back the hammer with a loud click. NED'S VOICE (a whisper) Billy. Billy. MUNNY (lowering the pistol, relieved) Yeah. Ned crawls out of the grass next to Munny. NED Some fucker's shootin' at us. MUNNY Yeah. NED (alarmed, seeing blood) He hit you? MUNNY Naw. I bumped my head fallin' off of my horse. CRACK, another shot. Ned looks puzzled and he lifts his head up and tries to look around without exposing himself. A hundred yards away Ned can see a clump of four or five trees and there is a little cloud of black smoke still hanging in the air there and then a sudden flash of fire, smoke and CRACK! Ned doesn't even duck, he just frowns. NED He ain't shootin' our way no more. (indicating the left) He's shootin' over that way. Who's he shootin' at over that way? MUNNY Beats the hell out of me. NED You suppose maybe we're in somebody's field? MUNNY I didn't see nothin' planted. CRACK. Another shot. Ned ducks urgently. NED Fuck, he's shootin' at us again. CRACK, CRACK, CRACK. NED Jesus, he's shootin' up the whole fucking horizon. Munny is thinkinh about it, has an idea, weighs it and gives it a try. MUNNY (shouting) HEY. NED You're marking us, Bill. MUNNY (ignoring him) HEY, KID. NED Kid? The Kid's shootin at us? MUNNY IS THAT YOU, KID? NED Why would the Kid shoot at us? MUNNY HEY KID, IT'S ME, BILL MUNNY. EXT. TREES - DAY The Kid rifle at his cheek is crouched behind one of the trees. His horse is standing nearby. MUNNY'S VOICE o.s. Hey, Kid, is that you? It's me, Bill Munny. The Kid is frowning and finally he makes up his mind. THE KID (shouting) YEAH. IT'S ME. MUNNY'S VOICE o.s. Don't shoot at us no more, okay? The Kid is peering around the tree and squinting ferociously. HIS POV: The field. It is one big blur. He can't see worth a shit. The Kid squinting and peering and worrying. THE KID WHO YOU GOT WITH YOU? MUNNY'S VOICE o.s. Ned Logan. My old partner, Ned Logan. Don't you shoot no more, okay? The Kid doesn't like it, he's nervous and twitching, trying desperately to see what's going on out there. MUNNY'S VOICE o.s. We're gonna collect our horses an' come on over. You ain't gonna shoot no more, are you? THE KID NO, I AIN'T. EXT. TREES - DAY VIEW ON MUNNY Bedraggled and sweaty, walking into the clump of trees leading his horse and Ned, behind him, leading his roan and looking just as bad. MUNNY Had to chase the damn horse a mile. The Kid is sitting under the shade tree looking sullen. NED (angry) What was you shootin' at us for, anyhow? THE KID Thought you was followin' me. MUNNY Well, we was. Like you said, I changed my mind an'... THE KID Wasn't nothin' said about no partner. NED Well, this here's Ned Logan... Ned, this here's the Schofield Kid, nephew of Pete Sothow an'... THE KID I seen two fellas followin' me, I guessed they come to kill me. (pause) We didn't talk about no other fella. MUNNY (squatting in front of The Kid, talking in a persuasive tone) Well, now Kid, there's two of these cowboys, ain't that so? Better there's three of us... maybe them cowboys got friends. Maybe... THE KID I was gonna kill them two by myself. It don't take three. Ned walks over to where The Kid's rifle is leaning against the tree and The Kid is watching nervously. MUNNY Now Ned's a hell of a shot with a rifle. Hell, he can hit a bird in the eye flyin'. NED (picking up The Kid's rifle) Better'n you anyhow, Kid. You wasn't comin' close. THE KID Keep your damn hands offa that rifle, Mister. The Kid is touching his pistol and Ned puts the rifle down, annoyed. NED I was only checkin' it for you. Thought maybe somethin' was bent. THE KID Nothin's bent. NED Well, you was shootin' every which way an'... THE KID (to Munny) You gonna share your half with him? MUNNY Three ways, I figured. THE KID No. MUNNY (to Ned) Sorry, Ned. Guess I wasted your time. See ya, Kid! Munny turns to go and Ned gives The Kid a disgusted look and turns away. THE KID (to Munny) You're goin' back with him? MUNNY (turning) He's my partner. He don't go, I don't. Ned is mounted and Munny starts to mount too, but the mare is as reluctant as ever, shying and prancing while MUNNY hops awkwardly with one foot in the stirrup. THE KID What's it come to, three ways? Munny turns and looks at The Kid. EXT. OPEN COUNTRY - DAY The three of them riding across open country. The Kid looks like he still has a thorn up his ass and the only sound is the creaking of saddles. Storm clouds are gathering behind them on the horizon. MUNNY Oh shit. And The Kid looks back but of course he can't figure out what it is they saw. THE KID What the hell are you pissin' about, I'd like to know? MUNNY (astonished) Huh? THE KID Well, what were you lookin' at anyhow? MUNNY Lookin' at? NED Clouds, Kid. We was lookin' at them clouds on account of we got a storm ridin' up our ass. THE KID (looking back) Oh, them. (petulantly) Hell, I seen them. Ned frowns and looks at The Kid and something is bothering Ned. EXT. STREAM BED - DAY A dry stream bed and the three men are riding single file now with The Kid in the lead but Ned has been thinking and, trotting with his horse, he pulls alongside The Kid. NED You was right to change your mind, Kid. THE KID (surly, suspicious) Yeah? NED (proudly) I'm a damn good shot. (looking up) See that hawk up there? I could kill that hawk with one shot. VIEW on the empty sky. There isn't any hawk. VIEW on Munny who is right beside them is looking up and he doesn't see any hawk and he looks at Ned like he thought Ned was crazy and he frowns. The Kid just looks up and squints and looks ahead at the trail and keeps riding. THE KID Hell, I could hit it too if I didn't mind wasting a shot. And Munny looks up again, amazed, because they must be crazy, both of them. And Ned reins his horse hard. NED There ain't no hawk up there, Kid. And the Kid reins and turns and he locks eyes with Ned. He knows he's been found out. NED Can't see worth a shit, can you? The Kid is furious, his eyes flick around and he spots something and he pulls out the Schofield. THE KID See them fucking turtles? VIEW ON THREE TURTLES Making their way up the stream bed ten yards away. VIEW ON THE KID His Schofield spitting fire and smoke BLAM, BLAM. VIEW ON THE TURTLE BLAM, the third turtle exploding and following the other two to oblivion. VIEW ON THE MEN MUNNY (impressed) Shit. NED (impressed but holding back) How far kin you see? THE KID Far enough. NED We ain't goin' to Nebraska on no turtle hunt. A hundred yards? THE KID More. NED (testing) See that scrub oak yonder? THE KID (furious) Fuck you. NED (to Munny) He's blind, for Chri... THE KID (pointing his pistol at Ned) I ain't blind, you asshole. MUNNY Now hold on, boys, hold on. Now, Kid, you kin see fifty yards, can't you? THE KID Bet your ass I kin see fifty yards an' I kin shoot this sonofabitch... MUNNY Easy, Kid, easy. (looking Ned in the eye) Now, you hear that, Ned? The Kid can see fifty yards fine, hear? NED (under his breath) Jesus. MUNNY Fifty yards ain't bad. (glancing at the horizon) Guess we better get along. EXT. SKY - DAY STORM CLOUDS building behind them on the horizon. INT. COUNTY OFFICE - NIGHT CLOSE ON A BOOK The lurid cover, "The Duke of Death" by W. W. Beauchamp. Little Bill is looking at the cover, his feet propped on his desk in the county office. It is night and the office is lit with an oil lamp. LITTLE BILL (referring to the book) Them boys look like real hard cases. Did you kill all seven of 'em dead, Bob... or did you just wing some of 'em? English Bob is lying on his back on a cot in the little cell a few feet away. He turns his head toward Little Bill and his swollen face is horrible to behold. Of course, he doesn't answer except with the nasty eye. LITTLE BILL That is you there, ain't it, Bob? The Duck of Death? WW (daring) Uh... Duke. WW is in the little cell next to English Bob's. LITTLE BILL Oh yeah... Duke. Well, Bob, you always was hell an' Jesus with a pistol... but seven of 'em, an' you protectin' the lady too... How'd you do it? English Bob just turns his malignant stare away but WW screws up his courage and asserts himself... sort of. WW Uh... It's... uh... generally considered desirable in the publishing business to... ah... take certain license in depicting the cover scene... for... ah... purposes involving the... ah, market place. LITTLE BILL Well, Mister Beauchamp... from what I read of this here book, I'd have to say the writin' ain't a whole lot different from the pitcher. WW (sweating, but with dignity) Uh... I can assure you, Mister Daggett... the events described within are based... on the accounts of eye witnesses and... LITTLE BILL (opening the book) Meaning the duck himself, I guess. WW Duke. LITTLE BILL (harshly) Duck, I says. (reading badly) "You have insulted the honor of this beautiful woman, Corcoran," said the duck. "You must apologize." But Two Gun Corcoran would have none of it and, cursing, he reached for his pistols and would have killed them but The Duck was faster and hot lead blazed from his smoking sixguns." (he tosses the book on the desk, disgusted) WW (with dignity) I believe that to be an accurate description of the events, sir... albeit there is a certain poetry to the language which... LITTLE BILL (standing up) Well, Mister Beauchamp, I was at the Blue Bottle Saloon in Wichita the night English Bob killed Corky Corcoran... an' I didn't see you there... nor no woman, nor no two-gun shooters nor nothin' like that. WW (amazed) You were there? WW looks to English Bob for confirmation but Bob's stare just gets nastier. Little Bill is warming to the subject though, standing in front of the cell. LITTLE BILL First off... Corky didn't carry two pistols, though he should of. WW But he was called... LITTLE BILL Some folks did call Old Corky "Two Gun" but not because he was sportin' two pistols but because he had a dick so big it was longer than the barrel on that Walker Colt he carried. An' the only insultin' he done was stickin' that big dick of his in some French Lady that Old Bob was sweet on... Well, one day Corky walked into the Blue Bottle and before he knows what's happening Bob takes a shot at him... and misses on account of he's drunker than hell. WW is fascinated and he looks to Bob and BOB'S eye is blazing and he looks back at Little Bill who is beginning to act out the scene. LITTLE BILL Well, that bullet whizzin' by panicked Corky, an' he done the wrong thing! Pulled his gun in such a damn hurry he shot off his own toe. Meantime, Bob aims good and squeezes off another... but he's so drunk he misses again an' hits the thousand dollar mirror behind the bar. Well, now the Duck of Death is good as dead 'cause this time Corky does right an' aims real good, no hurry... WW (beside himself) And? LITTLE BILL Bam! That Walker Colt blew up in his hand... which was a failing common to that model. Now if Corky would have really had two guns instead of just a big dick he could have defended himself to the end. WW You... you mean... (looking at Bob) English Bob killed him while...? LITTLE BILL Well he wasn't gonna wait for Corky to grow no new hand. He walked over real close, bein' drunk, an' shot him through the liver. WW stares first at English Bob and then at Little Bill, appalled. EXT. WOODS - NIGHT Night in the woods and Ned fussing around with his blankets not far from the campfire. NED (irritably) No sir, I did not give up robbin' an' stealin' on account of I got religion. I give it up 'cause I got too old for all this here nature. Munny is lying in his blankets a few feet away, exhausted and dirty and not a bit interested in Ned's complaints. NED (cont'd) I give it up 'cause I hate sleepin' out in the air... fuckin' sticks in my food... an' fuckin' bugs in my food... an' fuckin' rocks under my back... (crawling into the blankets) Shit, I sure do miss my fuckin' bed. MUNNY (irritably) Yeah... you said that last night. NED Last night I said I missed my fuckin' wife... tonight I just miss my fuckin' bed. Lightning flashes and a horse whinnies and then the thunder cracks and rolls. MUNNY Well, I guess you're gonna miss your fuckin' roof soon enough. EXT. BY THE HORSES - NIGHT The horses, shying and skittish, and The Kid is rubbing his face tenderly on the Morgan and whispering in a soothing voice. EXT. CAMP - NIGHT Munny and Ned lying near the campfire and The Kid walks up and starts to fix his blankets. He looks at Munny thoughtfully. Something's bothering him, and finally he blurts it out as he climbs into his own blankets. THE KID Say, Bill. That business in Jackson County... did that really happen? I mean how they say it happened? MUNNY What business? THE KID (a frown, a pause, then...) An' how there was two deputies up close pointin' rifles at you... had you dead to rights... an' how you pulled out a pistol an' blew them both away to hell... an' only took a scratch yourself. (pause) Uncle Pete told me he never seen nothin' like it, shootin' your way out of a scrape like that. MUNNY (uncomfortable) Well... I don't recollect. THE KID (amazed and dubious) You don't recollect! The Kid doesn't know whether he's been rebuffed or what, but seeing after a moment that his conversation with Munny is not getting anywhere he decides to have a try at Ned. THE KID Say, Ned... ? NED (curt) Yeah. THE KID How many men you killed? (after a long pause) Ain't you gonna answer? NED I don't like the question. THE KID (indignant) Well, I gotta know what kind of fellas I'm ridin' with, don't I? In case of a scrape. NED How many you killed, Kid? THE KID Five. I killed five of 'em. (pause) That counts a Mexican I killed. (pause) He come at me with a knife. There is a long pause and then a flash of lightning and a roll of thunder and the nervous whinnies of the horses. MUNNY Get some sleep, Kid. THE KID You boys are crotchety as a couple of hens. Just then the rain starts and it sizzles in the campfire and the horses snort and Ned covers his head with his blankets. NED Aw shit! INT. COUNTY OFFICE - NIGHT WW Actually, then, Mister Corcoran was faster on the draw than the D... English Bob? WW is sitting at Little Bill's desk writing furiously with a quill pen. It is still night and Little Bill is lounging in a chair and English Bob is moaning and snoring in the cell. LITTLE BILL Faster? Fast was his mistake. If he hadn't of been in such a goddamn hurry he would not have shot off his toe with his first shot and he would have killed old Bob. (lecturing) See, son, bein' a good shot an' bein' quick with a pistol... that don't do no harm... but it ain't much next to bein' cool. Little Bill pulls out his pistol very deliberately... not slowly, but not like a Hollywood fast draw. LITTLE BILL (cont'd) A man who will keep his head an' not get rattled under fire... he will kill you like as not. Little Bill is pointing his pistol, aiming. WW But if the other fellow is quicker and fires first... LITTLE BILL He will be hurryin' and he will miss. That there is as fast as I can pull an' aim an' hit anythin' more'n ten feet away... unless it's a barn. WW But... if he doesn't miss? LITTLE BILL (laughing and holstering his pistol) Then he will kill you. That is why there are so few dangerous men like old Bob there... an' like me. It ain't so easy to shoot a man anyhow... an' if the sonofabitch is shootin' back at you... well, it'll unnerve most fellas. (struck with an idea) Look here, let me show you somethin'. (he reaches into a drawer in the desk and pulls out a pistol) See this here pistol? WW looks at the pistol uneasily and over in the cell English Bob's one eye opens and he moves his head slightly because he senses something is happening. Little Bill holds the pistols out to WW. LITTLE BILL Take it. (WW hesitates) Go on, take a hold. Nervously WW accepts the gun as though it were hot. Little Bill pulls some keys out of a drawer and tosses them on the desk. LITTLE BILL Them's the keys. All you gotta do is shoot me an' you an' English Bob can ride out free as birds. WW (shaking) Is... is it... loaded? LITTLE BILL Wouldn't be no good if it wasn't. You got to cock it though. WW looks nervously over at English Bob and Bob's eye says "Do it, do it, do it." WW gulps and he pulls back the hammer and stands up and looks at Bob again and Bob is nodding "Yes, yes, do it." LITTLE BILL An' you got to point it. (pause) Go on, point it. Slowly, with trembling hand WW raises the gun and points it at Little Bill who looks calmly back at him. LITTLE BILL All you gotta do is pull on the trigger, mister. WW gulps and sweat comes off his forehead and he points the shaking gun and Bob nods "Yes" and WW bites his lip and then... WW lowers the gun slowly. He can't do it. He wipes his forehead. LITTLE BILL Hot, ain't it? (reaching for the gun) You never even put your finger on the trigger. Little Bill is reaching for the pistol but WW has a frightening idea and instead of giving up the pistol he steps backward toward the cell. WW What if... what if I gave it to... him. (and he indicates Bob) Little Bill's eyes narrow like slits and tension fills the air. LITTLE BILL Go ahead... give it to him. English Bob's eye lights up in anticipation and he tries to get up on one elbow. WW (gulping) R-r-r-really? You r-r-really w-w-want...? LITTLE BILL (like ice) Give it to him. English Bob is sitting up and reaching for the gun and his eye is on Little Bill and WW reaches out with a shaking hand and ENGLISH BOB'S hand just touches the gun and... Little Bill drops his right hand to his own gun and grips the butt and... ENGLISH BOB hesitates, his gaze locked with LITTLE BILL'S and the two men eye each other. Then, furious, ENGLISH BOB withdraws his hand... empty. LITTLE BILL (grinning) Guess he don't want it, Mister Beauchamp. Little Bill accepts the pistol from the trembling WW and, looking straight into ENGLISH BOB'S angry eye, LITTLE BILL ejects five cartridges from the chambers of the pistol. LITTLE BILL You was right not to take it, Bob. I would of killed you. WW collapses into a chair and wipes sweat from his brow. LITTLE BILL'S VOICE o.s. We could use some rain, eh, Mister Beauchamp? EXT. CAMP - DAY BARRRRROOM! THUNDER, LIGHTNING, RAIN IN SHEETS and the Albino mare rearing and screaming and Munny landing in the mud. MUNNY You fucking no-good goddamn shit- faced pig fucking dirty whore. It is daylight but the rain is so thick you can't see more than five feet and Munny crawls up out of the mud wearing a slicker and looking like hell, already full of remorse for his outburst. Ned rides up out of the rain leading Munny's horse and Munny tries to mount again. MUNNY I didn't mean it, old gal. The Albino rears but Ned is helping and he holds the horse and then grabs the seat of Munny's muddy pants and half shoves him into the saddle. Up ahead, barely visible in the rain, The Kid is holding back his horse impatiently. THE KID Let's go. EXT. OPEN COUNTRY - DAY A LITTLE LATER. RAIN. Ned and Munny riding side by side through the downpour and The Kid twenty yards ahead, barely visible. Munny looks like shit and Ned looks at him with concern, deliberates, then reaches into his saddle bag and pulls out a bottle of whiskey and offers it. NED I brung this for when we had to kill them fellows. (Munny glances at it and looks away) I guess we could use some now. MUNNY Not for me. I don't touch it no more. NED (exasperated) God damn it, Bill, it's rainin'. MUNNY I know it's rainin', (looking ahead) Give the Kid a drink, why dontcha? Ned takes a long pull on the bottle, re-corks it and puts it in his saddle bag. He looks sympathetically at his friend hunched unhappily in his saddle. NED You think the Kid really killed five men? Munny just shrugs and looks back at the trail and keeps riding. MUNNY (after a while) No. NED What he was talkin' about... how them deputies had the drop on you an' Pete... MUNNY Yeah? NED I remember how there was three of them deputies you shot... not two. MUNNY (dismissing it) Well, I ain't like that no more, Ned. I ain't no crazy, killin' fool. NED (after a while) You still think it'll be easy shootin' them cowboys? Munny shrugs and looks straight ahead into the rain. Of course, it won't be easy... and they both know it. MUNNY If we don't drown first. EXT. MAIN STREET - DAY A blazing hot day and English Bob's battered face staring out of the mud wagon which is being loaded up by Chandler. In the distance the train whistle toots eagerly. LITTLE BILL (to Chandler) Give them keys to the conductor and tell him he can loose the cuffs off of Bob soon as he's out of the county. Little Bill is standing beside the mud wagon and WW is standing next to him and a little knot of onlookers forms a semi circle. ENGLISH BOB (talking through closed teeth) Mmmm pistols. LITTLE BILL Oh yeah. Little Bill unwraps a cloth and produces the ivory-handled peacemakers... smashed and hopelessly bent. And he gives them to Bob and looks him in his one furious eye. LITTLE BILL I guess you know, Bob, how if I see you again I'll just start shootin' right off an' figure it's self-defense. That's fine with English Bob. He glares back and the two men understand each other perfectly and then Chandler whips the horses and the wagon starts to roll. LITTLE BILL I ain't stealin' your biographer, Bob. Stayin' on was his idea. And WW stands there beside Little Bill and gives Bob a shit- eating look and English Bob just glares and rolls away. EXT. MAIN STREET - MOMENTS LATER As the mud wagon rattles down the dusty street English Bob sticks his horrid swollen face out the window and screams insanely: ENGLISH BOB A plague on you! A plague on the whole stinking lot of you! You're uncivilized vermin, without laws or morals! You're worthless savages! I curse you! You're cursed! Cursed! The whores, fanning themselves on Greeley's porch, stare dumbfounded as the madman rolls by raving. Then he's gone. All that remains is the sound of his ranting, diminishing in the distance and a cloud of dust settling on the hot street. Sitting next to Faith on the porch, Alice fans herself grimly. ALICE Nobody's gonna come. FAITH Huh? ALICE After what Little Bill done to the Englishman. Skinny steps out the door and blinks in the dazzling light and wipes his face. SKINNY Delilah, them tables ain't clean. Can't you get 'em clean? Delilah gets up and goes in, angrily brushing past Skinny in the doorway. SKINNY (after her) Well, if you'd cover up your face, maybe somebody'd want to fuck with you an' you wouldn't have to do all the cleanin'. (to the others) Whaddaya call them things that cover the face? FAITH (looking straight ahead) A veil. SKINNY Yeah, a veil. Christ it's hot. There is a distant roll of thunder and Skinny looks off at the Southern horizon where storm clouds are gathering. ALICE (listlessly) Rain's coming. SKINNY (emphatically) Thank God. EXT. TRAIN TRACKS - DAY THUNDER AND LIGHTNING and the train chugging through the storm. A second flash of lightning reveals three drenched riders near the tracks and one of them is having trouble controlling his white horse. Of course it is Munny and as he tries to hold the shying mare a flash of lightning lights up a passing railroad coach and Munny gets just a glimpse of a strange battered face in the window. The Kid is handing the whiskey bottle back to Ned and Ned offers it to Munny again. NED You sure, Bill? And Munny just shakes his head and wipes rain from his eyes. EXT. SOUTH ROAD - NIGHT NIGHT AND RAIN and The Kid is chuckling drunkenly and handing the bottle back to Ned who looks at it and tilts it way back. They are riding along the South road in the dark. THE KID (cheerfully) I left you some... about a drop. Munny is hunched in his saddle, shivering, his teeth chattering. NED You alright, Bill? Munny doesn't look alright. He looks like shit... looks sick. He doesn't answer and Ned looks worried and takes the last drops from the bottle and tosses it in the road near the ordinance sign which is too dark to read. INT. ALICE'S ROOM - NIGHT Alice's room at night, the sound of rain beating hard on the roof. Alice is playing cards with Silky and Faith when Little Sue sticks her head in the door. LITTLE SUE A fella's askin' for you, Alice. ALICE Tonight? You ain't joshin'? LITTLE SUE (looking behind her) This way, mister. Silky and Faith pick up the cards to leave. ALICE Must be randy as hell to come out in this shit. And then they look up because a water soaked young man with very few front teeth and a ragged stubble is standing in the doorway squinting. It is the Kid. INT. LITTLE BILL'S HOUSE - DAY DRIP DRIP DRIP. A chamber pot on the floor of Little Bill's house collecting water from a leak in the roof and Little Bill is walking about in stocking feet, making a speech. LITTLE BILL "No," he says, "you are wrong Little Bill. That there is no Curly J but a bobbed J." He had worked it over, you see? WW Beauchamp is sitting in a chair scratching frantic notes with a quill pen... and a splotch of water hits the paper and he glances up because there is a new leak. LITTLE BILL (continuing, oblivious) "Jim," I says, "You are a liar and a horsethief." Now -- when he seen them others wasn't gonna help him none -- he started in to cryin' and sobbin' and sayin'... (mimicking) "Don't kill me, Little Bill, don't kill me, please don't kill me." WW is trying to write and trying to slide away from the leak without interrupting Little Bill who is delighting in his own narration, oblivious to the new leak. LITTLE BILL (in his own voice) "Well, Jim," I says, "it makes me sick to see a man struttin' around and packin' two pistols an' a Henry rifle and cryin' like a baby." WW Did you... kill him? LITTLE BILL No,... but I can't abide them kind... an' you will find a lot of them in the saloons... tramps an' drunk teamsters an' crazy miners... sportin' pistols like they was bad men, but not having no sand nor character... not even bad character. WW is really getting wet and he is moving the chair. LITTLE BILL (on his own wave length) I do not like assassins an' men of low character like your friend English Bob... but Bob ain't no coward who will cry to your face an' then... WW Uh... Sheriff... Uh... LITTLE BILL Huh? Oh. (looking up sadly) Another one, huh? Shit, I guess I'm clean out of receptacles. WW (trying a joke with effort) Maybe you should... hang the carpenter. LITTLE BILL (jaw dropping) What? WW (uneasy) Uh... hang the... uh... carpenter. I... There is a sudden loud knocking on the door and Bill turns and goes to the door. LITTLE BILL On a night like this? What the hell? Opening the door he reveals Charlie Hecker, wearing a slicker and shedding water like a waterfall. CHARLEY Three seedy lookin' fellas come inta town, Bill. They're down to Greely's an' at least two of 'em got guns. INT. BAR ROOM - NIGHT CLOSE on the whiskey bottle and Ned is pouring the bright liquid into his glass and Munny is mesmerized by the dazzling highlights. The two of them are sitting at a table in Greely's smokey, dimly lit bar room and the rain is beating on the roof and there is a checker game at a table fifteen feet away attended by Germany Joe Schultz, Tom Luckinbill, a farmer, Eggs Anderson, the local restauranteur and Paddy McGee the cooper. All of them are sneaking occasional, furtive glances at the strangers, as is Fatty who is talking to Skinny at the bar. NED ...in hell's takin' The Kid so long? You suppose he... (seeing Munny) Jesus, Bill you look like shit. Munny looks dazed and shakes his head to clear it. MUNNY You... you remember Eagle Hendershot? NED (startled) Huh? Uh... yeah. MUNNY I seen him. NED He's dead, Bill. MUNNY His head was all busted open so's you could see the inside. NED Jesus, Bill, you got fever. Take a drink, will you? MUNNY (ignoring Ned) Worms was comin' out. NED (getting up) Listen, Bill, I'm gonna see what's takin' The Kid so long. Must be he's gettin' an advance offa them sportin' ladies. Ned starts for the back room, then stops and goes back. NED Say, Bill... If I was to... take a little while myself... I guess you... I guess you... I guess you don't want to come? Munny shakes his head "no" and, as Ned departs for the Billiard Room, Munny stares vacantly at the whiskey bottle. LITTLE BILL'S VOICE o.s. ... me your pistol, mister. MUNNY (looking up, startled) Huh? The big man in the dripping slicker is standing only ten feet away... Little Bill. And Little Bill is looking at him. Munny can feel everybody in the room staring at him. LITTLE BILL I says, "You'll want to give over your pistol." Munny can see Charley moving slowly along the wall on the left for position... and Fatty is over on the right, Skinny beside him... and WW is by the door shifting nervously and the checker players are frozen in their seats and Munny can feel them all... watching him. MUNNY Uh, no. No, I ain't drunk. LITTLE BILL (almost friendly) Ordinance says you got to turn in your firearms to the County office day or night. I guess you didn't read it with the weather an' all. MUNNY (nervously) Well... uh... I... I ain't got no, uh, firearms. LITTLE BILL (not friendly any more) Them friends of yours in the back, they carryin' pistols? MUNNY I... dunno. I mean, I guess not. No, they ain't carryin' no guns. LITTLE BILL You're spillin' your whiskey, mister. MUNNY Like I said, I... LITTLE BILL What's your name? MUNNY Uh, William... uh... Hendershot. Little Sue looks timidly in from the Billiard Room, bites her lip, and retreats quickly. LITTLE BILL Well, Mister Hendershot, if I was to call you a no good sonofabitch an' a liar, an' if I was to say you shit in your pants on account of a cowardly soul... well, I guess then, you would show me your pistol right quick an' shoot me dead, ain't that so? MUNNY (trapped) I... I guess I might... but like I said, I ain't armed. Little Bill pulls out his pistol and points it at Munny and makes a little motion with the barrel that means "get up" and Munny gets up. Little Bill steps close to him and reaches out with his left hand and opens Munny's coat revealing the Starr tucked in his belt. LITTLE BILL I guess you just carry it for snakes an' such. MUNNY Uh... yeah. Yeah. LITTLE BILL (cold) There ain't no snakes in here, Mister Hendershot. MUNNY Well, uh... it ain't loaded. Little Bill takes the pistol out of Munny's belt and slowly and deliberately ejects five cartridges and he looks at Munny who is sweating and Munny just wants a way out. MUNNY Well, the powder's wet an... WHACK! Little Bill brings the muzzle of the gun across Munny's temple and blood flows and Munny goes to one knee and Little Bill kicks him hard, WHUMP! LITTLE BILL (turning to WW) Mister Beauchamp, this here is the sort of trash I was speakin' of. Munny is struggling to his feet and staggering weak-kneed to the table where he grabs the whiskey bottle and breaks it off and turns groggily to face Little Bill. Little Bill, unperturbed, advances on him and when Munny strikes desperately with the bottle, Little Bill blocks his blow easily and slams him hard with the muzzle of the pistol and Munny goes down again. LITTLE BILL (to WW) You will find these kind in the saloons of your prosperous communities. (WHUMP, he kicks Munny) But you will not find none of them in Big Whiskey. Munny is on the floor on all fours, trying gamely to get up. EXT. ALICE'S ROOM - NIGHT Ned pushing The Kid out the window of Alice's room and The Kid isn't fully dressed and neither is Ned but he pushes him frantically into the rainy night anyway and Alice is urging them on and Little Sue looks ready to wet her pants. ALICE (to Ned) Hurry. (to Little Sue) You know what to say to Little Bill? Little Sue nods "yes" but she is speechless with terror and Alice hands Ned's boots out the window to him. EXT. ALICE'S WINDOW - NIGHT Outside the window, NIGHT, RAIN, and Ned and The Kid trying to get dressed in the mud and Alice sticks her head out the window. ALICE You got to look sharp for that old oak. You miss the oak an' you ain't gonna find it. NED (to The Kid) Never mind your shirt, get them boots on. Ned is trying to get his own boots on and he goes down on his ass in the mud. ALICE The roof ain't much but... THE KID What about Bill? What we gonna do about... NED Come on, Kid. I hope them horses is still there. INT. BAR ROOM - NIGHT Munny crawling along the floor of the bar room, covered with blood, heading for the door. LITTLE BILL Let the man out, WW. He is desiring to leave the hospitality of Big Whiskey behind him. Munny is crawling past WW's legs and WW looks down at the miserable semi-conscious creature and he sees clearly the left hand and the three fingers as they fight for traction and then WW steps to the door and opens it and Munny crawls into the rain and the night. INT. ALICE'S ROOM - NIGHT SLAP! Alice gets Little Bill's big hand across the face. SKINNY Easy, Little Bill, she's gotta work, she's gotta turn a dollar a time. Little Bill glares at Skinny. They are in Alice's room and Charley is there and Little Sue and WW and it is pretty crowded. LITTLE BILL (to Alice) If they was just here for the fuckin', how come they lit out the back window? ALICE (defiant) On account of they seen you was beatin' on their friend. LITTLE SUE (bravely) Th-th-they just c-c-come for the b-b-billiards, Little Bill, honest. LITTLE BILL (snorting) Billiards! (to Little Sue) An' they was just passin' through? LITTLE SUE Th-th-they was g-g-goin to F-f-fort B-b-buford t-t-to... ALICE (nasty) You just kicked the shit out of a innocent man, you big asshole. LITTLE BILL Innocent of what? EXT. SOUTH END OF TOWN - NIGHT The south end of town, NIGHT, RAIN and the Albino mare walking aimlessly with Munny slumped in the saddle and then two riders come from between two shadowy buildings and it is The Kid and Ned and they come alongside Munny, one on each side of him and Ned lifts his slumped head up and looks at the battered face and winces and says with his eyes what The Kid says with his tongue. THE KID Oh, Jesus. Oh, Jesus. INT. SHED - NIGHT CANDLELIGHT, Ned and The Kid, and Ned is sewing Munny's face with a needle and thread. NED Hold him, dammit. It is some sort of straw-filled shed and they have stuck a candle on a board. THE KID (sickened) Jesus. (pause) You done this before? NED (working) Plenty of times. Munny is only semi-conscious and The Kid is holding his face still. THE KID His pistol must of jammed. NED Move the candle closer, I can't see. THE KID He wouldn't of took no beating like that if it hadn't of jammed. He wouldn't just give it over an' not shoot no one. INT. SHED - DAY DAYLIGHT in the shed and Munny's face, waxy yellow, crude stitching, hideous swelling eyes vacant, breathing heavy. He is lying in the straw and The Kid is looking down at him with distaste. The Kid is only partly dressed. THE KID He don't look so good. The sound of the rain is different: it's still coming but it isn't a storm any more. The shed is an irregular shelter because one wall and various parts of the roof have collapsed and the woods outside are clearly visible. Silky is sitting on some straw straightening her clothes and Ned and Alice are climbing out of a corner where they have obviously been at it and are in various states of dress. THE KID (to Alice) He didn't even pull his pistol, huh? NED (irritated) He ain't as tough as you, Kid. THE KID Well, I guess I woulda at least pulled my pistol an... NED Shit, Kid, you pulled your pistol... right outta the lady an' out the back window. THE KID That was your idea, I wanted to... SILKY (getting up and smooth- ing herself) We gotta go. THE KID Huh? Already? Hey, I'm near ready for another advance. SILKY You're gonna use it all up before you get it. ALICE (about to leave) No more advances on what you ain't done yet. THE KID Well, we're just waitin' on the weather. If the weather breaks tomorrow we could... NED (to Alice) We're gonna need more food... at least three days worth... THE KID Three days? We could kill 'em tomorrow. NED (a sharp look at The Kid) I don't kill nobody without him. (indicating Munny) THE KID (frustrated) We don't need him. The two of us could do it. The horses are partly under the roof and Alice and Silky are leading theirs out and nobody is paying attention to The Kid. THE KID (petulantly) He ain't nothin' but a broken down pig farmer. ALICE (mounting her horse, to Ned) One of us'll bring food in the morning. I guess you'll want some whiskey. NED An' medicine if you got it... The Kid walks over to the edge of the broken wall and from the other corner Munny moans loudly and then screams. MUNNY Ohhhhh, ooohhhh no. No, I didn't do nothin'. Ned hurries over to Munny and The Kid is left there with the two Whores who are both mounted now and The Kid is embarrassed. THE KID Don't it make you sick, hearin' him like that? (The Whores turn their horses) Don't you ladies worry none... Me an' Ned, we'll kill those two fuckers. And The Kid has picked up two pieces of paper that the whores gave them earlier and they are charcoal sketches, one of Davey Bunting and the other of Quick Mike and they are pretty fair likenesses. INT. SHED - NIGHT CLOSE on a lantern hanging from a beam in the shed and it is night again and the rain has stopped though you can still hear water dripping from the eaves. THE KID It was a lot of shit what my uncle told me, huh? They are playing cards on the straw floor, Ned and The Kid and Ned doesn't look up from his cards. NED Depends what he told you. (pause) About Bill, you mean? THE KID All of it. About him, an' you an' Uncle Pete... about robbin' the Rock Island Pacific... an' about them Missouri Banks. NED We done that stuff. THE KID Well I guess Bill Munny wasn't no fearless killer an' bank robber like he said. In the other corner of the room Munny gives a loud moan and both men look at him and then back to their cards. NED Kid, it ain't gonna mean nothin' to you, but the roof I built on my house, it don't have a leak in it... not one. (The Kid looks perplexed) Most folks think a school house is the first sign of civilizin'... but I say it's a good roof. Well, that amazes The Kid, being stuck here with these train robber-bad men and now this shit about roofs and he just stares. MUNNY'S VOICE o.s. Claudia... No... Oh, Jesus, Claudia, ohh... Ned gets up and takes the lantern over to where Munny is lying and kneels beside him. Munny looks ghastly, at death's door. NED Claudia... ain't here, Bill. MUNNY (reaching) Ned... Is that you, Ned? (holding Ned's arm) Ned, I seen... death. NED Easy, Bill. MUNNY I seen the angel of death Ned, an' I seen the river. (panicked) He's a snake, he got... snake eyes. NED Who, Bill? Who got snake eyes? MUNNY The angel... the angel of death. I'm scared, Ned. Ned, I'm gonna die. NED Easy, Bill, easy. The Kid has walked over and is watching and it fascinates and scares him and he watches and swallows hard. MUNNY I seen her... I seen Claudia too... NED (soothing) Well, that's good now, ain't it, Bill? Seein' Claudia an...? MUNNY She was all covered with worms. Oh, Ned, I'm scared of dyin'... The Kid can't takes any more and he turns and walks away and Ned tries to comfort Munny and Munny grabs him and pulls him close. MUNNY Ned... don't tell nobody... don't tell the kids... don't tell 'em none of... none of the things I done. And Ned has tears in his eyes and Munny's eyes are staring and he is seeing something horrible and we EXT. SHED - DAY A VISION, DAYLIGHT and the horse horribly bloody, screaming silently in agony while the sound is the sound of night and the shed and the rain dripping but that doesn't diminish the agony of the bloody animal as the whip falls on the head and the eyes and we see the YOUNG MAN cruelly wielding the whip. It is Munny fifteen years earlier and it is a picture of unbelievable cruelty and viciousness... because that is what he was like and what he remembers. INT. SHED - NIGHT NIGHT in the shed, a little moonlight coming in through the open wall. The lantern is out and the sound is the sound of Munny's labored breathing and Ned and The Kid are in their blankets. THE KID He's gonna die, ain't he? NED Maybe. THE KID Well, suppose he does? NED (after a pause) We'll bury him. THE KID That ain't what I mean. NED You mean, am I gonna help you kill them cowboys? THE KID I can't spot 'em myself but you could. That red-haired one, you could spot a half-mile off, I bet. NED An' if I spot 'em? THE KID I'll ride up close an' shoot 'em! NED Just like that? THE KID I told you I'm a damn killer. I done it before. (pause, you can hear Munny breathing) I'm more killer than him. NED Yeah? THE KID Hell, yeah. INT. SHED - DAY DAYLIGHT and the cut-whore's face. Delilah is leaning over Munny wiping his brow. He is lying in the straw looking up at her and he looks like shit... his face ghastly pale and stubbled and covered with horrible cuts and bad stitching... but his eyes are clear. MUNNY I thought... you was an angel. DELILAH (embarrassed, getting up) You ain't dead. Delilah goes over to her horse and gets some packages out of the saddle bags. Munny tries to sit up weakly. MUNNY Some big guy beat the shit out of me. (feeling his sore face) I guess I must look a lot like you, huh? DELILAH (angry, hurt) You don't look nothin' like me, mister. MUNNY I didn't mean no offense. (she doesn't answer) I guess you're the one them cowboys cut up. (no answer) Ned an' The Kid, my partners, are they... ? DELILAH (coldly) They went out scouting when they saw your fever broke. MUNNY Scouting? DELILAH On the Bar T... looking for... them. MUNNY Oh. How long I been here? DELILAH (still cold) Three days. Are you hungry? MUNNY Three days? I must be. EXT. WOODS NEAR SHED - DAY CLOSE on robins, four of them in the woods near the shed and Munny is watching them where he sits wolfing chicken hungrily, his back against the shed. Delilah is watching him eat. MUNNY I thought I was gone. See them birds? Most times I wouldn't even notice them birds much. But I'm noticin' 'em real good 'cause I thought I was dead. DELILAH I brought your hat. You... left it down at Greely's. MUNNY That big guy lookin' for me? As he looks over at her Munny's eye falls briefly on her exposed ankle and Delilah feels the look. DELILAH Little Bill? He thinks you went North. Munny can't help it and his eye flicks back to the ankle. DELILAH Are you really going to kill them? MUNNY (unenthusiastically) Yeah, I guess. (suddenly) There's still a payment, ain't there? She nods and she moves so that more ankle is showing, but Munny's eye is drawn to her breasts as she moves, then he looks away quickly, guiltily and they sit there silently until... DELILAH Them other two, they been takin' advances on the payment. MUNNY Advances? He can't help looking at her body and she knows it. DELILAH (shyly) Free ones. Her body is getting to him. MUNNY (stupidly) Free ones? DELILAH Alice an' Silky gave them... free ones. MUNNY (understanding, embarrassed) Oh. Yeah. DELILAH (shy, timid) You want... a free one. MUNNY (looking away, embarrassed) Me? No. No, I guess not. And Delilah is hurt... crushed. She gets up and covers it by picking up the remains of the chicken and Munny is too embarrassed to look at her. DELILAH (covering her hurt) I didn't mean... with me. Alice and Silky, they'll give you one... if you want. MUNNY I... I guess not. (unusually perceptive suddenly) I didn't mean I didn't want one 'cause of you bein' cut up. I didn't mean that. Delilah keeps her back to him. MUNNY (trying to get up) It ain't that at all. You're a beautiful woman. What I said before, how I might look like you ... I didn't mean you was ugly like me, hell no... I only meant how we both had scars. He is standing weakly, supporting himself on the wall and his speech is so sincere and Delilah wants to believe it. MUNNY You're a beautiful woman an'... if I was to want a free one, I guess I'd want you more than them others. It ain't... See... I can't have no free one on account of my wife... DELILAH Your wife? MUNNY Yeah. See? DELILAH (after a pause) I admire that, you being true to your wife. I've seen a lot of... of men... who weren't. MUNNY (pleased and embarrassed) Yeah, I guess. DELILAH She back in Kansas? MUNNY Uh... yeah. Yeah. She's uh... watchin' over the little ones. And Munny gives her what for him is his best social smile... sort of like a pig strangling. EXT. BOX CANYON - DAY VIEW on the BAWLING CALF and the red hot iron coming out of the fire. It is midday in the box canyon and the four cowboys, Texas Slim, Johnny Foley, Lippy Macgregor and Davey Bunting are branding strays and Johnny has the calf down ready for the pigging string but the calf kicks loose and knocks Johnny into the fire and the other three cowboys are guffawing, their sweaty faces full of the camaraderie of hardworking men who might get irritable by the end of the day but not yet. And then like a flash, still laughing, young Davey is on his paint and riding like hell after the stray and it is beautiful to watch because he and the paint are like one. CRACK! A rifle shot and the pony does a violent somersault and Davey goes over in a spray of dirt and fifty yards away Texas Slim, Lippy and Johnny stare in frozen horror. The downed pony spurts blood from his nostrils, and Davey's right leg is pinned under the dying paint's flank and they are maybe fifteen yards from the edge of the canyon and Davey's first thought is the pony. DAVEY Oh, Jesus, fella... (shouting) Boys, my pony's hurt... And turning he sees the three cowboys standing fifty yards away, frozen in their tracks. DAVEY Boys... And they suddenly turn and run away toward some rocks and it is only then that the terror hits Davey and in a sudden panic he tries to get free of the horse. DAVEY Oh, Jesus, boys, my leg's broke. I'm pinned, boys. EXT. BOULDERS - DAY VIEW on Ned, his face covered with sweat, the Spencer against his cheek and he is crouched among some boulders up the canyon wall about three hundred yards from Davey and Munny is looking over Ned's shoulder and The Kid is trying to see, too, squinting desperately, but he can't see shit. MUNNY Finish him, Ned. THE KID He ain't dead? You didn't get him? MUNNY (to the Kid, without turning) He got the boy's horse. Looking down the barrel of the rifle Ned can see Davey struggling frantically to get free of the horse and it is an easy shot and Ned is sweating, his hand is shaking and he can hear Munny's voice. MUNNY'S VOICE o.s. Better get him 'fore he gets clear of the horse, Ned. And Ned is shaking and CRACK, he fires. EXT. BOX CANYON - DAY VIEW on Davey and dust kicking up a foot away and the extra terror gives him the strength to pull free of the horse. JOHNNY'S VOICE o.s. (distant, shouting) Assassin assholes. You dirty asshole sonsabitches. EXT. BOULDERS - DAY Munny and Ned and The Kid and Ned is shaking. THE KID Did you kill him? MUNNY He's clear of the horse, Ned. Better get him. EXT. BOX CANYON - DAY VIEW on Davey and he is crawling clear of the horse but his leg is broken and it's hard and he looks toward the rocks where his friends are hiding sixty yards away. TEXAS SLIM'S VOICE (from behind rock) Behind you, Davey. Go for them rocks behind you. And turning, Davey can see a couple of boulders only fifteen yards away that will provide cover. EXT. BOULDERS - DAY Ned aiming and shaking. THE KID What happened? He ain't dead? What's goin' on? MUNNY (to Ned) If he gets behind them rocks we ain't gonna get him... not without we go down there. THE KID What rocks? Why don't you shoot? What's goin' on? JOHNNY'S VOICE o.s. Fuckin' bushwhackin' assholes. And looking down the barrel Ned can see Davey crawling for the rocks and it is an easy shot and he can't do it and he looks up at Munny and the agony in his eyes says it all. THE KID Ain't you gonna shoot? Is he dead? Munny grabs the rifle and Ned moves aside and slumps against a rock and Munny looks down the barrel and aims. MUNNY I ain't much of a shot. EXT. BOX CANYON - DAY Davey crawling and CRACK! The dust kicks up eight feet away. He is ten yards from the boulders and it is agony to crawl. LIPPY'S VOICE o.s. Keep goin', Davey boy. CRACK! Dust puffs up three feet from Davey's head. EXT. BOULDERS - DAY Munny, the rifle at his cheek and The Kid leaning frantically over his shoulder, trying to see. MUNNY Shit! THE KID What happened, did you hit him? BANG! BANG! Pistol shots from below and the bullets ping harmlessly among the rocks. THE KID They're shootin' at us. JOHNNY'S VOICE o.s. We'll kill you, you assholes. Munny is aiming, he can see Davey, nearer shelter now. CRACK! He fires and sees the dust spurt near Davey. LIPPY'S VOICE o.s. You assholes... you stinking ambushing assholes. THE KID Did you get him? Where is he? EXT. BOX CANYON - DAY Davey crawling frantically and CRACK!... dust explodes only inches from his head and he is pulling himself frantically and he is only three yards from safety. EXT. BOULDERS - DAY CLOSE on Munny and he is sweating. MUNNY How many shots I got, Ned? Ned is sitting there dazed, staring vacantly. BANG, BANG, BANG, return fire pings off the rocks. MUNNY (aiming) HOW MANY LEFT GODDAMIT? NED Two. And looking down the rifle Munny can see Davey's head disappear behind the boulder and CRACK, Munny fires again. THE KID Did you get him? BANG BANG BANG the pistol fire. TEXAS SLIM'S VOICE o.s. Keep goin', Davey. Munny is cocking and aiming for his last shot and he can see Davey's legs sticking out from the rock and they're not moving. THE KID Tell me... Christ... JOHNNY'S VOICE o.s. ...murderin' bastards... LIPPY'S VOICE o.s. ...fuckin' skunks... CRACK, Munny fires. EXT. BOX CANYON - DAY VIEW ON dust puffing as Davey's legs disappear behind the boulder, and there is a low groan. EXT. BOULDERS - DAY VIEW on Munnt sitting back against the rock, exhausted, covered with sweat and he holds the rifle up to The Kid. MUNNY Better re-load it. THE KID You missed him? You didn't...? MUNNY I got him. DAVEY'S VOICE o.s. (scared, hurt) Jesus, boys, I'm shot... they shot me... TEXAS SLIM'S VOICE o.s. You tramps... you murderin' tramps. THE KID (shaken) He ain't killed. MUNNY (washed out) Maybe, maybe not. Got him in the gut, I think. EXT. BOX CANYON - DAY Davey lying behind the boulder and the whole front of him is soaking in bright red blood and the sun is beating down. DAVEY Oh Jesus... I'm hurt... I'm hurt. They shot me... EXT. BOULDERS - DAY Munny sitting there, his back against the rock, staring vacantly and Ned looks the same. THE KID (derisively) Them assholes can't hit us up here. Just wastin' bullets. The cowboys must realize that because they stop shooting and you can hear Davey moaning and Ned and Munny just sit there and sweat and The Kid is pacing up and down. THE KID You think he's gonna die? You think we killed him? Ned and Munny look into each other's eyes. DAVEY'S VOICE o.s. Help me, boys, help me... MUNNY (flatly) Yup... we killed him, I guess. DAVEY'S VOICE o.s. Oh, Jesus, help me boys, I don't want to die... I don't want to die. THE KID (rattled, shouting) SHOULDN'T OF CUT UP NO WOMAN, YOU ASSHOLE. EXT. BOX CANYON - DAY Davey is lying there behind the boulder drenched in blood, looking up at the blazing noonday sun. DAVEY (shouting) I'M DYIN', BOYS. He pauses then, and then he speaks in a normal voice, as though to himself, to express his amazement, to test reality. DAVEY I'm dyin'. (pause) I'm dyin'. (shouting, panicked) BOYS, I'M DYIN'! EXT. BOULDERS - DAY Munny sweating and looking up at the sun, and Ned staring vacantly. DAVEY'S VOICE o.s. I'm thirsty, Slim, Jesus, I'm thirsty. (pause) Bring me a drink won't you, Slim? One drink, Slim... I'm dyin', Slim... (pause) Boys, bring me a drink. it is getting to all three of them and Munny looks up at the sun and then Ned gets up and he walks over to a rock and he vomits. DAVEY'S VOICE o.s. One drink... please, boys... just one d... MUNNY (leaping up, shouting) BRING HIM SOME GODDAMN WATER, YOU ASSHOLES. THE BOULDERS. Nothing happens, you can't tell if the cowboys are behind there or not. DAVEY'S VOICE o.s. Please boys... I'm shot in the gut... I'm bleedin'... bring me... MUNNY (shouting) WILL YOU TAKE HIM A FUCKING DRINK FOR CHRIST SAKE! WE AIN'T GONNA SHOOT. There is a pause and Munny looks down at the boulders where the cowboys are hiding. TEXAS SLIM'S VOICE (from behind the boulder) You ain't gonna shoot? MUNNY No. And then, after a long moment, Munny sees Texas Slim come out from behind the boulder and run nervously toward the rock where Davey lies and he is carrying a canteen. JOHNNY'S VOICE o.s. Don't you shoot him, you assholes. The Kid is trying to see but of course he can't. THE KID They takin' water? MUNNY Yeah. Munny is watching and he sees Texas Slim disappear behind the boulder where Davey is lying and there is a moment of silence... and then the voice, a scream of grief and anguish... TEXAS SLIM'S VOICE (from behind the boulder) Oh, Jesus, Johnny, they've killed him... they've shot up his gut... oh Jesus, they've killed young Davey... oh, those murderin' bastards, they've killed our Davey... And The Kid spits in the dust and Ned wipes his forehead with his bandanna and Munny scuffs the dirt with his boot. HOOVES ON FLAT ROCK and the three riders, Munny, Ned and The Kid, are trotting their horses over a smooth slab of rock near a hill. They are silent, glum, then, THE KID When we gonna double back? MUNNY After a ways. NED (not looking at them) Not me. Munny looks up sharply but Ned just looks straight ahead. NED I'm goin' on down to Kansas. MUNNY We got to kill this other one first. (Ned doesn't answer) Shit, Ned, if we're lucky, we could kill him by nightfall... or maybe tomorrow morning. Then we could head back, all three of us, with the money. Ned reins in his horse and Munny pulls up too and then The Kid. NED (looking him in the eye) You want the Spencer, Bill? (he holds out the rifle) MUNNY (lamely) Shit, Ned, this ain't the time to quit. THE KID You're gonna lose your share. If you don't... MUNNY Shut up, Kid. Ned just holds out the rifle and after a moment Munny takes it and Ned takes a box of cartridges from his pocket and hands them over. NED I'll see you, Bill. See you, Kid. And he turns his horse and heads off across open country at a trot and Munny watches him go till he's about fifty yards away. MUNNY (shouting) HOLD ON, NED. And Ned reins up and Munny gallops up to him and holds out the Spencer and the bullets. MUNNY I ain't worth a shit with it. Ned takes the rifle, sheathes it, gives a curt nod and turns to go. MUNNY Me an' the Kid, we'll head over to the ranch an' as soon as we find him, we'll shoot him. Then we'll come back an' the three of us pick up the money an' head South together. NED Supposin' he don't go to the ranch? MUNNY I'll bet anything he won't go to town nor he won't ride out on the range. Right off he'll hole up at the ranch. NED (turning away) I ain't waitin', Bill. (looking back) I'll look in on your youngsters when I get back. MUNNY (calling after him) Ned, don't pay no mind to what the Kid said about the money. I'll bring your share along, hear? The Kid's full of shit, hear? EXT. LITTLE BILL'S HOUSE - DAY VIEW on the roof, late afternoon, and Little Bill is crawling around up there with a bucket of tar which he has got on his moustache and his face and he looks up because he hears the clatter of hooves. VIEW ON CHARLEY HECKLER Galloping his horse up to Little Bill's house and Charley is very excited and he swings off the horse in front of the porch and the porch is at once closer to completion and closer to collapse than last we saw it. CHARLEY (looking around, breathless) Little Bill, Little Bill... LITTLE BILL'S VOICE o.s. Yeah. Charley looks up, startled and Little Bill is looking down at him over the eaves. LITTLE BILL (sheepish) Makin' some repairs. CHARLEY (breathless) The killed one of them cowboys. EXT. MAIN STREET - NIGHT NIGHT, CLOSE VIEW on torchlight flickering on Davey's waxy face and dead eyes as Eggs, Germany Joe and Paddy haul the blood-caked body from the back of a buckboard. WW is looking on queasily, taking notes, and behind him the street is alive. WIGGENS' VOICE o.s. ...an' Parsons said how he seen three men right after sun-up headed out East an' one was ridin' a old blue Morgan an' another was on a white mare, only he didn't... And only a few yards away from the buckboard, in front of the County Office, Little Bill is being besieged by Deputies and Townsmen. FATTY Amos over at the stable says to ask you if the County's payin' feed for ALL the horses or if... CHARLEY ...Witherspoon says he ain't gonna sell us no more thirty- thirty shells without we pay... And the dogs, snarling, fangs bared, pulling at the leash and Tom Luckinbill is trying to keep control. TOM ...use the dogs then the county's gotta take responsibility for... LITTLE BILL (calmly) Never mind about them horses, Fatty. Just you ride out to the Bar T an' make sure that other cowboy stays put an' don't expose himself, hear? INT. ALICE'S ROOM - NIGHT Alice's room and the whores. They are sitting glumly in the dim light of a simple lamp. Little Sue is wiping tears away and Delilah is staring blankly. DELILAH (to no one in particular) I didn't think they'd really do it. ALICE (nasty) What did you think, they come clear up from Kansas to fuck us? DELILAH (vacantly) That Kid... he's just a... boy. And that other one, Bill, being true to his wife... ALICE What wife? He don't have no wife. DELILAH (shocked, hurt) He said... ALICE I told you, he don't have no wife, not aboveground, anyhow. Delilah just eats the pain raw and just then... SMASH! A rock comes through the window and you can hear someone shouting. VOICE OUTSIDE o.s. You fuckin' murderin' whores. And they all sit there stunned and then Alice recovers and gets up and goes to the window and hurls the rock back. ALICE (shouting) HE HAD IT COMING! HE HAD IT COMING FOR WHAT HE DID... AND THAT OTHER ONE TOO... BOTH OF THEM... FOR WHAT THEY DONE. EXT. COUNTY OFFICE - NIGHT Little Bill and the crowd and the torches outside the County Office and suddenly there is a commotion and shouting and everybody turns North and... Fuzzy is riding into town at full gallop shouting at the top of his lungs. FUZZY We got one. We got one of them fuckers, we got one... Bystanders part as Fuzzy brings the horse up in front of the County Office and reins hard and addresses himself breathlessly to Little Bill. FUZZY We got one of them fuckers, Sheriff, out by Cow Creek, we... LITTLE BILL Alive? FUZZY Hell, yeah. A bunch of us Bar T boys went out lookin' on account of them killin' one of our own. We come across this fucker on a roan goin' South an'... LITTLE BILL He admit it? FUZZY No... but I guess he will soon enough. Had a Spencer rifle on him an' he was... LITTLE BILL Those cowboys messin' him up? FUZZY Uh... a little, maybe. LITTLE BILL (to Clyde) You an' Andy get the hell out there. Find out where them other two went. EXT. OUTHOUSE - DAWN DAWN, the outhouse, birds chirping cheerily and the outhouse door opens and BUCK BARTHOL steps out and stretches luxuriously. VIEW on bushes and The Kid holding his nose. The bushes are right behind the outhouse and the stink is terrible. The Kid is crouched there and he is doing an elaborate pantomime of his suffering for Munny's benefit. INT. BUNKHOUSE - DAY VIEW on Buck coming into the bunkhouse. There isn't much light and the shadowy sleeping figures are more easily discernable by the snorts and snores they make than by their shapes... except for THIRSTY and Quick Mike who are sitting, half dressed at a table rolling cigarettes. THIRSTY See anythin' out there, Buck? BUCK Hell, yes I did. (Mike looks up nervously) Seen about two hundred fellers packin' rifles... Fuckers got the place surrounded, says they want Quick Mike's ass... I says, "How much?" They says, "About five." I says, "Dollars?" They says, "Cents." I says, "Sold." MIKE Well I ain't worried I got protection. (he indicates a nearby bunk) Fatty snoring on the bunk near Quick Mike. EXT. MAIN STREET - NIGHT CLOSE on Ned's face, nose bloodied, eye blackened, as he rides down the Main Street of Big Whiskey escorted by six cowboys (including Texas Slim, Johnny Foley and Lippy MacGregor) and Clyde and Andy. Ned's wrists are tied and he looks sullen and... scared. Little Bill and WW Beauchamp are standing on the porch of the County Office when the little group pulls up attended by numerous onlookers. Little Bill looks Ned over coolly as he addresses Clyde. LITTLE BILL He tell you where them others is? CLYDE Nope. LITTLE BILL He give 'em names? CLYDE Didn't give us nothin' but his own name... Ned Roundtree. LITTLE BILL Well, Ned, you'll want to tell me an' Mister Beauchamp here all about them two villainous friends of yours, I guess. (to Clyde and Andy) Bring him in, boys, for I will be glad to know the names and the whereabouts of those other two murdering sonsofbitches. EXT. OUTHOUSE - DAY VIEW on the mid day sun blazing from on high and an enormous farting sound... VIEW ON THE OUTHOUSE After a pause, another vigorous fart and then silence broken only by the buzzing of flies, and then the sound of newspaper and suddenly the door opens and Thirsty steps out and heads up toward the bunkhouse. VIEW ON THE KID In the bushes reacting to the smell and the flies are buzzing furiously. THE KID Sure is fuckin' ripe. I wish we'd get a breeze. Munny wipes sweat from his face and looks up at the blazing sun. MUNNY It's gonna get riper yet. THE KID You still think he's in there? MUNNY (his eyes on the bunkhouse) Yeah, he's in there. THE KID Well, he's holding on to his shit like it was money. MUNNY He's in there. THE KID Tell me right off if you see him. MUNNY Yup. THE KID You... you ain't gonna shoot him yourownself? MUNNY (tired of saying it) You can shoot him. The Kid nods, satisfied, but he's keyed up something ferocious and his fingers play nervously with his pistol. INT. JAIL - DAY CLOSE on Ned's face jammed against the bars of the cell in the County Office. He has been tied to the bars outside the cell so that he is, more or less, spread-eagled in an upright position with his bare back exposed to Little Bill and Charley Hecker and WW Beauchamp. LITTLE BILL Now then, Ned... you an'... uh... Mister Quincy an' uh... What was that young feller's name? NED Tate. Elroy Tate. WW shakes his head at Little Bill and holds out his notebook for Little Bill to see. LITTLE BILL That ain't what you said before, Ned. Little Bill empties hot coals from the bowl of his pipe on Ned's shoulders and Ned writhes and grots his teeth. NED Hellif it ain't. LITTLE BILL (looking at WW's notes) Before you said Elroy Quincy out of Medicine Hat an' Henry Tate out of Cheyenne. NED Fuck if I did. LITTLE BILL (refilling his pipe) Charley, go bring them whores here that fucked these boys the night of the storm. CHARLEY Strawberry Alice an' Silky? LITTLE BILL Yeah... an' fetch a bullwhip out of the German's. Ned's face against the bars is covered with perspiration and etched with fear as he hears the door close behind Charley. LITTLE BILL (lighting his pipe) Now, Ned... them whores are gonna lie different lies than you... an' when your lie ain't the same as their lie... I ain't gonna hurt no woman, I'm gonna hurt you... not gentle like I been doin' but... baaaad. Ned swallows hard and sweats and waits. INT. BUNKHOUSE - DAY CLOSE on cards. They are playing at the little table in the bunkhouse, Quick Mike, Buck, Thirsty, Fatty Rossiter and OLAF HARKEN and Quick Mike doesn't even have a pair and tosses his cards down in disgust and walks over to his bunk and starts to put on his boots. BUCK (to Mike) Where you goin'? QUICK MIKE Take a shit. FATTY (he has two kings) Lemmee finish this hand, will you? QUICK MIKE You gonna protect me while I take a shit? Quick Mike walks over to a peg and hangs a gunbelt over his bare shoulder. BUCK You could get bushwhacked. QUICK MIKE (heading for the door) I'll fart on 'em. THIRSTY (starting to get up) I'll go with him. QUICK MIKE You could wipe my ass, Thirsty. THIRSTY (sitting down) Hell with him. Man ain't polite, he oughta get shot. EXT. OUTHOUSE - DAY The Kid in the bushes and he hears the door slamming shut up at the bunkhouse and he squints anxiously. THE KID (whispering) Is it him? MUNNY (watching Mike) Yup. The Kid is beside himself, his throat goes dry and he gulps for air and he brings the hammer back on his pistol and squints anxiusly. HIS POV: Mike out of focus approaching from The Kid's POV and gradually Mike comes into focus walking closer and we VIEW ON THE KID Sweating, tensed for action and Munny looks over at him. MUNNY (whispering) He's yours, Kid. Can you get him? And The Kid is biting his lip and doesn't answer and Quick Mike is very close and The Kid brings up his pistol and gulps and doesn't shoot and then it is too late because Mike has entered the outhouse. Munny is disgusted and he cocks the shotgun to do it himself. The Kid is walking on eggshells approaching the door of the outhouse, pistol in his right hand and he reaches his left hand to open the door but he is hesitant and... Munny sees Fatty Rossiter step casually out of the bunkhouse and Munny raises the shotgun and Fatty sees The Kid and screams. FATTY ASSASSINS, BOYS, ASSASSINS! BAWHOOM! Munny lets go with the shotgun and Fatty dives back into the bunkhouse and... The Kid is startled and looks over his shoulder. MUNNY SHOOT HIM, KID! and The Kid grabs the door with his left hand and opens it and there is Mike sitting on the crapper astonished and one hand is on his holstered pistol but he's frozen and The Kid is pointing the Schofield at him but The Kid is frozen too. MIKE NO! NO! BLAM! The Schofield jumps in The Kid's hand and Mike gets it in the chest and there is smoke all over and The Kid stares at Mike amazed and Mike who has a big splotch of blood on his chest stares back at The Kid amazed also and then... BLAM, The Kid shoots him again, this time in the face. BANG! BANG! shots from the bunkhouse and... BAWHOOM! Munny blasts the bunkhouse with shotgun. MUNNY Come on, Kid. BLAM, The Kid shoots Mike's slumping body a third time and he seems hypnotized but... BANG BANG shots are coming from the bunkhouse and Munny is screaming and The Kid tears himself away. EXT. BUSHES - DAY Munny crashing through the bushes and The Kid is a few yards behind him and Munny stumbles and scrambles to his feet. MUNNY Did... you... get... him? THE KID (amazed) Yeah. EXT. OUTHOUSE - DAY The outhouse and Mike's body and Fatty and Thirsty and Buck dashing past, waving their guns. EXT. WOODS - DAY The albino mare and the Morgan in the woods and Munny and The Kid dash up to the horses, gasping for breath, and Munny tries to mount still holding the shotgun and the horse starts to prance around and Munny can't mount. MUNNY Hold still. BANG, BANG, BANG shots are whistling around them and looking back Munny can see his pursuers firing from cover fifty yards away. Munny shoves two shells in the shotgun and hands it to The Kid who has mounted. MUNNY Cover me, Kid, while I mount. THE KID (panicked) I can't see 'em. BANG BANG BANG MUNNY Just SHOOT! And KA BLAMMM, The Kid lets go both barrels in the general direction of the enemy and then Munny gallops away half on his horse, half-off, in an undignified escape, bullets whistling around his horse and The Kid behind him shouting. THE KID Where are you, Bill, where are you, I can't see you. Wait for me. and then they disappear and gradually the shooting atops. EXT. OPEN COUNTRY - DAY Open country at sundown seen from a low hill, and you can barely make out a lone RIDER approaching in the extreme distance. VIEW ON MUNNY Standing on the rise and watching the rider in the distance. THE KID Is that what it was like, Bill, in the old days... ridin' out with everybody shootin'... smoke all over an' folks yellin' an' bullets whizzin' by? The Kis is behind Bill sitting under a large oak drinking from a whiskey bottle. MUNNY (absently) Yeah, I guess so. THE KID Shit... I thought they was gonna get us. I was even... scared a little... just for a minute. (pause) Was you ever scared in them days? Munny turns from watching the rider's slow approach and walks over to The Kid who can't see the rider from where he's sitting. MUNNY I don't remember, Kid. I was drunk most of the time. Give me a pull on that bottle, will you? Munny takes a big pull on the bottle, returns it to The Kid, and walks back to the edge of the rise to resume his vigil. The rider is a little closer now and the sun is a little lower. It is very beautiful. THE KID (drinking heavy) I shot that fucker three times. He was takin' a shit. He went for his pistol an' I blazed away... first shot got him in the chest... The Kid wipes whiskey from his chin. He has been working hard to make the hysteria he feels into a high... but it won't quite come. THE KID Say, Bill... MUNNY Yeah. Munny is watching the rider and the rider is closer. THE KID That was... the first one. MUNNY First one what? THE KID First one I ever killed. MUNNY (preoccupied with his vigil) Yeah? THE KID How I said I shot five men... it wasn't true. (long pause) That Mexican... the one that come at me with a knife... I busted his leg with a shovel... I didn't shoot him or nothin'. Munny is watching the rider and the rider is much closer but coming at a walk and Munny goes back over to The Kid for a pull on the bottle and he's trying to make The Kid feel okay when he says... MUNNY Well, that fella today, you shot him alright. THE KID (forced bravado) H-hell yeah. I killed the hell out of him... three shots... he was takin' a sh-sh-shit an'... an'... The Kid is shaking, becoming hysterical, he can't go on, and Munny hands the bottle back. MUNNY Take a drink, Kid. THE KID (breaking down, crying) Oh Ch-ch-christ... it don't... it don't seem... real... How he's... DEAD... how he ain't gonna breathe no more... n-n-never. Or the other one neither... On account of... of just... pullin' a trigger. Munny walks back to the edge of the rise and watches the rider and it is a lovely sunset happening and he is talking to no one in particular. MUNNY It's a hell of a thing, ain't it, killin' a man. You take everythin' he's got... an' everythin' he's ever gonna have... THE KID (trying to pull him- self together) Well, I gu-guess they had it... comin'. MUNNY We all got it comin', Kid. VIEW on the rider at the foot of the rise and it is Little Sue and VIEW on Munny pulling the saddle bags off and Little Sue is still mounted. They are under the oak tree and it is dusk and The Kid is just sitting there with his bottle. MUNNY I was watchin' you... seein' if you was followed. LITTLE SUE (scared to death) Silky an' Faith, they rode off to the East an' two deputies was followin' them. Munny has lit a little candle and spread a blanket and he is opening the bags to count the money. MUNNY (pouring out the coins and bills) You wanna help me count, Kid? The Kid is leaning against the tree in a semi-stupor. THE KID I trust you, Bill. MUNNY Well, you don't wanna trust me too much. We'll take Ned his share together so you don't figure I run off with it. LITTLE SUE (startled) Ned's share? MUNNY (counting) Yeah, he went South ahead of us. I guess we'll catch him before... LITTLE SUE (blurting it out) He's... he's dead. MUNNY (counting) No he ain't. He went South yesterday. LITTLE SUE They... they killed him. I... thought you know that. I thought you knew because... MUNNY (looking up) Nobody didn't kill Ned, he went South yesterday. He didn't even kill nobody. Why would anybody kill Ned? Little Sue just looks back at him, scared, trembling. MUNNY (realizing) Who killed him? LITTLE SUE Little Bill. The... the Bar T boys caught him and Little Bill... MUNNY He hanged him? (Little Sue shakes her head "no") Shot him down? LITTLE SUE N-no. He... he beat him up. He was making him... answer questions... and beating him up... and then... Ned just died. (pause) Little Bill didn't mean to kill him... he said he was sorry an' all... but he said it was a good example anyhow. MUNNY (outraged) Good example! Good example of what I'd like to know? He didn't even kill nobody... he couldn't do it no more. LITTLE SUE They got... a sign on him says he was a killer. MUNNY (flabbergasted) A sign on him? LITTLE SUE In front of Greely's. It says, "This here is what happens to..." MUNNY (incredulous) They got a sign on him in front of Greely's? The Kid just has his head in his hands, it's too much for him and Little Sue is scared shitless of Munny. MUNNY The questions Little Bill asked him... what sort of questions was they? LITTLE SUE About where you an' him (indicating The Kid) was... an' where you was from... an' what your names was... an'... MUNNY What'd Ned say? LITTLE SUE L-lies... at first. About how you was just passin' through and didn't kill nobody... an' Little Bill kept askin' questions, mixin' him up, catchin' lies... an' then he'd beat on Ned an' Ned would cry and lie some more an' then... then... MUNNY Then... what? LITTLE SUE A cowboy come in sayin' you killed Quick Mike in the shit house at the Bar T... MUNNY An' Little Bill killed Ned for what I done? LITTLE SUE Not on purpose. But he started hurtin' him worse... makin' him tell stuff. First ned wouldn't say nothin'... but Little Bill hurt him so bad he said who you was... Munny looks up sharply. Little Sue is scared, her voice quavers... LITTLE SUE contd. He said how you was really Three Fingered Jack out of Missouri... an' Bill said "Same Three Fingered Jack that dynamited the Rock Island and Pacific in '69 killin' women and children an' all?" An' Ned says you done a lot worse than that, said you was more cold blooded than William Bonney or Clay Alisson or the James Brothers an' how if he hurt Ned again you was gonna come an' kill him like you killed a U.S. Marshall in '73. MUNNY Didn't scare Little Bill though, did it? LITTLE SUE N-no, sir? MUNNY Lemmee see that Schofield, Kid. THE KID Wha... what f-for? MUNNY (sharply) Lemmee see it. THE KID (giving it to him) Sure. Sure, Bill. Munny takes the pistol and begins to check it methodically, inspecting the load first... and The Kid watches nervously, shifting from foot to foot. THE KID You... you could keep it, Bill. I ain't... gonna use it no more, I ain't gonna kill nobody. Munny, still checking the gun, glances up and meets The Kid's uneasy gaze. THE KID I... I ain't like you, Bill. Munny looks back at the pistol, checks the sights. THE KID You... gonna take... the money? MUNNY (to Little Sue) You better get on back, Miss. And Little Sue, still mounted, breathes an enormous silent sigh of relief and turns her horse away hastily and Munny, satisfied with the pistol, sticks it in his belt and walks over to the horse and pulls his sawed-off shotgun out of the bedroll. THE KID You could have it. All of it. MUNNY I thought you wanted to buy spectacles an' fancy clothes an' all. THE KID I'd rather be blind and ragged than dead, I guess. Munny looks at The Kid who is behaving bravely but is trembling anyway, scared, and Munny's eyes are full of brutally painful memories. MUNNY Shit, Kid. I ain't gonna kill you. You're... the only friend I got. EXT. NORTH ROAD - NIGHT MOONLIGHT on the ordinance #14 sign on the North Road and two riders come up slow, Munny and The Kid, and Munny reins up and then The Kid does too. Munny takes the saddle bags off his horse. MUNNY (giving The Kid the bags) This here money, take my share an' Ned's an' leave it with my youngsters. Tell 'em half goes to Sally Two Trees if I ain't back in a week. The rest is yours... you could buy them spectacles. THE KID Are you... Are you gonna... kill Little Bill? MUNNY (holding up the whiskey bottle) I guess you won't mind my keepin' the bottle. THE KID You're gonna kill him, ain't you? MUNNY Stay clear of folks you might see. There's plenty out lookin' to hang you. Go on now, skedaddle. Munny slaps The Kid's horse and The Kid sets out at a trot and Munny watches him disappear into the night. When he is alone and he can't hear The Kid's horse any more, Munny uncorks the bottle and takes a long deep drink. EXT. GREELY'S PORCH - NIGHT VIEW on Ned's body in the upright coffin in the flickering light of a torch standing next to it and, of course, Ned looks bad and the crudely scrawled sign over the coffin says, "This is what happens to assassins around here." INT. BAR ROOM - NIGHT VIEW on Little Bill in the crowded bar and he is shouting to make himself heard over the din. LITTLE BILL Alright, I'm gonna say just one more time so it's all clear an' then don't ask me no more. The place is packed with tired, dusty men and they are not really jubilant so much as they are excited by the hysteria of events. LITTLE BILL (continuing) Now each of you that posse'd today has got one drink comin' off the county budget... THIRSTY Yahoo. LITTLE BILL ...an' whoever rode yesterday, gets one drink for that... PADDY Yippee. EGGS I told yuh two, I... LITTLE BILL Hold it hold it. After them two, it's outta your own pocket... hear me, Skinny? ...an' we're pullin' out early tomorrow an' chase these fellas clear to Texas so I wouldn't spend much of your own money. There is a general whoop and hubbub as Little Bill turns back to his conversation at the bar with Charley, Fatty, Clyde, Andy and WW Beauchamp. LITTLE BILL Now if we divide up into four parties an' hit all the farms an' trails in a circle, we're bound to find some one who seen them skunks an'... Little Bill is suddenly conscious of his own loud voice in a sudden silence that has swept the bar like a brushfire and turning he sees what everybody is staring at. Munny, with his ten-gauge shotgun leveled from the shoulder, is standing thirty feet away in the doorway. Taking a couple of sideways steps to get the door from behind his back and sweeping the twin barrels in an ominous arc, he surveys the scene. MUNNY (a little drunk) Which fucker owns this shithole? Nobosy says a thing. Skinny stares pop-eyed from behind the bar and the sweat starts on his forehead and Little Bill is thinking coolly and everybody else is swallowing hard and looking at the shotgun. MUNNY (to Fatty) You there, fat man, speak up. Fatty gulps and then Skinny screws up his courage and steps from behind the bar and gives it every bit of dignity his fear will permit. SKINNY I... I own this establishment. I bought it from Greely for a thous... MUNNY (to the men round Skinny) Better step clear, boys. And Skinny looks from side to side as people step away from him and he wants to say something desperately, he wants to live, he wants... LITTLE BILL Hold on, mist... BAH-WHOOM! Munny fires and smoke belches and... Skinny is blown back against the wall and falls to the floor a bloody mess and... Little Bill is reaching for the Spencer which is leaning against the bar near his leg but he freezes because... Munny has turned the shotgun on him and Munny sees Ned's Spencer there and his eyes show how he feels about it. For a moment while the smoke clears the bar is silent and there are nervous glances cast at the bloody body of Skinny but Little Bill keeps his eyes on Munny. LITTLE BILL Well sir... You are a cowardly sonofabitch because you have just shot down an unarmed man. It has become a very formal moment and there are, figuratively speaking, only two people in the room, Munny and Little Bill... and WW Beauchamp is watching them, scared to death, but this is it, what all those Easterners dreamed about, the showdown in the saloon. MUNNY (the shotgun pointed right at Little Bill) He should have armed himself if he was gonna decorate his saloon with the body of my friend. LITTLE BILL I guess you are Three-Fingered Jack out of Missouri, killer of women and children. MUNNY (a little drunkenly) I have done that... killed women and children... I have killed most everything that walks or crawls an' now I have come to kill you, Little Bill, for what you done to Ned. (to the others) Now step aside. boys. And as the deputies nervously move aside Little Bill helps to isolate himself by stepping forward boldly. LITTLE BILL He's got one barrel left, gentlemen. After he has used it, pull your pistols and shoot him down like the cowardly, drunken scoundrel he is. Little Bill looks back at Munny bravely and... Munny looks down the barrel at Little Bill and after a tense moment he pulls the trigger. CLICK. The hammer falls but it is a misfire and what happens next happens in maybe five seconds as all hell breaks loose. LITTLE BILL (drawing) Misfire! Kill the sonofabitch! And Little Bill aims carefully and... Munny hurls the shotgun at him and... BLAM!... Little Bill fires wildly as the shotgun hits him and... Clyde has his pistol out and is pointing it at Munny and... Munny is pulling the pistol from his own belt and he drops to one knee and... BLAM!... Clyde fires and misses and... Little Bill is about to squeeze the trigger when... BLAM!... Munny shoots him and... BLAM!... Little Bill shoots just as he is hit in the chest and... BLAM! BLAM!... Fatty fires wildly and... Munny is aiming too and BLAM!... Clyde gets it in the face and... BLAM!... BLAM!... Fatty isn't even aiming while... Andy aims carefully, he can kill Munny but... Munny turns and points his weapon at Andy and... Instead of firing Andy panics and tries to turn his body sideways to ward off the blow and... BLAM!... Munny fires and... Andy gets it high in the rib cage and... Charley turns and runs for the back and... BLAM! BLAM!... Fatty is backing up and firing from the hip and then he turns to run and... Munny aims deliberately from one knee and BLAM!... Fatty goes down, shot in the back... And suddenly... there is a terrible silence that is broken only by the awful, dying groans of Clyde and the coughing of the bystanders hiding behind tables and chairs in the thick black smoke and... Munny is still down on one knee pointing his pistol and looking through the thick smoke for someone to shoot but it seems there are no threats left. MUNNY Every asshole that doesn't want to get shot best clear out the back quick. And they scramble over each other dashing toward the Billiard Room and Munny stands up and looks around and he looks at Clyde who is groaning, his face covered with blood and everyone else, Little Bill, Andy and Fatty are still, and then Fatty seems to move and Munny levels his pistol and what happens is WW crawls out from half-under Fatty and WW is covered with blood and he is shaking like a leaf. WW I... I... think I'm... shot. MUNNY You ain't shot. WW (seeing the pistol) P-p-p-please, I'm not armed. (as Munny lowers the pistol, WW looks around) M-m-my G-god. You killed... Little Bill. MUNNY (suspicious) You sure you ain't armed? WW I never c-c-carry arms. I'm... a writer. MUNNY A writer? What do you write... letters an' such? WW B-b-books. (amazed) You... you killed five men... singlehanded. MUNNY (wearily) Yeah. Munny walks over to the bar, keeping his eye suspiciously on WW, and reaches for a bottle with his left hand. The hand is shaking like palsy and he tilts the bottle and drinks sloppily with effort, the pistol still in his right hand. WW Wh-wh-who did you kill first? MUNNY Huh? WW (reciting) Wh-wh-when confronted by superior numbers, the experienced gunfighter will fire on the best shots first. MUNNY (drinking) Yeah? Unnoticed on the floor, Little Bill is conscious though blood is coming out of his mouth and he has been written off. One hand is shifting on his pistol and he can hear Clyde moaning sporadically. WW Little Bill told me that. You killed him first, didn't you? On the floor, Little Bill is fighting for consciousness, fingering his pistol. MUNNY I was lucky in the order. (bitterly) I always been lucky killin' folks. WW Who was next? Clyde? Or was it...? MUNNY (suddely ominous, pistol pointing) I could tell you who was last, mister. WW's eyes pop as he gets the idea and he backs up fast, and then he turns and bolts out the back, and watching him go, Munny turns his back on the fallen body of Little Bill. Little Bill, on the floor, raises up his pistol in his shaking hand and aims at Munny's back maybe six feet away and he is shaking bad as he draws the hammer back and... Munny hears the click and he turns and sees Little Bill aiming but it is too late and... BLAM! Smoke and fire from Little Bill's pistol and Little Bill's arm collapses from the effort and the pistol falls with a bang. MUNNY Missed again, asshole. And Munny steps over to him and kicks the pistol away from Little Bill's outstretched hand. Little Bill is bleeding from the mouth having taken a shot in the lung and he is very weak and all he can do is look up at Munny and speak weakly. LITTLE BILL I don't... deserve this... to die this way. I was... building a house. MUNNY (aiming his pistol point blank) "Deserve" don't mean shit, Little Bill. LITTLE BILL (the pistol in his face) I'll see you... in hell, you three-fingered asshole. BLAM! Munny shoots Little Bill and then he looks around and Clyde is still groaning and that is the only sound. Then, suddenly, he is all business. He walks quickly over to Clyde and shoots him once with the Spencer and the groaning stops. Then he goes to Little Bill's body and pokes around in the pockets and pulls out some shells for the Spencer. He shoves those in his pocket and he goes to the bar and picks up the bottle of whiskey and walks over to the door. Standing to one side, he kicks it open. Then he sets down the rifle and the bottle and starts to reload the Schofield and while he loads it he shouts out the door. MUNNY I'm comin' outta here... an' any fucker I see out there, I'm gonna kill him... an' any fucker takes a shot at me, I ain't just gonna kill him, but I'm gonna kill his wife an' all his friends an' burn his fucking house, hear? The pistol is loaded and Munny sticks it in his belt and he takes a long pull on the whiskey bottle and wipes the dribble from his chin. Then he picks up the rifle in the other hand and looks out the door. EXT. MAIN STREET/GREELY'S - NIGHT The street and it is dark and quiet, shadowy buildings, the knot of tethered horses, a couple of torches stuck in the ground sputtering. MUNNY'S VOICE o.s. Nobody better shoot on account of I'm as mean as I say... maybe meaner. I am a damn badman an' you will not find a worse one in hell. And Munny steps out the door warily, and looks around and all he sees are the shadowy buildings and all he hears are his own boots on the wooden porch. Glancing nervously at the dark buildings' blank stares he walks past the upright coffin where the waxy face of Ned stares gruesomely in the light of the flickering torch and he gives it a glance, wanting to say he's sorry, but the idea is ludicrous and he steps off the porch and walks toward the white mare. EXT. ALLEYWAY - NIGHT WW Beauchamp and Charley Hecker and Germany Joe crouched in the alleyway between two buildings across the street and Charley has a rifle and they can see Munny mounting his horse. GERMANY JOE (whispering) Go ahead, shoot him. Charley just shakes his head and offers the rifle to Germany Joe. And Germany Joe doesn't want it. GERMANY JOE I endt no dehpoody. WW is watching Munny's unbelievably awkward and prolonged mounting procedure and he can't believe it, he can't believe what the Old West is like and it shows on his face. EXT. MAIN STREET - NIGHT Munny riding down the dark, lonely street at a trot and he starts to shout at the top of his lungs. MUNNY You boys better bury old Ned right... and you better not carve up nor otherwise harm no whores... or I will come back an' kill more sonsabitches, hear? And there are tears running down Munny's cheeks. EXT. SOD HUT - DAY DAYLIGHT and Penny sweeping in the doorway of Munny's sod hut in Kansas. She is intent on her work until she hears the snort of a horse and looks up and her jaw drops, and her face lights up like the sun itself and, dropping the broom, she dashes toward him. VIEW ON MUNNY Munny walking across the field, leading the mare. He is covered with dust and heavily stubbled from the trip. Penny dashes up to him and throws her arms around him and he is overjoyed but he doesn't have any way to express it except through awkwardness and embarrassment. MUNNY (fondly) Ain't you a lady! And he puts his arm around her and they walk toward the house. EXT. HOG PENS - DAY VIEW ON WILL Working in the hog pens in back, concentrating on the job. MUNNY Place looks good. And Will whirls around and sees Munny standing there beside the house and his first instinct is to run to him and then he remembers his dignity and stands there like a man, but the grin is liable to break his face. WILL Hullo, paw. MUNNY I guess you lost some hogs to the fever. WILL Three. MUNNY Three? That ain't bad considerin'. Will is pissing in his pants with pride and pleasure and he joins his father and they walk around the house together. WILL That fella come by... Tom. MUNNY (stopping) Tom? WILL The one you rode out after... the one that had the pistol... MUNNY The Kid, yeah... WILL Only he wasn't carryin' no pistol this time. INT. SHED - DAY Will and Munny in te shed and Will is digging deep into a huge pile of straw. MUNNY (worried) He say anythin'... The Kid... ? WILL (digging) Tom? Only how... how if you didn't... didn't come back in a week... (upset) how we was to take half the money to Sally an' say you was... MUNNY (gently) Well, I come back, didn't I? And Will has exposed the saddle bags and Munny moves in and opens them and gold coins and wads of bills spill out. WILL (upset) Did you... did you... ? MUNNY (counting) Did I what? WILL All that money... I mean... did you...? MUNNY (counting) Steal it? Naw, I didn't steal it. WILL No... I meant... MUNNY (turning) What? WILL K-k-kill somebody? MUNNY Who said that? WILL N-nobody... only you took your shotgun an' that pistol an'... MUNNY (bothered, putting his arm around Will's shoulders) Before I met your maw, God rest her soul, it used to be I was kinda... wicked... drinkin' spirits an' gettin' into scrapes an' all. Only she made me see the error of my ways an'... I ain't like I was no more. WILL (relieved) I guess you didn't kill nobody then. MUNNY (it is an effort) Naw, son, I didn't kill nobody. EXT. GRAVE - DAY The grave of Claudia under the trees and Munny walks up to it and maybe we hear music or maybe just the wind, but the words begin to crawl across the screen, supered. WRITTEN WORDS (crawl) They were married in St. Louis in 1B70 and they traveled North to Kansas where he engaged in farming and swine husbandry. She bore him two children in the eight years of their marriage and when she died, it was not at his hands as her mother might have expected, but of smallpox. VIEW ON MUNNY We are looking at him by now and there is nothing easy on his face, no big emotions, he is just looking at the grave. WRITTEN WORDS (crawl cont'd) Some years later, Mrs. Ansonia Feathers made the arduous journey to Hodgeman County to visit the last resting place of her only daughter. VIEW ON THE GRAVE We are looking at the stone now and the words continue. WRITTEN WORDS (crawl cont'd) William Munny had long since sold the place and disappeared with the children... some said to San Francisco where it was rumored he prospered as a dry goods merchant under a different name. CLOSE ON THE EYES OF WILLIAM MUNNY The eyes of the husband and the pig-farmer and the man who shot down five men in the Big Whiskey saloon. WRITTEN WORDS (crawl cont'd) And there was nothing on the stone to explain to Mrs. Feathers why her only daughter had married a known thief and murderer, a man of notoriously vicious and intemperate disposition. THE END

INT. CLOTHING STORE - AFTERNOON Women's casual wear department. J.C. Penny. Legend "1961" An African-American man carrying two J.C. Penny shopping bags is ushered past the department store managers and security guards on walkies that have gathered at the entrance to the woman's dressing rooms. CUT TO: INT. DRESSING ROOM - AFTERNOON A bed has been formed by a chair and three benches. A STRIKING AFRICAN-AMERICAN WOMAN in her twenties lays across it. Her face and clothes are covered in sweat. Her skirt is stained. She holds something wrapped in a soft sweatshirt on her chest. We can't see it, but WE HEAR THE BABY CRYING. She's just given birth. There are three frazzled saleswomen in the dressing room with her. They watch her with quiet smiles. A fourth SALESWOMAN arrives ushering in the man with the shopping bags. SALESWOMAN This is Mr. Mathison. He's a doctor. DR. MATHISON looks over the scene and then directly at the striking woman. DR. MATHISON You okay? The woman nods, "Yes." Sweat trickles down her face. THE BABY'S PIERCING CRIES ECHO IN THE SMALL ROOM. SALESWOMAN An ambulance is on the way. Dr. Mathison puts down his shopping bags and moves to her. He kneels down and gestures for the bundle of sweatshirts in her arms. DR. MATHISON Is there a name yet? Beat. The woman smiles for the first time. WOMAN Elijah. She hands him the wrapped child. We can't see the baby, but THE PIERCING CRIES SEEM TO GET LOUDER. WOMAN Is he supposed to be crying like that? The doctor lowers the baby to his lap and unwraps him. The woman can't see her baby anymore. She watches Dr. Mathison as he looks down and examines her child. Beat. Dr. Mathison doesn't look up for the longest time. WOMAN Can I have him back? THE BABY'S CRYING IS RELENTLESS. UNNERVING. Beat. The doctor finally glances up. He looks shaken. He makes eye contact with the woman for only a second. It's enough. A chill goes through her body. He looks to the three saleswomen who were in the room. DR. MATHISON What happened during the delivery? His hard stare unsettles the women. The OLDER SALESWOMAN speaks up. OLDER SALESWOMAN Nothing. It was very quick. The baby just wanted to come right out. There was no problems. DR. MATHISON Did you drop him? Everyone becomes very still. The mother looks like she stopped breathing. THE BABY'S SCREAMING ENGULFS THE ROOM. DR. MATHISON Did you drop this baby? Beat. OLDER SALESWOMAN Jesus Christ, no. The BABY SCREAMS. The doctor whispers something to himself, we can't hear. He looks up to the saleswoman who brought him in. DR. MATHISON Please inform the ambulance we have a situation... Dr. Mathison turns back to the mother. Beat. DR. MATHISON I've never seen this... It appears your infant sustained some fractures while in your uterus. (beat) His arms and legs are broken. FADE TO BLACK: EXT. TRAIN STATION NEW JERSEY - DAY LEGEND "PRESENT DAY" A fountain of humanity bubbles up from the escalators to the train platform. Businessmen take their last desperate drags of their cigarettes... Women traveling with children herd their luggage and offspring into tight shapes as they move... College students with backpacks look around dazed at the various track numbers. ANNOUNCER(o.s.) Last call track three, Amtrak Clocker making it's final stop at Philadelphia's thirtieth street station. First two passenger cars only. First two cars only. A face inside the train watches the stream of passengers emerging from the escalators. DAVID DUNNE, a man in his early forties, rest his temple against the glass and quietly observes the movement outside. The train starts to pull out. CUT TO: INT. PASSENGER CAR - DAY David sits with his coat on his lap. He's wearing a tie. He doesn't look very comfortable in it. He feels a stare. He looks up to find a girl, six or seven years old, peering at him from over the seat in front of him. She just gazes at him blankly. He gives her a small forced smile. She doesn't react. David returns his head to the window. His eyes begin to shut with the lulling movement of the train. WOMAN(o.s.) You alone? David looks in the direction of THE VOICE. A WOMAN with dark hair and light blue eyes stands in the aisle with two bags over her shoulder. She's wearing a tight white t-shirt and jeans. She's beautiful. David nods "yes." The woman starts putting her bags on the shelf above the seats. She stretches to get them up. Her toned stomach is exposed. She has a silver ring pierced through her navel. David has a gold ring on his hand. He fiddles with it. Beat. He gently slips off his wedding band. It goes into his coat pocket. The woman takes the seat next to him. Beat. A LOUD VIOLENT BURST OF SOUND. The passenger car shakes as a passing train barrels by two feet from David's window. It passes in a few seconds. The car returns to a QUIET HUM. David pulls a magazine out from the seat pocket in front of him. He holds the woman's fashion magazine out. DAVID Someone left these. You want one? The woman looks over the one being offered and then points to the Sports Illustrated peeking out of the seat pocket. David pulls the magazine out and gives it to her. DAVID You like sports? WOMAN It's my field. I represent athletes. I'm an agent. DAVID What a coincidence? I'm a male synchronized swimmer and I'm looking for representation. WOMAN(smiling) Is that right? DAVID But I'm afraid of water, so that's been holding my career back a little bit. The woman laughs. DAVID You represent someone in Philadelphia? WOMAN I'm meeting a player from Temple University. He's a cornerback. You like football? Beat. DAVID Not really. WOMAN This kid is six foot two, two hundred and forty pounds. He runs the fifty in under six seconds. He's going to be a God. Beat. David studies the excitement in her eyes. ANOTHER LOUD VIOLENT BURST OF SOUND. David waits till the opposing train passes. The woman goes back to her magazine. Beat. DAVID I'm David Dunne. The woman looks up. WOMAN Kelly. She goes back to the magazine. Beat. DAVID How long are you staying in Philly? KELLY looks up from her Sports Illustrated. Her striking blue eyes gaze at David. Beat. She holds up her hand. Taps the diamond ring on her finger. KELLY(soft) I'm married. DAVID(fake excitement) Great. Beat. KELLY Sorry. DAVID(fake confusion) What are you talking about? An awkward silence. DAVID I think you got the wrong idea. The woman stares at David. She looks down. Beat. Closes the magazine. KELLY I'm going to find another seat. Kelly gets up. She balances herself against a headrest as the train rumbles. She starts to the back of the car. David sits alone. He looks like he's drowning, but there's no water. He feels a stare. He glances up. The little girl spies on him from between the seats. David leans towards the window to avoid eye contact. His hand reaches into his coat and slides out his wedding band. He puts it back on. His temple touches the glass. The vibration of the train begins to lull his eyes closed... Beat. David's head bounces lightly against the window. The shaking of the glass never allows David's eyes to completely close. He sits up when he realizes the shaking is getting stronger. He looks out the window. The scenery blurs as it flies by. Beat. David turns. Some of the other passengers start to react as they realize the train is picking up speed. The normal bumps of the tracks become amplified. The WORRIED VOICES OF THE TRAVELERS START FILL THE CABIN. The train goes faster. AND THEN THE HIGH PITCHED METAL ON METAL SCREECHING STARTS AS THE TRAIN BEGINS TO TAKE A CURVE. David's eyes move to the seat in front of him. The little girl is no longer watching him. DAVID LOOKS TO THE PASSENGERS ACROSS FROM HIM. He sees the ground slowly drop away in the windows behind them as THEIR SIDE OF THE TRAIN STARTS TO RISE... THE PASSENGERS SCREAM AS THE AMTRAK PASSENGER TRAIN BEGINS TO TILT OFF THE TRACK... CUT TO: INT. FAMILY ROOM - AFTERNOON A boy, age ten, sits on his head on the family couch and watches television upside down. His floppy brown hair spreads out in a circle in front of his red face. He changes channels with a remote control. He moves past the upside down cartoons and the upside down talk shows. He stops on an upside down picture of a crashed train. Beat. His knees come forward as he flips over. He tumbles slowly off the couch and onto the carpet. JEREMY DUNNE gazes at the television screen... A LIVE AERIAL VIEW OF A TRAIN WRECK SMOULDERING BELOW IS SEEN. Two trains are tangled like snakes. Jeremy gets up and moves to a small table with a phone. Next to the phone is a notepad. On it is written... "Dad - Amtrak 177 - 3:40pm." Jeremy looks at the television. At the bottom of the screen in red block letters that move from right to left are words and numbers..."The 3:40 Amtrak 177 has derailed... Amtrak Emergency number is 1-800-777-4322... The 3:40 Amtrak 177 has derailed...Amtrak" Jeremy doesn't take his eyes off the screen. He makes a small desperate noise that no one hears. CUT TO: INT. PHYSICAL THERAPY CENTER - LATE AFTERNOON An elderly woman can't hold back any longer and SCREAMS. An embarrassed, tortured helpless scream. MEGAN DUNNE continues applying pressure to her arm which is being pushed back as far as it will go. She counts to three and eases off. She lays her arm back in her lap. WE ARE IN A PHYSICAL THERAPY CENTER. About a dozen people are on specialized weight machines. The elderly woman is seated on an exercise table and breathes slowly. MEGAN You okay, Virginia? Beat. VIRGINIA shakes her head, "No." MEGAN I'll put something on the t.v. Maybe we'll find some almost naked guys to inspire you. Megan reaches up to the t.v. monitor mounted on the wall. She turns it on and starts flipping channels. She stops on ESPN where a swimming meet is underway. Men in bikini swimsuits line the edges of the pool. Virginia starts watching with great interest. Megan's eyes move to the tiny print moving across the bottom of the screen. Her face goes still as she reads the train number... 177. CUT TO: INT. EMERGENCY ROOM - AFTERNOON DAVID DUNNE'S EYES SLOWLY OPEN. THE DULL WHITE OF THE OVERHEAD TUBE LIGHTING BLINDS HIM AT FIRST. He blinks his vision back. He realizes he's in a bed. WE HEAR AGITATED VOICES, MOVEMENT. David looks around. He's in an emergency room. There are a half dozen prep areas and beds next to him. They're all empty. DAVID FOLLOWS THE URGENT SOUNDS OF ACTIVITY TO A PREP AREA DIRECTLY ACROSS FROM HIM. He can only see glimpses of activity through the drawn curtain. A group of emergency room personnel are treating a man whose body is twitching violently on a gurney. One of the group is a man who glances through the opening in the curtain. He notices David sitting up from across the room. THE MAN IN SCRUBS leaves the group and walks over. MAN IN SCRUBS How are you feeling? DAVID Okay. He FLASHES A LIGHT in David's eyes. MAN IN SCRUBS You are in the emergency room of the University of Pennsylvania Hospital. You were in a serious accident. (beat) How's your vision? DAVID Fine. David stares across as the scene with the other patients becomes more frantic and disturbing. MAN IN SCRUBS Where were you sitting on the train? DAVID Against a window. MAN IN SCRUBS In the passenger car? DAVID Yes. Where are the rest of the passengers? MAN IN SCRUBS Was your family traveling with you? DAVID No. MAN IN SCRUBS Did you get up from your seat? DAVID No. David watches the other patient. MAN IN SCRUBS You're certain you were in the passenger car? David turns to the man. DAVID Yes... Why are you looking at me like that? Beat. MAN IN SCRUBS Your train derailed... Some kind of malfunction... It took a curve way to fast. A second train collided with yours after it derailed. The debris is spread over one mile. It's unbelievable they said. (beat) They only found two people alive so far... You and him. David looks to the other passenger now laying unnaturally still in the desperate whirlwind of activity around him. MAN IN SCRUBS The man's skull was cracked open and most of his left side was crushed. Beat. MAN IN SCRUBS And to answer your question, there are two reasons why I'm looking at you like this. David turns and stares at the man. MAN IN SCRUBS One, because it seems, in a few minutes, you will officially be the only survivor of this train wreck. (beat) And two, because you don't have a scratch on you. You didn't break one bone. CUT TO: INT. EMERGENCY RECEPTION AREA - EVENING David moves through the depressing milky corridors of the hospital. He opens a set of double doors. A room crammed with cameras and photographers explodes with movement. A CHILD'S VOICE BREAKS THEIR NOISE. JEREMY I told you! Jeremy Dunne pushes forward through the mob of people and cameras. He bursts out and runs to David. He wraps his arms around David's waist. David just stands there, aware that the cameras are catching it all. He's overwhelmed. Hospital staff and a couple police officers push the media back. Jeremy tugs David to lean down. He does. JEREMY They thought everybody on the train died. David looks at his son's face. Wipes the tears on his cheek. JEREMY I told them they were wrong. A woman moves to them. David stands up and faces Megan Dunne. JEREMY Mom even cried. David looks at Megan's eyes. JEREMY A lot. Megan looks away. MEGAN Not a lot. They stand there for a moment. David looks shaken. Jeremy takes hold of his hand. JEREMY Let's go home. Megan nods. They move to the exit. The pack of cameras and reporters burst to life as they leave the building. They jockey for position to get a last glimpse of David Dunne. CUT TO: INT. KITCHEN - NIGHT David eats a bowl of pasta alone in a modest kitchen. He stares at his hand. Opens and closes it slowly. Beat. He rises and puts the bowl away in the sink. INT. FRONT HALL - NIGHT David stops just before rising the stairs. He glances into a bedroom at the bottom of the stairs. The doorway is half open. He makes eye contact with his wife. Beat. DAVID I don't think I got the job in New York. MEGAN What does that mean? DAVID I'm still going to New York. Just not this second. MEGAN I don't want to drag this out too long for Jeremy. DAVID I know. Beat. DAVID How about in the meantime, you don't sleep in the guestroom anymore? (beat) You sleep in our room. I'll sleep down here. Beat. MEGAN It stopped being our room a long time ago. (beat) You should go up and get some rest. Beat. Megan slowly closes the door to the guest bedroom. CUT TO: INT. BEDROOM - NIGHT David looks at his son asleep in his bed. DAVID Jeremy, why don't you go sleep with your mom? JEREMY(eyes closed) I want to sleep here tonight. DAVID I think it's be better if I was alone. JEREMY(eyes closed) I won't make any noise. DAVID How about your room then? If you get scared like before, you can come back in here? Beat. Jeremy doesn't answer because he's asleep. David rubs his forehead and gets up. He turns on the t.v., low volume, as he moves into the bathroom. CUT TO: INT. BATHROOM - NIGHT Hot water rushes over David's face as he stands in the shower. His attention is drawn to the t.v. which is seen through the slightly open bathroom door. He turns off the water to HEAR. NEWS ANCHOR(t.v.) ...Derailed approximately seven and half miles outside Philadelphia. It came to rest on its side on the northbound tracks. It is train officials belief that some if not most of the passengers were still alive at this time. NEWS ANCHOR(t.v.) The momentary peace lasted only a few seconds. A Boston bound freight train on the northbound tracks was seconds away from passing train 177 when it derailed. The impact happened at about three-fifteen p.m. The first of the two occupied passenger cars was severed in half and sent careening in two directions. The second of the passenger cars was crushed and dragged for four hundred feet. Six crew members were on the freight. One hundred and eighteen passengers and seven crew members were on the passenger train... There is one reported survivor. (beat) Rescue teams will be working for the next forty-eight hours removing bodies and debris. David steps out of the shower. He sees a glimpse of Jeremy asleep in bed. David shuts the door. Locks it. He gets back into the shower and turns the water back on. He closes his eyes. His face tightens up. He slowly hunches down and takes a seat on the tiled floor of the shower. Water pours over him. Beat. His muscular body begins to shake. Then we realize he's crying. FADE TO BLACK: EXT. FAIR - DAY LEGEND "1969" A hazy afternoon. A fair has come into town. They have set up in the vast parking lot of the local high school. A line of women has formed in front of the portable bathrooms. The striking African American woman we saw giving birth is now standing in line. She is older and somehow more beautiful. She stands with a skinny, almost ethereal looking African American boy. The boy wears a metal brace on his leg. THE EIGHT YEAR OLD ELIJAH holds two oversized stuffed animals in his arms. He looks back over his shoulder as THE SOUND OF VOICES YELLING IN EXCITEMENT FILL THE AIR. His eyes dance over the many colorful rides in the parking lot. The door opens to one of the portable bathrooms. A woman steps out. Elijah's mother touches his head and enters the three foot square plastic bathroom. She turns back and gives him a look. MOTHER We'll play the water pistol game next. Elijah nods, "Yes" happily. The mother closes the cubicle door. Elijah is left alone amongst the line of women. They stare at him blankly. Their eyes moves over his leg brace. Elijah doesn't like it. He moves away from the line. A CRESCENDO OF CHEERS RISES IN THE AIR FROM SOMEWHERE IN THE FAIR. Elijah follows the voices. He carries the stuffed animals through the crowds of people. CLICK. CLICK. CLICK. His metal brace sounds as he walks. For a moment, he sees nothing but bodies all around him. He emerges amongst a huddle of teenagers who wait at a turnstile. A man in a red and white striped coat takes their tickets and waves them in. Elijah looks up and sees the sign above the turnstile... "The Hurricane." He watches the teenagers giggle as they each into a grey cup-like seat. They pull the metal bars down in front of them. The man in the red and white stripes leaves the turnstile. Elijah stares up at the multi-colored sign. Beat. He moves quickly. Ducks under the turnstile and climbs onto the platform. Elijah finds and empty circular seat. He slips inside the gray metal compartment and sits. He pulls down the rusted metal bar in front of him. He looks around at all the excited faces. His eyes fill with excitement too. His small hands feel the cold metal of the interior of the compartment. His expression changes. Elijah looks to the stuffed animals in his arms. He presses them to check their softness. He places the stuffed animals on either side of him on the seat. He's wedged in between them. Feels good. He reaches out and touches the hard rusted metal bar in front of him. Elijah looks a little anxious. Beat. He pulls off his sweater and wraps it around the bar. It goes around twice before he ties the arms together. He checks its softness. Elijah looks around the customized cup-like compartment he sits in. He smiles an eight year old smile of pride. AND THEN HE HEARS HIS MOTHER'S VOICE. He searches around and finds her walking in the waves of people. He hears her calling. MOTHER Elijah... She moves in his direction by chance. She finds herself at the entrance to The Hurricane ride. She looks up at the sign above the turnstile. Her worried eyes immediately start searching the young faces in the gray circular compartments. Her eyes meet Elijah's. He waves. Her face goes very still. A HUGE ROAR OF MACHINERY as the ride starts up. Elijah yells to his mother as the platform starts running. ELIJAH I won't get hurt momma! I'm safe! HIS WORDS GET EATEN UP BY THE CHEERS OF THE TEENAGERS AND THE GRIND OF MACHINERY. The platform spins. He sees a glimpse of his mother and the red and white striped man. She's pointing at Elijah. The platform turns... Elijah sees a flash of the red and white striped man's angered face as he yells at the frantic woman next to him. And then the ride speeds up. The gray circular seats start to spin on their own. The teenagers CHEER. Elijah's eyes fill with joy as the wind plays against his face. Suddenly the ride changes directions. The cup-like seats get jerked. Everyone grabs the metal bars to hold on. Elijah laughs as he smashes into the stuffed animal on his right. It cushions him and then falls to the floor of the compartment along with the other stuffed animal. Elijah's expression becomes tense as his compartment spins. His hands slide over the rusted metal bar as the sweater unravels. Elijah looks around... a sudden panic enters his eyes. THE BLURRING IMAGE OF HIS MOTHER NOW IN A GROUP OF RED AND WHITE STRIPED MEN. THE SOUND OF MACHINERY GRINDING IS HEARD as the ride changes directions suddenly. Elijah's hands rip away from the bar as he gets thrown to the side of the compartment. His shoulder and arm takes the brunt of the impact. WE HEAR SOMETHING CRACK. TEENAGERS SCREAM IN EXCITEMENT. ELIJAH JOINS THEM WITH SCREAMS OF HIS OWN. The ride spins its passengers. Elijah's small face looks up at the swirling clouds in a mixture of agony and terror. The ride changes directions. Elijah is thrust forward. He hits the rusted metal bar square against his chest. WE HEAR MORE CRACKS. The world spins. Giggles and yells fill the air. Elijah slumps down onto the floor of the compartment. And then finally, the grind of the machinery slows and then comes to a gradual stop. THE TEENAGERS MOAN. Elijah is facing directly up at the sky. The clouds now move slowly over him. WE HEAR COMMOTION. AGITATED VOICES. HIS MOTHER'S DESPERATE VOICE. MOTHER(o.s.) His bones... He's not well... HER VOICE GETS LOUDER AS SHE MOVES CLOSER TO THE PLATFORM. MOTHER(o.s.) Elijah baby... Then her face appears as she finds the cup-like seat Elijah is in. She begins to scream. Elijah lays on the bottom of the compartment. One arm is clutching his chest. The other is curved horrifically like an "s". His mouth is open. His eyes are bulging. The last thing we HERE ARE THE SHORT DESPERATE BREATHS of an eight year old child about to black out from the pain. FADE TO BLACK: PRESENT: EXT. CHURCH - AFTERNOON WE EMERGE FROM BLACK to find news vans and reporters lining the street across from a church. They have been cordoned off by a handful of police. Mourners are recorded as they emerge from their cars and enter the church. David is among the arriving crowd. MAN(o.s.) David Dunne! At hearing his name, David turns back as he walks. He can't tell which reporter called his name because all of them seem to react. A storm of camera movement as the group jockeys for the best angle of his troubled face. David passes a magnetic board as he enters the church. It reads, "Services for the families and friends of train 177." CUT TO: INT. CHURCH - AFTERNOON A PRIEST stands before a podium. PRIEST Sarah Elaston, social worker at Broad and Locust Community Center. We pray for your soul. (beat) Kevin Elliott, business man, father of six. We pray for your soul. (beat) Glen Stevens, researcher in the area of Leukemia at Drexel University. We pray for your soul. David sits amongst the mourners in the standing room only church. His eyes drift to a woman two rows ahead of him. She's turned around, looking at him. Her eyes are red from crying. David looks away. His eyes stop on an old man far to his left just a few seats away. Father, mother and daughter stare silently. David surveys the entire church... Desperate inconsolable eyes question his existence from every direction. David has to look down. PRIEST ...Jennifer Pennyman, third grade teacher at Jefferson Elementary. (beat) We pray for your soul. CUT TO: INT. BACK OF CHURCH - AFTERNOON David and the priest who conducted the mass are alone in the mass preparation room. The priest looks in his fifties, eyes tired, blood shot. DAVID I used to play football in college. In my first year as quarterback, we went on this winning streak. It just went on and on. It didn't matter who we played... I'd always win. (beat) You get superstitious when something like that happens. You give things meaning. Like you wear the same color socks each game or you listen to the same B.B. King song before you leave the apartment. I wouldn't even untie the shoelaces on my cleats. I'd just slip them on and off so nothing would change... I gave things meaning that had no meaning. (beat) I'm here to make sure I'm not making shoelaces into something they're not again. (beat) I was the only person to survive that accident. The only one... It feels like it means something. Beat. PRIEST Are you a religious man, David? David nods, "No." The priest removes the sacred stoll from his around his neck and kisses it before folding it carefully. PRIEST Good. Because I'm going to talk to you as a man. Not as a man of the cloth. DAVID Okay. Beat. The priest turns to David. PRIEST It was luck. Beat. DAVID What do you mean? PRIEST Luck... Random... Without meaning. David just sits awkwardly. PRIEST Three years ago, my cousin died on a plane that crashed on take off at Philadelphia International airport. Do you remember that crash? David nods, "Yes." PRIEST I prayed and prayed and finally found some meaning in the event. It gave me peace... And then not quite a year later, an entire family from my parish burned to death in a hotel fire downtown... (beat) Again I prayed. Again I found meaning. (beat) Just two days ago, my nephew rode with you on that train back from New York. He was traveling alone for the first time. PRIEST I'm sorry if I can't react to your survival with the appropriate 'It was the hand of God. It was a miracle.' kind of answer... I'm fresh out of those right now. David is shaken. Beat. DAVID(soft) The metal of the watch I was wearing was crushed like a sledge hammer hit it. Beat. The priest's eyes fill with emotion. PRIEST My twelve year old nephew's neck was broken in four places... What's your point? You were chosen? (beat) I don't think so. The priest turns and continues putting away artifacts from the mass. Silence fills the back room. CUT TO: INT. CHURCH PARKING LOT - LATE AFTERNOON No cameras greet his exit. No people anywhere. David walks across the now empty parking lot. His car is the only one left. He walks to the driver's side. Pulls out his keys. That's as far as he gets. His eyes catch sight of the GRAY ENVELOPE tucked under the windshield wiper of his car. David moves forward and gently pulls it out. His name is typed on the front. He turns it over. Two embossed words on the back. "Limited Edition" He opens the envelope. One line, handwritten, gazes at him from the gray index card. The line reads... "How many days of your life have you been sick?" Nothing else is written. David Dunne looks around the empty parking lot quietly. CUT TO: INT. EMPLOYEE LOCKER ROOM - MORNING A poorly lit changing room. A row of metallic lockers sits against one wall. A bench splits the room. A brown folding table with Dunkin Donuts boxes and bagels on it is crammed in the corner. A puke colored concrete floor sets the tone. David and three other large men are changing out of their street clothes. They all put on the same yellow short sleeve shirts. The same two words are written on all their backs... "Stadium Security" This ritual goes on without a word. CUT TO: INT. MAIN STADIUM CORRIDOR - MORNING David walks along the massive curved wall around the outer rim of the stadium. As he passes the different walkways we get glimpses of the enormous and empty sixty-thousand seat football stadium on the inside. David stops at a door marked "PERSONNEL". CUT TO: INT. PERSONNEL OFFICE - MORNING David knocks on the door as he steps into the cramped reception room to the personnel office. The SECRETARY, an ancient woman with thick flabby arms never stops typing and never looks up as she talks. ANCIENT SECRETARY Yes? DAVID Is Noel in? ANCIENT SECRETARY No sir he is not. (beat) I read about you in the paper. DAVID Oh. ANCIENT SECRETARY I was in an accident once too. A horse almost trampled me to death. DAVID Wow. ANCIENT SECRETARY I had to put him down. Beat. DAVID That's a sad story. (beat) Do you think you could ask Noel something for me? The ancient secretary's right hand immediately picks up a pen and positions it over a blank pad. Her left hand keeps typing. She never looks up. ANCIENT SECRETARY Proceed. DAVID Ask if he can check how many sick days I've taken since I've worked here? Beat. ANCIENT SECRETARY Is that the entire message? DAVID Yes. CUT TO: EXT. STADIUM FIELD - AFTERNOON Rain falls in sheets in the stadium. David stands at the entrance to a tunnel that empties out onto the field. He stands in an imposing dark green rain poncho and hood. The poncho almost touches the ground. The word 'security' on the back has almost faded away. We can barely see David's face under the hood. There is a football game in progress on the enormous field. The players seem unusually small. There is no one in the stands. About four hundred people are on the sidelines of the field watching the players. A soggy limping banner stretched behind them declares, "The Pennslvania Elementary School Championships." David's eyes scan the tiny figures on the field. His eyes come rest on a surge of activity on the sidelines. Beat. David steps out into the rain. CUT TO: EXT. SIDELINES - AFTERNOON A handful of red faced fathers are yelling at each other. They're in each other's rain soaked faces. The scene feels on the verge of physical violence. David and another security guard jog over. David steps in the middle of the tight circle. The men stop yelling in the presence of stadium security. Everyone just stands in the rain glaring at each other. Beat. DAVID You know what I think about to calm down? I think about those big fat, hundred and twenty pound turtles that live in the islands. Those suckers never get angry, never get in fights and live longer than all of us and all they do all is sit on the beach and hump other turtles. (beat) Why don't we take a second and think about the turtles? Nobody moves. Rain washes over the agitated faces. A father breaks the moment. FATHER Yeah Jerry why don't you think about the fat ass turtles... Like your fat ass son on the field jeopardizing the rest of our chances at a fucking championship. David tenses. Everyone looks to JERRY. A bald man who stands just a foot away. Jerry nods to himself. Looks like he's going to say something. Instead he lunges forward and smashes a HEADBUTT to the man who spoke to him. David tackles Jerry hard and fast. He drives him into the ground. Blood starts rushing out of the nose of the dazed father who took the headbutt. The other fathers start yelling and pushing each other. The remaining security guard calls on his walkie for assistance. David keeps Jerry immobilized in a powerful arm and head lock that holds the man's enraged face hard into the wet surface of the field. David's eyes are not on Jerry. They gaze out onto the field where twenty two elementary school boys have stopped playing and are standing frozen, helmets off, rain washing over their faces. They watch in horror as their parents attack each other on the sidelines. CUT TO: INT. EMPLOYEE LOCKER ROOM - LATE AFTERNOON David is the last one left. He's showered and back in his street clothes. He sits in the dimly lit room on the bench, lost in his thoughts when the door opens. He turns to find a somewhat pregnant looking man with a tie step in. This is NOEL. DAVID Hey Noel. Beat. He just stares. NOEL Forty dollars. David turns on the bench. DAVID What? NOEL You're getting a forty dollar raise per week... that's it. Silence. NOEL I checked. You were right. You've never taken a sick day. (beat) Five years, no sick days. I get it. You want a raise. You made your point. The room is still. Beat. NOEL All right fifty dollars and that's the god damn limit. (beat) Are we done here? Beat. David nods, "Yes." CUT TO: INT. BEDROOM - NIGHT LIGHTS OUT. David is wide awake in his bed. He glances over. Jeremy is in deep sleep next to him. CUT TO: INT. GUEST ROOM - NIGHT David knocks again quietly. The guest bedroom door opens. Megan looks up at David. She's just woken up. MEGAN(low voice) Is Jeremy okay? DAVID(low voice) He's asleep. MEGAN(low voice) Oh. Beat. They both stand awkwardly for a moment. DAVID(low voice) I wanted to ask you a question. It'll sound strange, but just think about it for a second. Megan nods, "Yes." DAVID(low voice) When's the last time I was sick? You remember? Megan tries to mask her reaction to the oddness of the question. Beat. MEGAN(low voice) I don't know. It's been a while. DAVID(low voice) I haven't been sick this year. I know that. MEGAN(low voice) Okay. DAVID(low voice) Do you remember me getting sick? MEGAN(low voice) Not a specific day. What's this about? DAVID (low voice) Megan, do you ever remember me getting sick? Beat. DAVID(low voice) In the three years we've been in this house?... In the old apartment?... Before Jeremy was born?... Before we were married? Beat. MEGAN(low voice) ...I can't remember. DAVID(low voice) That's strange isn't it? Not remembering one fever... Or a cold... Or a sore throat. What do you think that means? MEGAN(low voice) It means we're probably to tired to remember. David becomes quiet as he thinks. Beat. MEGAN(low voice) Is that what you wanted to ask me? DAVID(low voice) Yes. MEGAN(low voice) Is there anything else you wanted to ask me while I'm up?... MEGAN(low voice) ...When was the last time you wore pink? When was the last time you drank soup standing up? Final call for strange questions at two in the morning. DAVID(low voice) No that's it. David seems lost in his thoughts. MEGAN(low voice) Maybe you should go up. Jeremy might see you're gone and get frightened. (beat) The train thing, really shook him up. He's scared something's going to happen to you. He doesn't want to let you out of his sight. David stares at Megan. Beat. DAVID(low voice) Yeah. I know. There's silence for a bit. DAVID(low voice) When was the last time I wore pink? MEGAN(low voice) The Mitchell barbecue three years ago. DAVID(realizing) Oh shit... MEGAN(low voice) Matching shirt and shorts. It was brutal. David half-smiles as Megan turns and starts back into the guest room. DAVID(low voice) Goodnight Megan. Megan looks back at her husband. Just for a moment. Then she looks down. MEGAN(low voice) Goodnight David. Megan closes the door slowly shut. FADE TO BLACK: INT. BEDROOM - AFTERNOON WE EMERGE in a cramped sparse bedroom. LEGEND "1974" A thirteen year old Elijah sits in a chair with his arm in a sling. He watches a small black and white television in the corner of the room. WE HEAR FOOTSTEPS. Elijah's mother walks into the room. She looks around for a moment, and then moves to the television. Turns it off. The room GOES SILENT. ELIJAH'S MOTHER No more sitting in this room. I've let it go on long enough. ELIJAH I'm not going out anymore. I'm not getting hurt again. This was the last time. I told you. ELIJAH'S MOTHER You can't do anything about that. You might fall between that chair and this television. If that's what God has planned for you, that's what's going to happen. You can't hide from it in your room. Elijah just sits staring at the dark television screen. ELIJAH They call me Mr. Glass at school. Cause I break like glass. Elijah's face is tense. Unyielding. Beat. Elijah's mother says the next words in almost a whisper. ELIJAH'S MOTHER ...You make this decision now to be afraid... (beat) And you'll never turn back your whole life. You'll always be afraid. Elijah's eyes move from the television to his mother. He sees the emotion in her face. Neither says anything for a while. Beat. ELIJAH'S MOTHER ...I got a present for you. ELIJAH Why? ELIJAH'S MOTHER Forget why. Do you want it or not? Elijah thinks it over. He nods, "Yes." ELIJAH'S MOTHER Well, go get it then. ELIJAH Where is it? ELIJAH'S MOTHER On a bench, across the street. Elijah looks at his mother with disbelief. ELIJAH'S MOTHER You calling me a liar? She points to the window. Beat. Elijah gets up and moves to the only window in the room. The view from his room looks out over a narrow street. On the other side of the street is a public playground. A handful of children are playing on it. There are three benches to one side of the swings. On one of them is a THIN PACKAGE wrapped in brown paper with a bow on it. Elijah looks to his mom who has joined him at the window. ELIJAH Someone's gonna take it. Beat. ELIJAH'S MOTHER Then you better get out there soon. CUT TO: EXT. PLAYGROUND - AFTERNOON Elijah walks across the playground. He's very wary of the other children running about him. He walks towards the bench with the present on it. Takes a seat. Puts the package on his lap. It's flat. The edges of the bend down over his thin legs. He undoes the white bow. He peels off the clear tape holding the brown paper together. He unfolds the paper. Beat. Elijah stares down at the single comic book in his lap. He feels the shadow of his mother. She takes a seat next to him. ELIJAH'S MOTHER I bought a whole bunch. They'll be one of these waiting for you, every time you want to come out here. Beat. ELIJAH'S MOTHER They said this one has a surprise ending. Elijah looks to his mother. His intelligent piercing eyes take her in for a moment. He looks back down at his lap. He opens the first page... DISSOLVE TO: INT. STORE - DAY The same intelligent piercing eyes, twenty-five years older. Elijah has grown into a handsome, regal looking man. He leans on a walking stick. He's looking at an impressively framed charcoal sketch on a wall. Two figures are depicted on the top of a building locked in fierce battle. One figure is extremely muscular with a mask. The other is half human, half animal. MAN This is from Fritz Champion's own library. This is before the first issue of the comic book hit the stands in 1968. Elijah glances at the BUSINESS MAN standing next to him and then back to the sketch. ELIJAH It's a classic depiction of good versus evil. Notice the square jaw of Slayer - common in most comic book heroes. And the slightly disproportionate size of Jaguaro's body to his head. This again is common, but only in villains... The thing to notice about this piece... The thing that makes it very, very special... is its realistic depiction of its figures. When the characters eventually made it into the magazine they were exaggerated... as always happens. (beat) This is vintage. The business man rubs his face. Gazes at the sketch. Beat. BUSINESS MAN Wrap it up. ELIJAH You've made a considerably wise decision. Elijah starts to the back of the store which we now see is some type of art gallery where all the framed pictures are images and sketches from comic books. BUSINESS MAN My kid's gonna go berserk. Elijah jams his walking stick into the extra thick carpet and stops. He turns. ELIJAH Once again please? BUSINESS MAN My son Jeb. It's a gift for him. ELIJAH How old is Jeb? BUSINESS MAN Four. ELIJAH No. Elijah starts back to the businessman shaking his head strongly. ELIJAH No, no, no, no no... You need to go now. BUSINESS MAN What did I say? ELIJAH Do you see any Telletubbies around here?... Do you see a slender plastic tag clipped to my shirt with my name printed on it?... Do you see a little Asian child with a blank expression sitting outside in a mechanical helicopter that shakes when you put a quarter in it?... No?... Well that's what you see at a toy store? Any you must think this is a toy store, cause you're in here shopping for an infant named Jeb. One of us has made a gross error and wasted the other person's valuable time... Elijah's eyes pierce through the shaken man. ELIJAH This is an art gallery my friend. This is piece of art... Elijah points at the sketch. ELIJAH This is one of seventeen original drawings by Fritz Champion remaining in the world. It's value will triple every year... This piece is to be treasured. To be cherished... To be coveted by every single one of your banker friends that think they're better than you. The business man stares at the sketch with large eyes. Beat. BUSINESS MAN What if I kept it? Beat. ELIJAH I'm listening. BUSINESS MAN I'll keep it in my office room. ELIJAH What about Jeb? BUSINESS MAN I have a lock on the door. Elijah just stares. ELIJAH Will it be near a window? BUSINESSMAN No direct sunlight will fall on it. Elijah eyes the man for many seconds. Beat. ELIJAH Come back in three days. I'll think about it. Elijah starts to the back. He passes the front door as two customers walk in. Elijah talks over his shoulder to them. ELIJAH We're by appointment only. MAN I received a card from your store. ELIJAH Congratulations, you have a mailbox... The sale isn't for two weeks. MAN This one was under the windshield of my car. Elijah turns and faces the customers for the first time. David Dunne stands with Jeremy. Elijah just stands staring for the longest time. Beat. He walks closer to them. When Elijah speaks, his voice has a whispery quality to it. ELIJAH You've never been sick? DAVID I don't know for sure. (beat) ...I don't think so. David and Elijah quietly look at each other. Beat. ELIJAH Well if this ain't a riddle worthy of the Riddler? CUT TO: EXT. LIMITED EDITION - LATE AFTERNOON Three chairs have been placed on the walkway in front of the bay window of the store. The words, "Limited Edition" are etched in the window. David, Jeremy and Elijah are seated watching the people stroll by. Elijah's cane is on his lap. Jeremy sips a drink in a paper cup. ELIJAH So let's get some of the usual questions out of the way. Why am I using a cane? Raise your hand if you were thinking that. Jeremy raises his hand. ELIJAH I fractured my leg. It's the fifth time I've done that particular bone. It didn't really heal well this time. ELIJAH Raise your hand is you're wondering who the hell breaks the same bone five times? Jeremy and David raise their hands. ELIJAH I have something called Osteogenesis Imperfecta. It's a genetic disorder. I don't make this particular type of protein very well and it makes my bones very low in density, very easy to break. I've had fifty-four breaks in my life. I have the tamest version of the disorder... Type one. (beat) There are type two, type three, and type four. Type four's don't make it very long... (beat) That ends our lecture on the medical anomaly known as Elijah Price. Elijah stares at his two rapt listeners. ELIJAH How certain are you that you haven't been sick in your life? DAVID Seventy-five percent. ELIJAH Seventy-five percent? That's not nearly good enough for me. I'm extremely skeptical. DAVID Skeptical about what? ELIJAH Your answer to my question. It's one thing to have never been injured in your life, but to state that you've never taken ill, well that's a whole new level. JEREMY Dad's been injured. Beat. ELIJAH What's he talking about? DAVID In college. A car accident. ELIJAH Was it serious? David nods. JEREMY He couldn't play football anymore. Beat. Elijah looks shaken. ELIJAH I assumed because of the train. DAVID You assumed wrong. Elijah closes his eyes. When his eyes open, the life force in them has diminished. Beat. ELIJAH It's over. (beat) You can go now. Elijah uses his cane to get up and walk back through the doors of the store. INT. LIMITED EDITION - LATE AFTERNOON David and Jeremy enter the store. Elijah leans on a walking stick before one of the framed sketches. He gazes at it quietly. DAVID I think you skipped a couple steps. Elijah turns. DAVID You forgot the "Now I'm going to tell you what the hell is going on" step. See usually that comes before the, "It's over" Step. And it always, always comes before the "You can go" Step. (beat) What is over? ELIJAH The life of an idea that has lived too long in my head. David stares at Elijah impatiently. ELIJAH There are probably only four or five individuals in the world who can claim more knowledge of comics than myself. I've spent a third of my life in a hospital bed with nothing else to do but read. I have studied the form intimately. I have seen the patterns in them... The references to social and cultural events and the atmosphere that surrounded them. I've come to believe that comics are our last link to the ancient way of passing on history. ELIJAH The Egyptians drew pictures on walls about battles, and events. Countries all around the world still pass on knowledge through pictorial forms. (beat) I believe that comics, just at their core now... have a truth. They are depicting what someone, somewhere felt or experienced. Then of course that core got chewed up in the commercial machine and gets jazzed up, made titillating - cartooned for the sale rack. Elijah gazes at David. ELIJAH This city has had its share of disasters. Well publicized ones. It was around the time of that plane crash, when it first entered my head. And there it stayed, as I waited and watched the news over the years... (beat) And then one day I see a news report on a train accident and its sole survivor who was miraculously unharmed. (soft) And just like that, an idea blossoms into the flower of possible reality. DAVID What was your idea Elijah? Beat. ELIJAH(soft) If there is someone like me in the world, and I'm at one end of the spectrum... Couldn't there be someone the opposite of me, at the other end? (beat) A person who can't be hurt like the rest of us. A kind of person they were talking about in those stories. Elijah points at the framed comic sketches. ELIJAH(soft) A person they believed was put here to protect the rest of us. Guard us. JEREMY You thought my dad was a real- DAVID Jeremy don't take another sip of that drink. Jeremy looks down at the paper cup in his hands. DAVID Throw it in the trashcan near the door and wait for me outside. Do it now please. David waits for Jeremy to exit the store. Beat. DAVID At the church... You were following me weren't you? ELIJAH Technically no. I gambled that you would attend the church service. I just waited for you. David glares at Elijah. DAVID What's this about? This is obviously some scam. Is this where you tell me one of those pictures is like an investment? ELIJAH You've misunderstood. DAVID I see guys like you all the time in my work. You find someone you think is emotionally vulnerable and you tell them a fantastic story, utterly convincing... and somewhere in there, you slip it in... 'I just need your credit card number','I just need a small down payment.' David shakes his head. He smiles out of frustration. Beat. DAVID Did you know that this morning was the first morning I can remember, that I didn't open my eyes and feel that sadness... Do you know what I'm talking about? That little bit of sadness? (beat) I thought the person that wrote that note had an answer for me. For why I survived that train. For why my life feels so out of balance... (beat) But I guess that's what you were counting on. Elijah stares carefully at David. Beat. David glances over to the entrance. Jeremy watched through the window concerned. DAVID I'm going to leave now. (beat) Good luck with your sale. Elijah watches David walk towards the front door. ELIJAH What type of job do you have David? David opens the door. He looks back at Elijah. ELIJAH You mentioned you've met 'guys like me' in your work. (beat) What type of job would that be? Beat. DAVID I work at the stadium as a security guard. Beat. David closes the door behind him. Elijah watches through the window as Jeremy takes David's hand as they cross the street. Elijah gazes out the window in a bit of a daze. CUT TO: INT. BEDROOM - NIGHT ALL LIGHTS ARE OUT EXCEPT THE SMALL BEDSIDE LAMP ON DAVID'S SIDE. David sits up in bed staring at a torn section of newspaper in his hands. Jeremy is asleep horizontally with his legs over David's legs. David doesn't blink as he gazes at the headline silently... "TRAIN CRASH DEATH TOLL CONFIRMED AT 131 DEAD. 1 SURVIVOR" Beat. David slides out from under his son's legs. Jeremy stirs but doesn't wake up. David moves to the darkness of the corner of the room. He opens a closet door. A NAKED HANGING BULB GOES ON as David yanks a chain. David steps inside the narrow closet and closes the door slightly so the LIGHT FROM THE BULB DOESN'T FALL ON JEREMY. There's just enough room to stand and look around. David reaches up and pulls a small travel bag out of the way. David stretches as he feels on the top shelf. His hand comes down with something wrapped in a t-shirt. He unwraps it. It's a handgun. He stares at it for a beat before wrapping it back up and replacing it to the highest shelf. He stretches even more. Reaches farther back. WE HEAR SOMETHING SLIDE ON THE SHELF AS HE PULLS IT FORWARD. He pulls down a folder jammed with clippings. He opens the folder to reveal a young David in football uniform holding his helmet in the air victoriously. The word "Champion" is written over his head. David flips through the top clippings - all are images and stories of David and football. He turns the pile over. Goes to the last clipping. This piece of paper is folded over three times, unlike the others. He opens it. It's a newspaper headline. It reads... "CAR ACCIDENT LEAVES TWO INJURED" David puts the new headline next to the old one... They look like a set. Even the font is similar. David stares at the old headline. Stares hard at the photo of the bent and heavily damaged car laying upside down in the middle of the highway... The bulb seems to flicker. David is utterly still. SOMEONE KNOCKS AT THE BEDROOM DOOR. David gets startled. He puts back the clippings. Stuffing the new one inside with them. He replaces it back to the top shelf and leaves the closet. ANOTHER SOFT SET OF KNOCKS as David moves across the bedroom. He opens the door. Megan stands in the darkened hall. Beat. DAVID(whisper) Hi. Megan nods. Beat. MEGAN(whisper) I've come to a decision. DAVID(whisper) Oh. Beat. MEGAN(whisper) Let me just ask you something okay? And you can be totally honest. I'm prepared for any answer. It won't affect me... David nods, "yes." MEGAN(whisper) Have you been with anyone? Since we started having problems? The answer won't affect me. Beat. David stares at his wife. MEGAN(whisper) It won't affect me either way. Beat. David doesn't say anything. He just nods, "No." Megan's face starts to tremble. She starts crying. Tears roll over her very affected face. She tries to wipe them away, but there's too many. Beat. MEGAN(soft) ...My decision is... I'd like to start again. Pretend we're at the beginning. (beat) It's a big deal you walked away from that train. It's a second chance. (beat) If you want to ask me out sometime, that would be okay. Megan nods and walks down the stairs as she wipes her face. David watches her disappear into the shadows. DISSOLVE TO: EXT. VETERAN'S STADIUM - AFTERNOON Sunday afternoon. The cavernous stadium opens up into a picture perfect blue sky. The Philadelphia Eagles pro football players are in uniform and doing stretches on the field. The opposing team warms up on the other end of the field. The sixty thousand seats are already half filled as fans stream in on every level of the stadium. CUT TO: EXT. ENTRANCE GATE 27B - AFTERNOON A line of ticket holders snakes towards two turnstiles where stadium crew are ripping tickets. David Dunne stands to one side with two other security guards. The fans moving through the turnstiles are clad in all types of Eagles paraphernalia. A group of girls carries a homemade banner that David reads as he tilts his head sideways. "We sleep with quarterbacks," is written in block letters. David stares at a woman carrying a newborn infant in her arms. The baby is wearing an eagles uniform. The WALKIE TALKIE on David's hip bursts to life. He pulls it off his hip an listens. WALKIE Dunne, it's Jenkins, we got a guy at gate 17C with a bogus ticket. Says he knows you. He won't tell me his name. DAVID(into walkie) What's he look like? WALKIE He's got the most beautiful eyes... The hell kind of question is that? He's a guy. DAVID(into walkie) Send him packing. I'm not walking all the way over there. WALKIE Consider him packed. I didn't like his attitude... Struttin around with a cane and shit. Beat. DAVID(into walkie) Hold up Jenkins... CUT TO: EXT. ENTRANCE GATE 17C - AFTERNOON David finds Elijah waiting to the side as the crowds funnel through the gate. Elijah offers his hand as he walks up. David doesn't take it. ELIJAH They said I couldn't get in with my ticket. Elijah offers him the ticket. David inspects it. DAVID It's for last week's game. ELIJAH I've come to understand that... (beat) An ill advised purchase in the parking lot. David hands Elijah back the ticket. DAVID What do you want? ELIJAH Not money. (beat) But I appreciate your healthy cynicism in the manner. It will be wise for both of us to proceed with greatest caution. DAVID We're not proceeding anywhere together. ELIJAH We've already begun. David looks around. DAVID One more time. What is it you want? Beat. ELIJAH Why is it, do you think, that of all the professions in the world... you chose protection? DAVID Are you for real? ELIJAH You could have poured coffee in Starbucks, you could have learned to install track lighting in office buildings, you could have told people their horoscopes on the internet... You could have been one of ten thousand things... but in the end, you chose to protect people. You made that decision... and I find that very, very interesting. (beat) Now all I need is your credit card number. Beat. Elijah smiles. ELIJAH That last part was a joke. David fights it. But he smiles anyway. Beat. DAVID I got this job because my college coach called the guy who manages the stadium. There's no hidden meaning to it. David's walkie makes NOIES on his hip. DAVID They need me at the gate. David stares at Elijah leaning on his walking stick. DAVID Did you really want to see the game? I can get you in. CUT TO: EXT. ENTRANCE GATE 27B - AFTERNOON The line of fans outside the gate has tripled in size and intensity. David and Elijah move along the line towards the turnstiles. DAVID It gets heaviest ten minutes before kickoff. David bumps a guy in line wearing an army jacket. David looks backs at him and continues walking. David moves to a security guard near the turnstiles. DAVID Why don't we pat down? David walks to his post near the gate and faces the crowd. Elijah moves next to him. DAVID Just give me a minute. ELIJAH Is there a problem? DAVID That guy in green. Sometimes people carry weapons in here. Then they drink too much. They're team isn't doing so well, bad things happen... We do random pat downs of the crowd to discourage people from carrying. (beat) If he's carrying, he'll step out of line. Elijah observes as a security team pats down random males as they move through the turnstiles. The GREEN ARMY JACKETED MAN moves forward in the line. His face is blank as he watches the pat down ahead of him. He's twenty people from the turnsstile. David eyes him. Fifteen people away... Ten... The man coughs and steps out of the line. Elijah watches the green army jacket melt into the thick part of the crowd and disappear as it moves away from the stadium. CUT TO: INT. STADIUM TUNNEL - AFTERNOON AN UNLIT arched concrete passageway. The SUNLIGHT from the stadium streams in causing long shadows. Elijah stands waiting in the ground tunnel by himself. THE THUNDEROUS CHEERS OF THE SIXTY THOUSAND FANS IN THE STADIUM ECHOES FROM THE FIELD INTO THE TUNNEL. David enters the tunnel and joins Elijah. He hands him a ticket. DAVID I got you a seat in the seven hundred level. (points straight up) It's nose-bleed territory, but at least you won't get spit on. ELIJAH How did you know that man you bumped was carrying a weapon? DAVID Probably the army jacket. Those guys carry hunting knives and stuff for show. ELIJAH You thought he was carrying a knife? Beat. DAVID I thought he was carrying something. ELIJAH But not a knife? DAVID I got this picture of a silver handled gun tucked in his pants. (beat) Like on t.v. Elijah stares at David. THE STADIUM CHEERS BOUNCE OFF THE GRAY WALLS. ELIJAH You have good instincts when it comes to things like that? DAVID Like what? ELIJAH Telling when people have done something wrong? Beat. DAVID Yes. ELIJAH Have you ever tried to develop it? DAVID I don't know what you're asking? ELIJAH You're skill. Beat. DAVID Listen. I got to be on the sidelines during the game... You can get to your seat by taking the stairwell at- ELIJAH Characters in comic books are often attributed special powers. X-ray vision, things of that sort. David exhales slowly as he stares at Elijah. DAVID Okay, I don't want to play this game anymore. ELIJAH It's an exaggeration of the truth. Maybe it's based on something as simple as instinct. Like being able to touch someone and tell whether they've done something wrong... Or the level of what they've done wrong. DAVID The guy might not have been carrying anything. ELIJAH Or he might have been carrying a silver handled gun tucked in his pants. David's WALKIE ERUPTS WITH NOISE. DAVID I have to go now. ELIJAH One last question. Beat. DAVID Quick. ELIJAH The car accident you were in... Was there anyone else involved? The two men stand very still in the tunnel. DAVID Yes. My wife Megan. She was in the car with me. David turns and starts down the hall. David talks back over his shoulder. DAVID Have a good life Elijah and try to buy your tickets at an authorized sales location. Elijah watches as the silhouetted figure of David Dunne jogs down the darkness of the tunnel. CUT TO: INT. CAR - LATE AFTERNOON We are inside a customized car. The dashboard is covered in some sort of thin foam padding. The steering wheel and gear shift have the same padding. Every corner and hard surface has been safe guarded. Elijah sits behind the wheel of his car in the parking lot of the stadium. He sits as thoughts crash at his head. Beat. He finally reaches for the keys and starts up the car. He looks into the rearview mirror and sees the man in the GREEN ARMY JACKET pass behind his car. Elijah quickly turns and sees the man moving through the parked cars heading out of the parking lot. Elijah takes a deep breath and turns off the engine. CUT TO: EXT. PARKING LOT - LATE AFTERNOON Elijah's walking stick makes RHYTHMIC CLICKS on the concrete parking lot. The figure in the army jacket seems to move farther away with every step. Elijah starts breathing harder. He pushes himself to move faster. He avoids the hard chrome bumpers and tailpipes that jut out from the cars as he quickens his pace through the lot. He gains on the army jacket. ELIJAH(calls out) Hold up for a second! The man in the army jacket turns as he reaches a subway entrance that marks the end of the parking lot. He looks back at Elijah for a beat. Doesn't like what he sees. He disappears into the subway entrance. Elijah quickens into a jog now. He hasn't done this in a while and it's painful. He makes it with great strain to the subway. He looks into the entrance... A steep flight of stairs leads to the subway floor. The tail of the army jacket is glimpsed before it disappears. Elijah breathes hard as he takes hold of the railing. ELIJAH(calls out) I just want to ask you something! Elijah's VOICE ECHOES down the stairs. No response. Elijah starts his descent. THE SOUND OF A SUBWAY PULLING IN ROARS UP THE STAIRS. Elijah has to move fast. He takes the steps with less and less hesitation. He's moving with great agility... and then his foot catches on a step. His hand slips away from the railing... He falls down the remaining part of the stairs. The FIRST SICKENING CRACK is heard when his hand reaches out to stop his fall. The SECOND CRACK IS MORE LIKE A CRUNCH AS HIS LEG LANDS AWKWARDLY ON THE METAL STAIRS. He comes to a stop in a pile on the dirty gum stained floor of the subway landing. His jaw is locked in a HORRIFIC SCREAM THAT GETS EATEN BY THE ROAR OF THE SUBWAY TRAIN PULLING IN. His contorted anguished face sees the turnstiles of the subway upside down. The green army jacketed man looks back at Elijah with a blank expression pushing through the turnstile. The last thing Elijah sees before he blacks out, is the tail of the man's coat riding up as he move through the turnstile. The SILVER HANDLE OF A GUN peeks out from the belt of his pants. CUT TO: EXT. BUS STOP - DUSK David's neighborhood turns crimson as the day comes to an end. The Septa bus pulls to a stop in front of a public high school. David steps off, still in his security clothes. The bus pulls away as he hears his SON'S VOICE. David turns to the high school football field behind him. A group of children are having a touch football game. Jeremy runs out from the huddle across the field to David. JEREMY Was it sold out? David nods, "No." DAVID You know how mad your mom would be if she knew you were playing football? Jeremy nods. JEREMY Are you going to tell? David nods, "No." JEREMY You want yo play the last downs? We got a big guy like you. You can play on opposite sides. David looks to the fields to see a very muscular college age man in sweats who stands with the other children. JEREMY He's Potter's cousin. He's the starting corner back for Temple University. David stares at his son. JEREMY He going pro in the draft. They say he can run the fifty- DAVID In under six seconds. (beat) I've heard. David watches the cornerback being surrounded by kids. He's letting a couple of the kids feel his flexed bicep. DAVID I'm going to go in. JEREMY Just play one set of downs. I told them you were great. DAVID Why'd you do that? JEREMY Just one- DAVID Jeremy. (beat) I'm going in. I have to do some things. JEREMY What things? DAVID I'm going to work out. JEREMY I'll help you. DAVID There's nothing to do. Jeremy turns back to the children and waves. JEREMY(yells) I can't play! I'm working out with my dad! Jeremy turns back to his father and takes his hand. David looks down at his son who waits patiently. CUT TO: INT. BASEMENT - EARLY EVENING The basement is dominated by storage boxes and Christmas decorations. An old bench press and weights are in a cluttered corner. David sits and turns at the end of the bench as Jeremy laboriously carries and places fifteen a pound weight on the bar. David talks over his shoulder. DAVID Why don't you rest now? I'll take it from here. You've been a big help. Jeremy goes to the opposite side of the bar and starts to put on another weight. JEREMY You think you could beat up Mike Tyson? I mean before he started wiggin out and eating people's ears? DAVID No. JEREMY What if you worked out everyday for six months? You think you could beat him then? DAVID No. JEREMY What if you only ate foods that were good for you and you worked out everyday for a year? Jeremy is breathing hard as he puts the safety collars on the barbell and comes around to David's end of the bench. David lays back. DAVID No. David takes hold of the barbell. Beat. He takes a deep breath. The weight comes off the armrests of the bench. David lowers it to his chest and pushes it back up. He does just one more rep with serious strain. He puts the weight back on the armrest and sits up. DAVID How much did you put on there? David twists around and looks back at the barbell. He counts up the black metal circles. He turns back to Jeremy. DAVID You put too much. That's two hundred and fifty pounds. JEREMY How much can you lift? David looks back at the weights. DAVID That's the most I've ever lifted. (beat) That could have been dangerous Jeremy. Why don't you go upstairs and let me finish up? Jeremy starts back to the barbell. JEREMY I'll take it off. I'll help you right. He slips off the safety collar. JEREMY You think you could have beaten up Bruce Lee? David hears the SOUND OF THE WEIGHTS SLIDING OFF THE BAR BEHIND HIM. DAVID No. JEREMY I mean if you knew karate? DAVID No Jeremy. JEREMY What if he wasn't aloud to kick and you were really mad at him? Jeremy is breathing hard again as he finishes with the weights and comes around to David. David lays back. DAVID No. David takes hold of the bar. Lifts it off the armrest. Brings it down. His arms are straining hard again. He raises it and lowers it two time; it takes a sizable effort. The weights bang down onto the armrest. David sits up. DAVID How much did you take off? JEREMY I lied. Beat. DAVID You added? Jeremy nods, "Yes" slowly. David turns completely around and looks at the barbell. He counts the black discs on the steel bar. Beat. Nobody says anything for a long time. JEREMY(soft) How much is it? DAVID(soft) Two hundred and seventy. David just stares at the black steel circles on the metal bar. Jeremy comes and sits on the bench next to his father. They both stare at the weight. Beat. JEREMY(dead serious) Let's put more. Beat. DAVID Okay. CUT TO: INT. BASEMENT - EARLY EVENING David's fingers wrap around the cold metal of the bar. He leans his head forward and looks to Jeremy. DAVID Why don't you move back a bit? Just to be safe. Jeremy moves back to the bottom of the stairs leading up to the house. He waits. Another deep breath as David heaves. The weight CLINKS as it comes off the arm rest. David is full out straining now as he lowers and raises it. His arms begin to tremble as he lifts it for the second time. BANG the weight lands back safely onto the rest. David sits up. He looks at his son whose eyes are wide. Beat. JEREMY More? Beat. David nods, "Yes." CUT TO: INT. BASEMENT - EARLY EVENING An enormous amount of black discs sits on the bar. David's hands are gripping the metal. He talks to Jeremy who stands in his position at the bottom of the stairs without looking at him. DAVID You should never try anything like this. You know that right? Jeremy nods, "Yes." DAVID What do you do if something happens? JEREMY(soft) Get mom. David nods, "yes" before starting his deep breathing. He takes one last breath. CLINK the weights comes off the rest. His arms are trembling immediately now. His face is locked in a grimace as he brings the bar down to his chest and back up again two times before dropping it onto the armrest. He slowly sits up. DAVID How many did you put on that time? JEREMY(soft) All of it. DAVID There's no more left? Jeremy nods, "no" in a slight daze. Beat. David looks around his basement. DAVID What else can we use? CUT TO: INT. BASEMENT - EARLY EVENING A set of two unopened MAB satin finish paint cans are dangling by their metal handles on the outside of each side of the weights. The fours cans sway a little as the bar is heaved off of David's chest. His arms are shaking hard. He raises the weight to it's apex and brings it down again. It touches his chest and rises up again. David's red strained face exhales powerfully as he straightens his arms. The bar lands on the armrest with A CRASH. The paint cans make METAL SQUEAKS as they swing to stillness, one at a time. Beat. David sits up and turns back to the weights. His mouth moves as he calculates the discs and the cans. His lips stop moving. Beat. JEREMY(soft) How much is it? David doesn't react. JEREMY(soft) How much is it dad? It takes a second for David to register the question. He looks to his son. Beat. DAVID(soft) About three hundred and forty. David turns and looks at his son. Jeremy's mouth is slightly open. He gazes at his dad. Awe in his tiny eyes. CUT TO: INT. BATHROOM - EVENING David sits on the edge of the bathroom tub. He's just showered and wearing jeans and a t-shirt. He sits still with his elbows resting on his knees, staring at the white tiles of the floor. THE PHONE RINGS. David gets up and walks out of the bathroom. He picks up the phone and stands in the bathroom doorway. DAVID Yeah, hello. WOMAN(on phone) Is David Dunne there? Beat. DAVID Megan? MEGAN(on phone) Yes. Is this David? DAVID Yeah? Megan where are you calling from? MEGAN(on phone) My name is Megan Inverso. We went to college together. David looks at the phone. The lights for line ONE and line TWO are glowing RED. David squints his eyes as he pieces together the situation. Beat. He moves back into the bathroom. The cord stretches as he takes his seat on the edge of the bathtub. DAVID I remember you. MEGAN(on phone) I was hoping you would call me, but... Anyway I decided not to wait. (beat) I was thinking, it might be nice to go to dinner together. Beat. MEGAN(soft) ...Hello? Beat. DAVID Yeah it might be nice. We hear A SOUND ON THE OTHER END OF THE PHONE. A SOUND MUCH LIKE AN EXHALE. CUT TO: INT. CHINESE RESTAURANT - LATE EVENING The local Chinese restaurant. Red and gold plastic dragons hang from the ceiling. A couple late-nighters are at the bar. Megan and David are two of a handful of people left dining in the restaurant. They're a little dressed up. Megan looks kind of stunning. DAVID ...When you work with clients on machines, do they sometimes just jump up a level or two? Do something they didn't know they were capable of? MEGAN Not often, but it is possible. Most people get scared when they see the shadow of their limits. They don't know how long the shadow really is. They don't know how far away the real limits are standing... They stop out of fear. David nods as he takes it in. Beat. He looks down at his plate and twirls his lo mein onto a fork. Megan watches him. MEGAN This is kind of strange isn't it? David nods, "yes" before taking the bite. MEGAN We're not even acting like ourselves. David touches his mouth with his napkin. MEGAN Like that. Your mouth's dirty. You tapped your napkin to your lips. You only do that when you're with someone you don't know. David looks down at his napkin. DAVID What do I do when I'm around someone I know? MEGAN You use your sleeve. They both smile at each other. Beat. WOMAN(o.s.) Megan? David and Megan look over to the only other table of late night diners as they get up from their table. A woman about Megan's age walks over to her. WOMAN I thought it was you. MEGAN Hi. (to David) This is Claire. Her son is in Jeremy's class. Claire and I worked on the school food drive together. DAVID Hello. CLAIRE smiles as she stares at David. She turns to Megan. CLAIRE(mouths) He's cute. Claire turns back to David. CLAIRE I'm very happy about this. Megan mentioned to me she was considering dating again. Megan becomes still. CLAIRE(to David) I'm sorry, what's your name? Beat. David doesn't look up. DAVID David. CLAIRE David? MEGAN This is my husband. Beat. All three people become frozen in silence. Claire looks to Megan. CLAIRE(soft) I am so sorry. Megan nods. Claire quietly walks away form the table and joins her group as they leave the restaurant. Beat. Megan and David are the last one's left. They sit silently in their booth. Megan looks at David's face. He's shaken. He slowly takes a sip of water and then taps his mouth with napkin. CUT TO: INT. FRONT DOOR - NIGHT It's late. NO LIGHTS ARE ON EXCEPT THE ONE IN THE HALL. The babysitter has black dyes hair and Buddy Holly glasses. David waits as she puts on her jacket. DYED HAIR GIRL He ate about six of those chocolate covered doughnut holes with his milk. He said he only had three, but I know he had six. DAVID Okay. David is not paying attention to the girl. He watches as his wife takes off her coat and heads to the guest room. She turns before entering the room. David and his wife make eye contact. MEGAN(soft) Goodnight. David nods. Megan goes into her room. The guest door closes softly. David finds the babysitter looking at him with an odd expression. DYED HAIR GIRL My parents sleep in separate beds. David reaches into his wallet and hands the girl money. DAVID Thank you. David opens the front door for her. DYED HAIR GIRL By the way, Jeremy went to sleep in his room tonight. DAVID His room? The baby sitter nods with a smile as she walks out the front door. CUT TO: INT. JEREMY'S BEDROOM David walks into the darkened child's bedroom. The lump on the bed turns when he hears movement. He smiles when he sees David. JEREMY(whispered) I'm sleeping in my room. DAVID(soft) I see. JEREMY(whispered) I'm not scared. DAVID(soft) That's great. JEREMY(whispered) Do you know why? David nods, "No." JEREMY(whispered) I know now. DAVID(soft) Know what? JEREMY(whispered) You're secret identity. (beat) That man was right. Beat. David just stares at his son. Jeremy's eyes start to close. DAVID Jeremy. Jeremy opens his eyes. DAVID(soft) There are big guys in almost every gym who can lift that much. Beat. Jeremy's eyes start to shut. JEREMY(whispered) You could have lifted more. (his eyes close) ...Don't worry, I won't tell anyone. Jeremy Dunne falls asleep. David Dunne stands in the darkness of his son's room. Posters of comic book heroes don the walls around him. CUT TO: INT. HOSPITAL ROOM - NIGHT Elijah's cheek rests against two pristine white pillows. He looks exhausted. His eyes are fixed on some abstract point in the room. WE HEAR SOUNDS OF A HOSPITAL. The torso of a PHYSICIAN can be seen on the other side of the bed. We hear him speak but never see his face. PHYSICIAN(o.s.) ...fracture of the proximal phalanx of the little finger as well as multiple fractures of the sixth, seventh, and eighth ribs. The worst of the injury, however, was sustained to the left leg in the form of a spiral fracture. There were fourteen breaks. It simply shattered... ELIJAH They call me Mr. Glass. Beat. PHYSICIAN(o.s.) Who does? ELIJAH Kids. Elijah just keeps staring. PHYSICIAN(o.s.) Shall I continue? Beat. Elijah's head nods the slightest bit up and down. PHYSICIAN(o.s.) Pins were placed throughout the length of the leg. The use of a wheelchair will be needed for a two month period. The use of crutches will follow for twelve to fourteen months. Hospital stay will range from five to eight days followed by nine to twelve months of physical therapy. Prescribed medication for pain management will take the usual forms of... The PHYSICIAN'S WORDS FADE AWAY as Elijah continues to gaze at an abstract point in the room. FADE TO BLACK: INT. PHYSICAL THERAPY CENTER - LATE MORNING WE EMERGE FROM DARKNESS TO FIND OURSELVES IN THE PHYSICAL THERAPY CENTER. A CO-WORKER finds Megan working with an elderly gentleman who's laboring on a stationary bike. JANIS Your ten o'clock is here. The hospital discharged him this morning. MEGAN Thanks. The co-worker takes Megan's position by the elderly man. Megan crosses the physical therapy center. A man in a wheel chair waits by her office. She walks up to him with a smile. MEGAN Elijah right? Elijah's leg is immobilized by a metal brace and held straight. Under his shirt we see the wrappings around his ribs. His left pinky is in a splint. He smiles and nods, "yes" to Megan. CUT TO: INT. STADIUM LOCKER ROOM - LATE MORNING David Dunne stands in security uniform by a set of double doors that leads into the players locker room. Three walls of the locker room are lined with shiny lockers. One side of the room has benches and massage tables. The far end of the room has work out equipment. About twenty players and trainers are scattered throughout the spacious room lost in their own pre-game rituals. David watches as a massive muscular player takes a seat on the massage table and removes his dress shirt. His body is covered in old bruises. He lays down, wincing a bit from the pain. A trainer begins to massage him. David just stares at the battered athlete. His gaze moves across the room. Beat. David stares at something in the crowded room then he starts towards it. He moves through the room of players and trainers. He moves to the one area of the large room not occupied by anyone. David comes to a step at the foot of an Olympic bench press. Racks and racks of free weights sit behind the press. David looks down at the thick silver bar. Three large black plates are on either side. Six in all. David looks back and glances at the double doors where he should be standing. Beat. He looks to the twenty or so players and trainers in the room. Some of the players have headphones on. Some are staring into space. A couple are on cell phones... No one notices David Dunne as he reaches for a forty-five pound black plate off the weight rack. The huge disc slides onto the bar with almost NO SOUND... A matching forty-five pound disc goes on the other side... And then David adds another. He matches it on the other side... THE BENCH CREAKS just the slightest bit as David takes a seat. No one notices the security guard lay back on the bench. David's hands take hold of the shiny bar. He closes his eyes... David's arms become tense. He pushes against the weight. It doesn't move. His face turns deep red. He opens his eyes and stares at the bar as he keeps training. His face and arms are shaking... He keeps staring... focusing. And then, without any fanfare, the bar lifts off the arm rest. The weight hovers over David. He lowers it to his chest for a second time. His arms aren't shaking anymore. He pushes the weights back up. He carefully brings the bar back to the arm rest. It touches down with the smallest of CLINKS. David's fingers uncurl from the bar. David lets out two slow soft breaths as he counts the thick black discs. DAVID(whispers) Four ten... four forty-five... (beat) Five hundred. Beat. David sits up in a daze. He finds the entire room of athletes and trainers staring at him. Some of the players have stood up. Everyone stares as David Dunne with the same quiet disbelief in their eyes. CUT TO: INT. PHYSICAL THERAPY CENTER - AFTERNOON Megan and Elijah are in the far corner of the room. They're separated from the other clients. Megan is seated on an exercise machine. Elijah is in his wheel chair facing her. MEGAN We're going to prevent any substantial atrophy of your good leg with this. (She taps the machine) It works the quadriceps. ELIJAH How long have you been married? Megan is taken off guard by the question. She stares at Elijah. Beat. MEGAN Twelve years. ELIJAH How did you get together? Elijah smiles warmly. Megan smiles softly back. MEGAN A car accident. Elijah smiles even bigger. ELIJAH Now you're going to have to tell me more. MEGAN ...See my husband was a big football star in college and we were in an accident together. Our car flipped on an icy road. We were both injured. He couldn't play football anymore. (beat) If that hadn't happened, we wouldn't have been together. ELIJAH How so? MEGAN Football wasn't the kind of life I wanted... For ten years I'd be by the phone waiting for a call telling me he broke his neck in a practice game. And if it wasn't that call, it would be a call telling me he blew out his knee or suffered his third concussion. I've seen way too much of it in my job... I can barely take it when my clients are in pain. (beat) I don't hate the game. I admire the amount of skill it involved and, like everyone else, I was in awe of how he could play it, but I couldn't give him my heart and then have something happen to him. And it always does with that game. (beat) It's not a thing many people would understand. ELIJAH You and my mother would have a special connection. MEGAN Any way, fate stepped in and took football out of the equation. ELIJAH ...And everyone lived happily ever after. Beat. MEGAN Sort of. Beat. ELIJAH What part of David's body was injured? Beat. Megan's eyes become utterly still. MEGAN Who said my husband's name is David? CUT TO: INT. STADIUM - AFTERNOON Eleven football players in white and green battle eleven football players in blue and gray on the field. A sold out stadium watches the event. David stands at the lip of a tunnel that opens out onto the upper section of the second level. Waves of people move from their seats through the tunnel to the bathrooms and concession stands and back again. David stares to the side away from the movement, his shoulder leaned up against the wall. He looks over at the constant movement of spectators through the tunnel. Beat. His shoulder leaves the wall. He STEPS OUT into the stream of people. Shoulders and arms bump into him and brush by him as they move. David's eyes are looking down - his expression still - like he's listening. He continues into the dead center of the tunnel. He's in the heaviest part of the movement now. Fans continue to brush against him as they pass. And then it happens... A stocky woman bumps into him. FLASH CUT: AN IMAGE OF THE STOCKY WOMAN IN A BATHROBE STANDING IN A KITCHEN. SHE'S HOLDING THE SHOULDER OF A FIVE YEAR OLD BOY STANDING NEXT TO HER. HE'S CRYING UNCONTROLLABLY. THEY BOTH ARE LOOKING DOWN AT THE KITCHEN TABLE WHERE THREE THINGS ARE LAID OUT... A BELT, A HANGER, AND AN EXTENSION CORD. STOCKY WOMAN Choose. SLAM CUT BACK TO PRESENT: We're back with David in the crowd. He turns and watches the stocky woman walk down the tunnel. She's holding the wrist of her five year old son. She yanks it quickly and violently to keep the boy close at her side. She and the boy dissolve into the crowd. CUT TO: INT. PHYSICAL THERAPY CENTER - AFTERNOON Elijah and Megan sit very still. ELIJAH There have been three major disasters in this city over the last four years. I've followed each one of them... A Seven-three-seven crashes on take off. One hundred and seventy-two die. No survivors... A hotel fire downtown. Two hundred and eleven die. No survivors... And am Amtrak train derails seven and half miles outside of the city. One hundred and thirty one die. One survivor. He is unharmed. (beat) I've spoken with your husband about his survival. I suggested a rather unbelievable explanation. Since then, I've come to believe, that my explanation, however unbelievable, is in fact, true. MEGAN And what was that explanation? Beat. ELIJAH It's a mediocre time Mrs. Dunne. People are starting to lose hope. It's hard for many to believe that extraordinary things live inside themselves as well as others... I hope you can keep an open mind? Beat. MEGAN(soft) Is this a religious thing? ELIJAH I own a comic book museum. It's called the Limited Edition. MEGAN(smiles) For a second there I thought you were a fanatic. ELIJAH I believe comic books are based loosely on reality - I believe there are real life equivalents of the heroes in those books that walk the earth - I believe your husband is one of those individuals. Beat. Megan becomes utterly still. ELIJAH I'm glad you brought up fate Mrs. Dunne. I'm becoming a strong believer in it... See, David refuses to speak with me any longer... And when I saw your name on my insurance list of approved physical therapists... It was like fate had intervened... (beat) We were meant to speak to each other. CUT TO: INT. STADIUM - AFTERNOON David lets the waves of people move by him in the tunnel. A MAN WITH GRAY EYES and wearing a dark blue sweat shirt carries a cardboard tray of nachos and drinks. He brushes David's arm as he passes. FLASH CUT: THE IMAGE OF THE GREY EYED MAN WEARING A BLOOD SPLATTERED T-SHIRT IN A MEN'S BATHROOM. HE'S VIOLENTLY KICKING ANOTHER MAN CURLED UP ON THE FLOOR OF A TOILET STALL. HE STOPS KICKING. HE GLARES DOWN WITH POWERFUL GRAY EYES. SWEAT SHIRT MAN(whispers) This is my house, bitch. These are my customers. SLAM CUT BACK TO PRESENT: The gray eyes man in the blue sweat shirt pauses with nachos in hand at the top of the stairs to locate his seats. Beat. David walks the five feet between them and taps him on the shoulder. People continue to stream by as the man turns to face David. The man's GRAY EYES go from David's face to the security emblem on his shirt. The man's face becomes still. GRAY EYED MAN Yeah? David stares hard at the man in front of him. DAVID We've had some problems with drug selling in this stadium. (beat) Would you mind if I checked the pockets of your sweatshirt? The gray eyed man stands eerily still with his nachos and drinks. The two men just stare at each other, evaluating the situation. People move in both directions around them, unaware. The gray eyes man holds his tray of food to the side and raises his arms slowly. David steps forward and reaches into his pockets. Beat. David pulls his hands out from the pockets. They're empty. The gray eyes man brings his arms down. Beat. The walkie on David's hip COMES TO LIFE. David reaches down and pulls it off his belt without removing his eyes from the man in front of him. David brings the walkie to his mouth. DAVID(into walkie) Yeah? WALKIE(o.s.) There's a message for you at the office. Your kid was hurt. David's face changes. DAVID(into walkie) When? WALKIE(o.s.) Just now. They want you to come down to his school. David lowers the walkie from his face. The gray eyed man has a slight smile on. Beat. GRAY EYED MAN Why don't you go take care of your business? The gray eyed man takes a bite of a nacho as he stares at David. GRAY EYED MAN And dude, no one carries their merchandise on them any more. They got messengers for that shit now. (beat) That's what they tell me. The gray eyed man in the blue sweat shirt turns and starts down the stairs to his seat. He raises his fist in the air as someone scores a touchdown on the field. CUT TO: INT. ELEMENTARY SCHOOL NURSE'S RECEPTION AREA - AFTERNOON Jeremy is seated in a chair with abrasions and cuts on his face. He sits next to a smaller boy with a thermometer in his mouth. They're both looking at the glass window of the nurse's private office. There are tow people inside talking. David and A WHITE HAIRED NURSE. The THERMOMETER BOY pulls the thermometer out of his mouth. THERMOMETER BOY Is that your dad? Jeremy nods "Yes." THERMOMETER BOY I bet my dad can beat up you dad. Jeremy turns to the thermometer boy. JEREMY I don't think so. CUT TO: INT. NURSE'S OFFICE - AFTERNOON NURSE ...No, he insisted we only call you. (beat) Though it took us a while to track down your number. It's not on file here. DAVID Megan handles that type of stuff. NURSE What stuff is that? DAVID Jeremy's stuff. David feels uncomfortable as the nurse just stares at him. Beat. David rises from his seat. DAVID So do I need to put any smelly ointments on him or anything? The white haired nurse nods, "no." NURSE It's more emotional damage. It wasn't very serious physically. David nods. NURSE Nothing like when I sent you to the hospital. David stares at the white haired nurse. DAVID What was that? NURSE My office was on the other side of the building back then. (beat) You don't remember me do you? David nods, "no." NURSE I had red hair. David stares at the woman. He doesn't recognize her. NURSE I think you were a little younger than Jeremy when it happened. (beat) Did you know we changed the conduct rules of the pool because of you? David nods, "no" slowly. NURSE The kids still talk about it like some ghost story..."Did you know there was a kid that almost drowned in the pool? He got pneumonia and almost died." The nurse shakes her head. NURSE We let them tell it... It helps keep them safe. Beat. NURSE Are you still phobic of water? David seems lost in his thoughts. He looks up at the nurse. DAVID Yes I am. CUT TO: EXT. BUS STOP - AFTERNOON David and Jeremy are seated on a bench at a Septa bus stop. No one else is waiting with them. Jeremy talks without making eye contact with his dad. JEREMY(soft) It was Potter and another guy I play football with. They were messing with this Chinese girl. She's kind of fat. She doesn't talk to anybody. (beat) I tried to make them stop. They kept pushing me down and wouldn't let me get up. Beat. Jeremy's VOICE STARTS TO TREMBLE SOFTLY. JEREMY(soft) I thought maybe cause you were my dad, I thought I might be like you. Jeremy finally looks up. Tears in his eyes. JEREMY(soft) I'm not like you. David moves closer to Jeremy on the bench. DAVID You are like me. We both can get hurt. I'm just an ordinary man. (beat) I'm not what you think I am. Jeremy just stares at his father. Beat. JEREMY Why do you keep saying that? CUT TO: INT. KITCHEN - EVENING David stares at his bowl of pasta. He sits alone in the kitchen. Beat. He gets up, slides the pasta in the trash and moves to the sink. David is rinsing out the bowl when Megan walks in. David turns off the water. MEGAN He's just laying in bed. He's pretty upset. He won't talk. DAVID He's dealing with a lot of things. (beat) I think he needs to find answers himself. Beat. MEGAN It's weird to hear you tell me about Jeremy. (beat) A good weird. David looks at Megan. They stand silently in an awkward pause. Beat. DAVID Would you like to try going- MEGAN Yes. DAVID -out again. Beat. David smiles. DAVID But if we see another mother from Jeremy's school, me name is Juan. I always wanted to be a Juan. Megan smiles softly back. Beat. MEGAN Oh. Elijah Price came to visit me at the center today. DAVID Jesus. Megan sees David's shocked expression. MEGAN He didn't do anything. He just told me his theory... It's sad when patients get like that. They loose reality. DAVID(whisper) Jeremy what the hell are you doing? Megan suddenly realizes David is looking over her shoulder. Megan turns around. She SCREAMS. Jeremy is standing in the doorway to the kitchen. He's crying hard. In his outstretched hands is the HAND GUN FROM DAVID'S CLOSET. It's pointed directly at David. JEREMY(crying) You don't believe. I'll show you... You can't get hurt. MEGAN(realizing) -Oh my God. DAVID -Jeremy did you load that gun? Jeremy nods, "Yes." Crying harder now. JEREMY(crying) -You won't get hurt... DAVID -Elijah was wrong. MEGAN -Sometimes when people are sick or hurt for a long time, like Elijah, they're mind gets hurt too. David shoots a tense glance at Megan. MEGAN -They start to think things that aren't true. He hold me what he thought about your father. It isn't true. JEREMY(crying) -I'll show you. David starts moving a little to his right. Jeremy follows him with the barrel of the handgun. David stops moving. DAVID -You know the story about the kid who almost drowned in the pool? Jeremy stops moving. DAVID -That was me they were talking about. I almost died. That was me. JEREMY(crying) -You're lying. DAVID -I'm not. I just didn't connect it. MEGAN -Jeremy, your father was injured in college - you know that. You know all about that. Jeremy's small face tenses. Confusion mixes with the desperation on his face. MEGAN -Don't do it. He'll die Jeremy. Beat. Jeremy looks up, tears streaming down his cheeks. JEREMY(crying) -I'll just shoot him once. DAVID -Jeremy listen to what- Jeremy starts pressing the trigger. The hammer clicks back. JEREMY -Don't be scared. DAVID -Jeremy if you pull that trigger I'm going to leave! I'm going to go to New York. Jeremy freezes. David flashes a desperate glance at Megan then back to Jeremy. DAVID You're right... If you shoot me, that bullet is going to bounce off me and I won't get hurt... but then I'm going to go upstairs and pack. And then leave to New York. Beat. JEREMY(crying) -Why? Jeremy's hands are trembling. He starts to close his eyes as he raises the gun level with David's chest. DAVID(loud) Jeremy! Jeremy's eyes open. DAVID(loud) You're about to get into big trouble! I'm your father and I'm telling you to put that gun down right now God damn it! (beat) One!... (beat) Two!... Jeremy puts the gun down on the floor in front of him and stands up. Megan leans against the refrigerator and slides down to a sitting position on the tiled floor. David walks over and picks up the gun. He unloads the bullets in his hand. David bends down very slowly and takes a seat on the kitchen floor. Jeremy is the last to sit down. He takes a seat in the doorway of the kitchen. Beat. He wipes his eyes with the back of his hand. Beat. JEREMY(soft) ...You didn't have to yell. The Dunne family sits in silence on the floor of their kitchen. CUT TO: EXT. LIMITED EDITION - AFTERNOON People move up and down the streets outside the storefronts. David is one of them. He waits to cross the street. He sees movement inside the Limited Edition window. CUT TO: INT. LIMITED EDITION - AFTERNOON Elijah opens the door. It takes him a bit, because of the wheelchair. David stares at Elijah's damaged condition. Beat. ELIJAH Joined a rugby league. Turned out to be a bad idea. (beat) Come here I want to show you something. Elijah wheels over to one of the framed sketches on the wall. It's a charcoal drawing of a muscular figure shielding himself from a blow about to be delivered. A huge ominous shadow is covering him, as if something unspeakable and evil is just out of frame. ELIJAH Look at this. I just noticed this today. David steps in close and studies the drawing. ELIJAH This is from the Sentryman series. A color version of this was actually used in the second issue. Elijah points up to the drawing's face. ELIJAH Look at this eyes. What do you see? David looks right at the intense eyes of the drawing. ELIJAH It's fear. (beat) He was scared. They were being honest in the beginning you see. They let him be human. (beat) They turned him into a garden variety hero later... Then he was brave all the time. Elijah turns to David. ELIJAH I followed the guy in the army jacket. David becomes still as his words register. ELIJAH He had a silver handled gun tucked in the back of his pants. (beat) Were you really injured in that car accident in college? David looks unsteady all of the sudden. ELIJAH Because I think you faked it. I think you took the opportunity to end your career - no questions asked. (beat) And I think you did it, of all things, for a women... (beat) Not only do you have the physical traits of a hero, down somewhere in there, you have the moral code of one too. You were ready to sacrifice everything for what's right. Where can you find that these days? (beat) Only thing you didn't realize is that you were giving up a part of yourself when you gave up football. The physical part. And you need that part desperately to feel balance again... (beat) You can have it back now. (beat) This was all just make believe before. What if there was someone the opposite of me? What if?... (beat) I now believe you are the genuine article Mr. David Dunne. The kind of person we knew existed, from our history. Elijah points to the room full of pictures. ELIJAH It's time for someone like you. (beat) Bad is winning. I can feel it. Elijah looks at David with deep admiration. His voice cracked a little at the end of his words. Beat. David doesn't take his hands out of his pockets. DAVID(rattled) I must have felt some lump in his back when I bumped him. Most guns have a black or silver handle. I had a fifty-fifty shot at the color. ELIJAH That's not what I witnessed David. DAVID Stop messing with my life Elijah. My son almost shot me last night. He wanted to prove you were right. ELIJAH I never said you couldn't be killed. I never said that. DAVID You have a problem, Elijah. My wife is right. Somewhere along the line one of your bones broke and your mind just broke with it. Beat. ELIJAH Are you finished? DAVID No. And I have been sick. I spent a week in a hospital when I was a boy recovering from pneumonia and almost drowning. DAVID Two skinny eight year old kids were playing around the pool. They were dunking me. I swallowed water. They didn't know it and they almost killed me. (beat) Heroes don't get killed like that. Normal people do. Beat. Elijah seems shaken for the first time. David stares at him coldly. DAVID I don't want to see you again okay. (soft) Now I'm finished. David turns and starts for the entrance. The BELL OF THE DOOR CLANGS as David Dunne leaves the store. CUT TO: EXT. STREET - AFTERNOON David exits the Limited Edition and moves down the street lost in this thoughts. He bumps a man in a jacket and tie walking in the opposite direction. FLASH CUT: THE SAME MAN STANDS IN A BAGGY SWEATER. AGAINST A PARKED CAR HE'S HOLDING SOMETHING SHINY AND METALLIC IN HIS HANDS. HE INSERTS IT IN THE HALF INCH GAP BETWEEN THE GLASS OF THE DRIVER'S WINDOW AND THE DOOR. THE DOOR UNLOCKS. THE MAN LOOKS AROUND QUIETLY BEFORE ENTERING THE CAR. SLAM CUT BACK TO THE PRESENT: David looks over his shoulder at the conservative looking man in a shirt and tie walking down the street. David Dunne is shaken. He turns and keeps walking. CUT TO: INT. JEREMY'S ROOM - NIGHT A superhero action figure and a plastic villain do battle on Jeremy's desk. David sits dressed up in a white shirt and dress pants. He holds the villain. Jeremy holds the superhero. Megan enters the room in a beautiful brown dress. MEGAN The sitter's here. David nods, "yes." Megan studies his tense expression. MEGAN We can do this another time if you want? I'm fine with anything. David looks from the action figures, to his son's face to the face of his wife. They both have the same quiet anxious expression. Beat. DAVID But I put cologne on. Megan smiles. MEGAN Is that what that smell is? Jeremy giggles. CUT TO: INT. DOWNTOWN COMIC BOOK STORE - NIGHT An overweight man in sweats and a ponytail counts the cash in the register. We are in a low-end comic book store. The walls are lined with shelves of comic books. The more expensive issues are kept in a glass case. THE PONYTAIL MAN looks at his watch and then to far back of the store where one head is visible behind a low rack. PONYTAIL MAN Hey man it's twenty after. It's time to close. I gotta head. The top of the man's head doesn't move. Beat. PONYTAIL MAN You better not be jacking off to the Japanese comics. I swear to God. No response. Ponytail man closes his register and walks towards the back. As he gets closer to the customer, he realizes that the man is in a wheelchair. The Ponytail man walks ups to Elijah. PONYTAIL MAN Listen man, I didn't know you were in- (beat) Just choose something all right? Elijah doesn't react. He sits in his chair in a quiet daze. Ponytail man leans over. PONYTAIL MAN Hello. You understand English? Ponytail man makes fake sign language gestures in front of Elijah's face. PONYTAIL MAN Look man, I'm just gonna wheel you out. You can think about things outside on the sidewalk. I gotta get some chicken in me, you know what I'm saying? Beat. The Ponytail man shakes his head moves behind Elijah. He starts wheeling him towards the front of the store. They move down a narrow aisle of comics. Elijah suddenly grabs the left wheel and turns the chair. His immobilized left leg hits a rack of comic books. A handful of comics tumbles to the ground. PONYTAIL MAN Shit. The ponytail man straightens the wheelchair and starts down the aisle again. After a couple of feet, Elijah jerks and grabs the other wheel sending the wheelchair ramming violently into the opposite wall. Comics are knocked free and fall onto the wheel chair and the nearby ground. PONYTAIL MAN Dude, I don't care if you are in a wheelchair. If you do that again, I'm calling Five-O. Beat. The Ponytail man takes Elijah's silence as a, "Yes." He straightens the chair. They move down the aisle. All is quiet... and then Elijah jerks the wheelchair to the left again. His metal brace and the wheelchair crash into two racks. Elijah gets covered in comics. PONYTAIL MAN That's it crackerjack! You're going to sit your ass in jail now. The Ponytail man moves to the front counter. Elijah sits in a trance - slightly hunched over. His eyes stare at a comic book in his lap. His expression changes for the first time. The Ponytail man finishes dialing. He looks over to Elijah as he waits for a voice on the other end. Elijah raises a single comic book in his hand. ELIJAH How much is this one? CUT TO: INT. RESTAURANT BAR - NIGHT LATE EVENING. A trendy restaurant. Not enough light to read the menus. David and Megan are on stools at one end of the bat. They sip their drinks as they appear in deep thought. DAVID ...I think rust. MEGAN Rust? DAVID As a color, not as rust. You know, a rust colored paint or wood? Megan leans slightly closer. MEGAN I didn't know that. Mine's still brown. DAVID My turn. What's your favorite song? MEGAN Soft and Wet, by the Artist Formerly Known as Prince. DAVID What was that? MEGAN We're supposed to be honest. Beat. David brings his stool closer. DAVID Soft and Wet. That's very interesting. MEGAN My turn. (beat) When was the first time the thought popped into your head that we might not make it? David's grin slowly fades. DAVID That's not the game. Megan moves her stool closer. They're only a foot or so apart. MEGAN It's a second date. There aren't any rules. Beat. David sips his drink slowly. DAVID I'm not sure. MEGAN Think carefully? DAVID What about the game? MEGAN It's finished. I won. Beat. David glances at Megan. She waits for his answer. MEGAN Maybe it wasn't a specific moment, maybe it- DAVID I had a nightmare one night and I didn't wake you up so you could tell me it was okay. (beat) I think that was the first time. (beat) Does that count? MEGAN(soft) That counts. Beat. Megan takes her glass up to her lips. Doesn't take a sip. Brings it back down. MEGAN Do you knowingly keep Jeremy and me at a distance? Beat. DAVID Yes. Megan's face tenses. She's on the verge of getting upset. MEGAN Why? DAVID I don't know Megan. MEGAN It's like you resent us David. Resent the life you have. Beat. David doesn't answer. MEGAN You know even if it meant we couldn't be together, I would never have wished that injury on you? What you could so physically was a gift. I would never have wished it to go away. Megan's eyes glaze with water. Beat. MEGAN You know that right? David takes a sip with a trembling hand. David's eyes look up and make eye contact with Megan's. He stares at her for the longest time. DAVID(soft) I know. Husband and wife sit close together in the corner of the bar on their second date. CUT TO: INT. FRONT DOOR - NIGHT Megan stands next to David as he pulls out his wallet. The babysitter with the black dyed hair and Buddy Holly glasses stands ready to leave in the doorway. DYED HAIR GIRL You got two calls. One came through while I was on the line - I wasn't talking too long. There was an emergency with my sister. She tried to do her own perm and now she looks like- DAVID Who called through? Megan tries to hide her smile. DYED HAIR GIRL Someone from New York. The smile instantly fades. DYED HAIR GIRL About a security job at a museum. They want to hire you. (beat) I didn't know you guys were moving to New York. Thanks for telling me. MEGAN We're not moving. DYED HAIR GIRL Oh. (beat) I let the answering machine pick up the other call. The babysitter fixes her Buddy Holly glasses as she looks at the two suddenly quiet faces. David hands her the money. She opens the door. It's started to rain. DYED HAIR GIRL Great. The babysitter covers her head with her jacket and runs down the walkway. David closes the door. Beat. MEGAN Look let's be honest here. We're just at the beginning. I don't expect you or I to change the course of where our lives were headed because of two dates. (beat) If you do go to New York, we can still develop this. We'll just be forced to take it slow. And in the end, that's definitely better. (beat) This is our second time around David. I don't expect us to get carried away. (beat) I guess congratulations is the right thing to say. Megan takes off her coat as she moves to the guest bedroom. She disappears inside. The door closely behind her. CUT TO: INT. KITCHEN - NIGHT Only the COUNTER LIGHT is on in the kitchen. David stands by the phone. ELIJAH'S VOICE IS HEARD ON THE ANSWERING MACHINE. ELIJAH(on tape) ...David. It's Elijah. It was so obvious. It's referred to over and over. That's the key you see. The repetition across time. That means at some point it was all based on common thought, a common event - a fact. (beat) It was this one issue that brought it back for me... Century Comics One-Seventeen. That's where this group, the Coalition of Evil, tried to ascertain the weakness of every superhero. ELIJAH(on tape) ...Because they all have one. (beat) Just like you. (beat) The cells that make up your muscles and your bones react to forces that act upon it, slightly different from than mine. That's clear... Your cells react to bacteria and viruses slightly differently than mine... That's also clear...But for some reason, you and I react the exact same way to water. We swallow it, we choke. We swallow too much of it, we drown. However unreal it may seem, we are connected, you and I, we are on the same curve... just on opposite ends. ELIJAH The point of all this is, we now know something we didn't... You have a weakness... Water. It's your krpytonite. (beat) You hearing me David? Call me back... I got rugby practice in an hour. THE SOUND OF ELIJAH HANGING UP IS HEARD. THE ANSWERING MACHINE BEEPS AS IT TURNS OFF. David hits a button on the answering machine. It makes a WHIRRING SOUND before ANNOUNCING. MACHINE Message erased. CUT TO: INT. BATHROOM - NIGHT The master bedroom is very narrow. A bathtub and toilet are at one end. Two identical sinks sit opposite each other. David sits on the edge of the tub. His shirt is unbuttoned. He sits in a daze staring at the tiled floor. His eyes slowly move to a small white and red box laying on its side under one of the sinks. David rises and picks it up. It's a BOX OF BAND AIDS. David looks up to Megan's sink. Perfume and lotions sit on its edge. David opens her mirrored cabinet. He starts to put the band aid box back, he hesitates. His eyes begin to roam the cabinet shelves. They stop on certain items... A CONTAINER OF TYLENOL... A LOTION FOR DRY SKIN... A BOTTLE OF ALLERGY DROPS... COUGH SYRUP... A TUBE OF MUSCLE PAIN OINTMENT... David just stands quietly for a beat before turning and looking across to his own identical mirrored medicine cabinet. There are three things on the shelf... DISPOSABLE RAZORS. SHAVING CREAM. AND COLOGNE. David's mouth opens just a little bit as he stares. CUT TO: INT. FRONT HALL - NIGHT ALL THE LIGHTS ARE OUT. David moves through the darkness down the stares in jeans and a sweatshirt. He moves to the coat closet. Pulls out the dark green rain poncho. The word "security" is almost faded away. He opens and closes the front door with virtually NO SOUND. CUT TO: EXT. THIRTIETH STREET STATION - NIGHT Rain falls like gunfire from the sky. David's car pulls into the massive rain station parking lot. David steps out and pulls the hood of the poncho over his head. CUT TO: EXT. METAL STAIRS - NIGHT A steel fence leads to a set of stairs that travel down to the dozens of interconnected tracks below. David walks down about forty feet. A fenced gate with a lock stops his progress. David looks through the fence down to the tracks. Just to the side is a construction site. Cranes and lifts and various equipment stand idle in the area next to the section of train wreckage that has been brought to the station grounds for dismantling and salvaging. The bent shapes of the train pieces can only be glimpsed in outlines as they sit in the darkness, hundreds of feet away from the immaculately lit train station. Beat. A HUGE METALLIC CRACK ECHOES THROUGH THE TRAIN YARD as David kicks open the fence door that holds him back from going down. CUT TO: EXT. TRAIN WRECKAGE - NIGHT Frightening twisted pieces of metal glisten in the rain. David walks along the body of the caved-in passenger car. The passenger car is split in two. Just before the tear, along the window line, the windows have been crushed in. A huge hole has been ripped below the windows exposing the ravaged interior. David stands before this heavily damaged area of the car. He just stares at the wreckage. Water falls off the rim of his hood in front of his face. His eyes drift over the ominous pieces of deformed metal. He takes a couple slow breaths as THE SOUNDS OF HARSH RAIN FADE AWAY TO SILENCE. CUT TO: FLASHBACK: EXT. STREET - NIGHT SILENCE. BLACK. OUR VISION CLEARS TO REVEAL the glazed icy top of a street. THE SOUND OF DISTANT FIRE COMES INTO THE SILENCE. A TWENTY YEAR OLD DAVID DUNNE rises to his feet from the ground where he was laying amongst the fragmented pieces of windshield. He looks down at himself. His football jacket is torn. So are his jeans... He's trembling slightly, but not bleeding. HE LOOKS UP TOWARDS THE NOISES. About thirty feet away is a Honda, upside down, wrapped around a telephone pole. It's front is on fire. Through one of the crushed door windows, WE SEE A WOMAN'S HAND. Young David heads toward his car. He slips a couple of times on the slick iced surface of the road. He kneels down next to the inverted car. He looks in the crushed window frame. THE FACE OF A TWENTY YEAR OLD MEGAN IS UPSIDE DOWN. She is unconscious. DAVID Megan... She doesn't answer. Her body is twitching as it sits pinned behind the wheel. David pulls at the handle of the mangled door. It's wedged tight. It won't move. The heat from the fire is tremendous. David's powerful arms keep pulling with all their strength. WE HEAR THE CREAK OF METAL... THE DOOR BENDS UNNATURALLY AND THEN PRACTICALLY RIPS OPEN. David leans into the car and unbuckles Megan. He works her out underneath the steering column. He slides out. Her leg is bleeding. David picks her up and carries her to the grass next to the road. He lays her down gently. DAVID Megan? He just stares at her. She doesn't respond. A LIGHT WASHES OVER THEM. David turns to see a truck approaching up the road. David waves frantically. The truck slows. David turns back to Megan. Her eyes are open. Tears fall from David's face as he moves the hair out of her eyes. She looks at David. MEGAN(soft) I thought I was dead. Beat. DAVID Me too. The driver of the truck slips and slides his way over to David. DRIVER Is she all right? DAVID I think her leg is fractured. DRIVER Are you injured? Beat. David looks at Megan who lays shivering in the grass. He looks back at the driver. DAVID(soft) My shoulder's hurt. The driver nods. DRIVER Hold on. I got a C.B. in the truck. The driver moves back to his truck. David takes Megan's hand in his and waits in the grass by the sight of their car on fire. CUT TO: PRESENT: EXT. TRAIN WRECKAGE - NIGHT David stands utterly still in the graveyard of train 177. CUT TO: INT. HALLWAY - NIGHT The wheels of Elijah's wheelchair move down the hall as he follows the SOUND OF THE PHONE RINGING. He follows THE SOUND to a PHONE RINGING in the storage room of the store. There are shelves and shelves of comic books. Thousands of them filed away in neat piles. Elijah picks up the phone a little out of breath. ELIJAH Hello. DAVID'S VOICE Elijah? Beat. ELIJAH David? Nothing is said on the other line for a couple of beats. WE HEAR THE ECHOED DIN OF A LARGE ROOM FILLED WITH PEOPLE AND MOVEMENT IN THE BACKGROUND. DAVID'S VOICE What am I supposed to do? Elijah closes his eyes. His face fills with strength. CUT TO: INT. THIRTIETH STREET STATION PHILADELPHIA - NIGHT The interior of the station is a mystical sight. One huge cavernous room, a football field in size, lined on both sides with giant pillars that rise into a misty hand painted ceiling. ELIJAH(v.o.) David, it's okay to be afraid. Because this part won't be like a comic book... Real life doesn't fit into little boxes that were drawn for it. David stands in a quiet corner and watches the faces of passengers arriving and departing late night trains. Even at the late hour, there is heavy traffic throughout the station. ELIJAH(v.o.) Go to where people are... You won't have to look very long. David stares out at the midnight travelers. Beat. He starts towards them. He passed the towering black statue standing at the far end of the station. It watches over the whole building. It's in the form of an angel lifting a soldier to heaven. David moves through the first group of people - a crisscross of arriving passengers from tracks one and two. They brush by him and lightly bump him as they move. FLASH CUT: WE ARE NO LONGER IN THE TRAIN STATION. A BLOND WOMAN IN HER TWENTIES STANDS AT A COUNTER IN A CROWDED STORE. SHE SLIDES THE SILVER BRACELET AND EARRINGS SHE WAS LOOKING AT OFF THE GLASS COUNTER AND INTO HER PURSE. NO ONE SEES. SLAM CUT BACK TO PRESENT: David turns and glances at the blonde woman as she walks away from him towards the exit of the train station. He doesn't stop moving. David heads towards the densest part of the floor. The area near the information board. Sleepy friends and tired family members stand and wait. A steady spider-like web of movement flows as six tracks let out on either side. David moves to the center. His rain poncho almost touches the marble floor. Lines of passengers emerging from trains below the main level move steadily on either side of him. David looks down and gently turns the palms of his hands out as they at his side. His finger tops graze the jackets and clothes of the passengers walking by. Dozens and dozens of people pass. Nothing happens. Then a man in a crumpled shirt and slicked back hair brushes by... FLASH CUT: THE SLICKED BLACKED HAIRED MAN LEANS OUT THE WINDOW OF A TRUCK. HE'S HOLDING A BOTTLE OF BEER. SLICKED HAIR MAN Go back to Africa! THE SLICKED HAIR MAN THROWS THE BOTTLE WITH FORCE AS HE PASSES A CLACK FAMILY WALKING ON THE SIDEWALK. THE BOTTLE SHATTERS AS IT HITS A WOMAN IN THE GROUP. SLAM CUT BACK TO PRESENT: David's eyes dart up as the slicked haired man turns the corner at the information booth. He watches him for a beat. FLASH CUT: WE ARE IN A BEDROOM. A YOUNG MAN IN HIS LATE TEENS LOOKS DOWN AT A GIRL LAYING IN A PILE OF OVERCOATS ON A BED. THERE IS LOUD MUSIC AND LAUGHTER COMING FROM SOMEWHERE DOWNSTAIRS. TEENAGER What's your name? I think you drank too much. THE GIRL MOANS SOMETHING INAUDIBLE AS SHE ROLLS ON HER SIDE. HER SKIRT RIDES UP HER THIGH. THE YOUNG MAN STARES AT HER AND THEN GETS UP. HE MAKES SURE NO ONE IS LOOKING BEFORE CLOSING THE DOOR. HE LOCKS IT FROM THE INSIDE. SLAM CUT BACK TO PRESENT: David watches the teenager with baggy jeans hanging off his hip. He walks and greets a group of identically dressed friends. Beat. David turns his hands back in. He seems shaken. He takes a couple of deep breaths as he gathers himself. Then David steps back to look around. HE BUMPS the shoulder of a man standing behind him. David takes a sudden breath like someone punched him in the solar plexus. FLASH CUT: AN ENORMOUS MAN WITH GLASSY EYES STANDS BEFORE A SCREEN SIDE DOOR. HE'S BALDING. THE HAIR HE DOES HAVE IS SHOULDER LENGTH. HIS ECLIPSING SHADOW FALLS ON THE CONSERVATIVE LOOKING MAN WHO STANDS ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE SCREEN DOOR INSIDE THE HOUSE. GLASSY EYED MAN Can I come in? MAN IN HOUSE Who are you? GLASSY EYED MAN I like your house. Can I come in? MAN IN HOUSE What is this? (beat) No you can't come in. Beat. GLASSY EYED MAN Are you sure? The enormous glassy eyed man takes hold of the screen door handle. He turns it. The man inside the house grabs the door handle on the inside to stop him. MAN IN HOUSE What are you doing? The man inside the house uses all his strength to keep the door from opening... It opens slowly anyway. SLAM CUT BACK TO PRESENT: David stands frozen in the train station. His face is almost unreadable. David is standing less than a foot away from the man he bumped. They're standing shoulder to shoulder. David's eyes slowly move from the ground over his right and then finally onto the man. He's huge. At least three inches taller than David. His shoulders are massive. He's wearing a one piece ORANGE UNIFORM. The man in the orange uniform leans over a trashcan next to him and removes the full trash bag within it. He replaces it with a fresh one. He throws the full trash bag into a gray plastic bin with wheels and starts pushing it. David watches the man head across the floor towards a double door marked "Station Maintenance Staff Only". Four identical gray bins sit outside the door. The huge man disappears with his bin inside. David waits. He just stares hard at the double doors. Nothing happens for the longest time... No one comes out. David makes a decision. He starts towards the doors. And then they open. The huge glassy eyed man in orange emerges carrying a bag over his shoulder. He's wearing a baseball hat with his uniform now. He heads toward a back exit. David lets him get about twenty feet away before deciding to follow him. CUT TO: EXT. RESIDENTIAL STREET - NIGHT The man in the orange uniform walks in the driving rain down a residential city block. Almost all the lights in the middle class homes he's passing are off at this late hour. No one is out walking except him and David Dunne fifty feet behind. The orange figure turns the corner onto a block of modest stand alone homes. The uniformed man walks slower in this block. He looks around carefully as he moves. He turns into a driveway of one of the homes. He stops and pulls a wad of mail out of the mailbox. David stands with the hood of his security coat covering his head and face. He stands in the shadows and watches silently as the man in the orange uniform looks over his massive shoulder before turning a knob and entering the white paneled house through a familiar side door with a screen on it. CUT TO: INT. LAUNDRY ROOM - NIGHT The side door opens with almost no sound. The hooded figure of David Dunne steps into a narrow laundry room. THE SOUND OF A TELEVISION IS HEARD FROM ANOTHER ROOM. A very large pile of unopened mail sits in a mound on the clothes dryer. Two or three days worth. David shuts the door very slowly. CUT TO: INT. KITCHEN - NIGHT THE SOUNDS OF CHEERING FROM THE TELEVISION IN THE NEXT ROOM SPILL INTO THE KITCHEN. David stares out from under his hood at the mess. Cabinets are left open. Empty cans of food sit on the counter with a handful of unwashed dishes. The breakfast table is the eeriest thing in the room. It sits frozen with a plate of half-eaten, now moldy eggs at one setting and two bowls of colorful cereal in another. The cereal has dissolved in the old milk. Two cockroaches are crawling in the bowl. David moves slowly to a door in the kitchen. It's slightly open. As David gets closer, he shields his face from the strong smell. He pulls the door open quietly. A SHAFT OF KITCHEN LIGHTS FALLS DOWN THE STAIRS INTO THE BASEMENT. At the bottom of the stairs is a MAN'S BODY. The same man who answered the door in the flashback lays partly in the shadow, partly in the light. His crumpled tie lies folded over itself on his still chest. CUT TO: INT. FAMILY ROOM - NIGHT A BOXING MATCH BLARES ON THE TELEVISION. Empty beer bottles and coke cans sit in a pyramid on the coffee table. David steps into the unoccupied room. His movements are slow and tense. THUDS OF HEAVY FOOTSTEPS COME FROM THE CEILING OF THE ROOM. David looks up and follows the SOUND AS IT MOVES AROUND ABOVE HIM. David moves to the stairs as SOMEONE GETS KNOCKED OUT ON THE TELEVISION. CUT TO: INT. GIRL'S ROOM - NIGHT Three closed doors converge on a landing. David opens the closest one. It's a young girl's room. Posters of boy bands are on her wall. Clothes are everywhere. The room is empty. A NOISE COMES FROM THE HALF OPEN BATHROOM DOOR ATTACHED TO THE BEDROOM. CUT TO: INT. BATHROOM - NIGHT A slightly overweight girl, probably fourteen years old is tied by her wrists with a phone cord to the metal towel rack in her bathroom. She sits with her arms pointed upward over her head. He knees tucked up to her chest. Next to her is her younger brother. A skinny boy, maybe twelve. He's tied and seated in the same way. Their heads are leaned back against their arms. They're completely listless. Eyes half mast. They watch as the door to the bathroom opens and the dark hooded figure of David Dunne steps in. His long dark slowing rain poncho still dripping water. He stands in the doorway for a moment before moving towards them. They don't react in anyway as David reaches for the phone cord and unties them. They're arms flop to their laps as they gaze up at the figure leaning over them. They boy blinks once slowly. David takes a step back and stares at them from under his hood. DAVID You need to leave now. CUT TO: INT. MASTER BEDROOM - NIGHT An exercise bike in the corner of the bedroom has been turned into a clothes hanger long ago. The t.v. across the bed has framed family photos displayed on top of it. David's shadow passes over them as he moves towards the open bathroom on the other side of the bedroom. A woman is tied to the bathroom door handle. She sits on the tiled floor slumped against the door. Her eyes stare blankly at the ground. She has considerable bruises on her face and arms. David stands before her. DAVID(soft) Where is he? The woman doesn't answer, but a SOUND COMES FROM THE SCREEN DOOR nearby. The curtains draping the screen door move with the wind from outside. David crosses the room and pushes aside the curtain. It leads to a small balcony. An empty lawn chair is the only thing on it. David steps onto the balcony and looks down. The rain still pours down unmercifully. It comes down on a black tarp that covers a pool in the backyard. David turns to go back inside. A BLURR OF ORANGE ATTACKS HIM. The collision is sudden and explosive. The huge man drives his shoulder into David's chest and takes him off his feet. David's body flips over the railing. The dark green rain poncho flaps in the wind as he falls two stories directly towards the black tarp. CUT TO: EXT. POOL - NIGHT David lands on his stomach with a TREMENDOUS SLAP onto the nylon black tarp. There's a thin layer of rain water on the tarp's surface. David is laying on his cheek. Half his face is covered in water. Beat. David's exposed eye looks around in a daze. The surface of the tarp gets pounded by the rain. David uses his hands to push his body off the tarp. His hands sink into the water as his pressure pushes the tarp down. THE FIRST SOUNDS OF NYLON SLIDING AGAINST CONCRETE START. David stops pushing. His vision catches the corner of the swimming pool as the tarp slides out from under the sand bags that hold it in place. The tarp sags. David becomes utterly still. THE SOUND CONTINUES ANYWAY. One by one the tarp starts sliding out from under the sand bags all around the edge of the pool. And then without warning, the tarp caves in. It folds around David as he and the tarp get pulled UNDER THE COLD DARK WATER. CUT TO: EXT. UNDER WATER - NIGHT David's body is tangled in the pool cover. His legs and arms thrash against the constricting black tarp. He's drowning. GLIMPSES OF LIGHT FROM THE HOUSE PIERCE THE DARKNESS UNDER WATER. THE BLURRED IMAGE OF A DISTANT FIGURE HIGH ABOVE ON A BALCONY FLICKERS AND DISAPPEARS. The last of the tarp slides out from under the sandbags that old it in place around the edge of the pool. The rain keeps falling. The tarp moves like it's alive underwater. It shifts and wraps David tighter with every movement. GLIMPSES OF LIGHT AGAIN. TWO SMALL FIGURES NOW STAND IN A BLURRED SILHOUETTE NEAR THE EDGE OF THE POOL. FLASHES OF SOMETHING SHINY THEY'RE HOLDING... A ROD OR POLE... IT'S SHAKY NEBULOUS IMAGE WAIVERS IN THE AIR ABOVE THE SURFACE. David's only free hand reaches for the light. It catches the silver pole. The tangled mass of David and the tarp are pulled slowly towards the edge of the pool. David's head and shoulders emerge from the darkness. He takes hold of the pool's edge. Huge desperate breaths as he pulls his body out from the water and the grasp of the tarp. He hauls himself onto the ground. He sits hunched over in a dark mass, his head down under his hood. The rain poncho covering him like a blanket. Beat. He rises to his feet. The water rushes off of him. His breathing is slowing, calming. He stands in a silhouette from the light of the house. He turns and looks to the two small figures standing near the edge of the pool. The children from the bathroom stand still in the rain. They're holding an aluminum pole with a brush head for cleaning the pool. They stare up at the hooded figure. No one says anything. CUT TO: INT. MASTER BEDROOM - NIGHT The man in the orange one-piece uniform stands over the woman tied to the door handle of the bathroom. His back is to us. He's drinking from a beer bottle as he looks down at her. He doesn't notice the third presence come into the room. He doesn't hear him move closer. Right behind him. The man in orange takes another sip of his beer, not realizing an arm is reaching over him... He doesn't get to swallow the sip in his mouth. David Dunne's powerful arm wraps around the man's thick neck. David's hands clamp together like and iron vise. He squeezes. The man's beer bottle crashes to the ground as his neck begins to get crushed. David yanks back hard, pulls the man off balance. The man's legs push back violently, sending both of them backwards across the room. They come to a hard stop as David's back gets RAMMED INTO THE BEDROOM WALL. The huge man in orange pulls away and then SLAMS DAVID harder against the wall. David's arm remains locked around his throat. The man becomes frantic. His face turning dark red. He clutches at David's arm. He spins, taking David with him into another wall. The IMPACT IS TREMENDOUS. The room shakes. David holds on. His face bent low and hidden under his hood. And then the man in orange throws a powerful elbow back. It lands hard right in David's side. David groans. The huge man delivers another one. Savage, desperate blows. WE HEAR THE IMPACT OF EACH ONE WITH DAVID'S BODY. And David never lets go. The elbows slow and then stop. The legs of the man in orange start to buckle. David pulls him back onto his heels. He turns him in a half circle. All of his tremendous weight is hanging from David's arm now. David LETS OUT A YELL AS HE APPLIES ALL HIS STRENGTH. The man's legs stop kicking. David keeps turning him. The man's body goes completely limp. David's just dragging two hundred and seventy-five pounds of weight in a circle over the carpet now. David slowly comes to a stop. He stands there with his arm wrapped around the man's neck....The man's limbs dangle down to the ground. Beat. David's hands let go of each other. His arm slips out from under the man's jaw. The man in orange crumples to the ground like a rag doll. The only SOUND IN THE ROOM IS DAVID'S HEAVY BREATHING. Beat. He moves to the woman slumped against the door. He starts to untie the phone cords that bind her wrists to the handle. He whispers to her. DAVID(soft) It's over now. (beat) Your children are fine. They're getting help. He unties her wrists. Her arms stay above her head where they were. DAVID(soft) I'm going to go now. He stares at the woman whose eyes stare blankly at him. She sits unnaturally still against the door with her arms above her head. The mascara that has run down her face and dried, has tracks where countless tears have rolled down. David moves his hand near her mouth and nose. He checks for the feeling of breath against his hand. Beat. He rises up. Removes his hood. David Dunne stands silently in the master bedroom of someone's house and gazes at the dead woman frozen in a slumped position against her bathroom door. CUT TO: INT. FRONT HALL - NIGHT The front door opens to SILENCE. The silhouetted figure of David steps into the darkness of his home. CUT TO: INT. CLOSET - NIGHT The dark green faded security poncho gets hung back on its hook in the closet next to the family winter coats. CUT TO: INT. JEREMY'S BEDROOM - NIGHT David enters the quiet of Jeremy's room. Jeremy lays sound asleep. David stares down at the shadowy figure of his son. He pulls the blanket over the boy's small shoulder. CUT TO: INT. DAVID'S BEDROOM - NIGHT David sits on the edge of the empty bed in the darkness of his room. He doesn't makes a sound. He doesn't move an inch. He is so still, he seems to disappear into the shadows of the room. CUT TO: INT. GUEST BEDROOM - NIGHT Megan stirs in her sleep. She shifts her head on the pillow. Then her body RISES INTO THE AIR. She starts to wake as she floats across the room. She opens her eyes and sees David close by. He's carrying her in her arms. He moves up the stairs with her. No words are spoken. CUT TO: INT. THEIR BEDROOM - NIGHT They enter their bedroom. David lays her down gently on her side of the bed. She watches as he walks out of sight. He lays down right behind her. He covers her with his arm... His hand is shaking. Beat. He speaks softly. DAVID(soft) I had a bad dream. David tucks his head in close to hers and closes his eyes. Megan lays stunned in her husband's arms. Beat. MEGAN(soft) It's over now. She closes her eyes too as the tears start coming. DISSOLVE TO: EXT. STREET - DAY Downtown Philadelphia. People move up and down the sidewalks in front of the storefronts. David Dunne is among them. He crosses the street in front of The Limited Edition. The front doors of the store are open. A banner over the door reads, "Annual Sale." CUT TO: INT. LIMITED EDITION - DAY The compact store is crowded with customers. David spots Elijah with a group of people before a framed painting of a comic hero. David moves to a less crowded area of the store and waits. He turns and looks at a framed sketch. Beat. An older woman walks over from a near by picture and joins David. WOMAN ...See the villain's eyes. They're larger than the other characters'. They insinuate a slightly skewed perspective of how they see the world. Just off normal. David stares at the drawing. DAVID He doesn't look very threatening. WOMAN That's what I said to my son. He said, there's always two kinds. The soldier villain who fights the hero with his hands, and then there's the real threat. The brilliant and evil arch enemy who fights the hero with his mind. David turns and looks at the striking and beautiful African American woman in her sixties who stands next to him. DAVID Are you Elijah's mother? The woman turns and looks at David for the first time. ELIJAH'S MOTHER I am. I'm helping him with the sale. DAVID It's a pleasure to meet you. I'm David Dunne. ELIJAH'S MOTHER He's spoken of you. He says you're becoming friends. DAVID We are. David looks across the store at Elijah talking with the customers. DAVID He's doing well today. ELIJAH'S MOTHER I'm very proud of him. (beat) He's been through a lot in his life. A lot of ups and downs, a lot of bad spells. A couple I'd thought had broken him... I mean emotionally. (beat) They were bad... But he made it. Yes he did. DAVID He's kind of a miracle. ELIJAH'S MOTHER Yes he is. They both watch Elijah from across the room. ELIJAH'S MOTHER I'll tell him you're here. David watches as Elijah's mother walks across the store and waits for Elijah to finish talking. David turns back to the framed sketch. He looks at it with his hands in his pockets. Beat. David's stare turns into a gaze. His gaze turns into stillness. THE SKETCH is of a withered man with large tense eyes. He sits in the shadows. He's seated in some type of machine. There are lots of buttons and levers on the machine. The machine has wheels. David turns from the sketch. He looks across the room to Elijah seated in his wheelchair. Elijah's large eyes stay focused on the customer's as he finishes negotiating. David turns back to the sketch. He looks at it with growing confusion. The more you look at drawing, the more the machine the man is seated in looks like a wheelchair. David looks back across the store. Elijah and his mother are talking. Elijah has spotted David. Beat. Elijah starts across the crowded store towards David. He wheels up to him. ELIJAH Did you see this? Elijah has a newspaper on his lap. He holds it up. There's a drawing on the front page. It's a hooded figure shielding two huddled children behind him. ELIJAH(soft) It has begun. David stares quietly at the sketch of himself. ELIJAH When I saw it this morning. I felt a part of the world again. Elijah looks down at the newspaper. David hesitates and then reaches forward. He reaches past the paper... And TOUCHES ELIJAH'S ARM. FLASHCUT: AN AIRPORT GATE. ELIJAH IS STANDING AT THE WINDOW LOOKING OUT ONTO THE AIRFIELD. HE'S CRYING. SIRENS START SOUNDING THROUGHOUT THE AIRPORT. WAITING PASSENGERS START GETTING UP AND MOVING TO THE WINDOWS. MAN What's going on? Elijah speaks to no one in particular as he stares out the window with tortured eyes. ELIJAH A plane just crashed. CUT TO: FLASH CUT: ELIJAH AND AN ELDERLY MAN IN A UNIFORM ARE SEATED IN A HOTEL BAR. ELDERLY MAN I've worked here twenty-five years. I know all its secrets. ELIJAH Secrets? ELDERLY MAN(whispers) Like if there was ever a fire on floors one, two, or three... Everyone in this hotel would be burned alive. ELIJAH LOOKS UP FROM HIS DRINK. CUT TO: FLASHCUT: ELIJAH LEAVES THE ENGINEERING ROOM OF AN AMTRAK TRAIN. HE PASSES THE ENGINEER WHO HAS JUST ARRIVED WITH COFFEE. ENGINEER Passengers aren't allowed in there. Elijah doesn't answer and doesn't turn around as he exits train 177. SLAM CUT BACK TO PRESENT: David takes two unsteady steps back. Elijah has tears in his eyes as he gazes down at the newspaper. He looks up to David. ELIJAH(low voice) I almost gave up hope. There were so many times I questioned myself. I've made so many sacrifices but it's all been worth it. (beat) There are millions and millions or mediocre people in the world David. Isn't it great that we aren't one of them? David looks like he stopped breathing as he backs up in the store. Customers step between him and Elijah. Elijah becomes obscured and then blocked from view. CUT TO: EXT. STREET - DAY David emerges from the store slowly. He braces himself against a parked car and then keeps on walking in a nightmarish daze. WE PULL BACK as David Dunne blends in with dozens and dozens of ordinary people, walking on an ordinary street, in an ordinary city. FADE TO BLACK:

SOMEWHERE IN AFRICA EXT. GRASSY PLAINS - DUSK BIRDS ARE FLUSHED FROM HIDING. A soldier carrying an automatic weapon rises up out of the grass and looks around. A mortar shell explodes nearby. There are no sound effects. He seems unperturbed. Several more explosions in the field. The soldier motions with his arm and: FIFTY MORE SOLDIERS RISE UP OUT OF THE GRASS More small explosions. FREEZE FRAME With a click-click of a camera -- still no fx. THE SOLDIERS RUN THROUGH THE GRASS FOLLOWING THEIR LEADER As they do, the platoon leader waves his arms again. FIVE ELEPHANTS CHARGE OUT OF THE SHRUBBERY Through a field of small mortar explosions. FREEZE FRAME With the click-click of a camera. THE ELEPHANTS CHARGE OUT ACROSS THE PLAINS Each carries an enormous load of supplies, and each is ridden by a soldier with a rifle. A HELICOPTER GUNSHIP DIVES OUT OF THE SKY firing rockets at the soldiers and elephants. A tribal mask is painted on the nose of the chopper. THE ELEPHANTS REAR UP IN TERROR The soldiers on the elephants stand up and aim rifles at the chopper and begin firing. THE CHOPPER ATTACKS THE ELEPHANTS against an African sunset. FREEZE FRAME DISSOLVE TO: INT./EXT. LOBBY OF THE 'NEW PEOPLE'S HOTEL' - DAWN A door slams o.s. and the figure of RUSSELL PRICE, 30, appears at the top of some stairs. Sleepy-eyed, he pulls on a multi- pocketed fishing vest over a baggy shirt. He carries a beat up canvas bag over his shoulder. A BLACK WOMAN, 40, sleeps at the lobby switchboard desk. Another OLD BLACK MAN sweeps the floor. Price mumbles a 'good morning' and goes to two vintage WW II vending machines -- one for candy, one for Coca-Cola. He buys two candy bars and a coke, and begins eating his "breakfast" as he crosses the lobby. EXT. THE HOTEL - DAWN JIMMY, a cab driver, has been sleeping in a chair against the wall. Several street vendors have their wares laid out on the sidewalk against the hotel. Some are shaded by makeshift awnings, some are not. Jimmy rises as Price arrives; there is familiar ritual in their greeting. They cross the street together toward Jimmy's waiting taxi, a hand-painted purple old American car with the words on the door, "New People's Taxi Company" and Jimmy's name in script above it. Price hands a candy bar to Jimmy. PRICE 'Morning, Jimmy, think you could squeeze me in? JIMMY Where is you would care to go at once, Mr. Price? PRICE Bang-bang. JIMMY Twenty dollar. Price hands him a wad of bills. PRICE You're a thief, Jimmy. Jimmy smiles broadly, nodding, then points to the sky. JIMMY Booteeful picture, huh, snap-snap? PRICE I don't do skies. The two men get into the strange cab parked in front of an open marketplace just starting to come alive; the cab drives off. EXT. A REMOTE AFRICAN VILLAGE - DAY The taxi arrives, and Price gets out. Price ambles over to stand in the early morning shade against an old building. A hand-painted image of Che Guevarra -- with an X painted over it -- is on one wall. Price pulls a joint from his pocket and lights up, taking a hit. The sounds of war machinery soon interrupt the stillness. Price hurries to the corner. P.O.V. A JEEP LEADING AN ARMY CONVOY Price pulls a handful of colored rags from his pocket and picks out a yellow kerchief, tying it to his arm. Price then steps boldly into the street in front of the approaching convoy. He exchanges shouts with an officer in a jeep, and with a motion is given permission to join. PRICE CLIMBS INTO THE LAST OF THREE TROOP TRUCKS Each truck is filled with perhaps 25 African soldiers in khaki, each holding an automatic rifle. Another jeep follows, towing a World War II cannon. CUT TO: INSIDE THE TROOP TRUCK - DAY PRICE (cheerily) Hi, guys. The soldiers look over disinterestedly. Two dozen cases of Coca-Cola are tied to a stretcher among stacks of guns. As Price settles in for the ride, he begins pulling cameras from his bag. Quickly and automatically, rarely looking, he switches lenses, loads film, and prepares his cameras. He has done this a thousand times. A SINGLE WHITE SOLDIER -- OATES, rises from among the blacks, and shakily makes his way toward Price. A mercenary dressed in a ragged uniform of his own design, carries two machine guns and a .45. He smiles broadly, recognizing Price. HODGE slaps Price's hands as if they were teammates. OATES G'damn, Price, you tuna sucking piece of raw meat -- whatchyou goin' to Zambeze for? PRICE Thought I'd get some great shots of your head gettin' blown to smithereens. OATES Smithereens?! Be a great fuckin' picture, eh? PRICE Be a prize winner. OATES (proudly) Ya think so? (beat; changing tone) Trade ya some greenies for a joint. (beat) I gotta have a joint. PRICE I'm on the wagon, man, sorry. OATES (shrugs) Ahh. Dope-wise, this place sucks. (looks around, leans in confidentially) Lotta fuckin' coons around here, eh? They nod. He laughs obscenely and deeply. PRICE I thought you were fighting for the Government? OATES I am. This is the Government. PRICE These are the Rebels. OATES Fuck they are. This is a Government convoy to Calunda. PRICE This is the Abou-Deian Revolutionary Front. Pause. OATES You're shitting me. Pause. Finally Oates starts laughing uncontrollably. OATES These guys be pissed if they knew, eh? (Price nods in agreement; Oates suddenly gets serious) This is the dumbest motherfucker I ever signed up for. Don't pay shit either. (Price nods in agreement) Nicaragua. That's the spot. Cheap shrimp, lotta rays -- real thin in the spook department too, dig? CUT TO: EXT. THE REBEL'S AIRFIELD - DAY The convoy rumbles past a check-point into a small airfield containing a motley collection of DC-3's and old planes. TWO RUSSIAN ADVISORS and THREE CUBAN ADVISORS watch. OATES Well hell... I wonder where the fuckin' Guvmint is? As he speaks, the cab of the truck is rocked with a mortar shell and explodes. Soldiers scramble to safety. Some grab the guns being transported. TWO SOLDIERS GRAB THE STRETCHER OF COKE and start running for safety. Smoke and explosions are everywhere -- they abandon their cargo and run for cover. OATES SCRAMBLES TO SAFE GROUND quickly and instinctively, looking around wildly to "read" the situation. Price dives next to him. A SOLDIER IS HIT AND GOES DOWN NEARBY, staggering towards Price and Oates. A DC-3 GOES UP IN FLAMES IN THE BACKGROUND THE WOUNDED SOLDIER REACHES FOR OATES who darts out quickly and drags the injured Rebel to safety. PRICE HAS HIS CAMERAS OUT AT ONCE and is firing away. TWO REBEL SOLDIERS POINT TO THE STRETCHER OF COCA-COLA and start moving toward it through the smoke. They want to rescue the soft drinks. PRICE LEAPS FROM HIS BUNKER AND RACES TOWARD THEM dangerously, waving and shouting as he does. PRICE Hold it! Hold it! They don't speak English but stop at his craziness. PRICE STOPS AND AIMS HIS CAMERA, and as he does he motions for the soldiers to continue. P.O.V. THE FRAMED IMAGE -- SOLDIERS, SMOKE AND COKE IN B.G. As the soldiers move toward the Coke, Price snaps picture after picture. A MORTAR EXPLOSION BLOWS THE COCA-COLA TO A MILLION BITS The two soldiers stop short -- several more steps and they would have been killed. Price's intrusion has accidentally saved them. The two soldiers run toward safety, bewildered and scared. ON THE AIRFIELD - THE SMOKE CLEARS AND ALL IS CALM Gradually the airfield comes back to life. Several teams of medics run with stretchers from the hut and begin gathering bodies. Rebel soldiers appear from every conceivable shelter and move across the field. Oates emerges and meets Price on the torn up runway amidst the rubble. They look around at the devastation. OATES Well, I guess we know where the Guvmint is. PRICE (cynically) You can walk to work from here. OATES Convenient, ain't it? Oates starts to walk away, then stops and speaks earnestly, as if trying to connect to a real world that doesn't exist. OATES My brother just got married. PRICE I don't know your brother. Suddenly, the distant roar of a jet. All the soldiers on the field scan the horizon; Price looks up. The air raid siren goes off. A JET DIVES OUT OF THE SKY TOWARD THE AIRFIELD OATES AND THE SOLDIERS DIVE TO COVER JET STREAKS OVERHEAD and, instead of rockets and bombs, it drops something else: THE SKY IS FILLED WITH A MILLION PIECES OF PAPER The jet pulls out and disappears. All is quiet again as the million papers flutter in the sky above the airfield. Out of frustration a single soldier fires a couple of shots at the paper. Price grabs a piece of paper out of the air. It is: A PICTURE OF A SWIMMING POOL IN FRONT OF A CALIFORNIA HOUSE HE STARES AT THE IMAGE and turns it over. There is writing on the backside in Spanish and Russian. He looks around. OATES WANDERS OVER with a handful of the leaflets. PRICE What's this? OATES Great shit, eh? Price tries to read the writing on the back as Oates looks at a leaflet familiarly. OATES U.S. Gummint offers this house to any Cuban pilot flying Migs for the Rebels who chooses to defect to America with a Russian jet. We know they ain't gonna run off with no planes -- but the Rebs don't -- They're scared. They start thinking about that swimming pool. Damn near smell that chlorine. Starts workin' on 'em, and pretty soon they don't let the Cubies near a Mig. Use their own spook pilots and destroy their own air force in a week. Guaran-fuckin- teed. PRICE C.I.A.? OATES (proudly) Smartest guys in the world. (afterthought) Hey, you gotta scoop here, eh? You'll be famous. OATES shakes hands with Price who looks at the picture. PRICE (dispassionately) Maybe. OATES (looking around) I gotta run... have a good one. Oates heads off across the runway as papers continue blowing down out of the sky; Price looks up and speaks to himself. PRICE I love Africa. CUT TO: INT. HOTEL ROOMS AT THE NEW PEOPLE'S HOTEL - NIGHT CLAIRE STRYDER, 40, reads a report over the telephone as she times the call with a stopwatch. A photograph of Claire's high-school-aged daughter sits on her dresser. ALEX GRAZIER, 50, struggles with his tie and a drink at a dresser in the adjoining room. Their connected rooms are littered with hand washed laundry and the paraphernalia of their trade -- typewriters, tape decks, books, notes, pictures. Their love affairs of three years is ending. CLAIRE (on the phone) "...and so this strange war that features two provincial governments, three rival liberation fronts, and at least twenty-five tribal associations, grinds into its seventh year..." Alex picks up a Melodica, a novelty wind instrument, and tries to court her with "Caravan" as she files her story. Though mildly put off, she maintains her cool throughout the call. He thinks he's Paul Desmond. CLAIRE "...The Battle for the Airfield at Abou Deia is just another chapter in this endless story. From Ndjamena, Chad, this is Claire Stryder." (beat) No -- you didn't hear any music -- must be the connection. Okay? So long. She hangs up and rises more irritated than angered. CLAIRE Alex, don't play that God damn thing when I'm filing. (beat) We're late. Quickly expressed, her anger passes. ALEX It's my party -- we'll be late. You called it a "strange war" and an "endless story." If you filed that story for me, I'd say you were editorialishing. CLAIRE I like to editorialize. You drunk? Alex loves to be melo-dramatic and is quite conscious of his ability to charm. He's also aware that it's worn off with her. ALEX Drunk? Only with the memories of making love with you on the plains of Fianga as the first Army of Liberation marched in and opened fire. CLAIRE And freed the Proletariat. Alex raises a drink. ALEX Right. CLAIRE I'm going to the party without you. She leaves -- he quickly puts on his coat and follows her. CUT TO: INT. THE ELEVATOR GOING DOWN - NIGHT ALEX Christ, I don't want to go to this stupid party. I'm bad at false modesty. CLAIRE You're great at it. She straightens his half-tied tie in an act of familiar affection rather than motherliness. Nervousness. She speaks calmly -- this is ground they have already covered. CLAIRE Alex, you're going to make a great anchorman in New York and undoubtedly I could be a Pulitzer Prize winning hostess -- but I'm not going with you. ALEX You can work out of the East Coast. We'll get a place on Long Island and burn our suitcases. CLAIRE I still like suitcases. ALEX Every Saturday night we'll have a party... invite all our friends, sit out on the veranda and interview each other. CLAIRE I've done all that. ALEX I haven't. (beat; changes tack) Well, God dammit, I'm getting tired of memorizing who's the president of the... Republic of Maldives. CLAIRE Mamoon Abdul Gayoom. ALEX Yeah, he succeeded Mamoon Abdul Gayeem. They both smile slightly as the elevator comes to a stop. The door doesn't open, and the light flickers. ALEX And I'm tired of Third World elevators. He bangs the door with his fist. It opens, and they enter a dismal hallway. The sounds of a party come from beyond. ALEX Don't leave me. CLAIRE I already have. As they approach the door to the party, he speaks with new toughness. ALEX Fuck Abou Deia and New York. I'm going to Nicaragua with you. CLAIRE No. ALEX I've heard it's a neat little war with a nice hotel. CUT TO: INT. THE ROOM WITH THE PARTY - NIGHT A cheer goes up for Alex as he and Claire enter. Party hats, booze, hand-made signs reading "Bon Voyage," etc. Fifteen journalists of varying nationalities cover this backwater war. Though both upset, they act as if everything is normal. PRICE STANDS ON A CHAIR AT THE CENTER summoning Alex who moves through the group with ease, instantly at home. Price holds up a bottle of champagne in toast. PRICE Alex, get up here! Alex climbs on a chair next to Price who puts his arm around him. PRICE To the man who gave me my first job, and fired me from my first job... and gave me my second job... VOICE FROM CROWD And fired you from your second job... PRICE Just a few words, Alex. VOICES FROM CROWD Impossible! Can't be done! etc. However miserable, Alex shines in these situations. He raises his hand -- silence. ALEX You may be asking yourself what exactly are you doing here in this "strange war, just another chapter in an endless story... that grinds into its seventh year..." Claire slips to the side bar and pours herself a drink, watching Alex and shaking her head with some affection. JIMMY, THE CAB DRIVER, ENTERS WITH A CAKE covered with candles. The crowd parts for the cake shaped like the country of Chad. The crowd begins singing "Caravan" in a half-drunken tribute to a man they like and respect. PRICE MOVES AROUND THE ROOM TAKING PICTURES of the party; it is all casual, silly, fun. THROUGH CAMERA P.O.V.'S OF ALEX IN A PARTY HAT, whip pan to CABBY WITH THE CAKE, whip pan to DRUNKEN JOURNALISTS. THROUGH CAMERA P.O.V. OF CLAIRE -- FREEZE FRAME, pan follows her as she moves through the room -- FREEZE FRAME, she picks up another drink and leaves through a side door -- FREEZE FRAME. ALEX GIVES IN AND JOINS THE SINGING, enjoying his own tribute once he has managed to give in to it. CUT TO: INT. THE DARKROOM - RED LIGHTS Claire's face is also covered with tears as she smokes, wandering idly among clothespinned photos. A part of her life is ending -- life with Alex -- but it's not ending neatly. A ROW OF HANGING PHOTOGRAPHS catches her eye. She stops and looks closely -- then laughs in spite of herself at a series of pictures: PHOTO OF A TALL AFRICAN NATIVE WITH A COCK SO LONG IT IS TIED IN A KNOT; PHOTO OF A BEAUTIFULLY BREASTED AFRICAN WOMAN; PHOTO OF SEVERAL POSING SOLDIERS; PHOTO OF A PHOTO -- THE RANCH HOUSE WITH POOL; PHOTO SELF-PORTRAIT OF PRICE BLOWING SMOKE RINGS; PHOTO OF CLAIRE AND ALEX IN HAPPIER DAYS. CLAIRE PULLS THE PHOTO OF ALEX AND HER from the clip and looks at it. THE DOOR OPENS, AND PRICE ENTERS PRICE Oh. I didn't know you were here. CLAIRE Sure you did. You were taking pictures of me all over the room. PRICE Well... yeah... you looked great. Why aren't you partying? CLAIRE In a minute. He notices the picture she's looking at. PRICE I printed that up for Alex. CLAIRE It wouldn't be the greatest thing you could give him right now... (beat) We just split up. PRICE Jesus, I'm sorry. Who left who this time? CLAIRE I'm the villain... I thought it could be a little cleaner this time -- me in Central America, him in New York. PRICE That's pretty clean. CLAIRE But he's decided to go to Nicaragua too. PRICE To cover you or the war? CLAIRE To cover everything. Silence. Price moves behind her and gently kisses her on the ear. She smiles quickly and nervously. CLAIRE No. He kisses her on the neck. CLAIRE For godsakes, Russell, listen. The sounds of the party can be heard. He ignores them and moves around her, trying to kiss her on the lips. She puts her hand over his mouth. Price reacts strongly, flaring slightly and withdrawing. PRICE I don't want to wait for you again. We've been circling each other since the Montreal Olympics. CLAIRE You're a genius of bad timing. (beat) I'm going back to the party. She heads to the door; Price stays. She stops before getting there, hesitates, then pulls the PHOTO OF THE ELEPHANT from the string and returns to Price, handing him the photo. CLAIRE This is a great shot. PRICE Thanks. CLAIRE I've heard the light in Nicaragua's even better. He doesn't respond. They stand for several moments -- the sounds of the party get louder. She turns and heads to Alex's celebration, leaving Price alone in the darkroom. PRICE LOOKS AT CLAIRE AS SHE LEAVES, stares aimlessly for several moments, then focuses back on his PHOTO OF THE ELEPHANTS. DISSOLVE TO: NICARAGUA 1979 EXT. THE STREETS OF MANAGUA - THE CAPITOL - AFTERNOON CLOSE ON: TIME MAGAZINE WITH COVER PHOTO OF THE ELEPHANTS, gradually PULL BACK to reveal other magazines, candy, cigars, Nicaraguan toys, all in a corner shop, and finally: A FIRE TRUCK LEADS A PROCESSION through the streets -- a group of middle class Nicaraguan women carry a banner that reads "Our Revolution is in Christ" (in Spanish), followed by three Catholic PRIESTS in bright robes, followed by a sound truck with P.A. system, followed by hundreds of townspeople carrying banana leaves and religious signs. All are singing a Catholic hymn in a swaying, hypnotic rhythm. Small red and black flags are scattered throughout. A CAB DRIVING THROUGH THE STREETS runs into the parade and stops. Price sits in the front seat -- his luggage is tied precariously to the roof. The trunk of the cab has been smashed in beyond repair. Price hops out of the cab with his camera bag -- he doesn't know what the parade is about but it looks great. He hands the cabbie some money to stay nearby. PRICE Wait here. He runs to join the procession. PRICE HOPS ONTO THE RUNNING BOARD OF THE FIRE TRUCK and almost simultaneously his light meter is out. HE is surrounded by images: SMALL GIRLS DRESSED AS ANGELS LINE THE STREET, TOWNSPEOPLE HANG FROM DOORWAYS AND WINDOWS, ICE CREAM CARTS AMONG RELIGIOUS ICONS, SOLDIERS WITH GUNS STAND IN SMALL GROUPS ALONG THE PARADE ROUTE. PRICE IS QUICKLY TAKING PICTURES OF EVERYTHING, changing cameras, occasionally taking a quick light reading; his actions are instinctive and automatic. Suddenly: TEN YOUNG TEENAGERS BURST INTO THE PARADE They wear red and black handkerchiefs, baseball caps, and strange masks. They are chanting: TEENAGE BOYS Rafael, Rafael, Rafael... libre o muerte... Rafael... A LARGE PAINTING OF THE FACE OF RAFAEL is carried aloft on a stick, draped with red and black scarves. PRICE PHOTOGRAPHS the boys and the painting. NATIONAL GUARD SOLDIERS SHOVE INTO THE PARADE Up and down the street they spring into action, running for position with their guns. An ice cream vendor is knocked down, a mother clutches her "angel" daughter, another child is whisked inside a door as the Soldiers break into the procession. THE "MUCHACHOS" WITH RAFAEL TURN TO RUN but realize that the soldiers have cut off their escape. THREE SOLDIERS BREAK into the parade and are separated from the boys only by a group of Priests. Trapped, the boys panic, but as the SOLDIERS push towards them: THE PRIESTS BLOCK THE SOLDIERS and intentionally scuffle with them, allowing the boys just enough time to dart into a house. One of the boys drops the picture of Rafael as he heads in the door. THE CROWD PUSHES FORWARD, the route to the door is blocked off, and the boys escape. SOLDIERS FIND THE PORTRAIT OF RAFAEL and shoot it full of holes with their automatic weapons. PRICE PHOTOGRAPHS "RAFAEL" as his image is ripped to shreds with bullets. The singing and the parade march on. CUT TO: EXT. THE INTERCONTINENTAL HOTEL IN MANAGUA - LATER - DAY Overlooking Managua is a sub-tropical paradise that seems far removed from a brutal civil war, this one time tourist watering hole serves as home base to the international press. The cab pulls up, and Price gets out. The driver unties his luggage from the roof as TWO PRESS CORPS MEMBERS recognize Price and greet him as an old friend. CUT TO: EXT. THE HOTEL POOL AND OUTDOOR BAR - DAY (DUSK) ALEX SITS WITH A BEAUTIFUL NICARAGUAN WOMAN, 35, at a table as PRESS CORPS MEMBERS mingle. A man we will come to know as HUB KITTLE, 40, dressed New York casual, table hops in the b.g. PRICE SEES ALEX and sneaks over to drop the Time magazine over his shoulder onto the table in front of him. Without looking up, Alex knows Price has arrived. He smiles. ALEX Welcome to Managua. They shake hands warmly, and Price sits down. Price points to the cover as a beer is served. PRICE You have something to do with this? ALEX Well... I thought of calling your photographs "Pictures from a Lost War"... I'm great at captions -- the New York editors loved it since none of them knew where the hell Chad was anyway -- it legitimized their ignorance, got you a cover, me a feature, and packaged a class struggle in two words. Nifty, eh? PRICE Nifty. Russell acknowledges ISELA CRUZ sitting with Alex. PRICE I'm Russell Price. ALEX I'm sorry... this is Isela Cruz. She works for the hotel and helps out as a translator. ISELA My pleasure. IN THE BACKGROUND CLAIRE WALKS INTO THE POOL-BAR AREA She carries her handbag and some papers -- she stops short seeing Price sitting with Alex. She hesitates, starts toward them, stops, and sits down at the bar at the opposite end of the pool. Price sees her, and she sees Price. They pretend they don't. Price turns to Isela and launches into a stream of broken, chauvinistic Spanish with his usual elegance. PRICE (in Spanish) Looks like you guys have a lot of bang-bang down here, eh? Little misunderstanding between the poets and the government? ISELA "Misunderstanding?!" "Down here" it's called a war. It started in nineteen thirty. Before you were born. ALEX My Spanish is a little out of shape -- what'd he say? ISELA He said he considers it an honor to be able to photograph our war. Price looks at each of them and decides not to push. ALEX Russell's got a way with words. ISELA I can tell. PRICE You're a helluva translator. ISELA I know. I'm much in demand around here. Will you excuse me? If you have any questions, just ask. Alex stands to help Isela from her chair. Price presses on, instinctively and effortlessly. PRICE Who is Rafael? ALEX It depends who you ask. Alex turns to Isela, who stops as she rises. ISELA Rafael? Comandante Rafael. He is either a Marxist dupe of Russia and Cuba... (beat) ...or the most popular leader of a most popular democratic revolution. (to Price cynically) Take your pick. PRICE I don't really give a damn... but the guy's got a great face. A beat, then Price asks his question almost sexually, as if he thinks he could seduce Isela, Rafael, the whole war. PRICE How would he like to be photographed? ISELA You'd never find him. PRICE Wanta lay odds? ISELA You would lose. (beat) You must excuse me. She starts to leave again, and again he stops her. PRICE Just one more thing -- is Rafael owned by the C.I.A. or the K.G.B.? I'll figure out the rest. Isela seems to welcome the question. Her tone is less flip, and she focuses hard on Price. ISELA Mr. Price... the world is not divided into East and West anymore. It is divided into North and South. By the time you people figure that out -- it will be too late. (beat) Congratulations on your cover. She touches his Time magazine, kisses Alex on the cheek, and floats magically through the pool area. Price frames her with his fingers as if composing a shot. P.O.V. OF ISELA THROUGH PRICE'S FINGERS Isela kisses another journalist, grabs someone's hand, and lands gracefully at another table. PRICE So far this war's got it all over Africa. ALEX You're gonna have a ball. ALEX PLACES HIS HAND OVER PRICE'S "FRAME" blocking out his view of the sexy Isela. Though Alex's tone is gentle, the threat is obvious. ALEX Hands off. I need an interpreter more than you do right now. Price takes the hint. PRICE You still hanging in there with Claire? Alex chooses his words carefully and speaks slowly. ALEX I'm hanging in there like an interim post-war government waiting for the palace to be overrun... by younger men. Silence and an uneasiness that Alex intended. Price manages a smile. PRICE Younger men. Alex smiles disarmingly. CLAIRE RISES AT THE OPPOSITE BAR, picks up her papers, and heads straight for the two men with a bounce in her step. BOTH MEN ARE A BIT SURPRISED AT HER ENTRANCE and she hands a stack of mail to Alex. CLAIRE Hi, Alex... Russell! When did you get in? PRICE Just now. She shakes Price's hand in a friendly manner that comes out awkwardly, then races past the moment to address and entertain both men. CLAIRE You're not going to believe this -- I just beat you guys and everybody else here to a story... (she teases them) ...exclusive... eat your heart out. PRICE What'd ya get? CLAIRE I've just been promised a private interview with Tacho. ALEX (impressed) Congratulations. The bastard won't talk to me. PRICE Who's Tacho? They turn to Price as if everyone knows who Tacho is. CLAIRE That's President Somoza's nickname. PRICE I don't know who the players are yet. ALEX Want me to order you a hot dog and a program? A bit of tension and awkwardness -- Claire quickly takes control and changes the tone. CLAIRE Fellas! No fighting after six at night, all right? Curfew. (beat) C'mon, we've all got something to celebrate. CUT TO: INT. THE VIKING CLUB OF MANAGUA - NIGHT Corrugated metal roofs, thatched hut booths, a strange combination of decorative and architectural devices. DAISY WILLIAMS, a large black woman from Nicaragua, sings "I Left My Heart in San Francisco" with a mediocre jazz group. HUB KITTLE is present, and other journalists drop by the table to say hello. A BOY PHOTOGRAPHER, 13, aims an ancient bellows type polaroid at a booth in which Claire sits between Alex and Price. They are holding a pose indefinitely while the boy struggles with the camera. They hold up the TIME COVER and a couple of beers in celebration, and when he finally snaps the picture -- no flash. The boy puts the camera down disappointedly. BOY PHOTOGRAPHER (in broken English) Sometimes it doesn't work. The three journalists relax their pose. PRICE Let me look. ON THE BANDSTAND Daisy has just finished "San Francisco" and spots Alex, motioning to him. DAISY Ladeez and Gen'mun, hep me get Aaleex ov' here... Daisy applauds lightly for Alex to join them. Alex is equally pleased and embarrassed. ALEX There's not many piano bars left where I'm still welcome. CLAIRE Go ahead. ALEX If she can't sing in the key of C I'm in trouble. Alex excuses himself and joins Daisy on the bandstand. Price and Claire are left alone in the booth as Price hands the repaired camera back to the boy. ALEX AT THE PIANO begins a slow, easy cocktail version of "Stardust," the song of his generation perhaps, and he seems happy, seduced by his own chords. PRICE AND CLAIRE RESUME THEIR POSE, and this time the camera FLASHES. Price pays for the picture from the boy. At first there is a moment of awkwardness between them. PRICE Well... CLAIRE "Well"... you finished your assignment in Chad? PRICE Got Africa all wrapped up and pouched to my editor. She smiles and relaxes a bit at the typical Price remark. CLAIRE You're going to love this war, Russell... there's good guys, bad guys, cheap shrimp... (an afterthought) And Alex is still singing in the background. (beat) I missed you. PRICE We gotta get alone somewhere to talk. ALEX BEGINS SINGING as he plays. He sings like a trumpet player -- no voice but great phrasing. He half smiles as he sings, enjoying the song and enjoying making them uncomfortable. ALEX AT THE PIANO ALEX Sometimes I wonder why I spend these lonely nights, Dreaming of a song... BACK AT THE BOOTH CLAIRE Jesus... he's doing it on purpose. PRICE Alex is one of the world's leading experts on military strategy. They don't really want to talk about Alex though his presence is unavoidable. Price changes gears, gets slightly goofy, and steers the conversation to more comfortable turf. PRICE Well, hell, I just got off the boat... gimme the scoop on Nicaragua... CLAIRE Well... about sixty years ago the U.S. Marines invaded to protect American business interests and put down a peasant revolt led by a little man who wore a giant cowboy hat -- his name was Augusto Sandino... In nineteen thirty-four he was murdered at a peace conference, and the Somoza family has ruled ever since... PRICE No, no, no... I don't mean the stuff about the peasants -- I mean the real stuff. She knows what he means, but she wants to tease him a bit first. CLAIRE The "real" stuff?... you mean a history of class struggle in agrarian societies? PRICE No, c'mon! CLAIRE Oh. Okay... well... (beat) Just a couple things. (beat) One -- there's only two kinds of beer available -- Tona and Victoria. Victoria's better. (beat) And two -- if you see Miss Panama hanging around the hotel bar -- hot, hot, hot -- but don't touch. She belongs to Tacho, and if anybody gets caught with her then El Presidente has promised to personally cut off the guy's... (unsure which word to use) PRICE Pecker? CLAIRE Yeah... and throw it into Lake Managua. PRICE Jesus. CLAIRE And the lake's already polluted. Price is impressed, and yet another new face drops by the booth -- they both recognize and see him coming, a contemporary of Price, REGIS FLYNN, a scraggly British journalist who heads over to their table holding three beers. PRICE (mutters to Claire) Is there anybody here we don't know? CLAIRE No. Regis slides into their booth, happy to see them. REGIS G'damn, Price... kudos on the African snaps. (shakes hands, a perfunctory kiss on her cheek) Jeez, Claire, I haven't seen you since... CLAIRE Three Mile Island. REGIS Yeah... shit... (wistfully) Holiday Inn, right? He nods; they all sip beers and watch Alex sing. CUT TO: INT. THE NIGHT CLUB KITCHEN A teenage DISHWASHER looks around nervously, then pulls a paper sack from off the shelf, removing a strange mask from it. He pulls the mask over his head. Then from the bag he removes a hand-made zip gun, puts a bullet in it, and darts into the shadows of a nook, waiting. BACK TO THE BOOTH where Regis softly croons a few bars of "Stardust" into Claire's mike. The three of them are having a good time, mildly drunk at best, and uninhibited. CUT TO: EXT. THE CLUB As we hear Alex's gentle rendition of the standard, a NECKING COUPLE moves back into the shadows of the club. Each pulls on a mask, as in the b.g.: ISELA AND AN ELEGANT MAN ARRIVE AT THE CLUB The man, somehow out of place, dresses with casual continental style, not overdone but expensive and tasteful -- clearly from another world. He wears a neat hat and moves gracefully. Isela looks stunning, dressed for the evening. The DOORMAN greets them familiarly. Isela casually checks her watch as they enter the club. The masked couple in the shadows check their watches. CUT TO: INT. THE VIKING CLUB As Isela and the man enter, commanding attention without trying. Isela stops at the piano long enough to kiss Alex gently before sitting in the booth with the man. IN PRICE'S BOOTH the new arrivals have caught their attention -- Price and Alex still clown slightly, and Claire teases them. CLAIRE Jesus... Louis Jordan walks in, and I'm sitting with the Everly Brothers. REGIS Before you fall in love -- that's Marcel Jazy... friend of wine, women, and Somoza. They say he's a businessman... CLAIRE (interrupting) He's a businessman in search of a business... he doesn't try very hard to cover up his connections to the C.I.A... P.O.V. OF JAZY LIGHTING ISELA'S CIGARETTE CLAIRE But look at his moves -- can the C.I.A. light cigarettes like that? PRICE What's wrong with the Everly Brothers? THE WAITER ARRIVES AT PRICE'S BOOTH and sets down three shrimp cocktails and more champagne, as: INT. THE BACK DOOR OF THE CLUB It opens quickly, and three more MEN IN MASKS enter quickly. BACK TO THE BOOTH as the waiter speaks with a firm coolness. WAITER Please stay at your table, and you won't be hurt. A FACE IN A MASK MOVES QUICKLY PAST PRICE'S TABLE ANOTHER MASKED FACE COMES OUT OF THE KITCHEN The dishwasher waves a gun. TWO MASKED FACES -- THE COUPLE -- ENTER THROUGH THE FRONT DOOR The woman carries an automatic rifle and guards the entrance. THREE MASKED FACES APPEAR Almost materialize from thin air, moving silently and without commotion. The music winds down slowly. (Six Guerrillas total) A GUERRILLA QUICKLY SPRAYS AN IMAGE ON THE WALL With a few deftly drawn strokes, the FACE OF RAFAEL magically appears. The name "RAFAEL" is written under the face, then other names and revolutionary slogans. As this takes place: A WOMAN GUERRILLA HAS A GUN AT THE HEAD OF A NICARAGUAN BUSINESSMAN The middle-aged, well-dressed local sits with his wife and two other men. They freeze in fear, the nightclub freezes, as the GUERRILLAS take control of the room swiftly and smoothly. ONE GUERRILLA FACES THE NICARAGUAN BUSINESSMAN at the table and speaks loudly but without panic. The masked Guerrillas around the room are serious but nervous. GUERRILLA LEADER (in Spanish) We do not want to waste any ammunition on a head as empty as yours -- but we will. BUSINESSMAN (in Spanish) What is this?! GUERRILLA LEADER (in Spanish) Shut up! Get up! The BUSINESSMAN refuses. The GUERRILLA LEADER takes a hand grenade from his pocket and pulls the pin without hesitation, then holds the grenade in front of him fearlessly, inches away from the Businessman's face. The Businessman rises slowly. The LEADER motions toward the back door of the club. GUERRILLA LEADER (in Spanish) You are coming with us -- you will not be hurt -- we will trade you for the release of some Nicaraguans who care about Nicaragua. The woman with the gun shoves it into the man's head forcing him to move toward the kitchen door. PRICE TAKES PICTURES QUICKLY WITH A TINY CAMERA that fits into the palm of his hand. Neatly, surreptitiously, and calmly -- Price is coolest in any crisis. CLAIRE PUNCHES ON HER TINY TAPE RECORDER instinctively, and a tiny red light comes on. THE BUSINESSMAN IS SHOVED TO THE DOOR He hesitates, afraid to leave the room. The Guerrilla shoves the grenade in his face; the woman sticks the gun into his neck even deeper. MASKED GUERRILLA AT THE FRONT DOOR SHOUTS FOR THEM TO HURRY THE BANDMEMBERS -- INCLUDING ALEX -- BACK AWAY FROM THE BANDSTAND Alex trips over the drum set slightly -- a clanging clash of cymbals startles everyone, and as the drama freezes: THE KITCHEN DOOR SWINGS OPEN, AND THE BOY PHOTOGRAPHER EMERGES Innocently, the young boy struts out of the kitchen to see what's going on, and as he does the DOOR STRIKES THE ARM OF THE GUERRILLA WITH THE GRENADE, and: THE GRENADE IS KNOCKED FREE For an instant, everything freezes, and: THE GRENADE ROLLS ACROSS THE FLOOR Daisy Williams, the singer, runs away screaming as the grenade comes to rest near a crowded section of the club. A Guerrilla guarding the side door rushes for it, picks it up, and as he does: THE GRENADE EXPLODES IN THE GUERRILLA'S HAND A brutal explosion -- the ceiling caves in partially, the musical instruments explode, and: THE SANDINISTA GUERRILLAS DART FROM THE ROOM through various doors. The boy photographer lies bloodied. The Guerrilla who picked up the grenade is a barely recognizable corpse. The Businessman is soiled but unhurt. ONE HALF OF THE CLUB BREAKS OUT IN FLAME As a broken gas pipe feeds a sudden outburst of fire, the club's patrons panic -- screaming and shoving towards the door as the ROOM LIGHTS UP, and: PRICE'S LIGHT METER IS OUT AT ONCE followed quickly by a 35mm camera, quickly clicking off picture after picture of the club amid the flames and panic. The new light makes his job easier. PRICE TAKES A LIGHT READING near the body of the boy photographer. He sees the boy's camera lying nearby. Price puts away his light meter and feels the boy's pulse, then puts his ear to the boy's heart -- making sure he is not still alive. LA GUARDIA SOLDIERS AND FIREMEN FILL THE ROOM CUT TO: INT. THE PRESS ROOM AT THE INTERCONTINENTAL HOTEL - LATER The chaos of a busy, cramped Telex room. A switchboard -- several journalists trying to place phone calls. Press come and go -- coffee, cigarettes, and half-eaten sandwiches. CLAIRE TEARS A STORY OFF THE TELEX while Price stands to the side of the action eating a sandwich and watching. ALEX STANDS AT THE CENTER OF IT ALL Established as the senior figure (or one of them) to whom other, younger journalists come for information. A YOUNG JOURNALIST, a Time stringer, is slightly distraught on the phone, and interrupts Alex's dealing with others, cupping the phone, to announce: TIME STRINGER ...it's Charlie, from New York -- says that a terrorist bombing of a Central American restaurant isn't big enough to hold for the world section... ALEX Tell him we have pictures. YOUNG JOURNALIST He knows. ALEX Tell him there were pieces of body in the piano, and somebody was singing, "I Left My Heart in San Francisco." (beat) What's he got better than that? TIME STRINGER He's got the Pope visiting Egypt. Alex grabs the phone in disgust and launches in. ALEX Forget the Pope, Charlie. Every week you got the Pope somewhere. This is a very big story down here because it's the first sign of fighting in Managua. (beat) Yeah, well get a map and look up Nicaragua -- ya drive to New Orleans and turn left. While Charlie argues on the other end of the phone, Alex initials papers and performs several jobs at once. ALEX Like hell I'm editorializing, the whole thing happened in a roomful of C.I.A. and press. What do you want?! (beats) How do I know they were C.I.A.? They wore name tags, what do you think? We're backing a Fascist again -- I know that ain't news, but see if you can find an angle! HUB KITTLE has been floating through the room and, upon hearing the word "fascist," takes offense and approaches Alex. HUB Hey! There's fascists and then there's fascists, right? Be careful how you throw words like that around. Alex ignores Hub though he is slightly pestered by him, and continues on the phone as he initials papers brought to him. ALEX We don't have any pictures of Rafael because nobody knows where the son of a bitch is, and anybody crazy enough to go after him... Alex spots Price who is standing nearby, still eating a sandwich, still enjoying the high energy buzz of the room. Alex directs his next line so that Price cannot fail to get the message. Alex plays the moment coolly. ALEX ...is liable to get his nuts shot off. Hub nods seriously, in agreement. Price turns. Alex smiles. Price smiles. Alex hangs up, grumbling, then turns his attention to the persistent Hub Kittle. ALEX Yeah, well g'bye... (to Hub) Who the fuck are you? HUB (extending a hand) Hub Kittle. I'm with Lewitsky and Knupp -- New York. We have a client down here. Alex is irritated but fascinated. ALEX Who? HUB President Somoza. Alex is incredulous that Somoza employs a New York P.R. firm. Hub is professionally used to this reaction -- no panic. HUB I know, I know... (beat) But there's an untold story here. I mean, the man has a point of view too, right? Alex turns to leave; Hub corners him. HUB We got a national anthem contest going on right now, and you guys are ignoring it. Lotta human interest. Alex turns to other business though Hub persists. ELSEWHERE IN THE ROOM a young NICARAGUAN WOMAN, 18, is talking to Claire. She seems to be part of the local press. CLAIRE I want you to get me copies of the Government inventory lists of all captured Guerrilla weapons. I want to know if the guns are Israeli, Belgian, Russian, Cuban... YOUNG WOMAN The Guerrillas are not supplied by anybody from the outside. CLAIRE Fine -- give me proof. A TELEPHONE OPERATOR CALLS TO CLAIRE through the chaos. OPERATOR Su hija, su hija! Your daughter from Los Angeles. Claire sighs at the bad timing but seems delighted to be interrupted by her daughter, and brushes aside a Stringer forcing paperwork upon her. Claire takes the phone into a bare, adjacent hallway for some privacy. IN A BARE HALLWAY Claire talks to her daughter. CLAIRE Hi, baby! How are you? (beat) Has Grandmother spoiled you silly by now? She has? Good. (beats) Yes, I got your letter with the picture of your new boyfriend. He's very good looking... but he's a bit old, isn't he? No? Just how old is he?... P.O.V. FROM THE TELEX ROOM TO CLAIRE Price knows this is not his world, and he wanders outside. CUT TO: EXT. MANAGUAN STREET NEAR THE HOTEL - LATER THAT NIGHT Price bounces along, whistling, "San Francisco." An occasional Guardia jeep or taxi rumbles past. He strolls up the walkway of a house from which comes a strange, blue glow. INT. THE MONEYCHANGERS HOUSE - NIGHT Blue walls, bare bulbs, several pictures on the wall, and an old woman lying in a hammock. Music in the b.g. Price approaches her and hands her a $100 bill -- there is a brief negotiation of the black market value. PRICE (in broken Spanish) Cuanto? OLD WOMAN Quince. PRICE Veinte. OLD WOMAN Diezysiete. She shrugs, declaring the negotiation ended, and leaves the room to change the dollar into cordobas. Price idly studies the pictures on the wall: PICTURE OF ANASTAZIO SOMOZA IN WHITE, PICTURE OF THE VIRGIN OF GUADALUPE, PICTURE OF SANTA CLAUS, FADED NEWSPHOTO OF HANK AARON HITTING HIS 715TH HOME RUN. PRICE SMILES AND TURNS RIGHT INTO A SHARP BAYONET mounted to a rifle held threateningly by a Guardia soldier. THE SMALL ROOM IS FILLED WITH NATIONAL GUARDS We haven't heard them enter over the sounds of music and our preoccupation with the pictures. PRICE What is this? I'm a journalist! No answer. Price pulls a thick passport and press credentials from a pocket, handing them to the Officer in charge. PRICE Journalista, journalista! The officer looks at Price's passport photo, studies it briefly and takes the passport. He nods. A rifle butt is jammed violently into Price's belly -- he doubles over. The Officer nods, and Price is led away. As the Guard hauls him outside, the OLD WOMAN appears in the doorway with a stack of local currency. CUT TO: INT. MILITARY HOLDING CELL - NIGHT Price is led into a dark cell where another PRISONER, 50, lies in street clothes on the floor. The Prisoner is spat upon by the Guards and kicked awake. Price cringes. GUARD Padre Puta, Padre Puta, Padre Puta... (in Spanish to Price) Here is a Priest for you to confess your sins. The Guards laugh and leave. The Prisoner rises to his feet. Price keeps his distance. The Prisoner looks in bad shape. PRISONER PRIEST Cigarillo? Price hands him a cigarette and lights it. A long, deep drag. PRICE Priest? (the man nods) (in broken Spanish) What are you doing here? PRISONER PRIEST (in Spanish) The government accused me of using the church to hide Rebels and guns. PRICE (in Spanish) Governments are always wrong, eh? PRISONER PRIEST (in Spanish) This time they're right. Who are you? PRICE (in Spanish) Un periodista. PRISONER PRIEST (in Spanish) Whose side are you on? PRICE (in Spanish) I don't take sides. I take pictures. PRISONER PRIEST (in Spanish) No sides? PRICE (in Spanish) No. The Prisoner Priest looks at Price with disdain. PRISONER PRIEST Periodista Puta, todos periodistas son putas. (All journalists are whores) The Prisoner sits down in the corner ignoring Price who is surprised to be treated so despicably. PRISONER PRIEST (quietly) Go home. CUT TO: INT. A BRIGHTLY LIT ROOM Price is led into a lineup of 10 people, all Nicaraguans. The room is narrow and so brightly lit that at first he covers his eyes. FIGURES MOVE IN THE SHADOWS A Guardia soldier moves up and down the lineup, stopping to point at a prisoner. In the line we recognize the WAITER from the Viking Club. Price speaks to the soldier in a calm, reasoned tone. PRICE Mi amigo -- mala interpretacion, eh? Periodista, comprende? Famoso. Time magazine. The soldier whirls at Price in a rage out of all proportion to Price's tone, shouting: SOLDIER (in Spanish) Shut up! Price holds up his hands -- he may be fearless, but he's not stupid. The soldier pulls a knife, then pulls his own tongue from his mouth, and makes motions with the knife as if cutting out his tongue. The message is clear -- Price doesn't speak. The soldier walks up to the Waiter and points. The Waiter is frightened. Through the shadows we see an officer talking with a civilian in a hat. The civilian points to a door. THE WAITER IS LED AWAY THROUGH A DOOR protesting desperately as he goes. The soldier moves to the next prisoner -- he too is led away. This repeats itself until the soldier arrives at price. THE SOLDIER POINTS TO PRICE PRICE'S P.O.V. THROUGH THE SHADOWS The civilian is in a discussion with the officer -- it is clear that his opinion affects the decisions. For a moment Price doesn't know where he's going to be led. The civilian points to a different door -- it opens -- and Price steps down off the display rack into a room. THROUGH THE DOOR as Price steps through, the action continues with the other Nicaraguan prisoners. Price looks around quickly, but the Civilian and Officer are gone. He is quickly shown into a bare office. INT. THE BARE ROOM Pictures on the wall of Somoza and the FLAG RAISING AT IWO JIMA. Price's cameras and bag sit on a desk. P.O.V. THE CIVILIAN THROUGH A DOOR -- IT IS MARCEL JAZY His rumpled elegance is at odds with the brutal surroundings. The door closes. A SENIOR OFFICER ENTERS THE BARE ROOM, and Price addresses him at once. PRICE Soy un periodista. SENIOR GUARD OFFICER (in excellent English) Mr. Price... you must accept our deepest apologies for the misunderstanding. Somebody saw you taking photographs of terrorists hooligans in the parade and at the nightclub -- our young officers get carried away... they're always looking for traitors. PRICE That film is half way to New York by now. SENIOR GUARD OFFICER I know, I know... It was all a misunderstanding... una mala interpretacion. Your cameras. The Officer reaches for one of Price's cameras and hands it to him, but as he does: THE CAMERA DROPS TO THE GROUND AND BREAKS -- SILENCE The Officer would love for Price to get angry. SENIOR GUARD OFFICER I'm sorry. Price smiles barely, and refuses to pop off. PRICE Forget it. Price puts his cameras in his bag, and as he is shown from the room he notices a copy of the TIME MAGAZINE WITH ELEPHANT sitting on the desk. SENIOR GUARD OFFICER This way. Price is shown to a door, handed over to a soldier, and led outside into the night. DISSOLVE TO: EXT. MILITARY PRISON - DAWN Claire stands at the main doorway surrounded by GUARDS, an OFFICER, and an unidentified CIVILIAN -- she is arguing with them in rapid Spanish, not allowing them to get in a word. CLAIRE (in Spanish) You throw a journalist in jail -- it gets in the papers. You walk all over the same press credentials you pass out. I demand to speak to someone in authority or I'll go to Tacho myself... I don't understand you -- you're big and strong and handsome but you're not so smart! (beat) You should be trying to seduce us! OFFICER Senora... PRICE IS SHOWN OUT A DOOR IN THE BACKGROUND and sees her. PRICE Claire! They hurry toward each other and embrace briefly. The Guards watch it all curiously. CLAIRE You're okay? PRICE I'm fine -- what're you doing here? These guys are goons. CLAIRE They love being beaten up by a woman (beat) I've been looking for you all night -- why'd they lock you up? They walk away together. PRICE I don't know. Taking pictures. The usual. Jazy got me released. CLAIRE Jazy?! You think there's a story there? PRICE Ahh... C.I.A. stories are all alike. I wanta find Rafael. CLAIRE You need help? PRICE No. You? CLAIRE No. (beat) When should we start. PRICE I figure you probably want to do a little research on the history of Marcel Jazy's business connections in the third world countries with C.I.A. influence... CLAIRE Oh. I assumed you'd just look him in the eye and say "Gimme a break, for crissakes, Marcel, are you a spy or aren't you?" CUT TO: EXT. GARDEN COURTYARD OF MARCEL JAZY - DAY LATER Marcel Jazy stands, drink in hand, looking slightly rumpled in the daylight, slightly older, but more charming and self- effacing than his first impression indicated. His two story Mediterranean style house is in slight disrepair; the gardens are scraggly and overgrown. The pool is empty. Jazy addresses Price and Claire. PRICE ...are you a spy or aren't you, eh? JAZY (smiling) Spy is such an odd word, Mr. Price... nobody is a... 'spy'... anymore. CLAIRE Russell prefers pictures to words... JAZY You don't have to apologize... you're journalists. CLAIRE And you're a businessman? JAZY A businessman? That sounds good. Okay, I'm a businessman. PRICE Why was I arrested, and why did you get me released, and who are you? As he speaks, the questioning comes to a sudden halt as a SPECTACULAR LOOKING WOMAN emerges from the shadows of the house into the light of the courtyard. She is tall, Latin, and besides high heels wears only a shiny, high fashion swimsuit, cut high on the legs. Price, Claire, and Jazy stop to watch as the woman stops to look into the empty pool. WOMAN IN SWIMSUIT No agua. JAZY (nodding) No agua. WOMAN IN SWIMSUIT (in Spanish) Oh, Marcel! You told me there would be water in the pool this week! Jazy leans in very coolly to Price and Claire as he pours an extra glass of wine and speaks softly in English again. JAZY If she dove in, I assure you she wouldn't notice. He carries the glass of wine to the woman, smiling warmly. JAZY (to Miss Panama in Spanish) Sweetheart, the Guerrillas knocked out the pumping station on the road to Masaya, and we must ration water for the time being. Next week maybe things will be better. WOMAN IN SWIMSUIT (in Spanish) Maybe I should go back to Panama. JAZY (in Spanish) Maybe you should. Jazy pushes a lounge chair over to her and hands her a glass of wine. The woman unfolds gracefully into a lounge chair in the sun. Very sexy. She reaches for and kisses Jazy's hand affectionately -- he kisses her forehead. She feels better now. Jazy motions for Claire and Price to follow him inside. INT. JAZY'S HOUSE - DAY The pool is visible in b.g. His house, like the pool, is rumpled and slightly sloppy though it betrays the taste of its occupant -- books everywhere, pictures on the wall, nothing cheap or tacky but everything is well worn. JAZY You were arrested because the Guardia are clowns who specialize in excess. You were released because I told them to release you. CLAIRE These are not the normal duties of a businessman. He looks at them directly. JAZY But they are the normal duties of a... spy, eh? You win, I'm a spy. (smiles) There, are you happy? I feel better. He refills their glasses. JAZY Now we can relax. You can turn off your little thing. The red light of her recorder is on. She smiles slightly, undisturbed, and turns it off. JAZY Oh, I trust you won't say anything to hurt me. In some ways I'm a terrible spy. I used to be much better at it, but now it seems everyone knows who I am. I have too many girlfriends. I like to be photographed. (beat) I talk too much. Price and Claire are almost afraid to speak, afraid to interrupt this strange performance. JAZY I always talk too much... but my girlfriends like that... No matter. (pointing to the swimsuited woman) You know who she is? CLAIRE AND PRICE No. JAZY That's Miss Panama. Do you know who that is? CLAIRE AND PRICE Oh, yeah, yes, etc. JAZY She's in love with me. I've got to get some water in the pool. (beat) And once a week I have lunch with President Somoza to discuss security measures against the Sandinista insurgents, but all he wants to talk about is Miss Panama... he's worried about her. Claire interrupts with a smile. CLAIRE Because he thinks she's seeing another man? Jazy smiles slightly before confirming. JAZY ...and he assigned me to find out who the man is. They all smile at this complication. Price is impressed. Jazy changes the subject with fluent and disturbing ease. JAZY We all know the Revolutionaries are going to win, don't we? Silence. They don't know how to respond. THEIR P.O.V. AS MISS PANAMA STRETCHES LIKE AN ENORMOUS CAT They all are slightly entertained and glad for the relief. Unsure what to say next, Price notices a picture on the wall: CLOSEUP - A BLOWN-UP FRAMED PHOTO OF THE RANCH HOUSE WITH POOL The same picture we saw on the leaflets in Africa. PRICE There's a rumor about this picture. Some people say you're a genius -- that you invented this scheme. JAZY It was lots of people's idea... Have you been to Leon? CLAIRE We're going to Masaya... they say the Rebels have hit the cuartel. PRICE It's supposed to be nasty there... a lotta people think Rafael's in the South. I want to find out. JAZY No, no, it's not "nasty" yet. Another week maybe. (beat) You would love Leon. A nice cathedral and beautiful light... et un peu de bang-bang. CLAIRE We're not doing a travelogue, you understand. JAZY Of course, of course... only I have heard that Comandante Rafael has recently had his unit in the area. PRICE (surprised) Rafael is near Leon? JAZY Well... it's a rumor, what do I know? The voice of Miss Panama. MISS PANAMA Estoy desemperado! JAZY She's lonely! CLAIRE Don't let us stand in the way. JAZY It's my job. (beat) You think I talk too much? He doesn't wait for an answer, but excuses himself and goes out to tend to Miss Panama. P.O.V. OF JAZY AND MISS PANAMA BY THE EMPTY POOL as Jazy touches her, whispers, and she waves to Claire and Price. DISSOLVE TO: INT. PRICE'S HOTEL BATHROOM - DAY Early morning. Price lathers up with shaving cream for the first time, cleaning up. As he applies the lather he stops, and slowly draws a face on the mirror with shaving cream until he is staring at: THE IMAGE OF RAFAEL IN SHAVING CREAM ON THE MIRROR CUT TO: EXT. NICARAGUAN COUNTRYSIDE - DAY A RENTED CAR WITH WHITE FLAGS turns onto the road to Leon. Price drives, eats, and reads a map. Claire takes the map from him and reads it herself. They seem to enjoy their first moment alone without Alex looking over their shoulder. A small band-aid is on Price's clean shaven cheek. CLAIRE Did you dream about Miss Panama last night? PRICE I dreamed about you. CLAIRE Have a good time? PRICE Yeah... so'd you. She reaches out and touches his band-aid. CLAIRE And old war injury flaring up? PRICE Is the tape on? CLAIRE Of course. PRICE I was on the deck of the U.S.S. Pueblo catching some rays when the North Koreans attacked... took a bullet right in the chest, but by luck I had an extra roll of high speed ektachrome in this pocket right here... over the heart... CLAIRE And the bullet ricocheted off the film, grazed your cheek, and saved your life. PRICE You heard about it?! I was lucky. PASSING SHOT OF A CLUSTER OF ROADSIDE CROSSES marking a series of graves. Immediately the tone in Claire's voice changes, sobered by the reminder of war. CLAIRE Did anyone ever die next to you in combat? PRICE Yeah. CLAIRE What did you do? PRICE F.8 at a sixtieth. CLAIRE That's an old joke. My question was serious. PRICE So was I. (beat) You ever dream about me? CLAIRE Once. PRICE How was I? CLAIRE Fast. Again their glibness is interrupted by what they came to see. Even as they joke, they watch the landscape with concern. REFUGEES ARE STREAMING OUT OF LEON, mostly women and children, some old men, carrying their possessions. Soldiers stand around. CLAIRE I'm basically a coward, Russell, I hope you understand that. I hope we don't get shot. PRICE Me too. CUT TO: A GUARDIA ROADBLOCK ON A HILL OVERLOOKING THE CITY The press car pulls up to a stop. Price and Claire get out quickly, hand their credentials to a soldier, and open the trunk and the hood. As the car is searched they look down at the city. P.O.V. LEON AS A PLANE CIRCLES FIRING ROCKETS AND SMOKE RISES from several places in the town. The sound of gunfire. CLAIRE (to soldier in Spanish) I thought it was quiet here. SOLDIER (in Spanish) Quiet? Are you sure you want to go down there? Not me. The soldier laughs at the journalists and hands back the credentials. SOLDIER (in Spanish) You must leave the car here. Price speaks in English knowing he can't be understood. PRICE (to soldier) You thinking of scoring a Toyota? CLAIRE (in Spanish) No problem -- we leave the car. Price and Claire remove their things from the car, and Price takes the distributor cap as well as the keys. They walk over and look down the road leading into the city under seige. MORE REFUGEES EVACUATE THE TOWN -- it is a most uninviting sight. The plane passes over the town in the distance firing rockets. CLAIRE Now what? Price responds by flashing his light meter in the air, taking a quick, nervous reading. PRICE C'mon. Be careful. CLAIRE Be careful?! Where the fuck we going? Better light? CUT TO: EXT. STREET INTO LEON - DAY PRICE AND CLAIRE WALK SLOWLY INTO LEON Looking around warily as they go, they are the only people entering the town. Claire speaks softly into her tape recorder as they walk in, recording the event without editorializing. CLAIRE ...June tenth... the evacuation of Leon... a woman carries a pig... signs for the F.S.L.N. are everywhere... a body... THE BODY OF A YOUNG MAN lies ignored on the sidewalk. They continue walking and soon come to: AN INTERSECTION HELD BY LA GUARDIA TROOPS WITH A TANQUETTA Price and Claire duck into a doorway, protected in effect by the Government soldiers who wait silently, guns ready, around the corner of a building. We see what they're waiting for. A YOUNG SANDINISTA COMES OUT OF A BUILDING a block away, holding a handgun. Momentarily confused, he begins running toward us, toward the soldiers waiting in ambush. The Guerrilla races quickly to his waiting death, and as he turns the corner right into a dozen Guardia troops: THE GUARDIA GUNS OPEN UP ON THE YOUNG GUERRILLA, killing him instantly. CLAIRE TURNS HER HEAD AWAY unable to watch. PRICE RECORDS THE EVENT WITH HIS CAMERA THE GUARDIA FOLLOW THE TANQUETTA SLOWLY down the street toward the Rebel youth's house. Suddenly the intersection is empty. PRICE AND CLAIRE MOVE DOWN A SIDESTREET SLOWLY as: SEVERAL GUERRILLA MUCHACHOS DART OUT OF AN ALLEY with sharpened sticks, a spear gun, and one home-made gun. The Muchachos hesitate briefly, lost, and see Price. THE MUCHACHOS QUICKLY POSE FOR A PICTURE motioning for Price to record them. They pose instantly in "tough-guy" posture. PRICE TAKES THEIR PICTURE and just as quickly they dart away through a bombed out building. THREE SANDINISTAS LEAP OFF A ROOFTOP and race toward Claire and Price who freeze: CLAIRE Russell?! For a moment they aren't sure what this means -- are they in trouble? The Sandinistas shove past the two journalists, pushing open a doorway and disappearing inside. For a moment Price and Claire are alone on the street. THE DOOR OPENS AGAIN SLOWLY and a middle-aged WOMAN appears, motioning for them to come inside. INT. PEDRO'S HOUSE - DAY The Three Sandinistas, dressed half in khaki, half recycled disco, are pleading with a young man, PEDRO, 15. SANDINISTA #1 (in Spanish) You must come and help us... one more time. PEDRO (in Spanish) No, please... One of the Sandinistas brings Pedro his rumpled baseball jersey from another room. SANDINISTA #2 (in Spanish) For Leon... for Nicaragua! Pedro sees Price and Claire and is more interested in them. He speaks in broken but understandable English. PEDRO Americans? Journalists? CLAIRE AND PRICE Yes. Pedro lights up, and runs to a shelf where he returns with a baseball he is signing. PEDRO Ah! I put my autograph on this ball. SANDINISTA #1 (in Spanish) Pedro! There is no time to waste. Pedro is more interested in the two Americans. PEDRO When you get back to the United States, I want you to give this ball to Tippy Martinez for me. He is from Nicaragua. Pedro hands Claire the baseball as the Sandinistas plead with Pedro for his help. He is more interested in getting the baseball delivered to Tippy Martinez. Claire accepts the ball graciously, exchanges awkward glances with Price, and puts it in her shoulder bag. SANDINISTA #1 (in Spanish) Enrique is dead! Roberto has disappeared! The Guardia has the church, and we need you! PEDRO (to Claire and Price) You come, eh? (to the Sandinistas) Can they come with us? SANDINISTA #2 Come! Everybody come! They go to the door and open it a crack to look out. P.O.V. THE TANQUETTA PASSES as Soldiers kick open doors across the street. The Sandinistas go to a corner of the room and push a book shelf out of the way. A large hole has been broken in the wall. They climb through the hole into the living room of the next house; the woman pushes the shelf back over the hole with great effort. INT. THE NEXT HOUSE - DAY A family huddles in the corner as the MAN OF THE HOUSE pulls back a couch and a hanging blanket, revealing another hole knocked in the wall. The Sandinistas, Pedro, Claire and Price scramble through. P.O.V. THROUGH A SERIES OF DOOR-SIZED HOLES IN THE WALLS of all the houses on the block, connecting the homes with a secret passageway. The six of them race through the houses, each hole opening and then closing magically. INT. THE KITCHEN OF A TINY SIDEWALK RESTAURANT - DAY The Three Sandinistas, Pedro, Claire, and Price emerge. A WOMAN, 50, runs the cafe and welcomes them. The SIX crawl so as not to be seen from the street; they stop long enough to survey the plaza. P.O.V. THE CENTRAL PLAZA OF LEON DOMINATED BY A HUGE CATHEDRAL Half a dozen bodies are scattered across the plaza. Otherwise, it is empty. P.O.V. SIX GUARDIA SNIPERS IN THE CHURCH TOWER control the plaza. As we watch, they fire off occasional shots in different directions--there is no way to cross the plaza. THE WOMAN PULLS A TRAY OF "CONTACT BOMBS" from the oven, home-made grenades that look like muffins on a tray. Pedro grabs one and pretends to bite into it. The Sandinistas start to laugh and catch themselves as Pedro clowns. Claire and Price aren't sure what the "muffins" are and don't respond; mostly they are on edge. The contact bombs are put in a sack. The woman opens a trap door in the floor, and the six of them climb down a ladder into a tunnel. CUT TO: INT. TUNNEL UNDERNEATH THE FLOOR - DAY Pedro leads them with a candle through a dark passage under the street. Overhead we hear gunfire. Rats scurry, and water runs through an open sewer. CUT TO: INT. THE CATHEDRAL - DAY A tapestry rug is pulled away, and Pedro's head appears. He climbs out and soon all the party is in the church. A PRIEST leads them quickly through an immense, nearly. European interior of ornate altars and burning candles. The small party is led to a small corner of the sanctuary where a long, rickety ladder leads up to the roof. THE SANDINISTAS SCRAMBLE UP THE LADDER as it sways. Pedro follows with his sack of contact bombs. Then Price goes up as the Priest holds the ladder. The American is much larger than the Nicaraguans -- the ladder squeaks and sways, and when he is nearly at the top: THE LADDER CRACKS as Price reaches the top and is helped to safety. The Priest steadies the ladder now made unsafe and clearly Claire wants to go onto the roof. PRIEST (in Spanish) No, please... it's not safe. You must come with me. Claire looks at Price -- she wants to go on the roof but the sound of close gunfire settles the dilemma. Claire hurries off to safety with the Priest. CUT TO: EXT. THE ROOFTOP OF THE CATHEDRAL OF LEON - LATE IN DAY THREE SANDINISTAS, PEDRO, AND PRICE EMERGE FROM A TUNNEL onto a lower level of the cathedral rooftop where a body lies. They are exposed immediately and automatic weapons fire opens up on them -- the Sandinistas flatten against a wall, quickly becoming separated from Price and Pedro. TWO SANDINISTAS RACE FOR COVER BEHIND A CUPOLA in a move that is equally daring and foolish. The diversion draws fire from the two soldiers. PRICE'S LIGHT METER IS INSTANTLY OUT TAKING READINGS as Pedro huddles with him, curious at this strange act. TWO GUARDIA MOVE INTO POSITION TO FLUSH OUT THE SANDINISTAS as they hide behind the cupolas. The hidden Third Guerrilla opens fire killing a Guardia soldier, and the other soldier races for the belltower. As he does: THE SANDINISTAS SEIZE THE MOMENT TO RUSH CLOSER, waving to Pedro who slips along a wall with his bag of bombs. PRICE STARTS TO FOLLOW BUT IS PINNED DOWN BY FIRE and chooses to take refuge halfway in an alcove. As fire from both sides ricochets all over the rooftop, Price switches camera lenses seemingly oblivious to the action. PEDRO MEETS ONE OF THE SANDINISTAS in a protected niche and quickly they are unfolding his bag, setting the "muffin bombs" out on the rooftop. THE OTHER TWO SANDINISTAS OPEN HEAVY FIRE and briefly draw heavier fire from the belltower, as: PEDRO PICKS UP A MUFFIN weighing it briefly in his hand, like a pitcher. He studies the surroundings -- runners on first and third, no outs -- he spits in his left (his pitching hand) and rubs it in casually. Pedro crosses himself, goes into an abbreviated pitching motion, then rears and fires the 'muffin' toward the belltower window, exposing himself as he does. AN EXPLOSION IN THE TOWER PEDRO THROWS ANOTHER INTO THE TOWER -- another explosion. A GUARDIA SOLDIER STAGGERS INTO THE WINDOW and a Sandinista drops him with a shot. All is quiet. THE THREE SANDINISTAS CAREFULLY RUSH THE TOWER, looking in and motion to Pedro and Price that all is okay, and as they do: ANOTHER SHOT RINGS OUT -- they whirl around -- Pedro and Price drop again. A lone Guardia soldier fires at them from the other tower. A THIRD SANDINISTA DROPS HIM WITH A VOLLEY OF FIRE Again all is quiet. PRICE FOLLOWS THE SANDINISTAS TO THE FIRST BELLTOWER and looks in. FIVE BODIES LIE SCATTERED AND BLOODIED One of the Guerrillas kicks a couple of them to make sure they are dead. In the corner, one body lies on top of another. Satisfied, the Sandinistas head for the other tower. PRICE STAYS BEHIND TO TAKE A FEW PICTURES and the ever-present light meter appears, followed by several quick shots of the bodies. Then Price goes to one of the arched, stone windows. He looks out over the city. P.O.V. OF LEON -- DUSK Late in the afternoon now, the fighting is over for the day. An occasional gunshot. Smoke rises from scattered places throughout the city. There is new rubble. The town is littered with bodies. P.O.V. THE RED CROSS WAGON MOVING THROUGH THE STREET A man walks in front of it, chanting slowly, rhythmically: RED CROSS MAN Hay heridas o muertes aqui? Hay heridas o muertes aqui? (Are there wounded or dead here?) We see a woman drag a body out into the street. The Red Cross man makes small stacks of bodies. He douses the bodies with gasoline and sets the pile aflame. Then continues. RED CROSS MAN Hay heridas o muertes aqui? Price watches. He thinks he hears something, then dismisses it. Something else. A voice, almost a whisper. VOICE Price. You motherfucker, Price, I'm talking to you. He turns. One of the bodies speaks. VOICE Where are those bastards... are they away? Price looks out -- the Sandinistas are on the other side of the roof. This war gets stranger. PRICE They're away. A body rolls out from under another body. Blood-splattered, smiling, wiping the blood from his face. It is Oates, the mercenary from Africa. He peeks out the window -- the Sandinistas are on the other side of the roof. He whispers. OATES What the fuck are you doing here? PRICE What the fuck are you doing here? For a moment they understand that they are there for the same reason -- they make their livings off war. Oates peeks out the window nervously and repeatedly. OATES Awright, awright -- you're lookin' good... how ya like Nicaragua? OATES readies his automatic weapon in case it's needed -- routine. Price doesn't know how to answer. PRICE It's beautiful. Oates laughs quickly and softly -- he is tuned into the strangeness of Price's answer. OATES Shitload o' greasers though, eh? P.O.V. THE SANDINISTAS HEADING BACK TOWARD US OATES AND PRICE SEE THEM, and Oates crawls back under the pile of bodies. THE SANDINISTAS LOOK INTO THE BELLTOWER, all looks quiet, and they motion to Price. SANDINISTA #1 (in Spanish) It's getting late -- come on. CUT TO: EXT. THE FRONT OF THE CATHEDRAL - DUSK The Three Sandinistas, Pedro, and Price are hiding in the shadows of the main church entrance. The Sandinistas are carefully peeking around the corner, checking out the plaza. It seems safe. The door opens; the Priest lets Claire out. For a moment she looks around to see who's still alive -- in the shadows Price looks like one of the Guerrillas. They see each other and embrace briefly. CLAIRE You're okay? The Sandinistas seem to relax. The Sandinistas take pride in Pedro and pat his left arm for Price and Claire. SANDINISTA #1 San-dee Koufax, no? SANDINISTA #2 Si, Koufax. SANDINISTA #3 Es mejor que Koufax, eh?! They seem to want approval from the Americans. CLAIRE Much better than Koufax. The Sandinistas slap hands, familiar with the American gesture. The Six start walking across the plaza away from the church. In the b.g. we see piles of bodies burning; the Red Cross tends to the wounded locals. Spirits are high as they walk. The tiny red light glows on Claire's recorder. PEDRO Koufax is okay... but Tippy Martinez, he is the best... he pitches for the Baltimore Orioles, and some day I will be the second man from Nicaragua to play in the major leagues... SANDINISTA #1 (to Price and Claire) Tippy Martinez had a good fastball, but Pedro has a curveball and a screwball that are better. All five of them agree that Pedro is the best; they slap his valued arm and relax for the first time all day. PEDRO You will give my autographed baseball to Tippy and tell him in five years I will be pitching with him, okay? He better watch out for me, eh? CUT TO: EXT. ROOFTOP OF THE CATHEDRAL - DUSK OATES CHECKS THE CLIP ON HIS RIFLE and looks down into the plaza. OATES P.O.V. TO THE SIX WALKING AWAY He doesn't smile or joke -- it's all business. He aims the rifle. CUT TO: EXT. THE PLAZA - DUSK SANDINISTA #1 (in Spanish) It's too dangerous to return to Managua at night. You should stay at the house of hammocks. CLAIRE (in Spanish) Gracias. Can they get into trouble for keeping us? PEDRO No, no... you are not combatants. (would rather talk baseball) The Baltimore team is my team... A SHOT RINGS OUT, AND PEDRO'S CHEST EXPLODES in front of us. Sudden panic, rage, confusion -- the Sandinistas whirl and scan the building. P.O.V. OATES RACING ACROSS THE CATHEDRAL ROOFTOP into the night. PRICE GRABS PEDRO'S GUN AND WHIRLS to face the church; his action is instinctive, angry, and electric with energy. CLAIRE GRABS PEDRO'S ARM AND DRAGS THE BODY to safety, though there is no safety and the body is lifeless. Her actions are protective and automatic. THE SANDINISTAS TAKE CONTROL OF THE SITUATION and move quickly. Two of them fan out to cover the escape. Price screams in the direction of Oates, PRICE You bastard! Claire drags the body near a bench under a tree. CLAIRE What about him?! SANDINISTA #1 (dispassionately) He's dead. The Sandinistas survey the cathedral and streets carefully, warily, upset at their nonchalance. They know the sniper is disappearing into the night, but they continue to look. SANDINISTA #1 I will talk to Pedro's mother. You must go to the house of the hammocks if you want to be safe. The Three Sandinistas fan out toward the church as it gets dark. PRICE AND CLAIRE STAND NEXT TO PEDRO, feeling helpless and ineffective. They both look at the body. Price realizes he's holding Pedro's gun and places it down next to the body. Price notices the tiny red light is still glowing on her tape recorder. He points it out to Claire. She turns it off. CUT TO: INT. THE HOUSE OF HAMMOCKS - NIGHT IN A NEARLY DARK ROOM full of hanging hammocks, Claire sits on the floor lit by a low wattage bulb hanging from a cord. In another room through a door Price can be seen with a family in the hammock workshop. Claire talks softly into her recorder. CLAIRE Hello sweetheart, this is your mother. I'm in Leon and I miss you. Don't worry about me -- it's not dangerous at all. I guess you can't believe what you hear on the news. I'll put this this tape in the mail when I get back to Managua, but knowing what the mail service is like, I may be home before it arrives. I think about you all the time and hope I can make it back before you graduate from Jr. High. As she speaks Price bids the family farewell and comes into the room with Claire where he lies down in a hammock. CLAIRE I love you and I'll finish this letter when I get back to the hotel. Claire lies down on a mat, exhausted, after turning out the light. Several moments pass before Price speaks. PRICE I know who shot Pedro. I knew somebody was in the tower. CLAIRE Why didn't you tell the guerrillas? PRICE I don't know... then they would've killed him I guess. I didn't want to interfere. CLAIRE It wasn't an easy choice. PRICE I think I made the wrong one. Silence. CLAIRE You didn't take any pictures when it was over. PRICE I didn't? (beat) I picked up a gun. Jesus. (beat) Is something happening to us? CLAIRE Yes. Silence. They lie for a long time in the dark. A light in the house is turned off. Finally: PRICE Are you asleep? CLAIRE No. Price gets out of the hammock and lies down next to her. They don't speak. They kiss. She unbuttons his shirt. He unbuttons her blouse. They undress just enough to begin making love softly, quietly. DISSOLVE TO: INT. PRICE AND CLAIRE'S ROOM - DAWN The first light of dawn strikes Claire's bare torso. PRICE'S LIGHT METER APPEARS AT HER BACK Price takes a reading, then moves the meter to her neck, another reading. He moves it down her nude body lit beautifully in the vague light, partially covered with a blanket. He scurries across the room, stark naked, with a camera. Price begins photographing her. He moves back to her and gently removes the blanket from the rest of her body. His actions are quiet and easy. He stops frequently to admire her. Claire lies sleeping nude, except for her socks. Price moves around the room -- picture, picture, picture. CLAIRE WAKES UP SLOWLY and pulls the blanket back over her. She opens her eyes and sees Price sitting in a chair several feet away with his camera. PRICE G'morning. CLAIRE What are you doing? PRICE You look beautiful. She realizes what he's been doing. CLAIRE How long have you been doing this? PRICE 'Bout ten frames. Wait'll you see the pictures -- you look great. Her sense of violation is balanced by this notion. For a moment we sense her attitude can go either way -- outrage or some sense of being flattered, however ill conceived. She chooses the latter. CLAIRE I'll bet I look great -- give me the film. PRICE After they're printed. CLAIRE I'll develop them myself -- give it to me or I'll start taping what you say in your sleep. Price hands her the film and climbs back under the blanket with her. PRICE I talk in my sleep? CLAIRE Girl's names and F-stops. Terrible. They curl up together, holding onto each other. A small child crosses the courtyard, peeking at them. A rooster crows. PRICE Call the office. I don't want to go to work today. The peacefulness is shaken by the roar of an engine close by. A HELICOPTER GUNSHIP PASSES OVER THE COURTYARD They look up, jolted out of the moment. The war is back. CUT TO: EXT. THE OUTSKIRTS OF LEON - MORNING Price's rental car is a smoking wreck. He and Claire arrive and she removes a single, feeble white flag that remains. They study the car briefly and then turn as: A GUARDIA TROOP CARRIER LUMBERS past with a truckload of refugees behind. They wave the flag and catch a ride with the refugees. CUT TO: INT. FIFTH FLOOR OF INTERCONTINENTAL HOTEL - DAY Alex comes out a door chatting with somebody, and passes a mini-cam crew, old friends. ALEX How was Matagalpa? MINI-CAM CREW #1 No bang-bang, Alex... none at all. ALEX You find anything? MINI-CAM CREW #2 Half the press corps. A small laugh. They continue on. Alex enters Claire's room. INT. CLAIRE'S ROOM Alex enters. Nobody there. As he turns to leave he sees some pictures in a stack of papers on her desk. He picks one up. CLOSE UP: A PICTURE OF CLAIRE SLEEPING IN LEON It's all over and he knows it. He stares at, even admires, the image. He puts it down and turns to leave as: CLAIRE ENTERS CLAIRE Oh! ALEX Oh. (awkwardly) How was Leon? CLAIRE Bloody. ALEX Yeah... I'll bet... Claire... Alex finally acknowledges that it is over with Claire, but refuses to say it directly. ALEX I'm tired of Nicaragua. CLAIRE You haven't been here very long. ALEX Long enough, lets face it, you were right... everybody was right. CLAIRE About what? ALEX My cheekbones. What do you think of 'em? CLAIRE I like your cheekbones. Alex, are you all right? ALEX This is a face made for television. CLAIRE You decided to go with the network. Alex nods, then seems to hit the end of his own resilience and gets vitriolic. ALEX Is he a good fuck? CLAIRE Alex... In a simple monologue Alex goes from outrage to acknowledgment of what he already knew. ALEX That's a reasonable question for a reporter to ask, isn't it?! (beat) I shoulda never come down here, eh? This is the way it's going to be. (beat) I'll make a shitload of money in television for just sitting there. (beat) I'm gonna show up to work at Rockefeller Center every morning and they're gonna hand me the news with my coffee and toast. (beat) I shoulda never come down here, eh? This war down here belongs to you guys, okay? I'm on tommorrow's plane. CLAIRE Alex... ALEX You want to take me to the airport? It's okay. (beat -- resigned) I shoulda never come down here. CUT TO: EXT. THE MANAGUA AIRPORT - NEXT DAY A cab pulls up. Soldiers stand around everywhere. Price, Claire, Alex, and the Cabbie get out. The cabbie takes his bag. ALEX Take this to check in. I'll be right there. Price pulls a bottle of wine from his camera bag and sets three styrofoam cups on the cab roof. He hands the cork to Alex and shows him the label. PRICE Sniff this sucker, eh? Alex does, and looks at the label. ALEX Jesus, where'd you get this? CLAIRE The C.I.A. ALEX Where else. They toast and drink. PRICE Hey -- I'll leave you guys alone, eh? CLAIRE No, no, don't be ridiculous. ALEX We're grownups, Russell... (non acerbically) Most of us. Awkward smile from Price. PRICE You two wanta happy snap? Price makes the motion of taking a picture. They look at him with affection, yet astounded again by his inappropriateness. ALEX No happy snaps. PRICE Okay, okay... (beat) I'll just... be over here. He wanders away from the car to give them a moment alone, and as he does he pulls the light meter from his pocket, flipping it on and off nervously without looking at it. He wanders idly toward a Guardia soldier. The soldier gets nervous. ALEX You're sure about him? CLAIRE For the moment. Alex considers this -- he understands (whether he wants to or not). THE SOLDIER COMES FACE-TO-FACE with PRICE, WHO BACKS OFF PRICE (to soldier) I'm a personal friend of Tacho's. (smiles disarmingly) The soldier stops at Tacho's name. Price turns. P.O.V. ALEX AND CLAIRE KISSING GOODBYE PRICE TURNS AGAIN, embarrassed, faces the soldier. PRICE Don't look, huh? (beat) No mire! The soldier, confused, turns away, and as he does: ALEX SLAPS PRICE ON THE SHOULDER, AND THEY TOO EMBRACE ALEX Don't get hurt. PRICE Ahh, I'm a chicken, don't worry. (beat) Alex, listen to me... ALEX Yeah? PRICE Within a year you're gonna be one of the "Ten Most Admired Men in America." Alex is amused, Price is serious. The cabbie comes out and Alex heads into the airport. CUT TO: EXT. SOMOZA'S COMPOUND - A PRESS LUNCHEON - DAY Daisy and her combo from the Viking Club perform "The Girl From Ipanema" as ONE HUNDRED PRESS MEMBERS and V.I.P.'s sit at long tables in the garden. The pleasantness of the surroundings is countered by the presence of dozens of SOLDIERS in the background, guarding the house, etc. Visible at the head table are: TWO GENERALS AND THEIR WIVES, MRS. SOMOZA, TWO WEALTHY BUSINESSMEN, MISS PANAMA IN A FLOPPY HAT. Elsewhere mingling are: JAZY, ISELA, PRICE, REGIS. An elaborate array of food sits on the table. INT. SOMOZA'S HOUSE - DAY Overlooking the gathering from his private living room, Somoza grants Claire her interview. He close the window to muffle the singing. CLAIRE You're late to your own luncheon, Mr. President -- we can schedule this for another time. SOMOZA Nonsense -- let them wait. We are a stunning couple, eh? My stomach is very flat -- I've been working out. CLAIRE We are a stunning couple. Mr. President, you own one fifth of all the land in Nicaragua, you own the shipping port, the national airlines, the Mercedes dealership... SOMOZA I am on a salt free diet... He takes her hand and leads her to two large portraits hanging on a wall -- his parents. CLAIRE Do you always hold hands with reporters? SOMOZA (ignores her) This is my mother and father. They were very special to me. Every Sunday morning I drive out to the cemetery and put flowers on their grave. I think people should know that. CLAIRE Would you care to comment on the fall of Leon to the rebels? Somoza just smiles unaffected by her questions; she knows the game is undaunted. CUT TO: EXT. THE LUNCHEON TABLES - DAY Hub Kittle is bending Price's ear in the crowd. Price seems ammused and watches the anthem contest as he munches food. HUB Listen, Russell, let's grow up. It's very easy to fall in love with the underdog, eh? But there's an upside and downside to this thing -- just wanta remind you... this stuff about a "Revolution of Poets" is crap. PRICE But it's great P.R. So what's the upside? HUB Simple. And it could happen. Somoza destroys the terrorist insurgents, rebuilds the country, shitcans the purveyors of excess, stabilizes the cordoba, and is finally beloved as the savior of Nicaragua. (beat) Our pal. Got a smoke? Price gives him a cigaret. PRICE What's the downside? HUB The Commies take over the world. It's simple, and Hub is pleased with his presentation. A SOLDIER moves through the crowd looking quite out of place, finds Hub and hands him a note. Hub reads it, seems delighted, and excuses himself from the table. HUB Excuse me, gentlemen, but the war may be over. Price and Regis look at each other strangely -- what's he talking about? They shrug, Regis bites into a papaya, and Hub hurries inside. Price and Regis watch the singer. CUT TO: INT. SECOND FLOOR OF SOMOZA'S HOUSE - DAY SOMOZA My people love me. My stomach is flat. Did I say that already? No matter. It is flat. CLAIRE There are reports that the Guardia operates a torture chamber at Coyotepe. Somoza ignores the question and reopens the window, flooding the room with the Tony Bennett classic. SOMOZA I like this song. CLAIRE Since the earthquake in 1972 destroyed half of Managua, over three hundred million dollars in foreign relief aid have poured into the country, yet nothing has been re-built. It is said that the money has gone into your pocket. SOMOZA I love the press, I really do. Some of my best friends are journalists. CLAIRE Ecuador, Mexico, Peru, Brazil, and Panama are reportedly on the verge of breaking off diplomatic relations with your regime. Would you comment? HUB KITTLE AND AN OFFICER BURST INTO THE ROOM interrupting the interview. Something has happened. Somoza initially lashes out at them -- the first time we've seen him lose his cool -- then recovers. SOMOZA (in Spanish) I am busy! Get out of here at once or I'll put my foot up your ass! The OFFICER seems familiar with these tirades and grabs Somoza by the arm, whispering into his ear. Somoza seems delighted with the news and turns to Hub for confirmation. Hub nods. SOMOZA (to Claire) I'm sorry to have to conclude this most pleasant encounter, but something has happened. As Somoza leaves the room with the Officer and Hub, Hub turns to Claire to squeeze in one final P.R. stroke. HUB Did he tell you about his parents in the graveyard, the flowers and all that? (she nods) Good, good... Claire is left alone momentarily in Somoza's room. A soldier enters and accompanies her outside to the luncheon. CUT TO: EXT. THE LUNCHEON - DAY As Claire comes outside, there is a flurry of activity at the head table. TWO OFFICERS hastily set up an easel with a large military-topographical map of Nicaragua. A SOLDIER takes the microphone from the Singers -- the music grinds to an inglorious halt -- and carries it to the head table. Price spots Claire and makes a "What's all this about?" motion. Claire holds out her palms and shrugs -- she doesn't know. All attention is quickly focused on the head table, as: PRESIDENT SOMOZA MAKES A GRAND ENTRANCE FLANKED by Hub Kittle and an Officer. He seems suddenly in unusually good spirits. Hub taps the mike -- it works -- he motions for Somoza to come forward. SOMOZA My friends... this gathering was not intended to be a press conference as much as a... "get-together"... but I have just been handed a piece of news. Somoza plays the moment with theatrical elan. SOMOZA Rafael is dead. (beat) He has been killed in an ambush in the Cordillera mountains of the Jinotega district. Somoza points to a spot on the map as do his Officer. THE PRESS TABLE IS SHAKEN FROM ITS NONCHALANCE and several journalists immediately leap to their feet to question him. JOURNALISTS Mr. President! Mr. President! SOMOZA Please my friends -- no questions. A press release is being prepared. Somoza hands the mike to an aide who returns it to the music stand. Almost immediately the music begins again. AT THE PRESS TABLE there is some confusion over the announcement. Some journalists hurry off to file the story, others just sit. Price seems alarmed by the announcement, confused. Slightly wired, he listens to Regis and OTHER JOURNALIST discuss it. OTHER JOURNALIST They got Rafael? You believe that? REGIS Every six months Tacho gives this speech -- maybe they finally lucked out. CLAIRE TRIES TO CORNER HUB KITTLE who is heading back inside. Hub disappears inside, Claire pressing after him. JAZY APPROACHES PRICE and leans in as if sharing a confidence. IN the b.g. the luncheon is breaking up. JAZY Russell, excuse me... but I've just been put in a rather embarrassing position. (hesitates) Mrs. Somoza would like her picture taken with Miss Panama. In color? Price throws his camera bag over his shoulder, pulls out a camera, and follows Jazy. They walk toward the head table. PRICE How the hell could Tacho find Rafael. JAZY Russell, please... I have my hands full... Mrs. Somoza and Miss Panama are waiting as Price and Jazy arrive. Price is automatically switching camera lenses, but he continues to grill Jazy. MRS. SOMOZA Tacho, Tacho... venga, por favor! Price and Jazy exchange glances as Somoza reluctantly joins the portrait. SOMOZA POSES WITH HIS WIFE AND HIS MISTRESS ON EACH ARM as Price flashes a light meter under their noses, then backs off to take the picture. PRICE Is Tacho lying again? They did kill him, didn't they? JAZY Everybody smile. Price takes a picture, Somoza wants to leave and Jazy would just as soon have this awkward moment over with, but: PRICE One more, please! Una mas, por favor? Reluctantly they pose again, and Price grills Jazy who is trapped. PRICE We help each other, right? Could you move your girlfriend into the sun... Jazy moves Miss Panama slightly, returning to Price. JAZY What do you need? PRICE Is Rafael alive or dead? JAZY I don't know. PRICE (to the posers) Just one more -- thank you. (to Jazy) I thought you knew everything? As Somoza holds an interminable pose, Jazy launches into a speech, keeping his voice low enough so Tacho cannot hear. JAZY What do I know, eh? Tacho needs a victory very badly... he needs to prove to Jimmy Carter that he is still winning. He thinks Rafael's death is the proof he needs. PRICE Carter don't need proof. He just sent twenty-five million in new arms to Tacho. (to posers) I'm sorry... almost got it here. JAZY No, no... the arms shipment has been delayed in New Orleans because Jimmy is getting nervous. PRICE The State Department's gonna pull the plug on Tacho?! Pardon my French -- but whose fucking side are you on? Jazy and Price motion for the posers to move a step over. JAZY ...I work for everybody. If there is a transition of power, I facilitate a relationship with the new people. If there is not, I facilitate the status quo. (beat) Either way, I facilitate. PRICE Great job. JAZY I send messages to Jimmy and I tell him that the Revolution is a flood that cannot be stopped but it can be controlled... nobody listens... I can't even get a little water in my pool. PRICE Rough ain't it. Thank you everybody, very nice. Price smiles to Somoza, Mrs. Somoza, and Miss Panama. Somoza hurries off from his uncomfortable position at last. PRICE I don't think Rafael is dead. I'm gonna find him. JAZY They say he's very handsome. (beat) It would make a wonderful picture, eh? The two men share a smile. CUT TO: EXT. THE ROAD TO MATAGLAPA - EARLY MORNING A rental station wagon covered with press flags races along. Inside the car are the British crew -- Regis drives -- and Price and Claire. CUT TO: EXT. MATAGALPA - DAY A city of about 50,000 located on the side of a hill. The car pulls slowly into the base of the town into a clearing with assorted vehicles -- Red Cross, La Guardia, Press. The car moves slowly as its occupants survey the town, until it pulls alongside a Red Cross truck that has broken down. Price sticks his head out the window to ask instructions of a R.C. WORKER. PRICE Con permiso -- who controls what today? RED CROSS WORKER (in Spanish) The Sandinistas hold the hills, the Guardia has everything else. CLAIRE How do we find the guerillas? RED CROSS WORKER (points) Va alli, dos o tres cuartos, doble la esquina al francotirador. REGIS What'd he say? CLAIRE Go two or three blocks and turn right at the sniper. Regis and his crew don't like this at all. Price points. P.O.V. A TOWER FULL OF GUARDIA SNIPERS PRICE You can drop us off. MAIN ROAD INTO MATAGALPA A gradual uphill grade -- the press car moves slowly. Guardia are on both sides of the street, as the car stops at the corner, directly beneath the sniper tower. They all look up. P.O.V. THE SNIPERS LOOKING BACK DOWN AT THEM THE CAR SLOWLY TURNS LEFT PRICE Wrong way! REGIS We're not looking for the guerillas. CLAIRE Then let us out. The car stops, the door opens, and: A WALL NEARBY IS RIDDLED WITH BULLET HOLES AS THEY CLIMB OUT, so they climb back in quickly. P.O.V. A SOLDIER HOLDS OUT HIS ARMS AS IF TO SAY, "accident." SOLDIER Lo siento! (I'm sorry!) The soldier seems sincere, but they don't want to take a chance. PRICE Go one more block. THE CAR MOVES DEEPER INTO MATAGALPA, gradually moving among tanquettas patrolling the streets, coming to a barricade which they manuever past as Guardia soldiers look at them strangely. The car turns around -- it has come too far. A GUARDIA OFFICER SIGNALS FOR THEM TO GET OUT but the idea doesn't appeal to Regis and he whirls around, panicking slightly, and heads off in the other direction. CLAIRE He just wanted to see credentials, for crissakes, what're doing? REGIS You want to drive? PRICE We want out! THE BARRICADE OFFICER SPEAKS IN A WALKIE TALKIE to a squadron leader a couple of blocks away as the car approaches. THE SECOND OFFICER WHISTLES FOR THE CAR TO STOP but it speeds up. THE OFFICER FIRES A PISTOL SHOT AT THE CAR SHATTERING THE WINDSHIELD INSIDE THE CAR -- VISION IS BADLY IMPAIRED BY THE SHATTERED GLASS and Regis panics, hitting the floorboard and the car suddenly screeches around a corner, racing through Matagalpa. The car squeals around corner after corner blindly, into: A GUARDIA BARRICADE AS A FUSILADE OF SMALL ARMS FIRE RINGS OUT The windshield is totally destroyed now, and: THE OCCUPANTS OF THE CAR CROUCH LOW as the car races. Price and Claire scream at Regis to stop, but it's too late. THE CAR SCREECHES INTO REVERSE as Regis tries to see out the back window and Price, out of necessity operates the foot pedal with his hand. The car smokes into an intersection and sees: AN OPEN BLOCK AHEAD -- no Guardia are visible, so the car races down the open block and as it comes to an intersection: A SHERMAN TANK COMES AROUND THE CORNER FACING US Several times larger than a tanquetta -- it dwarfs us and everything around it. Its giant gun faces us head on. THE PRESS CAR SCREECHES TO A HALT, and everyone scrambles out. PRICE Periodista, periodista, periodista! The mini-cam equipment is dropped as the British crew scrambles to safety against a building. Price and Claire end up on opposite sides of the street. Silence -- the huge and silent tank is deciding what to do. THE TURRET SWINGS SEVERAL DEGREES TO ONE SIDE and lowers as the scattered journalists freeze. A THUNDEROUS ROAR -- THE TANK DESTROYS THE CAMERA EQUIPMENT leaving a huge crater and not a trace of the expensive qear. CLAIRE STARTS LAUGHING, FRIGHTENED, nervous and amused. PRICE TAKES PICTURES A WOMAN THROWS A CONTACT BOMB FROM A WINDOW AT THE TANK The tiny bomb makes a pitiful explosion, hopelessly ineffective. THE TANK SWINGS ITS TURRET TOWARD THE HOUSE AND OPENS FIRE and the wall of the house crumbles quickly as a family scrambles to the rooftop of a neighboring house. Their house is destroyed in a second. LA GUARDIA TROOPS APPEAR AND BEGIN FIRING TOWARDS Claire and Price, who turn to see: SANDINISTA ARMY REGULARS RUNNING DOWN THE HILL alongside the homemade local guerillas. This is the first time we've seen the F.S.L.N. regular army in their camouflaged khaki dress. THE GUARD TAKES A POSITION TO FIGHT IT OUT and Claire and Price are caught in a cross-fire, pinned to walls on each street side. PRICE PUSHES THROUGH A DOOR TO SAFETY and looks back: CLAIRE IS TRAPPED OUTSIDE pounding on a door that doesn't open. She tries another -- no luck. She curls up in a doorway making herself as small as possible as bullets rip the wall around her. AT THE TOP OF THE HILL, AN OLD BUS MOVES SLOWLY INTO THE STREET Several youthful guerillas are pushing it. THE BUS COMES FLYING DOWN THE HILL TOWARD THE TANK Several hundred feet away, it gathers speed toward us. INT. THE SPEEDING BUS A YOUTH at the wheel props a board under the steering wheel and races to the back as ANOTHER YOUTH opens the door as the bus races past Claire toward the tank. THE TWO YOUTHS LEAP OUT THE BACK DOOR where they tumble into the dirt just before: THE BUS SMASHES INTO THE TANK AND EXPLODES GUARDIA SOLDIERS SHOOT THE TWO YOUTHS before they get away, as: GUERILLAS APPEAR ON EVERY ROOFTOP opening heavy fire on La Guardia. GUARDIA TROOPS RETREAT QUICKLY ON FOOT AND IN TANQUETTAS THE SHERMAN TANK TRIES TO DISLODGE ITSELF FROM THE BUS but cannot, and drags the bus with it as it backs down the hill. PRICE RUNS OUT TO CLAIRE and huddles with her. She is shaken but unhurt. SANDINISTAS ARE EVERYWHERE, moving into Matagalpa as Price and Claire move past several bodies to higher ground. SANDINISTA BARRICADES ARE ON EVERY CORNER where women serve food to their men. Claire and Price wander through, momentarily disoriented. A small boy runs through the street kicking a soccer ball, occasionally avoiding a body. He runs right up to them and speaks. BOY Busca triquitraques? CLAIRE Si. BOY Venga. They follow him up a hill. CUT TO: EXT. MIDDLE-CLASS HOUSE OVERLOOKING THE CITY - DAY THE NEIGHBORHOOD IS TOTALLY SANDINISTA and several guerillas are at the door. The boy speaks to one of the guards, and they are admitted. CUT TO: INT. THE HOUSE - DAY THEY ARE SEARCHED IMMEDIATELY, asked to put down their gear, asked for credentials, and led down the hallway of a house that is very American middle class. ANOTHER SOLDIER WITH RIFLE detains them momentarily before showing them into a room used as a Revolutionary Command office. ISELA STANDS IN MILITARY FATIGUES talking to her Sandinista colleagues. Clearly she commands respect and makes decisions. She finishes and turns to Claire and Price in a very businesslike way, never acknowledging directly that they have met before. ISELA You are looking for Rafael? They are somewhat taken aback at her directness and information. PRICE Yeah. If it's possible. CLAIRE Do you know why we're here... exactly? ISELA Mr. Price doesn't do anything before announcing it first in the bar. (beat) It's a good story. You'll be more famous. EXT. A MOUNTAIN ROAD - LATER - DAY An old truck chugs up a series of cutbacks through rough terrain. The truck has no hood, and a BOY sits on the fender pouring oil from a series of Folgers cans into a funnel stuck permanently into the engine. Underneath, dangling cans catch the oil as it flows through. Price, Claire and FOUR ARMED SANDINISTAS sit in the back. ISELA rides in front. THE TRUCK PASSES THROUGH A FRIENDLY GUERILLA ROADBLOCK CUT TO: EXT. TOBACCO FIELDS IN REMOTE TERRAIN - DAY ISELA, CLAIRE, PRICE AND THE FOUR HIKE into increasingly inaccessible terrain. CUT TO: EXT. RAFAEL'S CAMP - DUSK Heavily guarded but very mobile, the camp consists of perhaps 100 Soldiers, women preparing food, several tents. Price and Claire attract attention as they enter. PRICE STOPS AND LOOKS AROUND THE CAMP CLOSELY seeming to take it all in. He's been in many similar camps, countries, wars. P.O.V. TWO SOLDIERS GUARDING THE ENTRANCE TO ONE TENT CLAIRE Rafael's tent? Price doesn't answer but continues taking it all in, and ISELA shouts to them to continue. ISELA Venga, companeros. (Come, comrades.) THEY CONTINUE INTO THE CAMP, BUT PRICE STOPS AGAIN Something has caught him, his sixth sense, a feeling -- he refuses to walk further for the moment. No glibness, just coolness. CLAIRE What is it? Price looks around, speaks quietly. PRICE Rafael is dead. Claire looks around quickly. There is no evidence to her. PRICE I can smell it. CLAIRE I don't know. ISELA (slightly exasperated) Venga por favor! Alli! They continue into the camp -- now Claire looks around nervously. Price mutters a half laugh, softly and strangely, as they are led to a makeshift table and offered food. In the b.g. Isela enters one of the tents. PRICE AND CLAIRE SIT DOWN TO EAT and Price continues scanning the camp as they talk. CLAIRE What're you talking about? PRICE He's dead. I know it. CLAIRE Then why did they bring us all the way here to see him? He doesn't know. P.O.V. FOUR FIGURES/CONFERRING IN FRONT OF A TENT Isela emerges and joins them. The others are: THE PRIEST FROM LEON, A BUSINESSMAN WHOM WE SHOULD RECOGNIZE FROM EARLIER SCENES, AND COMMANDANTE CINCO, dressed in camouflaged khaki. ISELA WALKS OVER TO CLAIRE AND PRICE after talking with the others. She brings COMMANDANTE CINCO with her. They sit down. ISELA This is Commandante Cinco. They all shake hands. Isela begins at once. ISELA Today we took Matagalpa. Leon is about to fall, and Masaya. And next week we could be in Managua but it is still possible to lose. (beat) In the last days of our final offensive the people of Nicaragua must know that Rafael is alive and well. COMMANDANTE CINCO Queremos un fotografia. ISELA We need a photograph. (beat) Come with us. THEY ALL RISE AND HEAD TOWARDS RAFAEL'S TENT INT. RAFAEL'S TENT The tent is filled with Sandinista officers and soldiers standing and sitting around. RAFAEL'S BODY LIES ON A TABLE The shirtless upper torso propped slightly upright, still wearing glasses, the figure of Rafael is distinctly non-heroic. He is slightly overweight, slightly balding, but as he lies there surrounded by his men, the the glow of lanterns, he looks almost alive. Price and Claire look at each other. COMMANDANTE CINCO Usted es un fotografo magnifico. (beat) Queremos que vive. (You are a great photographer. Make him alive.) Price laughs -- the request is ridiculous. ISELA (to Claire) Why is he laughing? PRICE You're crazy. Cinco steps forward -- his presence commands attention. His delivery is forceful but not emotional. As he begins to speak, Price stops laughing. CINCO (in Spanish) We have momentum, but many more lives will be lost. Even Washington is starting to admit that the butcher Somoza is not loved by his people. They have detained twenty-five million dollars in new arms shipments for Somoza at an airfield in Florida until they find out if Rafael is alive or dead. We know about these things. He pauses briefly. CLAIRE If Washington thinks Rafael is dead, they will ship the arms to Somoza. Do you understand. PRICE Yeah. (without enthusiasm) Commandante... Soy un periodista. CINCO attacks that defense with new vigor. CINCO This has nothing to do with journalism -- there is more to the world than journalism. We are going to end this war with you or without you. (beat) People don't really believe in Rafael -- they believe in the idea of Rafael, no? Because for now the idea of Rafael is enough for the people of Nicaragua. When the war is over -- none of this matters. PRICE hesitates, his manner devoid of its usual cockiness. PRICE I don't do things... like this. CINCO Enough lives have been lost already. (beat of empathy) It's difficult, I know -- but you must do it. COMMANDANTE CINCO PLACES AN ARM ON PRICE'S SHOULDER and speaks in broken English. CINCO In the morning, eh? When there's better light! CUT TO: INT. PRICE AND CLAIRE'S TENT - LATER THAT NIGHT Price lies on his back on a table. Claire sits in a chair, a lantern is on the table. His reclining body is not unlike Rafael's. He plays with a camera without looking at it, turning it slowly, removing and replacing a lens. He's never been this calm, this unmoving. Claire, however, moves around the tent like a caged animal -- like Price normally is. She smokes. She's nervous and wired. CLAIRE I spend my whole life separating how I feel from how I think and what I see from what I say -- that's called journalism, isn't it? He nods slightly. CLAIRE It's disciplined. It civilized. It involves distinctions. I'm great at distinctions. I wish I wasn't so good at them. Sometimes I envy you -- you don't make any -- it's very convenient. (beat) The only time I don't worry about all those things is when I'm with my daughter. PRICE Or when you're in bed. CLAIRE Yes! (beat -- changes direction) My job is to find a story, then tell a story -- whatever it is -- because I believe that if enough people hear enough stories then somehow, through information alone, we all have a better chance to survive. (beat) I believe in information. (beat) That's a very romantic streak I have running through me -- maybe it's a weakness. Information is good -- lack of information is bad. Simple, eh? PRICE Not so simple. CLAIRE You're God damn right it's not. (beat) You take that picture you'll take it for all the right reasons -- I understand. PRICE I'm not gonna take it. He fiddles with the cameras. CLAIRE That's fine for you. But do I go back and say I interviewed Rafael? Do I go back and say I missed the biggest story of the war? Or do I say Rafael was stone cold dead -- that's the information, isn't it? Or do I say he entertained us all in his inimitably charismatic manner around the ol' revolutionary campfire? (beat) Can we throw up our arms and say we fell in love with the querillas because their cause was... sympathetic? (beat) Journalists don't fall in love. (beat) Which story do you want me to tell? Silence. PRICE Do what you want to do. CLAIRE Christ, what the fuck are we doing here? PRICE I want to be here. (beat) With you. (beat) What do you want. Silence. CLAIRE I want this war to end. (beat) I'm not going to tell the world that Rafael is dead. Silence. Claire lies down on the cot. Exhausted but high. Price gets off the table and goes to her. PRICE I love you. CLAIRE I think I love you. PRICE Don't think so much. He gets on the cot with her. They kiss deeply, passionately, and begin making love. EXT. THE CAMP - FIRST LIGHT OF DAWN THE CAMP IS COMING TO LIFE as the flap opens on Price's tent and he looks out. He raises his camera and starts taking pictures of: A WOMAN COOKING OVER A FIRE AS A BUSINESSMAN LOOKS ON, a face we recognize from earlier in Managua -- FREEZE FRAME THREE YOUNG GUERRILLAS PLAYING WITH A DOG -- FREEZE FRAME THE PRIEST FROM LEON DRINKING FROM A GOURD -- FREEZE FRAME TWO CHILDREN PLAYING WITH HANDMADE TOYS -- FREEZE FRAME ISELA COMING OUT OF ANOTHER TENT -- FREEZE FRAME PRICE RISES AND LOOKS AROUND THE CAMP, wandering over to a large can where he drinks some water. CLAIRE EMERGES FROM THE TENT and watches Price head over to a shaded area with his cameras. CLAIRE'S P.O.V. OF PRICE AS HE MOVES THROUGH A GROUP OF SANDINISTAS GATHERED AROUND A TABLE Their backs are toward us as he adjusts seating positions and rearranges items that have been provided for the table. He takes a light reading and moves quickly into position. Price raises his camera. CUT TO: PRICE'S P.O.V. OF A TABLEAU OF RAFAEL, CINCO, AND SOLDIERS They sit at a table studying a map, a copy of La Prensa is displayed -- the headlines declare that RAFAEL IS DEAD and featuring a photo of Somoza at the luncheon as he points to a map of the country. For an instant Rafael looks alive -- FREEZE FRAME. CUT TO: EXT. THE ROAD BLOCK TO MANAGUA - LATER Price and Claire are sitting on top of a Red Cross truck as it heads through Sebaco. Soldiers from La Guardia are everywhere. As the truck moves through the village, something catches Price's eyes: OATES STANDS AGAINST A WALL IN COMMAND OF A SQUADRON Two whores and several troops sit against a wall. As the truck passes, Oates waves casually, with emotion. DISSOLVE TO: INT. PRICE'S HOTEL BATHROOM IN MANAGUA - DAY Red light in the bathroom as Price pulls several photo prints from the bath and plasters them wet against the mirror. PHOTO OF RAFAEL IN THE CAMP, and he looks very much alive. He pulls more shots from the bath: THE PRIEST FROM LEON, THE BUSINESSMAN, COMMANDANTE CINCO AND ISELA. He dries them off and hides them with their negatives under a pile of equipment. He picks up the shot of Rafael and leaves. CUT TO: EXT. SOMEWHERE IN MANAGUA A group of muchachos in masks, baseball caps, and bandanas race through the streets carrying a photo blow-up of Rafael. CUT TO: INT. JAZY'S HOUSE The newspaper headline sits on Jazy's desk as Jazy studies it unemotionally. We hear Miss Panama's voice: MISS PANAMA Marcel! He spins on his chair as she glides in modeling a new dress. She spins magically for him -- he blows her a kiss. CUT TO: EXT. LUSH RIVER VALLEY OF NICARAGUA - DAY A small private plane flies through a canyon, dwarfed by the spectacular landscape. Hub Kittle works the room. INT. THE PLANE - DAY Two MASKED GUERILLAS hold a gun to the head of a pilot. A large sack is crammed into the tiny compartment with them. EXT. A SMALL MOUNTAIN TOWN IN NICARAGUA - DAY The plane flies in low over the town and suddenly: THE SKY IS FILLED WITH LEAFLETS that flutter to the ground. Townspeople, bewildered at first, pick up the papers to see: CLOSE UP -- PRICE'S PHOTOGRAPH OF RAFAEL ALIVE LOCAL RESIDENTS RAISE THEIR FISTS IN SALUTE to the plane as it disappears into the mountains. CUT TO: EXT. THE ROOFTOP GARDEN OF THE INTERCONTINENTAL - DAY Journalists are gathered to watch the fighting which is now on the outskirts of Managua. Price stands to the side casually taking pictures of Journalists taking pictures of the war. Hub Kittle floats around providing drinks and P.R. P.O.V. A PUSH-PULL AIRPLANE MAKES BOMBING PASSES on the capitol. Columns of smoke rise throughout the city. REGIS MOVES HIS MINI-CAM CREW INTO POSITION AT THE RAIL REGIS We got the smoke in frame? CREWMEMBER (moves the camera slightly) We got the smoke. REGIS Roll it... CLAIRE STANDS TO THE OTHER SIDE with binoculars watching. She accepts a drink from Hub and speaks into her tape deck. CLAIRE Under a steel gray July sky... start again... under a gray steel Managuan sky... scratch it... In an extraordinary development in Managua, President Anastazio Somoza has ordered the Air Force to begin bombing his own capitol, under a sky... fuck it... She fires down the drink and puts down the mike. She picks up the binoculars again and, glancing below, is shocked: P.O.V. BELOW -- ALEX GETS OUT OF A CAB WITH HIS SUITCASES He starts into the hotel, glances up, and they see each other. CLAIRE Oh my God... Price sees Alex at the same time. Alex waves to both of as he heads into the hotel. Price and Claire look at each other. Claire sits down at a table, stunned to see Alex. Price commandeers a waiter and joins her with a fresh tray of drinks. CLAIRE A Scotch, please... (he nods) Double. Price joins her as other journalists jockey for position at the railing. He is equally upset and confused. PRICE What's he doing here? CLAIRE I have no idea. ALEX COMES THROUGH THE DOOR with a couple journalists, sees Price and Claire and comes over to join them. A polite kiss on Claire's cheek, a handshake for Price. A moment of awkwardness. ALEX Congratulations. PRICE On what? ALEX On what?! The Washington Post, the Times, networks, wire services -- everybody's picked up the picture. It's fabulous. CLAIRE (nervously) Well, yes... it's fabulous. PRICE Fabulous. Unsure silence. CLAIRE Why are you back? ALEX I came back because of Russell. PRICE Because of me? ALEX Yeah... the whole fucking East Coast is falling in love with Rafael -- they were sure he was dead this time. Somebody wants to do a musical about him and his mug's on every T-shirt in Central Park. Alex enjoys the lunatic mixture of politics and popular culture. ALEX I think he's bigger than Farrah Fawcett. Claire and Price struggle to enjoy this supremely uncomfortable moment. It's not easy to enter the game. Claire attempts to change the subject. CLAIRE You look good. Things're okay? ALEX I'm happier in New York, sure, things are great. You guys? PRICE Terrific... now... I'm a little slow here, Alex... what exactly did you come back for? No more games. Alex addresses Price with conviction. ALEX It's a great story. (beat) I want to talk to Rafael... and you're the only man in the world that can take me to him. Price's and Claire's hearts sink. They look at each other. Alex, despite his reluctance to return to Nicaragua, seems genuinely enthused about the possible story. Before Price or Claire respond, Hub Kittle notices Alex and comes over with a tray of drinks, extending genuine greetings to the Senior Correspondent. HUB Alex! Couldn't stay away, eh? The fresh round of drinks are put on the table. The sound of bombs ripping the capitol are the only thing we hear. CUT TO: INT. CLAIRE'S ROOM - NIGHT Claire and Price now have adjoining rooms. She is staring out the window as he comes in. The mood is strained. CLAIRE We've got to tell Alex what happened. PRICE No way. CLAIRE I'll tell him. He deserves to know. PRICE We don't owe him anything! CLAIRE We owe him that! (beat) He got you started in this business... he covered for your missed deadlines and made excuses for your unprofessional attitude before the world fell in love with your pictures... (beat) Before kids fresh out of journalism school were rushing off to any war they could to interview bullets and take pictures of bodies -- like Price! (beat) He took care of you before you were hot! Silence. She's hitting home but he doesn't want to acknowledge it. PRICE He wouldn't understand. CLAIRE Before Nicaragua you wouldn't understand. I'm not sure I exactly understand. (beat) What are we going to do? There is something calculating in Price's tone, this is not the fearless, boyish innocent anymore. PRICE I'll take Alex to find Rafael -- we'll go to Sebaco on the road to Matagalpa -- the Guardia heavily control the area and they're scared right now -- they'll never let us through. We won't be able to get near Rafael. Alex will understand -- and we'll turn around and drive back without a story. Claire is disturbed at this compounding of the lie. CLAIRE That's a lie! PRICE Tell me about lies! Silence. They are co-conspirators and they know it. CLAIRE I don't want to tell him either. CUT TO: EXT. ROAD TO MATAGALPA - NEXT DAY Price's white flagged newly rented press car streaks along, overtaking an ox cart. A guardia convoy is going the opposite direction, back toward Managua. Alex looks out of the car with interest--he hasn't been to the front line for several wars. PRICE We may not be able to find him, y'know... ALEX I've got supreme confidence in you. A car is on fire by the side of the road. Price flies past; Alex watches curiously. Several people stand around the car. ALEX Claire looks good, eh? PRICE Everybody looks good in the tropics. Alex isn't sure how to respond to this curious reply. ALEX Since I haven't been able to find Isela since coming back, you're going to have to translate for me -- what the hell does that mean? Price is nervous, wired, on edge. PRICE Alex... I love her. Alex takes this calmly -- it's not exactly new information. ALEX And she 'thinks' she loves you. PRICE It's past the thinking stage. Alex looks at the passing scenery -- he's in no hurry. ALEX I'd like to know something -- it probably doesn't matter in the great final scheme of things... but I'm interested... (beat) Did you ever lay a hand on her before she left me? PRICE No! ALEX That's the truth? PRICE Yes! (beat) Alex -- we're friends! There is something desperate in his voice. CUT TO: EXT. A ROADBLOCK ON THE EDGE OF SEBACO - DAY Price and Alex are ordered out of their car by a very unfriendly Guardia soldier. He is ordered to put down his camera bag. The hood and trunk are opened. SOLDIER Venga. They are led to a shed by the roadside, A TIRE REPAIR SHOP, where they sit down in an oily, dusty shack. They watch the soldiers: P.O.V. THE SOLDIERS TEARING UP THE RENTAL CAR, pulling off door panels, looking for weapons. ALEX I bet you go through a few rental cars. PRICE Don't worry. I put this in your name. PRICE AND ALEX JERK TO LIFE at the sound of screaming in the distance. A volley of gunfire follows. Price moves quickly into an adjoining shed and looks through a crack in the wall: P.O.V. AN EXECUTION SQUAD IN A FIELD as several bodies are being hauled away. Two soldiers reload their guns. PAN to a figure moving behind a wall -- OATES. PRICE HURRIES THROUGH THE SHACKS TOWARD THE EXECUTION WALL as Alex calls to him and hurries after -- Price is single- minded. As he moves through the shacks we hear another volley of fire, and Price bursts into a clearing to see: TWO TRUCKS BEING LOADED WITH BODIES AS OATES SUPERVISES. PRICE STEPS INTO THE CLEARING -- FACE-TO-FACE WITH OATES. They look at each other for several beats before anyone speaks. Oates is slightly embarrassed. OATES No pictures, eh? Might look bad. Oates smiles half-way; Price looks around at the bodies. PRICE You get paid by the body or by the hour? OATES I get paid the same way you do. What the fuck you doin' in Sebaco -- this place's about to blow... ain't it? PRICE You didn't have to nail Pedro. OATES Who's Pedro? Alex arrives and tries to pull Price back -- at the same time he sees the bodies and is sickened at the sight. ALEX Oh my God... A body is carried through and loaded on a truck. Oates's tone is one of explanation rather than defense, very matter- of-fact. OATES There's a motherfucking war goin' on, pal... lotta sad stories. Price mumbles and wanders to the next truck a few feet away, and as he sees it he stops short, speechless. He points: THE BODIES OF THE PRIEST FROM LEON AND THE BUSINESSMAN, figures we saw at Rafael's camp, sit in the back of the truck. They are splattered with blood and lifeless. Price is shaken. PRICE Why them? Why them?! Oates has to look to see who he's talking about, and Price loses his cool. PRICE You're a cocksucker! OATES I don't suck no dick, man... PRICE GRABS OATES AND PUSHES HIM BACKWARDS but Oates responds like an animal. The two men go down in a heap and lash out at each other in the dust. Their fighting is largely ineffective, though very physical, until Oates asserts himself and knocks Price against a wall, breaking free to pick up his automatic rifle that he handles with one hand and shoves it into Price's face. OATES I'd prefer not splattering your brains in a dump like this -- I got priorities. (to Alex) Guy wants to be a hero, pops, get him outta here before he's a number. (beat) Be a shitty little town to buy it in. (beat) Who are you? ALEX Russell, let's get outta here. PRICE (to Oates) Fuck you. OATES Guy's got a sense of humor, old man. (beat) Got any dope? Tough place to find decent dope? PRICE Why them? OATES Them? C'mere. You too. He leads them under an awning nearby where a couple soldiers sit. A small table, some weapons, two shallow boxes, food, beer. Oates rummages around to find what he wants, and pulls out: A HANDFUL OF PHOTOGRAPHS, mostly snapshots, odd sizes, with names written on them. He sifts through them quickly and we see an assortment of photographs of Nicaraguans. He finds what he's looking for and holds up: PRICE'S PHOTOGRAPH OF THE PRIEST AND THE BUSINESSMAN, the picture taken in Rafael's camp, blown up, cropped, and identified. The faces are circled. OATES If your mug shows up in this box... and ya try to make it through Sebaco... I owe yer ass. This information hits Price in the gut, and he is seized with fear. ALEX Who gives you the pictures? OATES What's this, an interview? I ain't that dumb. Price turns, he doesn't want to face it. ALEX Off the record. OATES Off the record... some pachuco gives 'em to me. Ain't none of my business, but I heard he gets 'em from a Frog. Oates pulls another picture from a different box and holds it up: PHOTOGRAPH OF ISELA OATES Nice, eh? PRICE She dead? OATES Not yet. Alex grabs Price and heads back toward the roadblock. OATES Whatya' expect? We're the ones gettin' our butts kicked. CUT TO: INT. THE CAR - DAY Price hangs a U-turn at the roadblock and heads back to Managua. He drives crazily. PRICE Some-motherfucker-took-my-fucking- pictures-I-don't-fucking-know-what- happened! (beat) Fuck me! Silence. ALEX Didn't you ship the film to New York? PRICE I developed it in my room. (pleads) Jesus Christ, Alex?! Silence. The car races. ALEX Slow down. (compassionately) It wasn't your fault if somebody stole your stuff... PRICE It was. Alex doesn't force the issue, nor does he understand it entirely. ALEX What about Rafael? No answer -- the car races back to Managua. Alex stares at Price trying to figure out what is wrong. CUT TO: INT. PRICE'S ROOM AT THE INTERCONTINENTAL HOTEL - LATER A MAID IS CLEANING HIS ROOM which is the usual disaster. Price enters, just returned, and quickly looks for his negatives under the equipment where he had hidden them. PRICE Algo no esta aqui. Fotografias. (Something is not here. Photographs.) MAID (in Spanish) Everything's always a mess here. You should be neater. PRICE Negativos, negativos! The maid shrugs -- Price is crazy anyway, and: CLAIRE WALKS INTO THE ROOM She too looks shaken. He looks up. CLAIRE Commandante Cinco's body was just found on the road to Matagalpa. The maid starts crying. They look at her helplessly as she sobs, 'Cinco, Cinco...' CUT TO: EXT. STREETS OF MANAGUA - DAY A cab takes them through the increasingly nervous city. La Guardia troop trucks are everywhere -- things seem more hurried. A hunting rifle sits in the cabbie's lap. They get out and knock on Jazy's door. GUARDIA SOLDIERS WATCH THEM FROM A DISTANCE, a development that Price and Claire are aware of. CLAIRE I don't think it's Jazy. Still no answer. PRICE Oates said it was a Frog. How many Frenchmen you know around here? Jazy ain't 'facilitating' shit. Price is impatient. He looks around nervously -- the Guards are out of view -- and he slides a knife into the latch, jimmying the lock. The door opens slowly -- an alarm goes off. Price and Claire duck inside quickly. CLAIRE Christ! Price, momentarily comfortable with the danger, responds quickly and finds the alarm wire running along the door jamb. LA GUARDIA TROOPS NEARBY HEAR THE ALARM and head toward Jazy's. INSIDE THE HOUSE PRICE FINDS THE ALARM BOX which he pries open and expertly pulls two wires. The alarm stops. Immediately they begin going through drawers and cupboards. She pulls out some harmless snapshots of Miss Panama, replaces them. CLAIRE Are we looking for negs or prints? PRICE Anything. They find nothing downstairs. The look up at the sound of distant gunfire. Suddenly: Loud banging at the front door -- La Guardia. EXT. TWO GUARDIA SOLDIERS AND A THIRD ARRIVING - DAY They look around warily, hungrily -- they know something is wrong. BACK INSIDE THE HOUSE we hear the shouting soldiers, banging. Price and Claire look at each other, and the camera bag. Claire points upstairs to Price, to the door for herself. Russell grabs the bag and bounds quickly upstairs. Claire goes to the front door, shaking nervously. CLAIRE OPENS THE DOOR AND FACES THE SOLDIERS CLAIRE Que quiere? (What do you want?) SOLDIER Donde esta senor Jazy? CLAIRE No esta aqui. SOLDIER Que quienes? (Who are you?) CLAIRE (smiles) Una novia suya. (A girlfriend of his.) The soldiers look at each other curiously and push open the door to look in the house without entering -- respectful of Jazy. SOLDIER #2 El hombre tiene muchas novias, eh? (The man has many girlfriends, no?) The soldiers laugh and peer into the room. Claire forces the door closed on them, teasing slightly. CLAIRE No, no, no... Afraid to make a mistake with one of Jazy's sweethearts, they don't press the issue. The door closes shut. INT. THE HOUSE CLAIRE sighs with frightened relief and hurries upstairs to join Price. JAZY'S BEDROOM as she enters. A rumpled bed, a spilled wine glass -- a pleasant mess. CLAIRE Russell? (no answer) Russell? A door off the bedroom is open -- light spills out. Claire stops cold at what she sees: PRICE STANDS IN A ROOM FULL OF PHOTOGRAPHS Hundreds of pictures of all sizes, photographic equipment, an enlarger, cameras and lenses, etc. Pictures of Sandino, newspaper photos, snapshots. P.O.V. OF RUSSELL'S PHOTOGRAPHS FROM RAFAEL'S CAMP cropped and blown up -- Commandante Cinco, the Priest of Leon, the Businessman, Isela. Photographs of other slain rebel leaders. The pictures include faces that have been circled with names written in -- exactly as in the pictures Oates possessed. They are both stunned. PRICE Let's get out of here. THEY HURRY DOWNSTAIRS and as they get to the front door -- the sound of somebody opening it. They freeze. THE DOOR OPENS AND MISS PANAMA ENTERS She smiles and greets them in a friendly, aloof manner, and continues toward the waterless pool. MISS PANAMA Hola. Price and Claire return the greeting and continue out the door. CUT TO: EXT. JAZY'S HOUSE - THE SOUND OF MORTAR IN THE DISTANCE As they emerge, Claire tears a white cloth in half and ties it to a stick, handing half to Price who does likewise. An earth mover goes past, a Guardia soldier at the wheel. More soldiers cling to the machine, their guns at the ready. PRICE We've got to talk to Alex. They start walking. CLAIRE You think our flags are big enough? Flags held high, they move nervously down the street into the ominous silence of the city. CUT TO: EXT. STREETS OF MANAGUA - NIGHT Alex, Price, and Claire get out of a cab and approach a large statue of Somoza on horseback, surreally lit by floodlights in the center of a traffic circle. Four Guardia Soldiers are visible on the sidewalk in the b.g. drinking with two women. PRICE This is what I want to show you. ALEX We drove through three roadblocks a half hour before curfew so you could show me a statue of Tacho. PRICE It's not Tacho. It's Mussolini. Tacho went to Italy to commission a statue of himself, he found a warehouse full of Il Duces on horseback, got a great deal on one of 'em -- brought it back and switched heads. (beat) Ya can't tell, can ya? Silence. Alex knows Price too well -- it's a great story but that's not why they're here. ALEX What the hell are you talking about? CLAIRE I think what he's trying to say -- what we're trying to say -- is that things aren't exactly what they seem to be. ALEX Well, they don't "seem" to be that great so I can't wait for this one... (mocks silliness) Hey, here we are! Two guys in the tropics in love with the same dame... bullets flying! CLAIRE Alex! That's not why we're here. ALEX Oh yeah? I left the country because of him... (points to Price) ...and I came back because of him... (beat) And now the cutest couple in town has me looking up a horse's ass on a midnight tour of Managua. (points up the statue's ass) What are we doing here? Silence. Claire addresses Alex calmly. CLAIRE Rafael is dead. Silence. Alex isn't quite sure he understood. ALEX In the picture he's dead? PRICE (shouts) Dead! ALEX How the hell... CLAIRE (interrupts quickly) Who cares how?! Silence. A bit of gallows laughter from Alex as he circles the statue. Price calms and tries to explain. PRICE Alex... I think I finally saw one too many bodies. (beat) Somoza is a killer. (beat) I thought the war would end sooner. (beat) How many reasons do you want? ALEX You saw too many bodies? That's a lot of bodies. (beat; to Price) You stupid son of a bitch. (to Claire) Did he talk you into it? CLAIRE No! I wanted Rafael to be alive. ALEX In some way I understand him doing it, I don't like it but I understand... but you? CLAIRE I'd do it again. Alex lets it all sink in. These two people about whom he has such passionate feelings have totally exposed themselves to him. ALEX You two have, of course, just served me up your balls -- if that's what they're called -- on a platter. (several beats) I can bury you both. You're handing me your careers. They don't respond -- he's right. ALEX Well, Jesus Christ... this is a motherfucking story, Russell... (long silence) What am I supposed to do with it? CLAIRE Anything you want. Small, tired gallows laughter from Alex. There is a long silence before Alex speaks, aware of the irony. ALEX They're holding the lead in the World section for Rafael. PRICE It's great stuff, isn't it? We'd go down in a blaze of glory. ALEX Oh yeah... (distraught) I don't know what to do. (beat) I've gotta take some kind of a story back with me. Maybe Jazy, eh? CLAIRE Oh Jesus. PRICE It's a little dangerous looking for Jazy at the moment. ALEX (mock heroic) Ah, danger -- I love it. You could ask the pointy-shoed little bastard about your pictures... and I could ask him whatever happened to Isela. CLAIRE She's an officer in the Rafael army -- we saw her in Matagalpa. Alex is surprised slightly, but takes pleasure in revealing it. ALEX You mean I slept with a Sandinista? Price and Claire exchange glances. Alex is dead serious. ALEX I guess Rafael is alive, eh? CUT TO: INT. CLAIRE'S ROOM - NIGHT PRICE AND CLAIRE LIE IN BED sweating. A siren and distant mortar can be heard outside. Price goes to the window and shuts it -- the room is quieter and hotter. He pounds a broken air conditioning duct. PRICE Damn air conditioning. He looks out the window -- it never used to be this complicated. CLAIRE I wish I was home. Silence. PRICE C'mere. She goes to him, lies down, and they embrace. CLAIRE Do you think it's almost over? A loud, long burst of automatic weapons fire is heard somewhere outside. Their eyes are open as they hold onto each other. CUT TO: EXT. THE STREETS OF MANAGUA - NEXT MORNING A sense of foreboding. Heavy road equipment prowls the street looking for Rebel barricades to destroy. Tanquettas and Guardia everywhere. The flag draped press car of Price and Alex drives slowly. P.O.V. OUT OF THE CAR AS THEY LOOK CAREFULLY Things feel wrong. Guardia barricades are everywhere, forcing them to follow a route they might not choose. The Guardia soldiers at the barricades seem on edge. When Jazy's house is visible in the distance, barricades force them another direction. GUARDIA SOLDIERS RACE DOWN A STREET TOWARD GUNFIRE and the car stops. When the road is clear it creeps into an intersection. They check their position. THE CAR CREEPS TO A STOP and they look around further. A PIG CROSSES THE STREET 100 YARDS AWAY AND IS SHOT BY A SOLDIER. Everything is wrong. Price looks around restlessly. PRICE Alex... let's go back. ALEX Jazy's probably sitting in the bar laughing at us. Which way's the hotel? PRICE I don't know. A WOMAN PEEKS OUT OF A DOORWAY WATCHING ALEX I'll ask her... be right back. PRICE Just a sec'... take a flag. But Alex is out of the car at once, approaching the woman. Alex motions that "it's not necessary" and talks to the woman. We can't hear, but she points down the block. INSIDE THE CAR Price cranks film into place, his actions are automatic and nervous. When he looks up: P.O.V. ALEX FIFTY YARDS AWAY Walking in the direction she pointed, he motions to Price as if to say, "Just checking this out." PRICE LOOKS AROUND NERVOUSLY FOR A SENSE OF DIRECTION And as he does, looks through the camera. THROUGH CAMERA P.O.V. OF THE DEAD PIG followed by quick blurred pans to other images -- TANK, HOUSE, WOMAN, SOLDIER -- until it settles on ALEX IN THE INTERSECTION. Two Guardia soldiers come up to him and he holds out his hands as if to say, "I'm lost." ALEX TALKS TO THE SOLDIERS -- FREEZE FRAME click, click -- and the whirring sound of a motor drive, another FREEZE FRAME click, click, more whirring -- Price is on automatic pilot. Another soldier orders Alex up against a wall. Nobody sees Price taking pictures -- it happens too quickly. THROUGH CAMERA P.O.V. ALEX IS SHOT IN THE CHEST FROM POINT BLANK RANGE -- FREEZE FRAMES click, click, whirring as the images blur and the camera is dropped. PRICE STARES WITHOUT THE CAMERA P.O.V. ALEX LIES DEAD AS THE SOLDIERS LOOK AROUND The act was random, almost nonchalant. PRICE STARTS TO RUN TOWARD ALEX shouting madly. PRICE You fucks! You fucks! He stops quickly as they see him, realizing how exposed he is. THE GUARDIA START FIRING AT HIM, realizing the murder was recorded. GUARDIA SOLDIER Fotografia! CUT TO: PRICE LEAPS IN HIS CAR and starts it up, racing around the corner as bullets rip into the car. THE WINDOW SHATTERS, AND PRICE IS HIT IN THE SHOULDER He clutches his bleeding arm as he races on. EXT. SHANTYTOWN BARRIO - DAY THE CAR GRINDS TO A HALT and Price leaps from it, racing into a maze of ramshackle huts. CUT TO: INT. SOMOZA'S BUNKER A hastily called press conference. Tacho takes a quick drag on a cigarette and makes the announcement. SOMOZA It is with grave concern that we announce that Alexander Grazier, senior American correspondent, has been murdered at the hands of terrorists... A shock wave goes through the room -- hands raised, questions. SOMOZA Mr. Kittle has prepared statements for you. Somoza turns and leaves as Kittle passes out press statements. CUT TO: INT. CLAIRE'S HOTEL ROOM TV is on. She's at the typewriter working on a story. A PHOTOGRAPH OF ALEX COMES ON THE TELEVISION NEWS, with Spanish language commentary over the image. CLAIRE KEEPS WORKING AND GRADUALLY TYPES LESS AS SHE HEARS the story, finally rising and moving in front of the television as a local newsman reads of Alex's death and we see the Somoza press announcement. The phone rings: Claire picks up the phone and listens silently before hanging up. She sits down shakily on the bed and starts crying. CUT TO: EXT. THE SHANTYTOWN BARRIO - DAY PRICE HURRIES THROUGH the passageways between tin shacks, through tiny yards of goats and chickens, through houses as poor that the war has nearly passed them by. Price is hurting, and looks around with fear to see: THE GUARDIA SOLDIERS MOVE DOWN INTO THE SHANTYTOWN, fanning out to quickly engulf the barrio. They move quickly. A HELICOPTER GUNSHIP MOVES IN LOW over the barrio and opens up sporadic outbursts of fire to insure nobody will try to flee. PRICE RUNS DOWN AN ALLEY and nearly runs right into the Guardia. He hides behind a paper thin wall of flattened beer cans -- the Guardia move past him only inches away. Price starts off in another direction, but Guardia appear -- he is trapped in the barrio. CUT TO: INT. HOTEL LOBBY Journalists are everywhere -- suitcases packed -- trying to get out of the country. The registration desk is chaos. Regis tries to get the attention of the clerk -- so does everyone else. REGIS Get my bill and get me a cab, hey, amigo! The clerk is under attack. CLERK No cabs. REGIS Cabs! CLERK No cabs! CLAIRE GETS OFF THE ELEVATOR AND MOVES THROUGH THIS CHAOS Regis sees her and tries to give her comfort -- she's beyond that. She wears a jacket and carries her bag -- she's going somewhere. REGIS I'm sorry, Claire... She pushes him away politely; she is single-minded now. CLAIRE Heard from Russell? REGIS Nobody has. CLAIRE Wanta help me find him? Regis looks at her like she's crazy. REGIS Claire... it's on the weird side out there... Hub Kittle enters the lobby, sees Claire and volunteers: HUB Jesus Christ, Claire, a human tragedy, what can I say? Claire is nearly in tears, but resists. CLAIRE Fuck off, Hub, get outta my way. CLAIRE EXITS THE HOTEL AND GETS INTO HER PRESS CAR CUT TO: EXT. STREETS OF MANAGUA - LONG SHOT OF JAZY'S HOUSE - DAY Claire stays in her car and watches the house -- no way to get close -- and she continues driving, her route dictated by the same barricades that directed Alex and Price. She passes the dead pig in the street, and TWO RED CROSS WORKERS make their way slowly around a corner, frightened. Claire gets out of her car and approaches them. CLAIRE (in Spanish) Do you know where the American journalist was killed? They all point down a street. She shows them the polaroid of Price and her. CLAIRE (in Spanish) Have you seen him? They haven't and continue on their way. Claire walks in the direction they pointed -- no street fighting but many Guardia. P.O.V. PRICE'S CAR FAR DOWN THE STREET SURROUNDED BY GUARDIA CUT TO: EXT. SHANTYTOWN - DAY PRICE HUNCHES DOWN AND CRAWLS BEHIND THE STALLS as soldiers move through the yards looking for him. A WOMAN IN A DOORWAY WATCHES PRICE HIDE THE WOMAN APPEARS IN A DOORWAY AND MOTIONS WITH HER HEAD for Price to dart inside. CUT TO: INT. THE HOUSE - DAY Nothing is said. Price is led into a room, one of many -- but this room is boarded over. There is no escape. Price is in pain, his arm bleeds, he's tiring. WOMAN (in Spanish) This is the best I can offer. PRICE Gracias. PRICE STANDS IN THE TINY ROOM WAITING He leans against the wall behind the door. He shuts his eyes -- a noise at the door. When he opens them: THE WOMAN IS STANDING THERE WITH A GUN She hands it to him and leaves, bolting the door. PRICE LEANS AGAINST THE WALL HOLDING A REVOLVER and he waits -- cameras around his neck, gun in hand, bloody, slightly ridiculous, and scared. CUT TO: EXT. THE STREETS OF MANAGUA - DAY Price's shot up car is not far away, but she's afraid to approach it. She shows the picture of Price to a small boy who doesn't recognize it. GUARDIA SOLDIER SPOTS CLAIRE and walks toward her. She cannot tell if the act is routine or threatening. He calls out to her. SOLDIER Venga aqui. She hesitates -- Alex is dead, everything is crazy. She starts toward him, then changes her mind, turns, and walks quickly away from him. THE SOLDIER RUNS TOWARD HER CLAIRE RUNS FASTER and darts into a narrow passageway behind a house, where she looks back. He calls for support -- several join him and hurry after her. Panicky, she runs between houses. OVERHEAD PLANES BUZZ THE NEIGHBORHOOD as Claire emerges from the 'maze' to see: P.O.V. PRICE'S CAR ABANDONED and full of holes near the shanty town. Guardia are everywhere. The helicopter gunship is overhead. CUT TO: INT. THE HOUSE WHERE PRICE HIDES - DAY He hears the Guard breaking in, and he cocks his gun. INT. SAME HOUSE as the Squadron Leader and three soldiers burst in -- the woman stands in the middle of the room and lies. WOMAN (in Spanish) Nobody is here. Get out. The Sqaudron Leader points to different rooms for each soldier, and they proceed to kick in each door, automatic rifles ready. PRICE'S ROOM AS HE HEARS A SOLDIER AT THIS DOOR. THE DOOR IS KICKED OPEN, AND A SOLDIER STEPS INTO THE ROOM For a moment he doesn't see Price -- then he whirls and faces the photographer who's so scared he's forgotten to raise his gun. PRICE AND THE SOLDIER ARE FACE-TO-FACE The soldier is a fourteen-year-old boy fighting back tears. He, too, is scared to death. Neither is quite sure why he is there -- they just want it to end. PRICE AND THE BOY AIM THEIR GUNS AT EACH OTHER as they hear the voice of the Squadron Leader in the other room. LEADER Esta alli?! (Is he there?) No answer. LEADER Esta alli?! SQUADRON LEADER HEADS TOWARD THE ROOM but as he does, the boy soldier appears in the doorway. BOY SOLDIER No esta aqui. The Leader grunts an order, and the squadron quickly heads to the next house. PRICE'S BODY SLUMPS AGAINST THE WALL EXHAUSTED, and the woman enters as soon as the last soldier has gone. Price's brief moment of peace is shattered by the screaming of Guardia troops and the explosions of rocket fire from the gunship. He looks outside. THE GUNSHIP FIRES INTO THE SHANTYTOWN killing several of its own Guardia troops. A GUARDIA OFFICER screams at the gunship and fires a hand gun at the giant chopper. GUARDIA OFFICER (in Spanish) We are you! We are you! What are you doing?! GUARDIA TROOPS EVACUATE THE SHANTYTOWN in a panicky scramble to escape their own gunship. PRICE RACES THROUGH THE BACK OF THE SHANTYTOWN, taking advantage of the chaos, and without slowing down, breaks free of the maze of the barrio. CLAIRE'S P.O.V. OF PRICE RACING ACROSS THE STREET, past a body and an overturned, smoking car, back into the rubble strewn blocks of the edge of the city. A tanquetta comes around a corner and sees Price a block away. CLAIRE Russell! PRICE SEES HER, and races along a wall until they meet, grabbing her on the run -- each is panicky and frightened -- and they duck into very shallow cover, barely safe. PRICE What're you doing here?! They embrace quickly and tightly, but look around nervously as they do. Price isn't sure if anybody knows about Alex. CLAIRE Alex! PRICE The Guardia did it -- I got pictures. P.O.V. A TANQUETTA PASSES ON THE NEXT STREET, visible through shattered holes in the buildings. A Guardia squadron passes. PRICE AND CLAIRE RUN DOWN THE STREET in the opposite direction, their path guided somewhat by an overturned bus in an intersection, abandoned barricades and roadblocks, and the rubble of street fighting. CUT TO: EXT. THE STREET OF JAZY'S HOUSE - DAY PRICE AND CLAIRE hesitate at the corner and move slowly along, seeing two Sandinistas, dressed half in camouflaged gear, half disco. The TWO GUERRILLAS seem to control the street. Price and Claire approach warily. PRICE Hola. (the Guerrillas nod; in Spanish) Do you control this area? The Sandinista looks at his comrade, then looks around nervously, frightened, then shrugs. DISCO SANDINISTA (in Spanish) I don't know. Price and Claire continue on down the street and simultaneously noticed something strange: THE DOOR TO JAZY'S HOUSE IS WIDE OPEN They approach carefully and look in a view to the court-yard. Claire sticks her head in the door slowly, and as she does: A GIANT HAND GUN IS STUCK IN HER TEMPLE as TWO MUCHACHOS quickly seize her and Price, dragging them inside. CUT TO: INT. JAZY'S COURTYARD - LATE IN DAY JAZY STANDS WITH A THIRD GUN AT HIS HEAD, being held by the most forceful and crazed of three young Muchachos. With guns on Jazy, Price, and Claire, there is much confusion as to who's in charge and what exactly they're doing. MUCHACHO #1 (in Spanish) Who are you? JAZY They are my friends. MUCHACHO #2 (in Spanish) Shut up. We kill them all. MUCHACHO #3 (in Spanish) No. Only him. The guns are aimed back and forth in confusion -- Price and Claire don't have a chance to respond, and they're not sure what to say. MUCHACHO #1 (in Spanish) Him or him or her? The Muchachos begin arguing rapidly among themselves; and as they do, Jazy addresses Price and Claire coolly. JAZY Well, here we are, eh? MUCHACHO #1 (in Spanish) Assassin! Shut up! JAZY The boys are confused -- they think I had their family killed. PRICE You murder people. JAZY "Murder" is a word for criminals. I have a job to protect the stability of a continent. MUCHACHO #3 Pig! Hijo de puta! JAZY Please... He is not begging for his life as much as for them to calm down. CLAIRE You got caught by some boys? JAZY Yes. Poets too, I imagine. (beat) Is your recorder on? CLAIRE (hesitates) Yes. JAZY Good. I have a speech to make. The Muchachos don't understand what he's saying, but they stop to listen to his style. The guns remained trained on all three. JAZY I like you people, but you are sentimental shits. You fall in love with the poets, the poets fall in love with the Marxists, the Marxists fall in love with themselves. The country is destroyed with rhetoric, and in the end we are stuck with tyrants. MUCHACHO #1 (in Spanish) Shut up! Jazy turns to the boy who jams the gun into his head and speaks with tired authority. JAZY Un minuto, por favor. MUCHACHO #2 (to Price and Claire, more calmly) Who are you? JAZY (in Spanish) They are journalists. The Muchachos are immediately surprised and delighted, and one of them speaks in excited, broken English. MUCHACHO #1 Periodistas! Take this picture! I'm going to blow his head off. The Muchachos quickly withdraw their guns from Price and Claire and aim them all at Jazy's head. JAZY Somoza? He is a tyrant too, of course. A butcher. (beat) But finally that is not the point, you see. If we wish to survive -- we have a choice of tyrants, and for all the right reasons, your poets choose the wrong side. MUCHACHO #1 (impatiently) Fotografia! PRICE No. JAZY Yes. (beat) Your picture of Rafael was brilliant... but I am alive, and better looking. A good looking Frenchman with a sympathetic face is murdered in cold blood while fighting for the survival of Europe and America. (beat) You will have another magazine cover! (smiles) Muy complicado, no? MUCHACHO #1 (in Spanish) Ready! Now! CLAIRE You picked the wrong side. JAZY In fifty years we will know who's right. (beat) Are you going to take the picture as the bullet enters the skull or as it comes out? This wall's a nice color, eh? I can move into the sunlight. CLAIRE TURNS AND WALKS AWAY, her back to the scene. JAZY (to Claire) It's just a story! PRICE REMAINS AND STARES AT JAZY as the Muchachos grow increasingly impatient. Some part of him wants to take the picture. MUCHACHO #1 (in Spanish) Shut up! JAZY They say that if somebody's holding a gun on you, you should never stop talking... that's the theory -- who knows?... PRICE TURNS AND WALKS AWAY toward Claire. Still -- Jazy talks. JAZY Maybe it's a good thing that I talk too much... A GUNSHOT RINGS OUT. Price grimaces. Claire shuts her eyes. They turn to look at the fallen Jazy as the Three Muchachos, frightened by their own act, race back into the street. For several moments Price and Claire stand, frozen, until the rumbling sound of a helicopter gunship nearby forces them to hurry outside. PRICE AND CLAIRE GO TO THE DOORWAY and look out as a jeep full of Guardia screams past P.O.V. SEVERAL GUERRILLAS RETREATING FROM AN ADVANCING TANQUETTA a block away. The neighborhood seems to be changing hands again. Price and Claire slump in the darkness near the doorway; she touches near his wounded arm. CLAIRE You okay? (he nods) Russell... what did Alex do? PRICE Nothing. He asked for directions. She shakes her head and leans it against Price's shoulder but the distant popping of guns does not even allow her a moment of mourning. Their heads pop up nervously. PRICE We gotta get outta sight -- half the fucking army's looking for me... CLAIRE They're not looking for me. Silence. CLAIRE Let me have the film... (beat; unsure) ...if I can't get to the hotel I'll come back here... Price doesn't want her to go alone, but he's not that excited about hiding out in the middle of the city either. PRICE Aw, Christ... (frustrated) I've wrecked everything else, at least let me take care of you here. CLAIRE Russell... it's more dangerous being with you than being alone. He knows she's right. He loves her, and he's made enough disastrous decisions lately. He hesitates, then pops open his camera and removes the film. Price ties the film into the white flag that hangs from a stick stuck into her belt. PRICE AND CLAIRE EMBRACE AND KISS BRIEFLY PRICE Don't get hurt. CLAIRE (affectionately) That's great advice. They kiss, and Claire runs out after a Red Cross truck. Price watches nervously until they turn a corner, out of sight, then goes back inside Jazy's courtyard. PRICE NEARLY STUMBLES OVER JAZY'S BODY, stops, stares -- he'd forgotten already. The body makes him uneasy, and after several moments he finds a sheet and covers Jazy. Price then sits down and waits nervously, sharing the courtyard with Jazy. CUT TO: EXT. STREETS OF MANAGUA - DUSK CLAIRE WALKS ALONGSIDE THE RED CROSS TRUCK as it comes around a corner. The truck turns one direction, she wants to go the other way toward the hotel. P.O.V. -- THE INTERCONTINENTAL HOTEL ON THE HILL IN DISTANCE - DUSK Guardia troops heavily patrol the ground between Claire and the hotel -- a jeep, a troop carrier, a tanquetta, and fifty foot soldiers. CLAIRE TAKES TEMPORARY COVER offered by a MIDDLE-AGED WOMAN who sees that she is afraid of La Guardia. Claire steps behind a walled yard. Moments later: A BOY ON A BIKE RIDES SLOWLY OUT OF THE YARD and turns up the hill toward the Guardia and the hotel. Claire's white flag is tied to his handlebars. CLAIRE WATCHES FEARFULLY as the boy pedals into the military zone. The woman offers Claire some food; she declines. CUT TO: EXT. THE ROAD TO THE INTERCONTINENTAL HOTEL - DUSK THE BOY PEDALS slowly, in no hurry, past La Guardia troops. Some of them watch him curiously, some ignore him. The white flag flutters as he rides. CUT TO: EXT. STREETS OF MANAGUA - DUSK CLAIRE RETRACES HER STEPS to the block where Price is hiding in Jazy's house. THE TWO DISCO SANDINISTAS LIE DEAD IN THE STREET, a dog sniffs at the bodies. Claire looks around -- there is little sign of life. She enters Jazy's house. CUT TO: INT. JAZY'S HOUSE - DUSK CLAIRE ENTERS and stops. She calls out his name, no answer. Price is gone. She hurries back outside. CUT TO: EXT. JAZY'S HOUSE - DUSK TWO GUARDIA TROOP CARRIERS RACE PAST, sirens screaming, loaded with Guardia soldiers. Claire steps into the street unsurely, looking every direction. PEOPLE BEGIN COMING OUT OF THEIR HOMES and what remains of their small homes. They come one at a time at first, then in small groups, carrying belongings, pets, chickens, etc. CLAIRE SHOWS A PICTURE OF PRICE AND HER to a woman who comes out of the house next to Jazy's, but the woman shakes her head, not recognizing Price. A PUSH-PULL PLANE DIVES IN LOW FIRING ROCKETS at the homes. THE CROWD GROWS and chaotically flees the destruction, gradually finding a direction out of the city. Claire is swept along in the crowds, at first without choice, then finally fleeing for her life with the rest of Managua. As she moves with the crowd, she looks for Price everywhere, without success. CUT TO: EXT. A TEMPORARY REFUGEE CAMP - NIGHT SEVERAL CAMPFIRES burn near the edge of the city where dozens have taken temporary refuge. Claire arrives to see: A BODY ON A STRETCHER BEING CARRIED up outside stairs to a rooftop from which glow several bare bulbs. She goes up the stairs to the rooftop. CUT TO: EXT. A ROOFTOP HOSPITAL - NIGHT A MAKESHIFT MOBILE HOSPITAL under awnings and palm fronds, capable of moving location in minutes. A WOMAN DOCTOR and two temporary orderlies tend to wounded. A small black and white television sits on a table and those who are able watch the seige of Managua on television while it goes on around them. Claire looks for Price among the dead or wounded. P.O.V. -- THE CITY UNDER ATTACK Claire watches for several moments -- smoke, flame, the buzzing sound of planes swooping low, fleeing crowds. She then notices the television. PRICE'S FOOTAGE OF ALEX'S DEATH comes on the TV screen, and she pushes closer to see the grim sequence. The NEWS COMMENTATOR explains in Spanish what we see CLAIRE IS SO DISTURBED AT THE IMAGES that she turns away, sickened, hurt, guilty, outraged, but unable to break down. She closes her eyes -- her face is covered with tears. The Doctor notices this and speaks softly to her. DOCTOR Journalist? (Claire nods) You knew the man who was killed? (she nods again) Fifty thousand Nicaraguans have died... and now one Yankee. (beat) Perhaps now Americans will be outraged at what is happening here, eh? It takes a while for Claire to respond. CLAIRE Yes... perhaps they will. Noise in the distance from mortars. The Doctor speaks calmly, without bitterness in the voice, but with total conviction. DOCTOR Maybe we should have killed an American journalist fifty years ago. Claire acknowledges the grim truth of the observation with a slight nod, and walks to the railing as: ALEX'S DEATH IS REPEATED IN FREEZE FRAME SEQUENCE over and over again as the Orderlies, Doctor, and patients gather to watch with fascination. CLAIRE STARES OUT AT THE CITY ON FIRE, when her eye catches something -- a light in the sky. She watches: P.O.V. -- A HELICOPTER WITH SEARCHLIGHT PASSES OVERHEAD, momentarily illuminating the hospital, but it continues on, curiously uninterested in the Guerrilla activity. The chopper sweeps above a nearby hill and hovers, then slowly lowers to earth. CLAIRE WATCHES with interest then descends the stairs. CUT TO: EXT. THE CEMETERY - NIGHT SOMOZA WATCHES AS A BACK HOE DIGS UP THE COFFINS of his parents. An Army helicopter lands, lighting the scene, and Miss Panama rushes from the chopper into his arms as the turbulence from the blades raises her dress and musses his hair. Soldiers place the dirt-covered caskets on the roofs of Somoza's two Mercedes, hastily tie them down, and the strange motorcade, flanked by two heavily armed jeeps, drives off into the dark. CLAIRE WATCHES IT ALL from a safe distance, not far from the refugee camp. She turns and walks slowly back to the camp. CUT TO: EXT. THE REFUGEE CAMP - LATE AT NIGHT Claire sits down against the remains of a wall. The war has overtaken her -- she doesn't know if Price is alive -- and though totally involved, she is at last an observer once again. Claire notices the tiny red light of her recorder is still on. She turns it off, and as the sounds of battle gradually die down, Claire falls asleep -- exhausted. DISSOLVE TO: EXT. THE REFUGEE CAMP - DAWN CLAIRE SLEEPS AGAINST THE WALL as a dog sniffs and licks her face. She awakens with a start -- the dog scurries away. Claire rises and looks around. A LOCAL WOMAN PUSHES A CART carrying the wrapped body of her husband through the otherwise quiet streets of Managua. CLAIRE MOVES THROUGH THE CAMP just coming to life, and looks around trying to interpret the eerie silence. A WOMAN tends to her TWO SMALL CHILDREN. CLAIRE (in Spanish) Have you seen La Guardia? WOMAN WITH CHILDREN (in Spanish) No. Is the war over? CLAIRE (in Spanish) I don't know. A DISTANT, DRONING NOISE GETS STEADILY LOUDER. Claire looks around nervously. A CHILD RUNS DOWN THE STREET SHOUTING CHILD Tanquettas! Tanquettas! P.O.V. -- SEVERAL TANQUETTAS AND EARTH MOVERS coming over the hill in the distance. The Refugees look up fearfully and some hide. As the war machinery gets closer, we see that: SANDINISTAS ARE DRIVING THE MACHINES draped with red and black (F.S.L.N.), blue and white (Nicaraguan), and yellow and white (the Vatican) flags. Graffiti of victory covers the tanquettas. PEOPLE COME INTO THE STREET CHEERING, embracing, only gradually realizing what has happened. WOMAN WITH CHILDREN (in Spanish) Is the war over? CLAIRE Yes. WOMAN WITH CHILDREN Es bueno. (It is good.) The woman continues with her children, her comment unemotional, and Claire smiles slightly and walks away, through a city awakening slowly to its victory. CLAIRE STOPS A RED CROSS TRUCK and shows the driver her picture of Price. The picture means nothing to the driver. Claire continues through the city, looking for Price. CUT TO: EXT. THE INTERCONTINENTAL HOTEL - MORNING CLAIRE WALKS INTO THE POOL AREA where chairs and tables float in the pool, the bar is overturned, and the once sumptuous press oasis is a disaster. CUT TO: INT. THE INTERCONTINENTAL HOTEL - MORNING CLAIRE ENTERS A DESERTED LOBBY, also a mess, and hesitates before climbing the circular stairs. CLAIRE LOOKS INTO PRICE'S ROOM, and finds it empty, and typically messy. CLAIRE WALKS INTO HER OWN ROOM -- PRICE STANDS AT THE BALCONY looking out at the jubilant city from which smoke still rises. CLAIRE AND PRICE EMBRACE DEEPLY, holding onto each other without the slightest intention of letting go. DISSOLVE TO: INT. THE INTERCONTINENTAL LOBBY - LATER - DAY PRICE AND CLAIRE COME DOWNSTAIRS to the lobby. They are cleaned up in fresh clothes; they have survived and the war is over. THE LOBBY IS COMING TO LIFE AGAIN with Regis' camera crew, who look like they've had a long night, a BUS BOY, A MAID, AN OLD COUPLE, and A WHITE WOMAN, 38, with TWO SMALL DAUGHTERS -- all either sit or mill in the b.g. PRICE AND CLAIRE STOP SHORT at what they see. PRICE Alex. P.O.V. -- A HANDMADE CASKET SITTING IN THE LOBBY with the name, "A. Grazier" scrawled in felt pen. Price and Claire stand next to the box silently -- there is nothing to say -- but the silence is interrupted by a familiar voice that is polite, unforced, and sincere. VOICE OF HUB KITTLE It was the best I would do under the circumstances. The casket, I mean. Awkward silence until they realize that he's sincere. CLAIRE Can you help us ship it home? HUB I've already taken care of it. (beat) I always liked the guy. I can't even get tickets for my own family, but I could get you two on the plane if you want. We see the woman and little girls as Hub's family. PRICE Yes, please... HUB Tacho's in Miami. A shared silence at the lunacy of the moment, interrupted by the tired voice of one of Hub's daughters. HUB'S DAUGHTER Daddy! HUB (to Price and Claire) I am sorry. I had a job to do -- that's all -- it put me in some unhappy situations. Hub goes over to take care of his family. CUT TO: EXT. PLAZA OF MANAGUA'S LARGEST CATHEDRAL - LATER - DAY Thousands of people have gathered to celebrate in loud and joyous singing, led by a group on the highest cathedral steps, surrounded by Revolutionary leaders waving to the crowds. A SINGING GROUP sings a song to Nicaragua, and a song to Rafael. RAFAEL'S BODY IN A FANCY CASKET is carried in through the crowd to wild cheering and singing. High over the pallbearers' heads it moves through the crowds. PRICE AND CLAIRE STAND TO THE SIDE watching it all. The celebration is joyously infectious, and for the moment we can forget the bloodshed, forget the problems that lay ahead, forget even the death of Alex. PRICE PULLS OUT A CAMERA and begins taking pictures of the celebration. ISELA IS AT THE MICROPHONE with other Guerrilla leaders. CLAIRE WORKS THROUGH THE CROWD with her mike held high, recording the singing of the crowd. PRICE BACKS UNDER THE AWNING of a stand selling refreshments, and especially Rum and Coke mixtures known suddenly and triumphantly as "Nicalibres." As Price snaps off pictures -- a voice from an American in casual street clothes drinking at the temporary bar. OATES Hey, Pricey... Price looks over to see the smiling Oates. OATES It's all over, eh? We made it. I like the singing. PRICE What're you doing here? OATES Free country. Now it's free, anyway. (raises his drink) Nicalibre! Oates holds up his Kodak Instamatic camera. OATES How 'bout a quickie? (no response) No? Things are heating up in Thailand... thought I'd check it out. (beat) You ain't gonna turn me in, are ya? PRICE TURNS AND WALKS AWAY OATES Am I gonna see ya in Thailand? We could be friends! Price keeps walking, into the crowd, where he finds Claire. Oates orders another Nicalibre, and beats his foot to the music. PRICE AND CLAIRE IN THE CROWD PRICE We've got a plane to catch. CLAIRE Did you get enough pictures? No answer -- a final complicated question from Claire -- they smile. Price waves for a cab which pulls over. They get in the cab and drive away. HOLD ON THE VICTORY CELEBRATION THE END

INT. FIRST FUNERAL PARLOR - DAY A working-class funeral in progress. THIRTY PEOPLE and an inexpensive bier SEEN from the back of the hall. ANGLE A MAN's back FILLS the SCREEN. He is dressed in a black suit; his hands are clasped behind him. ANOTHER MAN stands next to him. The Second Man reaches behind the First Man's back and puts a discreetly folded ten-dollar bill into his hands. ANGLE These Two Men from the front. Both somber, in their early fifties. They begin to walk down the aisle of the funeral parlor. ANGLE The WIDOW. A woman in her late fifties sitting by the bier receiving condolences. The Two Men approach her. The First Man (the recipient of the money) speaks: FUNERAL DIRECTOR Mrs. Dee, this is Frank Galvin --a very good friend of ours, and a very fine attorney. GALVIN It's a shame about your husband, Mrs. Dee. The Widow nods. GALVIN I knew him vaguely through the Lodge. He was a wonderful man. (shakes head in sympathy) It was a crime what happened to him. A crime. If there's anything that I could do to help ... GALVIN removes a business card from his jacket pocket and hands it to her as if he were giving her money. (i.e., "Take it. Really. I want you to have it ..." She takes the card. Beat. GALVIN (thoughtfully realizes he is usurping her time) Well ... He shakes her hand and moves on. INT. COFFEE SHOP - DAY Galvin sitting in the deserted coffee shop in his raincoat. Reading a section of the paper. He picks up his teacup, drinks. Lowers it to the table. ANGLE - INSERT Galvin twists tea bag around a spoon to extract last drops of tea. His hand moves to his felt pen lying on the table. He moves his hand to the paper, open at the obituary section. We SEE several names crossed out. He circles one funeral listing. ANGLE Galvin sitting, raises cup of tea to his lips. Looks around deserted coffee shop. Sighs. INT. SECOND FUNERAL HOME AND STREET - AFTERNOON Galvin outside a second funeral home. WORKING-CLASS PEOPLE entering, Galvin enters the home. ANGLE Galvin, coming down the aisle toward the front, shrugging himself out of his overcoat, he approaches the BEREAVED WIDOW sitting by the front of the home, he extracts his card from his pocket, starts to speak. He is stopped by the WIDOW'S SON, a hefty man in his mid-forties, who interjects himself between Galvin and the widow. SON (of the card) What is that ...? GALVIN I ... SON What the hell is that ... GALVIN ... I was a friend of your fa... SON You never knew my father. (hits card out of Galvin's hand) You get out of here, who the hell do you think you are ... The FUNERAL MANAGER hurries down the aisle, and starts extricating Galvin from the commotion. GALVIN (to Funeral Manager) I'm talking to this man ... FUNERAL MANAGER Excuse me, Mrs. Cleary... He is manhandling Galvin toward the back of the funeral parlor. The Son calls after him: SON Who the hell do you think you are? EXT. SECOND FUNERAL PARLOR - AFTERNOON The Funeral Manager and Galvin standing in the cold. FUNERAL MANAGER I don't want you coming back here. Ever. Do you understand? GALVIN I was just talking to... FUNERAL MANAGER Those are bereaved people in there. The Funeral Manager gives Galvin a small shove, and goes back to his post at the door, greeting the entering mourners. "Good evening..." ANGLE Galvin, the ground cut out from under him. Standing watching the mourners enter. EXT. SECOND FUNERAL STREET - DUSK Galvin walking down a residential street. He has been walking a while in the cold, snowy night. He stops for a stoplight at a corner, waits for the light although there is no traffic. Lights a cigarette. The light changes. He looks both ways and irresolutely starts across the street. He stops. He checks his watch. He sighs, and starts back in the opposite direction. INT. O'ROURKE'S BAR - NIGHT Galvin holding forth at the bar of a seedy drinking-man's establishment, THREE DRINKERS, acquaintances, standing around him, appreciative. GALVIN Pat says, 'Mike ... there's a new bar, you go in, for a half a buck you get a beer, a free lunch, and then take you in the back room and they get you laid.' The bartender, JIMMY, comes up to Galvin. JIMMY Another, Frank . . . ? GALVIN (gestures to include group) ...everybody. Mike says, `Pat, you mean to tell me for a buck you get a free lunch and a beer, and then you go in the back and get laid?' `That's correct.' Mike says, `Pat. Have you been in this bar ?' Pat says, `No, but my sister has ...' (gestures to Jimmy) Everyone. Buy yourself one too. INT. GALVIN'S OFFICE - NIGHT The seedy, disorganized small office, Galvin in shirt-sleeves opening a file cabinet. He takes out an armload of files, carries them to a wastebasket and throws them in. He sits on his desk, as if exhausted by his effort, pours from a whiskey bottle into a large water glass, downs the glass. He has been drinking for some time. He starts -- stumbling back to the file cabinet. On the way his eye is caught by his degrees hanging on the wall. He stumbles to them, picks them up and walks over to the wastebasket and throws them in. He goes back to the file cabinet, the phone starts ringing. Galvin lets it ring, continues emptying the files into the wastebasket, tearing some of them up as he does so. He repeats softly to himself, as a litany, "It doesn't make a bit of difference, it doesn't make a bit of difference ..." He starts back to the desk for the bottle, knocks the still-ringing phone off the desk. He pours himself a drink. As he downs it we hear -- softly -- from the phone on the floor: a MAN'S VOICE. "Frank. Frank. Frank. Goddamnit. Are you there ...? Frank ..." Galvin pays no attention. Drinks his drink and gazes at the wall -- now empty of degrees. ANGLE - P.O.V. The empty wall. Galvin's P.O.V. The telephone heard Voice Over insisting, "Frank ..." INT. GALVIN'S OFFICE ANTEROOM - NIGHT MICKEY MORRISSEY, a man in his late sixties, dressed in suit and overcoat, looking worried, unlocks the door to the dark anteroom. Looks around. Sees something in the next room. ANGLE - P.O.V. Galvin asleep on his couch, clothed as before. Covered in his overcoat, the bottle and glass next to the couch on the floor, the sound of the phone off the hook. ANGLE Mickey walks into the office. Stands looking at Galvin. MICKEY (harshly) Get up. (beat, more harshly) Get up. Galvin wakes up. Looks around. Swings his legs over the couch. Drinks from the glass. Vacantly: GALVIN Hi, Mickey ... MICKEY What the hell do you think you're doing ...? (surveys the wrecked office) What's going on here ...? GALVIN Uh ... MICKEY Fuck you. I got a call today from Sally Doneghy ... GALVIN ... now who is that ...? MICKEY ... You're 'sposed to be in court in ten days and she's telling me you haven't even met with them ... GALVIN Sally Doneghy, now who is that? MICKEY One lousy letter eighteen months ago. . . .I try to throw a fuckin' case your way ... GALVIN ... hey, I don't need your charity ... MICKEY ... I get these people to trust you --they're coming here tomorrow by the way --I get this expert doctor to talk to you. I'm doing all your fuckin' legwork -- and it's eighteen months. You're 'sposed to be in court. I bet you haven't even seen the file. Galvin pours himself a drink. GALVIN Hey, what are you, my nanny? Mickey walks to him, knocks the drink out of his hand and slaps him several times in the face. MICKEY Listen to me. Listen to me ...listen to me, Frank, 'cause I'm done fuckin' with you. I can't do it any more. Look around you: You think that you're going to change? What's going to change it? You think it's going to be different next month? It's going to be the same. And I have to stop. This is it. I got you a good case, it's a moneymaker. You do it right and it will take care of you. But I'm through. I'm sorry, Frank, this is the end. (beat) Life is too short, and I'm too old. (Beat) Mickey walks out of the office. Slams the door. Beat. Galvin looks around the office. Goes to his sofa. Sits, reaches to side table. ANGLE - INSERT The side table, a pack of Luckies. Galvin taking one, his hand shaking a little. Also on side table a pile of change containing a small rosary and a wedding ring. INT. GALVIN'S OFFICE ANTEROOM - INSERT - DAY The carriage of a typewriter. A sheet of paper. Its letterhead reads "Frank P. Galvin. Attorney at Law, 124 State Street, Boston, Mass. 02981. Cable FRAGAL." Someone is typing, "Sorry I had to go out. Back at 10. Judge Geary called. Are you available for lunch Wednesday University Club?" A hand takes a paper from carriage and puts it on desk. Takes a pen and signs, "Claire." ANGLE Galvin in the anteroom, dressed in his suit, unshaved, having just signed the paper. He takes a piece of Scotch tape from the dispenser on the desk, picks up a file folder from the coffee table. It is torn in several places and rudely Scotch- taped. ANGLE - P.O.V. - INSERT The file headed Deborah Ann Kaye v. St. Catherine Laboure Hospital et. al. ANGLE Galvin surveys the anteroom, opens door to corridor, Scotch tapes the note he has just typewritten to the outside of the door. INT. O'ROURKE'S BAR - DAY Dark paneling, clean, simple. A drinkers' bar. OLD BARTENDER and THREE CUSTOMERS spaced widely, Galvin in his overcoat downing a shot, the file open before him. He is reading. He checks his watch, scoops the file together under his arm, throws a dollar on the bar, and heads for the door. INT. NORTHERN NURSING HOME CORRIDOR - DAY Galvin walking tentatively down the corridor of a very run- down nursing home. He receives suspicious looks from the Attendants. He is checking numbers on the doors against a notation in the file. He finds the correct door and enters. INT. NURSING HOME WARD - DAY The door to the ward from the inside. Galvin opening the door to the dark ward, backlit, tentative, a little unsteadied from his drinking. He puts his back against the door, puts down file and briefcase, extracts a small cheap Polaroid camera from the briefcase, readies it to shoot, picks up his paraphernalia, and starts off down the ward. As he walks down the ward he checks the file hung at the foot of each bed. Galvin stops at the foot of one bed and reads the chart. ANGLE - P.O.V. The chart held by Galvin. DEBORAH ANN KAYE, various medical notations. He lowers the chart and we SEE in the bed beyond it a shrivelled, tiny form stuck with needles and tubes. ANGLE Galvin replaces the chart, puts his file, briefcase, etc. on the foot of the bed, takes a flash photo of the figure in the bed. Takes another one. Puts down camera, sits on the end of the bed gazing at the unseen form. He lights a cigarette, and sits looking at her. INT. CORRIDOR - GALVIN'S OFFICE BUILDING - DAY SALLY DONEGHY. A mousy woman in her forties is standing by a door on which is written, "Frank P. Galvin. Attorney at Law." GALVIN I'm ... Mrs. Doneghy? I'm Frank Galvin ... why didn't you go in? SALLY It's locked. GALVIN (ASTONISHED) It's locked? Sally Doneghy points to the note on the door. Galvin takes it from the door. Reads. "Back at 10, Judge Geary. Lunch ..." GALVIN I'm terribly sorry ... I hope we didn't put you out. Won't you come in ...? (motions Sally into inner office, gestures with note) I'd offer you some coffee, but it looks like my girl just went out. INT. OFFICE ANTEROOM - DAY Galvin is perched at his secretary's desk. Sally Doneghy across from him by the coffee table listening intently. GALVIN It's not a good case. It's a very good case. A healthy young woman goes into the hospital to deliver her third child, she's given the wrong anaesthetic ... SALLY ... we, we love her, Dick and me ... GALVIN ... I'm sure you do ... SALLY But what can we do? She don't know who's visiting her ... GALVIN ... I know. I went ... SALLY ... You saw her? GALVIN Yes. Yes, I have. SALLY You know how beautiful she was? (beat) Her husband left her, and he took her kids .... They, they, they'd let you die in there. They don't care. Nobody cares. The Patriot Home, the Chronic Care ... in Arlington ...? They'd take her in. Perpetual care. They'd take her. Fifty thousand dollars they want. An endowment. GALVIN ... fifty thousand dollars? SALLY I don't want to leave her. Dick ...the, the ... and Father Laughlin, he said that it was God's will ... GALVIN ... I understand ... SALLY My doctor told me that I got to move out West ... that's when we filed in court. We didn't want to sue ... GALVIN ... I understand ... SALLY ... But Dick, he's looking for two years in Tucson ... and they called him up and said to come out. He's a good man. He's only trying to do what's right. The door to the corridor opens and DICK DONEGHY, a workingman in his forties, comes into the room. Sally and Galvin stand. SALLY This is my husband. Donegy and Galvin shake hands uncomfor-tably. He motions the two to sit. GALVIN Please sit down. I told your wife. I'm sorry that we have to meet out here. I've got a case coming in two days in the Superior Court and my office is a mess of papers. DONEGHY ... that's all right. GALVIN I was telling your wife, we have a very good case here. SALLY He saw her at the Northern Care... GALVIN ... and I have inquiries out to doctors, experts in the field ... there is, of course, a problem getting a doctor to testify that another doctor's negligent ... DONEGHY ...the Archdiocese called up, they said who was our attorney, 'cause the case is coming to trial... GALVIN I doubt we'll have to go to trial ... DONEGHY ... we told them we didn't want it to come out this way. GALVIN I completely understand ... DONEGHY We just ... SALLY We just can't do it anymore. (beat) This is our chance to get away. GALVIN I'm going to see you get that chance. DONEGHY What is this going to cost? GALVIN It's completely done on a contingency basis. That means whatever the settlement is I retain one-third ...that is, of course, the usual arrangement ... INT. BISHOP BROPHY'S SUITE--INSERT DAY 15 Yellowed newspaper clipping, a very lovely, patrician woman in her twenties smiling at a well-turned-out Galvin around thirty. Headline: "Patricia Harrington to Wed." ALITO (VOICE OVER) `His name is Frank Galvin. B.U. Law, class of 'fifty-two. Second in his class. Editor of the Law Review. Worked with Mickey Morrissey twelve years. Criminal Law and Personal Injury ...' A hand turns a page and reveals a second clipping: "Boston Lawyer Held in Jury Tampering Case," with a picture of a very confused Galvin at around forty-five being led to jail. ALITO 'Married Patricia Harrington, nineteen sixty ...' ANGLE The small, sumptuously appointed Italianate office. French windows, a fire in the grate, a view of Boston Common, JOSEPH ALITO, a slender, elegant man in his forties dressed in a very expensive suit, reading from his notes, news clippings, etc., which are held in a leather folder. ALITO `Joined Stearns, Harrington, Pierce nineteen sixty as a full partner. Resigned the firm nineteen sixty- nine over the Lillibridge case ...' Do you ...? Alito, strolling as he reads, moves toward the windows with his file TO REVEAL BISHOP BROPHY, a self-contained man in his early sixties, sitting on a leather couch, listening. BISHOP He was accused of jury tampering. ALITO Accused. Not indicted. He resigned the firm. Divorced nineteen seventy. Galvin worked with Michael Morrissey until Morrissey retired in 'seventy-eight. Since then he's been on his own. Four cases before the Circuit Court. He lost them all. He drinks. BISHOP Four cases in three years ... ALITO The man's an ambulance chaser ... BISHOP ... tell me about this case. ALITO This is a nuisance suit. He's looking for small change. He's asking for six hundred thousand and betting we don't want to go to court. BISHOP No -- we don't want this case in court. ALITO Neither does he. That's where he loses. This man's scared to death to go to court. We only have to call his bluff. BISHOP I want to settle this thing and be done with it. I don't want the Archdiocese exposed. ALITO No. Absolutely, and we're going to see that it is not. BISHOP So what I want to do is stop it here. I'm going to make him an offer. I want to do it myself. I want it to come from me. ALITO All right. But let's keep the price down. I've called Ed Concannon. He recommends that we continue to respond as if we're going to trial. The Bishop nods, meaning, "You are dismissed." As an afterthought: BISHOP If we were to go to trial, would we win the case? ALITO Well, of course, it's always dangerous ... BISHOP I know that answer. If we went to trial would we win? ALITO (in an "of course" tone) Yes. Alito, preparing to leave, reaches to the Bishop's desk, where he has laid his leather folder. ANGLE The clipping in the folder, confused Galvin being led into jail, "Boston Lawyer Held in Jury Tampering Case." Alito's hand snaps the folder shut. INT. GALVIN'S OFFICE BUILDING CORRIDOR - DAY A man's arms full of textbooks. Prominently displayed: "Methodology and Practice in Anesthesiology." The man stops, fumbles for a key in his pocket. ANGLE Galvin, in his overcoat, arms full of books, reading from a textbook and trying to unlock his office door. INT. OFFICE Galvin entering. CLAIRE PAVONE, a woman in her fifties, at the secretary's desk, hanging up the phone. CLAIRE (to phone) Thank you very much. Galvin looks up at her in surprise. GALVIN What are you doing here? CLAIRE Mickey told me to come back to work. Galvin nods, proceeds into his office, reading from the textbook. Claire follows him into the office. CLAIRE ... here's your mail, call Mrs. Doneghy ... GALVIN ... yes. Get her on the phone ... CLAIRE ... that was a Dr. David Gruber's office ... GALVIN (putting down books) Gruber... CLAIRE Mickey told him to call. (reading from notes) 'He's some very hotshot surgeon at Mass. Commonwealth. He wants to meet with you at seven tonight re testimony in the case of Deborah Ann Kaye. You meet him at the hospital.' She hands him typed memo slip. GALVIN (surprised) ... he wants to testify ...? CLAIRE It looks that way. GALVIN You know what that would mean? To get somebody from a Boston hospital to say he'll testify? CLAIRE ... a Mrs. Doneghy called ... I told you that. Phone rings. Claire moves to it. GALVIN (DELIGHTED) This is going to drive the ante up. CLAIRE (INTO PHONE) Frank Galvin's ... who's calling please? Bishop Brophy's office ... She gestures to Galvin, "Do you want to talk to them?" Galvin gestures back, "No. I'm not in ..." CLAIRE I'm sorry, he's not in ... may I take a mess ... tomorrow when, two o'clock ...I'll check my book ... She looks to Galvin, who nods, "yes." CLAIRE Yes. Mr. Galvin's clear at that time ....the Bishop's office, tomorrow, the fifth at two p.m. Thank you ... She hangs up. GALVIN That's the call that I'm waiting for. CLAIRE What does it mean? GALVIN They want to settle. (beat) It means a lot of money. CLAIRE Does that mean I'm back for awhile? INT. GRUBER'S HOSPITAL CORRIDOR - INSERT - NIGHT Man's wrist. WWII GI watch reads: 6:56. ANGLE Galvin in overcoat standing outside door marked "Doctors Only" in bustling hospital corridor. He glances at memo slip in his hand. He opens door. CAMERA FOLLOWS him onto: INT. GRUBER'S DOCTORS LOCKER ROOM - NIGHT Carpeted, small, comfortable, lined in lockers. A DOCTOR, on the phone in greens, smoking a cigarette, talking on the phone softly, a couple of DOCTORS sitting, drinking coffee, chatting. Galvin, a trifle nervous, to Doctor ON PHONE: GALVIN Dr. Gruber ...? The Doctor on the phone gestures behind him to a thirty-ish MAN in blue jeans smoking a cigar, changing at his locker. Galvin walks over to him. GALVIN Dr. Gruber ... GRUBER (TURNING) Yes? Galvin, right? He checks his watch, continues changing into suede jacket, checks next appointment on a leather appointment book, locks the locker, pockets key. GALVIN I appreciate--a man as busy as-- GRUBER That's perfectly all right. I'm kind of rushed. Do you mind if we walk while we talk? Gruber, Galvin following, talk while exiting locker room. INT. GRUBER'S HOSPITAL CORRIDOR - NIGHT GRUBER I read the hospital report on your client. GALVIN ... Deborah Ann Kaye ... GRUBER ... Deborah Ann Kaye ... They walk hurriedly through a hospital corridor, to an EXIT door and down concrete stairs. INT. GRUBER'S HOSPITAL STAIRS - NIGHT GALVIN They called, they're going to settle, what I want to do is build up as much ... GRUBER Right. Who called? GALVIN The Archdiocese called, they want to settle ... her estate ... GRUBER ... and you're going to do that? GALVIN (surprised, of course) Yes. GRUBER You're going to settle out of court? Gruber stops at the bottom of the stairs, beside an exit to the outside. GALVIN Yes. GRUBER Why? A beat. GALVIN (it's a meaningless question to him, as if to a child) Uh ... in the, well, in the interests of her family ... you, Dr. Gruber, you know, you can never tell what a jury is going to do. St. Catherine's a very well thought of institution. Her doctors ... GRUBER (glances at watch, impatient) Her doctors killed her. GALVIN (A BEAT)) I'm sorry ...? GRUBER Her doctors murdered her. They gave her the wrong anaesthetic and they put her in the hospital for life. (a beat) Her doctors murdered her. GALVIN Do you know who her doctors were? GRUBER I read the file. Yeah. Marx and Towler. I know who they were. GALVIN The most respected ... GRUBER (SMILING) Whose side are you arguing ...? I thought that you wanted to do something. I don't have any interest in the woman's 'estate' -- No offense, but we all know where the money's going to ... I have an interest in the Hospital; and I don't want those bozos working in the same shop as me. They gave her the wrong anesthetic. They turned the girl into a vegetable. They killed her and they killed her kid. You caught 'em. Now: how many others did they kill? A beat. Gruber discards end of a cigar. Takes a leather case from his suede jacket, extracts a new cigar. Offers one to Galvin. GRUBER You want a cigar? Galvin takes one absently. GALVIN The hospital is owned by the Archdioceses of ... GRUBER What are they going to do? Not invite me to their Birthday party ...? (checks watch) Look, I gotta go. I have to be in Cambridge ... Galvin, excited, is trying to light the cigar. His hand shakes badly. He has forgotten to bite off the end. He bites it, lights the cigar. GALVIN Well, well, when can we meet again. I'd like to get a deposition.. GRUBER Okay. I'll meet you here. Tuesday night ... I gotta go. You going my way? Galvin shakes his head. EXT. GRUBER'S HOSPITAL PARKING AREA - NIGHT Gruber opens door and walks out into the cold, into the parking lot, followed by Galvin, who is lighting his cigar. GALVIN We have to ... we ... we have to keep you under wraps. Please don't, don't discuss ... GRUBER I understand. GALVIN ... the case with anyone. And I'll meet you Tuesday, and we'll go over your testimony ... They stop before a 1950s very beautiful small Mercedes Sedan. Gruber opens the door, gets into the plush red leather interior, starts car, leaves door open, still talking to Galvin. GRUBER Right. Seven o'clock. Here. Galvin scribbles information in his appointment book. GALVIN Thank you ... GRUBER ... that's perfectly all right. GALVIN (beat) Uh, why, why are you doing this? GRUBER (thinks a second) To do right. Isn't that why you're doing it? INT. O'ROURKE'S TAVERN - NIGHT Galvin is at the bar, smiling to himself. His drink is being refilled. To BARTENDER: GALVIN I want to buy you a drink. JIMMY (THE BARTENDER) Thanks, Franky. Galvin looks around. A very attractive self-possessed YOUNG WOMAN is sitting in the crook of the bar across from him; she is intently perusing the newspaper and circling items with a felt pen. Galvin speaks to her: GALVIN Would you like a drink? She looks up. Smiles. WOMAN I'd like an apartment. GALVIN Settle for a drink? She gestures at her own full glass in front of her. WOMAN No. Thank you. Galvin shrugs. GALVIN I had a very good day today. WOMAN (beat, smiles, downs drink, gets up off the stool, sincerely) I'm glad you did. Thank you. Good night. GALVIN You're very welcome. He watches her as she leaves the bar. He turns back to his drink. GALVIN Well, well, well. Huh? JIMMY Yeah. GALVIN (sighs) It's a long road that has no turning. JIMMY That's for sure, Frank. INT. GALVIN'S APARTMENT - NIGHT A shoddy one-and-a-half room bachelor apartment. Galvin, beer and cigarettes on the table beside him. He is sitting on an armchair in the bedroom. A yellow legal pad in his lap. He is talking on the phone softly, soothingly. GALVIN I'm going to the Archdiocese tomorrow at two. I know you don't. I know you don't...no, you're just following your life. You have a life too...you have to move out West. It doesn't help you to stay here. Well...I'm sure she knows you care for her. His attention wanders to the legal pad in his lap. ANGLE - P.O.V. The legal pad. Spread on it a couple of Polaroids of Deborah Ann in the nursing home. Below them, written on the pad, large, "Dr. David Gruber. Ass't. Chief Anesthesiology, Mass. Commonwealth. 'They killed her. And they killed her kid -- Her doctors murdered her.'" The following figures are written on the pad: $150,000.00 written very large, circled, crossed out. $250,000.00 similarly circled and crossed out. $225,000.00 circled many times. GALVIN (voice over; on phone) Well. Well. Well. Finally we're none of us protected...we...we just have to go on. To seek help where we can...and go on...I know that you love her...I know you're acting out of love. ANGLE - GALVIN ON THE PHONE GALVIN (into phone) As soon as I know...you give him my respects too. Not at all. Not at all...Good night. (beat) Well, bless you, too. Good night. He hangs up phone, sighs. Lights a cigarette. Rotates his neck to loosen it up. Reaches to the table next to his bed for the bottle to pour a drink. ANGLE - INSERT His hand reaching for the bottle. On the table the photo of a very beautiful blonde woman in a silver frame. She is the same woman we saw earlier in the news clip. She is on the deck of a sailboat, laughing. A pile of change on the table, a money clip, a rosary, and the wedding ring in the pile of change. ANGLE Galvin looking at the photo in the silver frame next to his bed. He sighs deeply. Beat. Reaches up to the lamp above his head and turns it off. He sits stiffly in the dark a moment, then lets his head fall back to the chair. INT. NORTHERN NURSING HOME WARD - DAY Galvin, spruced up a bit, sitting on a bed, his briefcase on his lap. Gazing at the unseen Deborah Ann Kaye in the dark ward. Silent. Beat. He looks in his briefcase, takes out a file. ANGLE - P.O.V. - INSERT The file, labeled Deborah Ann Kaye. Galvin extracting the photo of the young mother romping with her two children; he takes the yellow legal pad from his briefcase and puts it on top of the picture (the figures crossed out; "Her doctors murdered her," etc.). We hear the door to the ward open and TWO IRISH WOMEN gossiping. IRISH NURSE #1 (voice over) Jimmy, I said, don't you go in your pocket if there's nothing there... IRISH NURSE #2 (voice over) ...and what did he say...? IRISH NURSE #1 (voice over; spies Galvin, her tone changes) ...Sir, you aren't allowed to be in here... ANGLE Galvin sitting on the bed looking at Deborah Ann. He looks up to the speaker. A slovenly Irish Nurse, who has come into the room and is standing by him. The other Nurse is framed in the doorway. Galvin is lost in thought. NURSE You can't be in here. GALVIN (as if remembering something, simply) I'm her attorney. INT. BISHOP BROPHY'S OFFICE - DAY The Bishop from the waist up, sitting behind his beautiful desk. Compassionately: BISHOP It's a question of continuing values. St. Catherine's -- to do the good that she must do in the community has to maintain the position that she holds in the community. So we have a question of balance. On the one hand, the reputation, and, so, the effectiveness of our hospital, and two of her important doctors -- and, on the other hand, the rights of your client. ANGLE Galvin seated across from the Bishop. A YOUNG PRIEST seated, discreetly, attentively, across the room. Sherry glasses in front of Galvin and the Bishop. Galvin drinking from his. BISHOP A young woman. In her prime...deprived of...(searches for a word) ...life...sight...her family...It's tragic. It's a tragic accident. Galvin has been dreaming. BISHOP ...nothing, of course, can begin to make it right. But we must do what we can. We must do all that we can. He gestures to the Young Priest, who crosses the room, extracts a sheet from a file folder, and places it before Galvin, who is sitting as if in a dream. The Bishop waits a beat, not wanting to interrupt Galvin's reverie, then catches his eye and gestures down at the paper. Galvin glances down. INSERT The sheet: "I, Frank P. Galvin, duly appointed conservator for Deborah Ann Kaye, in consideration of Two Hundred Ten Thousand Dollars ($210,000.00) paid in hand to me this day by St. Catherine Laboure Hospital do hereby release from any and all claims..." ANGLE Galvin and the Bishop as before. Galvin finishes reading, looks up. BISHOP Yes. We must try to make it right. Beat. Galvin nods. Beat. Bishop nods discreetly to the Young Priest who extracts Mount Blanc fountain pen from his pocket, holds it out to Galvin. BISHOP It's a generous offer, Mr. Galvin...(beat) ...nothing can make the woman well...but we try to compensate...to make a gesture... GALVIN How did you settle on the amount? BISHOP We thought it was just. GALVIN You thought it was just. BISHOP Yes. GALVIN Because it struck me how neatly 'three' went into the amount. Two Hundred Ten Thousand. That would mean I keep seventy. BISHOP That was our insurance company's recommendation. GALVIN Yes. It would be. A beat. BISHOP Nothing that we can do can make that woman well. GALVIN And no one will know the truth. BISHOP What is the truth? GALVIN That that poor girl put her trust in the hands of two men who took her life, she's in a coma, her life is gone. She has no family, she has no home, she's tied to a machine, she has no friends --and the people who should care for her: her Doctors, and you, and me, have been bought off to look the other way. We have been paid to look the other way. I came in here to take your money. (beat) I brought snapshots to show you. So I could get your money. (to Young Priest, waving away document) I can't take it. If I take it. If I take that money I'm lost. I'm just going to be a rich ambulance chaser. (beat; pleading for understanding) I can't do it. I can't take it. YOUNG PRIEST If we may discuss money, Mr. Galvin. How is your law practice? GALVIN It's not too good. I've only got one client. HOLD. INT. LAWYERS ROOM AND CORRIDOR - DAY Galvin, determined, coming down a corridor in the Courthouse, opens a door. CAMERA FOLLOWS him IN. The Lawyers Room. Then or twelve AMBULANCE CHASERS waiting for clients. They all look up as he enters, then return to their reading, phones, card games. CAMERA FOLLOWS him TO the corner of the room where MICKEY MORRISSEY is playing Gin with a CRONY. GALVIN I have to talk to you. MICKEY What do you want? GALVIN (dragging him up) Come on. Let's get a drink. MICKEY (sighs, to partner) Don't touch anything. Galvin leads Mickey out of the room. INT. FIRST CORRIDOR COURTHOUSE - DAY Mickey and Galvin silhouetted against a window at the end of the dark corridor, arguing. MICKEY (ENRAGED) Are you out of your mind...? GALVIN ...I'm going to need your help... MICKEY You need my help...? You need a goddamn keeper...are you telling me that you turned down two-hundred- ten grand? (beat) Huh...? Are you nuts? Eh? Are you nuts. What are you going to do, bring her back to life? GALVIN I'm going to help her. MICKEY To do what...? To do what, for chrissake...? To help her to do what? She's dead... GALVIN They killed her. And they're trying to buy it... MICKEY That's the point, you stupid fuck. Let them buy it. We let them buy the case. That's what I took it for. You let this drop -- we'll go up to New Hampshire, kill some fuckin' deer... He turns away. GALVIN Mick. Mick. Mick... MICKEY What? GALVIN You -- Listen: you said to me, `if not now, when...' MICKEY I know what I said but not now. You won it. Franky. You won it. When they give you the money, that means that you won. We don't want to go to court -- is this getting to you...? You know who the attorney is for the Archdiocese, Eddie Concannon. GALVIN ...he's a good man... MICKEY ...he's a good man...? He's the Prince of Fuckin' Darkness...he'll have people in there testifying that the broad is well -- they saw her Tuesday on a surfboard at Hyannis...don't fuck with this case. GALVIN ...I have to stand up for her... MICKEY Frank, but not now. Frank. You're trying to wipe out some old business. But not now. I understand. But you go call 'em back. You call the Bishop back. GALVIN I have to try this case. I have to do it, Mick. I've got to stand up for that girl. I need your help. (beat) Mick, will you help me...? (beat) Will you help me...? INT. CONCANNON OFFICES CORRIDOR --DAY A young ATTORNEY in shirt-sleeves and vest racing through a huge, ultra-modern, ultra-successful legal office. The office is near empty. A couple of secretaries are at their desks, a couple of lawyers in their cubicles. The CAMERA FOLLOWS the Attorney tearing through the corridors of the office, up a spiral staircase, through yet more office space, into: INT. CONCANNON CONFERENCE ROOM - DAY ...a conference room. Mahogany, tinted glass, a panoramic view of Boston. Twenty-five attorneys, male and female, mostly young, gaze at the young Attorney as he enters the room. He stops running. He approaches the front of the room tentatively. Standing at the blackboard in front of the conference room is EDWARD CONCANNON. Senior partner of the firm, late fifties, imposing, he radiates success. As the young Attorney approaches Concannon he is stopped with a gesture. Concannon addresses the room. CONCANNON(SMILING) Anybody ever hear, 'For want of a shoe a horse was lost?' Who's going on vacation tomorrow? A young MAN raises his hand. CONCANNON Friedman. St. Barts. is that right? FRIEDMAN Yessir. CONCANNON (to secretary taking notes at the side of the room) Send Mrs. Friedman a dozen roses tomorrow morning please, Sal. I tell you what, send her a sunlamp. (smiles, there is laughter from the room; to Friedman, sympathetic) I'm sorry, but you'll have to stay. No vacations till this thing is cleared. Concannon motions to the young Attorney who has run in. The young Attorney goes to Concannon and hands him a box of chalk. Concannon takes a piece and writes on the blackboard "Jan. 12th." He underlines it heavily. CONCANNON Our court date is January twelfth. You're all acquainted with this case. It's been scheduled for eighteen months. We have the attorney for the Plaintiff, Frank Galvin -- and I trust you are all familiar with his record -- and we have been expecting him to call us to negotiate. As he did not, and five days before we're supposed to go to court we made him a rather generous offer, which he refused. Five days before the trial. What does this mean? I want to find out. (writes on the blackboard, "1) Research") (writes "2) Homework") Acquaint yourselves again with the depositions. Don't rely on the fact that we did it last year. Do it again. We're going to review them here, and you do it at home. You each have a full file. Know the deps, and I want you all to be here when we work with the defendants... when is that, Billy...? The young Attorney responds. YOUNG LAWYER (BILLY) Tuesday evening, Sir. Concannon writes on blackboard "3) Public Awareness." CONCANNON I want an article in the Globe As Soon As Possible, 'St. Cat's...Neighborhood Giant serving the community' etc. We've got it in the files. I want something in Monday's Herald: 'Our Gallant Doctors,' something...Be inventive, I want television...(nods toward one of the young lawyers) ...talk to our man at GBH. And to belabor the obvious for a moment...(beat) Our clients are: the Archdiocese of Boston; St. Catherine Laboure Hospital, and Drs. Marx and Towler, two of the most respected men in their profession. The thrust of this defense will be to answer in court, in the press and in the public mind -- to answer the accusation of negligence this completely: not only that we win the case, but that we win the case so that it's seen that the attack on these men and this institution was a rank obscenity. (beat) All right. Let's get the cobwebs off. Billy...? The young Lawyer stands as Concannon sits, listening. YOUNG LAWYER Please turn to your Page Four. All the lawyers in the office turn in their files to that page. YOUNG LAWYER We're going to start with a review of the depositions of the Operating Room Team: the nurse-anesthetist, the scrub-nurse, the... INT. LAW LIBRARY - NIGHT Galvin and Mickey at a library table piled with books. A dingy, dusty law library. They are smoking, speak in undertones, referring to the yellow legal pads in front of them. Rehashing material. MICKEY Who have we got? GALVIN We've got her sister. Testifies she had a meal one hour before she was admitted to the hospital. This is the point. MICKEY You got the admittance form says patient ate nine hours prior to admittance. GALVIN Admittance form is wrong. MICKEY Forget it. You can't prove it. Sister's testimony is no good. Jury knows we win she gets the cash. GALVIN I've got my Dr. Gruber, says her heart condition means they gave her the wrong anaesthetic anyway, plus she came in complaining of stomach pains... MICKEY (conceding) ...Gruber's not bad.GALVIN Not bad...? This guy's Dr. Kildare, the jury's going to love him, Mick... And you calm down, all right? Their guy, Towler's, the author of the book, (hunts for book on desk, holds it up; reads) 'Methodology and Practice, Anesthesiology.' (rummages through a pile of papers on the desk) ...and they got depositions from the nurses, everybody in the operating room, the scrub-nurse...'All these guys are God. I saw them walk on water...' GALVIN (checking a list) They had an obstetrical nurse in there. We got a deposition from the obstetrical nurse? MICKEY (checking list) No. GALVIN (reading from pad) 'Mary Rooney, forty-nine. Lives in Arlington, still working at the hospital.' Can you get out tomorrow? How come she isn't speaking up. MICKEY Right. GALVIN Okay now. Cases: Smith versus State of Michigan. MICKEY Right. GALVIN Brindisi versus Electric Boat. MICKEY You got a good memory, Franky. GALVIN I had a good teacher. McLean versus Urban Transport... INT. O'ROURKE'S PUB - NIGHT Galvin and Mickey entering the bar, walk over to the bar. Galvin sees something O.S.. Call to the bartender. GALVIN Jimmy? Bushmills. (turns to Mickey, whispers) Lookit, do me a favor. I'll buy you a drink tomorrow. MICKEY Yeah? And what are you going to do tonight? GALVIN I'm going to get laid. Galvin motions with his head down at the end of the bar. ANGLE - P.O.V. The Woman from last night, sitting in her same place at the end of the bar. Mickey looks at her. Shrugs. Gets up off stool. MICKEY Don't leave your best work in the sheets. He salutes, walks off. Galvin takes his drink and moves down to her. GALVIN D'you find an apartment? LAURA Still looking. GALVIN I changed my life today. What did you do? LAURA I changed my room at the Hotel. GALVIN Why? LAURA The TV didn't work. GALVIN What Hotel are you staying at? LAURA And what are you? A cop? GALVIN I'm a lawyer. LAURA My ex-husband was a lawyer. GALVIN Really. How wonderful for you. LAURA Yes. It was, actually. GALVIN Oh, actually it was. Then why'd you call it off? LAURA Who says I'm the one that called it off? GALVIN A brick house says you divorced him. I'll put you on your honor. Bet you a hundred dollars against you join me for dinner. And I'll take your word for it. Now you tell me the truth. Because you cannot lie to me. What's your name? LAURA Laura. GALVIN My name's Frank. And furthermore, you came back to see me tonight. LAURA What if it wasn't you that I came back to see? GALVIN You just got lucky. (gets up off stool) D'you eat yet? Come on. She gets up from the stool and starts following him in spite of herself. GALVIN Jesus, you are one beautiful woman. INT. O'ROURKE'S - NIGHT (LATER) Galvin and Laura are in a booth. The remains of a dinner and drinks around them. They are both smoking cigarettes, intent on each other. Both a little drunk. GALVIN The weak, the weak have got to have somebody to fight for them. Isn't that the truth? You want another drink? LAURA I think I will. Galvin motions "another round" to the bartender. GALVIN Jimmy! (beat) That's why the court exists. The court doesn't exist to give them justice, eh? But to give them a chance at justice. LAURA And are they going to get it? GALVIN They might. Yes. That's the point ...is that they might...you see, the jury wants to believe. They're all cynics, sure, because they want to believe. I have to go in there tomorrow to find twelve people to hear this case. I'm going to see a hundred people and pick twelve. And every one of them it's written on their face, `This is a sham. There is no justice...' but in their heart they're saying, 'Maybe...maybe...' LAURA Maybe what? GALVIN (beat) Maybe I can do something right. LAURA And is that what you're going to do? (a beat) Is that what you're going to do...? GALVIN That's what I'm going to try to do. INT. GALVIN'S APARTMENT - NIGHT The bedroom, dark, sound of people moving, the bedside light is flicked on. We SEE Galvin in shirt-sleeves, holding a whiskey glass a little unsettled, turning on the light, Laura, with a glass, also a bit unsteady, standing beside him. Both awkward. He looks at her, turns back to the bed, turns down the bed, sees the silver-framed picture of his wife, he looks back at Laura, starts to take the picture to turn it down. LAURA That's all right. She starts taking off her blouse. INT. COURTHOUSE BAR-INSERT - DAY A half-full old-fashioned glass. ANGLE Galvin sitting at the fairly well-equipped bar, still. He looks out of the window at a building across the street. EXT. COURTHOUSE - P.O.V. SHOT - DAY The courthouse across the street. INT. COURTHOUSE BAR - DAY Galvin glances at bar clock. ANGLE - P.O.V. The clock reads 10:12. ANGLE Galvin downs his drink, picks his briefcase off of the bar and starts for the door. INT. JUDGE SWEENEY'S CHAMBERS-DAY JUDGE SWEENEY, a florid man in his sixties, sitting in shirt- sleeves eating bacon and eggs off of a hotel service on a tray, talking conspiratorially with Ed Concannon, who is drinking coffee, seated across the desk. They are obviously old friends. The sound of a door opening. They turn their heads to the door. ANGLE - P.O.V. Galvin standing in the door. JUDGE (VOICE OVER) You're late, Mr. Galvin. He enters the room. CAMERA FOLLOWS him as he sits next to Concannon. GALVIN Yessir. I'm sorry. JUDGE Why is that? GALVIN I was held up. Concannon smiles and extends his hand. CONCANNON Ed Concannon. GALVIN (shaking his head) Frank Galvin. We've met before. As the Judge starts to speak Galvin cannot help looking at Concannon out of the corner of his eye. JUDGE Let's do some business. ANGLE - P.O.V. GALVIN Concannon, brisk, expensive-looking, tanned, huge gold watch, custom-made suit. JUDGE (VOICE OVER) They tell me that no bargain ever was completed other than quickly when both parties really cared to make a deal. Concannon feels Galvin's eye on him, half-turns, smiles. ANGLE - THE JUDGE, CONCANNON, GALVIN JUDGE Now, have you boys tried to resolve your little difficulty because that certainly would save the Commonwealth a lot of time and bother. GALVIN This is a complicated case, your Honor... JUDGE I'm sure it is, Frank: and let me tell you something. If we find it so complex, how in the hell you think you're going to make a jury understand it? (smiles at Galvin) See my point? Let's talk a minute. Frank: what will you and your client take right now this very minute to walk out of here and let this damn thing drop? GALVIN My client can't walk, your Honor. JUDGE I know full well she can't, Frank. You see the Padre on your way out and he'll punch your ticket. You follow me? I'm trying to help you. CONCANNON Your Honor, Bishop Brophy and the Archdiocese have offered plaintiff two hundred and ten thousand dollars. JUDGE Huh! CONCANNON My doctors didn't want a settlement at any price. They wanted this cleared up in court. They want their vindication. I agree with them. But for today the offer stands. Before we begin the publicity of a trial. For today only. (beat) When I walk out that door the offer is withdrawn. (turns to Galvin) As long as you understand that. (beat) It's got to be that way. GALVIN We are going to try the case. A beat. Galvin fumbles for a cigarette. The three sit in silence. JUDGE (INCREDULOUS) That's it...? (beat) Come on, guys...life is too short... (beat) You tell me if you're playing 'chicken,' or you mean it. (beat; turns to Galvin) Frank: I don't think I'm talking out of school, but I just heard someone offer you two hundred grand...and that's a lot of money...and if I may say, you haven't got the best of records. GALVIN ...things change. JUDGE ...that's true. Sometimes they change, sometimes they don't. Now, I remember back to when you were disbarred... GALVIN I wasn't disbarred, they dropped the pro... JUDGE And it seems to me, a fella's trying to come back, he'd take this settlement, and get a record for himself. (beat) I myself would take it and run like a thief. GALVIN I'm sure you would. The Judge turns, unbelieving that Galvin has patronized and insulted him. He controls himself. JUDGE Hm. (beat; checking book) We have the date set? Next Thursday. Good. (smiles) See you boys in court. INT. COURTROOM - INSERT - DAY A legal document. LIST OF PROSPECTIVE JURORS. DEBORAH ANN KAYE versus ST. CATHERINE LABOURE HOSPITAL, Et. Al.: Mr. Arthur Abrams, Machinist, 58; Mrs. Joann Chepek, Housewife, 42; Mr. Roger Crawford, Chemist, 59, etc. ANGLE Galvin, seated at the conference table intent on the form in front of him. He crosses out something with a pen. Galvin takes the form, rises, walks across the room, walks by the defense table with Concannon and an Aide at it. Approaches the Jury Box, which has several prospective JURORS in it. He is very nervous. He addresses a man. GALVIN Mr. Abraham... ABRAMS Abrams... GALVIN Abrams. Yes. How are you today? ABRAMS I'm fine. GALVIN Good. (beat) You ever been inside a hospital? ABRAMS Yes. GALVIN Ah. How did they treat you? Galvin has flop sweat, Abrams is becoming intractable. ABRAMS I don't know what you mean. INT. CIGAR - COURTHOUSE CORRIDOR - DAY Mickey standing by the door to the courtroom, looking through the glass panel, a newspaper under his arm, smoking. Galvin comes out. MICKEY Been a long time, huh...? GALVIN I'm getting it back. Don't worry about me, Mick. I'm fine. D'you find the obstetric nurse? MICKEY Mary Rooney. She won't talk to me. I tried her at the hospital. I'm going to try her back at home. Read this. He hands Galvin the newspaper. Galvin takes it, reads. ANGLE - P.O.V. The newspaper, folded to Page Two. A full-page photo of smiling doctors clustered around an operating table. Huge caption: "International Honors to St. Catherine Laboure Hospital. The faculte Internationale de la Chirurgerie today announced St. Catherine's as this year's recipient of the coveted Medaillon de la Sante..." etc. ANGLE Galvin reading. Looks up. GALVIN So what? MICKEY So what...? The best is yet to come. Check the TV Guide. They got our Dr. Towler on a panel on GBH on Friday: 'The Healing Hand. The Experts Speak.' GALVIN They still have to take it to a jury. Looks back at his form. MICKEY What I'm saying, they're getting some help. GALVIN (LOOKS ANNOYED) So what do you want me to do? Concannon's going to try the case his way, I'm going to try it mine. You want me to go wee wee wee all the time because he's got some flack, got stories in the newspaper. I'm going to win this case. They start walking across the Courthouse corridor. Mickey veers off and stops at a Cigar Stand. To the STAND OPERATOR: MICKEY John: gimme a cuesta-ray. GALVIN Oh shit, what's today? MICKEY Today is Tuesday. What? GALVIN I've got to go see Gruber. (to Cigar Stand Operator) What's the best cigars you have? MICKEY Give 'em a box of Macanudos. GALVIN Mickey: I'm supposed to meet somebody at O'Rourke's, I can't make it. JOHN Here you are, Franky. GALVIN (TAKES BOX) Thanks. Can you go over and meet her...? Tell her I'll stop by when I'm through...Laura Fischer... MICKEY Sure. Who is she? JOHN That's thirty-three bucks. Can you believe that...? MICKEY Oh, yeah. Your broad from last night. Galvin pays the Cigar Stand Operator. JOHN Thanks, Franky. GALVIN Tell her that I'll meet her there, okay? See you tomorrow in the office. Mickey shrugs. GALVIN We're doing fine. ANGLE The two of them crossing the lobby. Dick Doneghy, looking around the lobby, spies them, starts across, and accosts Galvin. DONEGHY You said you're gonna call me up. You didn't call me up. Who do you think you are? (pushes Galvin into a wall; advances; pushes him again) Who do you think you are...? GALVIN Hold on a second. DONEGHY I'm going to have you disbarred. I'm going to have your ticket. You know what you did? Do you know what you did? He pushes Galvin again. Galvin waves Mickey off. GALVIN It's all right, Mickey. DONEGHY You ruined my life, Mister...Me and my wife...and I am going to ruin yours... (pushes Galvin again) You don't have to go out there to see that girl. We been going four years. (beat) Four years...my wife's been crying herself to sleep what they, what, what they did to her sister. GALVIN I swear to you I wouldn't have turned the offer down unless I thought that I could win the case... DONEGHY What you thought!? What you thought...I'm a workingman, I'm trying to get my wife out of town, we hired you, we're paying you, I got to find out from the other side they offered two hundred... GALVIN I'm going to win this case...Mist...Mr. Doneghy...I'm going to the Jury with a solid case, a famous doctor as an expert witness, and I'm going to win eight hundred thousand dollars. DONEGHY You guys, you guys, you're all the same. The Doctors at the hospital, you...it's 'What I'm going to do for you'; but you screw up it's `We did the best that we could. I'm dreadfully sorry...' And people like me live with your mistakes the rest of our lives. He nods sadly to himself. Beat. GALVIN If I could accept the offer right now, I would. (beat) They took it back. DONEGHY I understand. (starts to walk away from Galvin; stops) I went to the Bar Association. They tell me you're going to be disbarred. INT. O'ROURKE'S PUB - NIGHT Laura is sitting in the same place at the bar. Mickey comes up to her. MICKEY Franky can't make it. He had an appointment he forgot, he's going to see you later. I'm Mickey Morrissey, we're supposed to get to know each other. LAURA How'm I doing so far? MICKEY So far you're great. You got a cigarette? Laura opens her purse, starts hunting for a cigarette. LAURA What are you drinking? (hands him cigarettes, smiles, calls the Bartender) Jimmy...? INT. GRUBER'S HOSPITAL CORRIDOR - NIGHT Galvin walks up to a door marked Doctors Only. He opens his briefcase, takes out the box of Macanudo Cigars, smiles to himself, walks inside. INT. DOCTORS' LOCKER ROOM - GRUBER'S LOCKER Galvin enters, looks around, it is empty. He looks at the clock, takes out his appointment book, turns to appropriate page. ANGLE - P.O.V. The book, written very large: "Dr. Gruber. 7:00 P.M. Hospital." ANGLE Galvin standing, he waits a beat. Starts out of locker room. INT. GRUBER'S HOSPITAL CORRIDOR - NURSES' STATION - NIGHT CAMERA FOLLOWS him TO Nurses' Station. He speaks to the NURSE behind the desk. GALVIN Dr. Gruber. NURSE Dr. Gruber's not here today, Sir. GALVIN No...No... She glances down, checks a sheet. NURSE Yes, Sir. He hasn't been in all day...He's not on the chart... EXT. GRUBER'S OFFICE BUILDING AND STREET - NIGHT Galvin walking in the snow. Stops outside of a very lovely brownstone with a small brass plaque. The plaque: Dr. David C. Gruber. M.D. P.C. ANGLE Galvin looking in through the window of the dark, deserted ground-floor office. He knocks on the door. Nothing. He knocks again. Nothing. He stands unbelieving. EXT. GRUBER'S HOUSE & STREET - NIGHT Galvin getting out of a taxi, rushing up the steps of a brownstone. Peeps through the window on the side of the house. Dark. He grabs the brass knocker. Pounds. Nothing, he pounds again. Nothing. He is beaten. He is without resource. He starts vacantly down the stairs. The door behind him is opened. He turns. ANGLE - P.O.V. A middle-aged black WOMAN in livery. MAID What is it? Galvin in the steps speaking with her. GALVIN Dr. Gruber. MAID Dr. Gruber's not in. GALVIN I had an appointment at his office, I think I must have got it wrong. We had a meeting... MAID He's not in, Sir. GALVIN Where is he? She hesitates. She has been instructed not to say. Galvin starts up the steps. GALVIN I...please. My wife...my wife's prescription has run out. If I can call him... MAID Dr. Halpern's taking all his... GALVIN No, no, no. I have to talk to him. If I can only call him.. MAID (BEAT) He's...you can't reach him, Sir. He's in the, on some island in the Caribbean, they don't have a phone. (beat) He'll be back in a week...(beat) If you'd like Dr. Halpern's number... Galvin turns away from the door. He is still clutching the box of cigars unconsciously. INT. O'ROURKE'S - NIGHT Mickey and Laura. Positions unchanged, at the bar. Somewhat progressed toward a convivial drunkenness MICKEY Stearns, Harrington, you know who that is? LAURA Should I? MICKEY A huge law firm. Okay? They put him in the firm, he's married, everything's superb. Franky, he's starting to talk like he comes from Dorsetshire, some fuckin' place, 'You must drop by with Pat and me...' Okay...? LAURA Yes. MICKEY ...and he's making a billion dollars every minute working for Stearns, Harrington, and he bought a dog, and everything is rosy. (beat) Then Mr. Stearns, he tried to fix a case. LAURA The Big Boy did...? MICKEY That Frank was working on. Yeah. He thought Franky needed some help, so they bribed a juror. So Franky finds out. He comes to me in tears. He thinks that anybody who knows what a 'spinnaker' is got to be a saint. I told him ' Franky, wake up. These people are sharks. What do you think they got so rich from? Doing good?' He can't be comforted. He tells the boys at Stearns and Harrington they've disappointed him, he's going to the Judge to rat them out. LAURA Huh. MICKEY Before he can get there here comes this Federal Marshal, and Franky's indicted for Jury tampering, they throw him in jail, he's gonna be disbarred, his life is over. (beat) Jimmy, gimme another drink. (to Laura) How are you? LAURA (to Jimmy) Me, too. MICKEY Okay. Now, so he's in jail. He, finally, he gets to see the light, he calls up Harrington, he says he thinks he made a mistake. As if by magic, charges against him are dropped, he's released from jail. (beat) P.S. He's fired from the firm, his wife divorces him, he turns to drink and mopes around three and a half years. (beat) You like that story? She looks at him. HOLD. EXT. JUDGE SWEENEY'S HOUSE-NIGHT Snow falling. Galvin standing outside, having just rung the bell. The door is opened by a gangly teen-age boy. CAMERA FOLLOWS Galvin into... INT. JUDGE SWEENEY'S HOUSE - NIGHT ...the hall of the house. The boy motions toward a closed sliding door and then goes into the living room opposite. Galvin hangs up his coat on the hall coat rack, we hear the boy resume the practice of a passage of Chopin on the piano. Galvin knocks on the sliding door. JUDGE (O.S..) Yes? Galvin opens the door and goes into the Judge's darkened study. The Judge is watching a basketball game on TV, drinking a beer. CAMERA FOLLOWS Galvin into the room. JUDGE What is it? GALVIN Thank you for seeing me. JUDGE That's perfectly all right. Judge turns down the volume of the game, but keeps watching it. GALVIN I need an extension for my case. JUDGE You should have taken their offer. Especially if you were unprepared. GALVIN I had a witness disappear on me. JUDGE That happens. GALVIN I could subpoena him if I had a week. JUDGE I don't have a week. This case never should have come to trial. You know better. You're Mr. Independent. You want to be independent? Be independent now. I've got no sympathy for you. Judge leans forward, turns up the volume on the game. EXT. STREET - GALVIN - PHONE - NIGHT LONG SHOT of cars whooshing in the snow past a lonely street corner. A MAN at an open telephone stand. The sound of the telephone on the far end ringing. ANGLE Galvin at the stand, shivering in the cold, talking on the phone. An open note pad in his bare hand. VOICE (VOICE OVER) Continental Casualty... GALVIN Mr. Alito, please. VOICE Business hours are over, Sir. This is the switch... GALVIN I have to reach him. This is an emergency. Could you give me his home number? VOICE I'm sorry, Sir, we're not allowed... GALVIN ...Would you, would you call him up. I'll give you my number, and ask him... VOICE I can't guarantee that... GALVIN I understand. Thank you, my name is Galvin. I'll be at the following number in a half an hour. It's urgent. INT. GALVIN'S OFFICE - NIGHT Galvin is sitting at his desk, a stack of files piled on his desk, he is sorting through them looking for something. The phone rings, he snatches it up. GALVIN (INTO PHONE) Hello. Yes. Thank you for calling. Frank Galvin...I'm representing Deborah Ann Kaye...? I'd like to discuss your firm's offer of the two hundred th... In the sense that I feel that we'd like to accept it. (beat) Well, it's rather a shock to me, too; but it's my client's wishes...She's changed her mind as of this evening... I must say that I tried to dissuade her... He wipes his sweating forehead, he hears the sound of his office door opening, he looks up. ANGLE - P.O.V. Mickey opening the front door to the office, carrying an armful of lawbooks, and a couple of files, he turns on the lights in the anteroom, and we SEE that he is surprised to see Galvin in the office. ANGLE - GALVIN On the phone. GALVIN ...Well, she, on the eve of the case...You understand...I think quite frankly she's come down with nerves and she'd like... A beat. Mickey comes tentatively into the room and sits at the desk across from Galvin. GALVIN When was that arrived at...? (beat) I, I know what Mr. Concannon said, but...I. Well, I think you're making a mistake...I think that you should reconsider; why don't you check with your principals, and I'll call you in the...(beat) No?...you...uh. All right. No. That's fine. I under-stand. Sorry to bother you at home. He hangs up the phone. Sits rock still. Beat. MICKEY What happened...? Galvin starts searching through his files again. MICKEY What happened, Joey...? GALVIN I can't talk now. MICKEY D'you meet with Dr. Gruber...? Galvin has found the sheet he is looking for, he extracts it from the file. ANGLE - P.O.V. The sheet of yellowing paper. Headed "DEBORAH ANN KAYE Poss. Drs. to testify: Contact: Dr. Lucien Thompson, Mineola Long Island; Dr. Duane Litchey..." He turns to second sheet. It is a letter-headed sheet, "Lucien Thompson, M.D." "Dear Dr. Galvin, after studying the case material on Deborah Ann Kaye, I would be glad..." Galvin turns back to first sheet, underlines THOMPSON in red. ANGLE Galvin dialing phone. GALVIN Concannon got to my witness. (beat; to himself)I can't breathe in here...(into phone) Hello Doctor...? (checks sheet) Dr. Thompson. This is Joseph Galvin, attorney for a Deborah Ann Kaye, we had some correspondence some time ago...? That's right. I'm sorry that we never got back, the case was postponed, and I've had a changeover in staff...I'm sorry to call you so late... ANGLE Mickey, looking pityingly at Galvin. Mickey sees the box of Macanudo Cigars on the desk, picks them up, starts to open them -- throws them across the room in disgust. GALVIN (VOICE OVER) ...but we have had a change of strategy, and we were wondering, I know this is short notice, but... INT. GALVIN'S APARTMENT - NIGHT Galvin in pants and shirt carrying a drink, distraught, frightened. Standing in the doorway of his sitting room. ANGLE Laura in slacks and sweater coming out of the kitchen with her drink. She sits at worktable on which are Galvin's briefcase, files, etc. Galvin and Laura. He is biting his nails. LAURA Would you like me to leave...? (beat) Is this a bad time --? GALVIN (distracted) What...? LAURA Is this a bad time. GALVIN We, we...No...we just had a small reversal in the case...(beat) I have some, uh...I have some work to do... LAURA What happened...? GALVIN They, uh, they got to my witness. LAURA ...and is that serious? Galvin, suddenly focuses, starts for worktable. GALVIN I've got to work... LAURA Do you want me to go...? GALVIN No, no, I'm just... He stops, rubs his face... LAURA Why don't you get some rest? GALVIN I've got to work. LAURA You can't work if you can't think. You get in bed. It's all right. I'll stay here with you. It's all right. Come on... GALVIN You're going to stay here...? LAURA Yes. A beat. GALVIN I'm only going to rest a little while. She leads him into the bedroom. ANGLE - LATER Same room, Laura, dressed in Galvin's bathrobe, sitting in the easy chair next to his worktable, smoking a cigarette, reading an old hard-cover novel. She looks up across the room. ANGLE - P.O.V. The door to the bedroom, closed. ANGLE Laura sighs, takes a drag. Puts the book down on her lap. Sits, thinking. INT. CONCANNON'S CONFERENCE ROOM - DAY Witness stand. DR. TOWLER, a distinguished man in his fifties, sitting on the stand. Concannon o.s. The doctor is ill-at- ease; smiles nervously. CONCANNON (VOICE OVER) What is your name, please? TOWLER Dr. Robert Towler. CONCANNON (VOICE OVER) You were Deborah Ann Kaye's doctor...? DR. TOWLER No, actually, she was referred to me. She was Dr. Hagman's patient... CONCANNON Don't equivocate. Be positive. Just tell the truth. ANGLE The conference room. WIDE. Concannon's young lawyers taking notes as Concannon rehearses Dr. Towler, a Sony VTR being operated by one of them. CONCANNON Whatever the `truth' is, let's hear that. You were her doctor. DR. TOWLER Yes. CONCANNON Say it. DR. TOWLER I was her doctor. CONCANNON You were the anesthesiologist at her delivery May twelfth, nineteen seventy... DR. TOWLER ...I was one of a group of... CONCANNON Answer affirmatively. Simply. Keep those answers to three words. You weren't `part of a group,' you were her anesthesiologist. Isn't that right? DR. TOWLER Yes. CONCANNON You were there to help Dr. Marx deliver her baby. Were you not? DR. TOWLER Yes. ANGLE Concannon starts to stroll a bit around the conference room, in back of the assembled assistants, by the large windows, which offer a panoramic view of Boston. CONCANNON Anything special about the case? DR. TOWLER When she... The young lawyer (BILLY), Concannon's right-hand assistant, raises his hand to get Concannon's attention. CONCANNON (to Dr. Towler, correcting him) When `Debby'... (to Young Lawyer) Thank you. Young Lawyer nods, makes a notation in his pad. DR. TOWLER Thank you. When Debby... CONCANNON (switching his tack) Dr. Towler, who was in the operating room with you? DR. TOWLER Ms. Nevins, nurse-anesthetist; Dr.Marx, of course... He nods toward Dr. Marx who is in the audience, who nods back. DR. TOWLER Mary Rooney, the obstetrical nurse... CONCANNON What did these people do when her heart stopped? DR. TOWLER We went to Code Blue... CONCANNON `Code Blue,' what does that mean...? DR. TOWLER It's a common medical expression, it's a crash program to restore the heartbeat. Dr. Marx cut an airway in her trachea, to get her oxygen, her and the baby...Ms.Nevins... CONCANNON Why wasn't she getting oxygen...? DR. TOWLER Well, many reasons, actually... CONCANNON Tell me one? DR. TOWLER She'd aspirated vomitus into her mask... CONCANNON She THREW UP IN HER MASK. Let's cut the bullshit. Say it: She THREW UP IN HER MASK. A beat. DR. TOWLER She threw up in her mask. Concannon nods to the Young Lawyer, who is conscientiously taking notes. CONCANNON ...and her heart stopped and she wasn't getting oxygen. DR. TOWLER That's right. CONCANNON And what did your team do... DR. TOWLER Well, we... CONCANNON ...You brought thirty years of medical experience to bear. Isn't that what you did? DR. TOWLER Yes. CONCANNON ...A patient riddled with complications, questionable information on her, on her admitting form... DR. TOWLER ...We did everything we could... CONCANNON ...to save her and to save the baby. Is that... DR. TOWLER Yes! CONCANNON You reached down into death. Now, isn't that right? DR. TOWLER (getting overcome) My God, we tried to save her...You can't know...You can't know... CONCANNON (changing tactics; soothing) Tell us. Beat. Dr. Towler sighs. He begins to speak. EXT. SOUTH STREET STATION - BOSTON - DAY People coming out of a just-arrived train. ANGLE Galvin watching them, he has a large boutonniere on his lapel. The departing PASSENGERS stream past him. An elderly BLACK MAN passes him by, turns and comes back to him. ANGLE - THE BLACK MAN AND GALVIN DR. THOMPSON Mr. Galvin? Galvin turns. He is taken aback. He registers who it must be. GALVIN Dr. Thompson...? DR. THOMPSON It was good of you to meet... Galvin cuts him off, takes his bag. GALVIN Thank you for coming. They shake hands. They start... INT. SOUTH STREET STATION - DAY into the station. The CAMERA TRACKING BEFORE them. As Galvin passes a wastebasket, he deposits his boutonniere. GALVIN I have some errands to run, and then I thought we'd spend the evening... DR. THOMPSON (NODDING) That's what I'd planned to... GALVIN I'm going to take you to the home to see the girl... DR. THOMPSON (tapping his briefcase, referring to his files) From what I've seen, Mr. Galvin, you have a very good case... GALVIN (distracted; thinking ahead) Yes. Yes. I think so. I hope you'll be comfortable. I'm putting you up at my... DR. THOMPSON ...I made a reservation at... GALVIN ...apartment. (stops) No, no. Please. You don't know who we're dealing with, I, please believe me, they... DR. THOMPSON ...What difference would... GALVIN These people play very rough. They don't want to lose this case. There's a lot of pressure they can bring to bear, I... DR. THOMPSON (smiles) There's nothing they can do to me. EXT. SOUTH STREET STATION AND STREET - DAY Galvin starts them walking again. GALVIN Please, Sir. Please. Humor me. They have arrived outside at a bank of cabs. GALVIN We'll spend the evening together, I'll put you up, you'll be very comfortable. Please. (hands Dr. Thompson an envelope) That's my address. The key is in it. (leans forward to cabbie ) 1225 Commonwealth. (to Dr. Thompson) Treat the place as your own. Please don't tell anyone you're here, I'll see you this evening. Thank you,and thank you for coming. He puts Dr. Thompson's bag into the cab. Dr. Thompson hesitates, gets into the cab. As the cab pulls out, CAMERA FOLLOWS Galvin TO a bank of phones outside the station. ANGLE Galvin at the phone. VOICE (Claire, on phone) Mr. Galvin's... GALVIN Let me talk to Mickey. MICKEY (on phone) Yeah? How's our new witness? GALVIN D'you find the obstetric nurse? MICKEY She's workin' the late shift at the Hospital. She's at home now, I'm going over there to talk to... GALVIN Gimme the address. I'm gonna go. We're going to need her. EXT. MARY ROONEY'S HOUSE - DAY Names on bells. One of them is ROONEY, M. 2D. ANGLE Galvin standing by the bell. Rings it. Beat. The door is buzzed, he walks into the vestibule, past mailboxes, up the stairs. INT. MARY ROONEY'S HOUSE - DAY Door opens, MARY ROONEY, a tough-looking woman in nurse whites opens the door. ANGLE Galvin in hall, CAMERA FOLLOWS him TO the door. GALVIN I'm Joe Galvin, I'm representing Deborah Ann Kaye, case against St. Catherine Laboure. MARY ROONEY I told the guy I didn't want to talk to... GALVIN I'll just take a minute. Deborah Ann Kaye. You know what I'm talking about. The case is going to trial. Our chief witness is a Dr. David Gruber, you know who he is? MARY ROONEY No. GALVIN He's the Assistant Chief of Anesthesiology, Massachusetts Commonwealth. He says your doctors, Towler and Marx, put my girl in the hospital for life. And we can prove that. What we don't know is why. What went on in there? In the O.R. That's what we'd like to know. Something went wrong. And you know what it was. They gave her the wrong anesthetic. What happened? The phone rang...someone got distracted...what? MARY ROONEY ...you got your doctor's testimony. Why do you need me? GALVIN I want someone who was in the O.R. We're going to win the case, there's no question of that. It's just a matter of how big... MARY ROONEY I've got nothing to say to you. GALVIN You know what happened. MARY ROONEY Nothing happened. GALVIN Then why aren't you testifying for their side? She starts to close the door. He stops her. GALVIN I can subpoena you, you know. I can get you up there on the stand. MARY ROONEY And ask me what? GALVIN Who put my client in the hospital for life. MARY ROONEY I didn't do it, Mister. GALVIN Who are you protecting, then? MARY ROONEY Who says that I'm protecting anyone? GALVIN I do. Who is it? The Doctors. What do you owe them? MARY ROONEY I don't owe them a goddamn thing. GALVIN Then why don't you testify? MARY ROONEY (beat) You know, you're pushy, fella... GALVIN You think I'm pushy now, wait 'til I get you on the stand... MARY ROONEY Well, maybe you better do that, then. (starts to close door; stops) You know you guys are all the same. You don't care who gets hurt. You're a bunch of whores. You'd do anything for a dollar. You got no loyalty...no nothing...you're a bunch of whores. She closes the door on him. INT. CONCANNON'S OFFICE - NIGHT A young LAWYER on the phone, silent, nodding, taking notes. He holds up his hand to someone indicating "Almost done. I'll be right with you." ANGLE Concannon, in overcoat, about to go out, surrounded by an entourage of secretaries and ASSISTANTS in overcoats, waiting on him. ANGLE Concannon and the Young Attorney. The Young Attorney into phone, "Thank you." He hangs up, starts reading from his notes to Concannon: YOUNG ATTORNEY His name is Dr. Lionel Thompson. City College of New York, Class of twenty-six. Bachelor of Science; New York College of Medicine; sixteenth in a class of twenty- two. Nineteen seventy-six got a courtesy appointment, staff of anesthesiology, Easthampton Hospital for Women. Never married. Has no honors or degrees of any weight. Since nineteen seventy-five he's testified in twenty-eight court cases, twelve malpractice. (smiles, saving his best 'til last) And he's black. CONCANNON (beat; stern) I'm going to tell you how you handle the fact that he's black. You don't touch it. You don't mention it. You treat him like anybody else. Neither better or worse. (smiles) And you get a black lawyer to sit at our table. Okay...? YOUNG ATTORNEY Yessir. CONCANNON Good. What else do you do? YOUNG ATTORNEY ...get the records of his testimony in the twelve malpractice cases. Concannon nods, meaning "that is correct." He turns, exiting with his ENTOURAGE. Over his shoulder: CONCANNON Do it. We'll be at Locke-Obers. INT. GALVIN'S APARTMENT SITTING ROOM - NIGHT Dr. Thompson in shirt sleeves, attentive, stands against a sideboard. Mickey Morrissey, seated, in an armchair. Grilling him. DR. THOMPSON They gave her the wrong anesthetic. MICKEY Why is that? DR. THOMPSON (starting on reciting a list) Her sister said she ate one hour prior to admittance...she... MICKEY ...that's what the sister said. The chart said she ate nine hours prior to... DR. THOMPSON ...she went in complaining of stomach cramps. Good doctor would have doubted the information on the chart. MICKEY Is that what a good doctor would do? How old are you, please? DR. THOMPSON I am seventy-four years old. MICKEY What qualifies you as an expert in anesthetics? DR. THOMPSON I am on the staff of... MICKEY Easthampton Hospital for Women. Excuse me, what is that, a joke? Let me tell you something, Doctor, those men at Catherine Laboure. Men who are known not only in this city, but the world, were trying to save a woman's life. They were there, and here you are, four years later, read some hospital report, and say... DR. THOMPSON ...I made a detailed physical examination of the patient, Sir, yesterday evening, I... Mickey drops his belligerent attitude. Turns to someone behind him. ANGLE The two men, Galvin standing behind Mickey, smoking. He nods. MICKEY (to Dr. Thompson, casually) She getting good care over there? DR. THOMPSON Actually, yes. It's by no means bad, I... MICKEY (grilling him again) Then what good would it do to ruin the reputation of two men, to help a girl whose life's not going to be changed in the least? You know what CODE BLUE means? DR. THOMPSON 'Code Blue'... MICKEY It's a common medical term. Mickey half-turns to Galvin, shrugs minutely, meaning, "We're in trouble." INT. LAURA'S HOTEL ROOM - NIGHT Hotel room door SEEN from the inside. The handle starts to turn. ANGLE Galvin coming through the door. He looks at Laura, tiredly closes the door behind him, hangs up his coat in the closet, moves into the room. As Galvin walks into the room, the CAMERA PRECEDES him and TURNS so that WE NOW SEE them BOTH. GALVIN We're going to lose. A beat. Galvin looks out the window and then looks back to Laura. GALVIN Do you think it's my fault? LAURA Isn't there something you... GALVIN That's not the question. It's over. (beat) Do you think that it's my fault? If I'd...if I'd...I never should have taken it. There was no way that I was going to win. LAURA You're talking like a drunk. GALVIN That's what I am. Beat. LAURA And it's over...? GALVIN Yes. LAURA Well, then what are you doing here? GALVIN I...do you want me to leave? LAURA You do what you want. You want to leave...You want to go kill yourself? GALVIN I... LAURA You want me to tell you it's your fault? It probably is. What are you going to do about it? (beat) I thought it's not over till the jury comes in. GALVIN Who told you that? LAURA You told me so. Maybe you'd get some sympathy. You came to the wrong place. GALVIN And what makes you so tough? LAURA Maybe I'll tell you later. GALVIN Is there going to be a later...? LAURA Not if you don't grow up... GALVIN If I don't 'grow up...' LAURA You're like a kid, you're coming in here like it's Saturday night, you want me to say that you've got a fever -- you don't have to go to school... GALVIN (shakes head sadly) You, you don't under... LAURA Oh, yes, I do, Joe. Believe me. You say you're going to lose. Is it my fault? Listen! The damned case doesn't start until tomorrow and already it's over for you! GALVIN It's over! LAURA What is your wife's picture doing by the side of your... GALVIN What is that to you...? LAURA What would you like it to be to me...? I, I, I can't invest in failure. Galvin gets up hurriedly. GALVIN Excuse me, I've... He hurries out of the room. CAMERA FOLLOWS him into the bathroom, he shuts the door, his chest heaves convulsively. He can't catch his breath...Beat. We hear a knock on the door. LAURA (VOICE OVER) Joe... (beat) Joe... GALVIN (SCREAMING) Stop pressuring me... The door opens, Galvin is still trying to catch his breath. Laura enters. LAURA You're pressuring yourself... GALVIN (shaking head, utterly denying her) No...no... LAURA Yes. (beat) We've all got to let go. INT. "D. KAYE" SIGN - COURTROOM CORRIDOR - DAY Galvin coming down the corridor with Sally Doneghy. They stop by a door on which the card reads: "PART III. DEBORAH ANN KAYE V. ST. CATHERINE LABOURE HOSPITAL ET AL." INT. COURTROOM - DAY They enter the courtroom. CAMERA FOLLOWS them in. The room one-quarter filled. Concannon at the defense table with the Defendants, a Black Lawyer, entourage. Galvin stops. GALVIN (TO SALLY) I'm going to do the best I can for you and your sister. I know what it means to you. Believe me...(beat) It means that much to me. He turns away, walks toward the front of the courtroom, glances toward the jury box. ANGLE - P.O.V. The Jury, somber, controlled, dignified. ANGLE Galvin continuing to the defense table, Mickey Morrissey already seated, studying notes on a yellow legal pad. Galvin sits. Mickey looks up. MICKEY How are you holding up? GALVIN I'm swell. MICKEY And all we've got is a witch doctor! GALVIN Yeah. The BAILIFF enters, some SPECTATORS, knowing the routine, start getting to their feet. MICKEY Look at it this way: it's refreshing every time a Doctor takes the stand he's not a Jew. We hear the Bailiff's "All rise." ANGLE The COURTROOM getting to its feet as JUDGE WILLIAM B. HOYLE enters. The Bailiff, as the Judge sits: BAILIFF Hear ye, hear ye, hear ye, all persons having anything to do before the Honorable, the Justices of the Superior Court now sitting at Boston within and for the County of Suffolk, draw near, give your attendance and you shall be heard. God save the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The Courtroom is seated. JUDGE motions to the CLERK, who stands and reads: CLERK Deborah Ann Kaye versus St. Catherine Laboure, Robert S. Towler, M.D. and Sheldon F. Marx, M.D. ANGLE - CLOSEUP GALVIN at Plaintiff's table, looking down at notes. JUDGE Is the Plaintiff ready? GALVIN (LOOKING UP) Ready, your Honor. JUDGE Defense...? CONCANNON Ready for the Defense, your Honor. ANGLE The Courtroom. P.O.V. JUDGE. JUDGE Let's begin. Galvin gets to his feet. Walks over to the JURY. Looks at them, appraising. He pauses as before a great effort. Takes a breath. Exhales. GALVIN It's a terrible thing to sit in judgment. So much rides on it. I know that you've thought, 'How can I be pure. How can I be impartial without being cold. How can I be merciful and still be just?' And I know that most of you have said some sort of prayer this morning to be helped. To judge correctly. We have the reputation of two men. Two well- respected doctors and a renowned hospital before us. And with those two respected men we have my client, Deborah Ann Kaye...(beat) ...who was deprived of sight, of locomotion, hearing, speech, of everything, in short, which constitutes her life. (beat) We are going to prove she was deprived through negligence. (beat) Through the negligence of those respected men. We will show: One... INT. ARCHBISHOP'S HOUSE - CORRIDOR-DAY A lavishly appointed corridor. Alito and BILLY, the YOUNG LAWYER from Concannon's office, walking slowly down the corridor. ALITO Why did he go to see Mary Rooney? YOUNG LAWYER She's the only nurse who isn't testifying for the Doctors. ALITO What did he find? YOUNG LAWYER Nothing. ALITO How good's your intelligence? YOUNG LAWYER Very good. ALITO And so what is the rest of his case aside from Dr. Thompson? YOUNG LAWYER As far as we know, nothing. Alito nods, they stop outside a large double door. ALITO Thank Mr. Concannon for me. Please tell him I'll see him at his office. Alito knocks on the door. The door is opened by a YOUNG PRIEST. Alito nods to the Young Lawyer, enters the Bishop's study. The door is closed behind him. INT. COURTROOM - DAY The jury box. One JUROR leans over and makes a whispered comment to another. The SECOND JUROR nods, inclines his head toward the witness box. ANGLE DR. Thompson on the stand. Composed, waiting. Concannon consulting his notes. CONCANNON Dr. Thompson, just so the Jury knows, you never treated Deborah Ann Kaye. Is that correct? DR. THOMPSON That is correct. I was engaged to render an opinion. CONCANNON Engaged to render an opinion. For a price. Is that correct? You're being paid to be here today? DR. THOMPSON Just as you are, Sir... CONCANNON Are you board-certified in anesthesiology, Doctor? DR. THOMPSON No, I am not. It's quite common in New York State... CONCANNON ...I'm sure it is, but this is Massachusetts, Doctor. Certified in Internal Medicine? DR. THOMPSON No. CONCANNON Neurology? DR. THOMPSON No. CONCANNON Orthopedics? DR. THOMPSON I'm just an M.D. CONCANNON Do you know Dr. Robert Towler...? DR. THOMPSON I know of him. CONCANNON How is that? DR. THOMPSON Through, through his book. CONCANNON What book is that? DR. THOMPSON Meth...Methodology and Technique... CONCANNON ...of Anesthesiology? DR. THOMPSON `Methodology and Techniques of Anesthesiology.' Yes. CONCANNON How old are you? DR. THOMPSON I am seventy-four years old. CONCANNON Uh-huh. Still practice a lot of medicine? DR. THOMPSON I'm on the staff of... CONCANNON Yes, we've heard that. Doctor: you testify quite a bit against other physicians? Isn't that right? You, you're available for that? When you're paid to be there? DR. THOMPSON Sir. Yes. When a thing is wrong...as in this case, I am available. I am seventy-four years old, I am not board-certified. I have been practicing medicine for forty-six years and I know when an injustice has been done. CONCANNON Do you, indeed. I'll bet you do. Fine. Fine. We'll save the court the time. We will admit the Doctor as an `expert witness,' fine. Concannon sits. JUDGE (in undertone, to Bailiff) Do we have time this morning to...(glances at watch, Bailiff nods to him) All right. Mr. Galvin, you want to continue now, or we can resume with Dr. Thompson this afternoon. GALVIN (RISING) Thank you, your Honor, I'll continue. Dr. Thompson. Did you examine Deborah Ann Kaye last night at The Northern Chronic Care Facility? DR. THOMPSON I did. CONCANNON Objection. JUDGE Sustained. Yes. The witness will confine his testimony to review of the hospital records. GALVIN What? JUDGE (patronizing) I believe that's the law...is it not, Mr. Galvin...? A beat. GALVIN Dr. Thompson. From your review of the hospital records of May twelfth nineteen seventy-six. In your opinion, what happened to Deborah Ann Kaye? DR. THOMPSON Cardiac arrest. During delivery her heart stopped. When the heart stops the brain's deprived of oxygen. You get brain damage. That is why she's in the state she's in today. GALVIN Now, Dr. Towler's testified that they restored the heartbeat within three or four minutes. In your opinion is his estimate correct? DR. THOMPSON It's my opinion it took him much longer. Nine...ten minutes. There's too much brain damage. The Judge leans over. JUDGE (to Dr. Thompson) Are you saying that a failure to restore the heartbeat within nine minutes in itself constitutes bad medical practice? DR. THOMPSON Well... GALVIN Your Honor! He has shouted unconsciously; the whole Courtroom turns to look at him. JUDGE Yes, Mr. Galvin? GALVIN If I may be permitted to question my own witness in my own way... JUDGE I'd just like to get to the point, Mr. Galvin. Let's not waste these people's time. Answer the question, Mr. Witness. Please. Would a nine-minute lapse in restoring the heartbeat in and of itself be negligence? DR. THOMPSON I...in that small context I would have...I would have to say 'no.' JUDGE Then you're saying there's no negligence, based on my question? DR. THOMPSON I...given the limits of your question, that's correct. JUDGE The Doctors were not negligent. DR. THOMPSON (BEAT) I...um... The Judge shrugs, meaning, "Well then what in the hell are we doing here?" ANGLE Galvin, furious. ANGLE The Judge and Witness. JUDGE Thank you. The Witness starts to step down. Galvin strides over to him and speaks to the Judge. GALVIN I'm not through with the witness, your Honor. With all due respect if you are going to try my case for me I would appreciate it if you wouldn't lose it. The Judge stands, furious. JUDGE Thank you. I think that's enough for this morning. I'll see the Plaintiff's Counsel in my chambers. Now, please. The Courtroom rises. The Bailiff is heard, "All rise, court is adjourned until one o'clock." INT. JUDGE SWEENEY'S CHAMBERS - DAY Galvin, furious, standing against the wall. The Judge comes in from his own entrance, shucking his robe. Equally angry. JUDGE I got a letter from the Judge Advocate's office on you today, fella, you're on your way out...They should have kicked you out on that Lillibridge case. Now this is it today. GALVIN I'm an attorney on trial before the bar. Representing my client. My client, do you understand? You open your mouth and you're losing my case for me. JUDGE Listen to me, fella... GALVIN No, no, you listen to me. All I wanted in this case is an even shake. You rushed me into court in five days...my star witness disappears, I can't get a continuance, and I don't give a damn. I'm going up there and I'm going to try it. Let the Jury decide. They told me Sweeney he's a hard-ass, he's a defendant's judge. I don't care. I said, the hell with it. The hell with it. I'll take my chances he'll be fair. Galvin is pacing. Beat. JUDGE (CONCILIATORY) Galvin, look, many years ago... GALVIN And don't give me this shit, 'I was a lawyer, too.' 'Cause I know who you were. You couldn't hack it as a lawyer. You were Bag Man for the Boys and you still are. I know who you are. JUDGE (beat; barely controlling anger) Are you done? GALVIN Damn right I'm done. I'm going to ask for a mistrial and I'm going to request that you disqualify yourself from sitting on this case. I'm going to take a transcript to the State and ask that they impeach your ass. JUDGE You aren't going to get a mistrial, boy. We're going back this afternoon, we're going to try this case to an end. Now you get out of here before I call the Bailiff and have you thrown in jail. INT. JUDGE'S CHAMBERS CORRIDOR-DAY Galvin walking down the corridor, hav-ing just come from the Judge's Cham-bers. Sally Doneghy comes up to him. SALLY What does it mean? (beat) I...I mean we, you have other tactics... GALVIN We, yes. Yes. They, they present their side, and I get the same chance. To cross-examine... to... to... SALLY Are we going to win? (beat, desperately needing to trust) We have, you know, other tactics, though... GALVIN Yes. She nods. Beat. Walks off. Galvin turns to the open door to the Courtroom, through which the SPECTATORS are reentering for the afternoon session. Mickey is standing by the door, he catches Galvin's eye. They look at each other a moment. INT. COURTROOM - DAY Dr. Towler on the witness stand. Concannon walking away from him. CONCANNON No further questions. ANGLE Galvin at the Plaintiff's table, hastily scribbling notes, he looks up. Gets to his feet, walks over to Dr. Towler in the witness box, the CAMERA MOVES WITH him. GALVIN Dr. Towler... TOWLER Yes. GALVIN You have a record of what happened in the operating room... TOWLER Yes, that's correct. GALVIN ...there are notations every thirty seconds... TOWLER Yes. GALVIN ...of the procedures... TOWLER Yes, the roving nurse... GALVIN But those notations stop...(consults notes) ...four-and-one-half minutes after Deborah Ann Kaye's... TOWLER We, we were rather busy... GALVIN Four-and-one-half minutes after her heart stopped. (beat) And they resume seven minutes... TOWLER As I've said we had some more... GALVIN ...they start again three minutes earlier... TOWLER We had rather more important things on our mind than taking notes. (beat) We were trying to restore her... GALVIN What happened in those three... TOWLER ...we were trying to restore her heartbeat. GALVIN What happened in those three minutes...? TOWLER (beat; controls himself) We'd gone to 'Code Blue,' we were administering electro... GALVIN Why did it take that long to get her heartbeat... CONCANNON (voice over) Objection, we've... GALVIN ...to get her heartbeat back...? CONCANNON (VOICE OVER) We've touched on this, his own witness has said... GALVIN (OVERRIDING HIM) ...almost nine minutes... causing brain damage. CONCANNON Your Honor...! Your Honor... TOWLER Brain damage could have been...it didn't necessarily take nine minutes, it could have been caused in two... GALVIN Wait, wait, wait, you're saying that her brain damage could have been caused by her being deprived of oxygen for two minutes...? TOWLER Yes. GALVIN (CONTEMPTUOUS) Huh. And why is that? TOWLER Because she was anemic. (beat) It's right there on her chart. Her brain was getting less oxygen anyway... Galvin is struck dumb. He has just made a terrible error. He looks at Mickey. ANGLE - P.O.V. Mickey looks at Galvin. He shakes his head sadly. INT. COURTHOUSE CORRIDOR - DR. THOMPSON - DUSK The last of the spectators coming out of the court. Galvin and Dr. Thompson are standing there. DR. THOMPSON I didn't do too well for you. GALVIN No, you did fine. DR. THOMPSON I'm afraid that's not true. (beat) Will you want me to stay on till Monday? GALVIN No. No thank you, Doctor. You go home. DR. THOMPSON You know...sometimes people can surprise you. Sometimes they have a great capacity to hear the truth. GALVIN Yes...I...yes. They shake hands. Dr. Thompson walks off. Stops. DR. THOMPSON You sure you don't want me to stay on. GALVIN No. No. Thank you. You go home. Mickey walks out of the courtroom arranging papers in his briefcase. MICKEY I'm going back to the office. He walks off leaving Galvin standing there alone. Laura comes out of the courtroom. Tentatively, she looks around. Comes up to him. EXT. COURTHOUSE - STREET - DUSK Laura and Galvin walking. LAURA Is it over? GALVIN No. LAURA What are you going to do? GALVIN I don't have a goddamned idea. INT. GALVIN'S OFFICE - NIGHT Galvin pacing. Mickey seated. Morose. GALVIN Okay. What do you do when you don't have a witness? MICKEY (reciting a catechism; dispiritedly) You use their witness. GALVIN That's right. MICKEY I think we tried that. The case is over. Galvin continues pacing. He will not hear what was just said. MICKEY And how the fuck...You broke the first law that they taught you in law school. You never ask a question you don't know the answer to. (beat) Frankie, wake up. You got your own expert witness says there was no negligence. It's over. Period. There'll be no other cases... Galvin turns on him, animal-like. GALVIN There are no other cases. This is the case. (beat) Now you decide... (beat) Are you in or out...? INT. CONCANNON'S OFFICE - NIGHT Soft, dim lights. Concannon sitting on a couch. He holds a red-backed file document. His listener is unseen. CONCANNON I know how you feel. I know you don't believe me, but I do. I'm going to tell you something I learned when I was your age. I had prepared a case. Mr. White asked me, 'How did you do.' (beat) I said, 'I've done my best.' He said, 'They don't pay you to do your best. They pay you to win.' (beat) That's what pays for this office. (beat) And that's what pays for the pro bono work that we do for the poor. And for the kind of law that you want to practice. And that's what pays for your clothes and my whiskey, and the leisure that we have to sit back and discuss philosophy. (beat) As we're doing tonight. (beat) We're paid to win the case. ANGLE - CONCANNON AND LAURA Laura sitting across from him, impassive. CONCANNON You finished your marriage. You wanted to come back and practice law. You wanted to come back to the world. A beat. He hands the red-backed document to her. ANGLE - THE DOCUMENT stamped CONCANNON, BARKER, WHITE. Confidential. Eyes only. CONCANNON (VOICE OVER) Welcome back. INT. LAURA'S HOTEL ROOM/CORRIDOR - NIGHT A lonely middle-class hotel corridor. HOLD. HOLD. Laura, tired, enters the corridor from the side and proceeds away from the CAMERA. The CAMERA FOLLOWS her to her door. She stops, takes out her key, tiredly opens the door. INT. LAURA'S HOTEL ROOM - NIGHT Laura opening the door, looks down, sees something, bends down to pick it up. Straightens up. ANGLE - INSERT A hotel envelope, The Hotel Lincoln - Boston, Mass. on the letterhead. Laura's hands open the message, take out a sheet of yellow legal paper. ANGLE Laura closes the door behind her, she does not turn on the light, walks over to a couch by the window, sits down, all the while reading the paper by the outside light. She lowers the paper to her lap. ANGLE - INSERT The legal sheet. It reads, handwritten: Laura. I'm going to try. When this is over can we go away? Joe. INT. GALVIN'S OFFICE - NIGHT Mickey on his feet, pacing. Galvin at a blackboard on which is written, "Dr. Towler. Dr. Marx. Admitting Form. Anaesthesia." Etc. GALVIN Why doesn't Mary Rooney testify? Mickey shakes his head. GALVIN Are you with me...are you awake...? MICKEY Yeah. I'm awake. GALVIN Rooney's protecting someone. Who is she protecting? MICKEY The Doctors. GALVIN She's protecting the Doctors she'd be up there on the stand... MICKEY (listlessly) Read me what she said. Galvin flips through his notes. Reads. GALVIN `You guys are a bunch of whores...uh...loyalty...you don't care who gets hurt...you don't have any loyalty...' MICKEY ...one of the other nurses? GALVIN Who? They're all testifying. Everybody who was in the O.R.'s going to take the stand. MICKEY All right. Who wasn't in the O.R.? GALVIN What difference can that make...? All right... He starts checking the charts. Sighs. "This is useless..." GALVIN Uh...the admitting nurse... MICKEY What did she do? GALVIN She didn't do anything. She took the patient's history and signed the charts. 'K.C.' (looks in the notes for what the initials signify) 'Kathy Costello...' MICKEY The 'History'...? GALVIN (EXPLAINING) How old are you, how many children ... when did you last eat ... INT. ST. CATHERINE LABOURE HOSPITAL CORRIDOR - NIGHT Mary Rooney and another Nurse walking down the corridor carrying foil-covered dishes of food, chatting. ANGLE Galvin watching them from behind a corner. ANGLE The Nurses come to the corner, Galvin walks past. "Notices" Rooney. Stops. GALVIN Miss Rooney. Oh. Listen. (beat) I understand what you are doing. And I want you to know it's all right. He nods, starts off in the direction he was going in. ROONEY What are you talking about? Galvin turns, confused. Goes back to her. Warmly, conciliatory. GALVIN About Kathy Costello. (beat) I understand, and I don't blame you for shielding her. A beat. Mary Rooney motions the other Nurse to go away. She steps closer to Galvin. GALVIN I spoke to her, and everything is all right. ROONEY I, what are you talking about? I talked to her this morning, and she said... GALVIN (NODS) She told me. ROONEY (CREDULOUS) She did? GALVIN I just saw her. ROONEY In New York? GALVIN What? ROONEY You saw Kat in New York... (beat) ...or is she in town? Is she in town...? Beat. It occurs to her that she's been duped, as Galvin starts off hurriedly down the hall. INT. GALVIN'S OFFICE BUILDING CORRIDOR - NIGHT Laura. SEEN from the back, walking down the corridor. CAMERA FOLLOWS her. She stops outside Galvin's door. She turns. We SEE she is carrying a tray of coffee containers. She opens door. CAMERA FOLLOWS her INTO the office. Mickey is on the phone in the vestibule, Galvin is on the phone in his office. He is just hanging up. GALVIN Thank you. I'm sorry. Laura starts distributing coffee. Galvin shouts to Mickey in the far room. GALVIN We don't have anything from the Nurse Association? MICKEY The broad has disappeared... GALVIN The Hospital...? Laura goes into Galvin's office with coffee. CAMERA FOLLOWS her. MICKEY No records since she quit in '76. She quit two weeks after the incident. Laura hands coffee to Galvin. GALVIN Thank you. LAURA I have to talk to you. GALVIN (TO MICKEY) Call the A.M.A. to Laura) ...I can't talk now. (to Mickey) ...tell them you're Dr. Somebody...you have to find this nurse... MICKEY ...yeah...good... GALVIN ...you need some old forms that she had...somebody's dying... Galvin picks up the telephone. Looks down to telephone book in front of him, open on desk. ANGLE - P.O.V. New York City telephone directory. Two columns of COSTELLO's. Thirty of them crossed off. Galvin on the phone. GALVIN (VOICE OVER) Hello, Mrs. Costello... ANGLE - GALVIN ON THE PHONE GALVIN Sorry to bother you so late. Laura goes over to the couch, sits. Lights a cigarette. GALVIN This is Mr. Goldberg in Accounting. We have some money here for you...This is the Mrs. Costello that used to be a nurse? (beat) I'm sorry. I think we have our records mixed up. ANGLE Laura sitting on the couch. Tense. Smoking. GALVIN Are you related to Kathy Costello, the R.N.?...I'm sorry... We hear Mickey on his phone. MICKEY (VOICE OVER) Hello, this is Dr. Dorchester in Boston. This is an emergency. A nurse left my employ... ANGLE Laura on the couch. Galvin dialing the phone. Mickey HALF- SEEN in the next room. MICKEY ...four years ago... GALVIN Hello. This is Mr. Dorchester in Records. We're looking for Kathy Costello... MICKEY (voice over; in the other room, shouting) I need a cigarette! (resumes on- the-phone tone) She left my office four years ago, we're looking for a chart... (covers phone; again shouts) I need a cigarette... Laura looks around the desk, picks up one then another pack, crushes them, empty. She nods to herself, picks up her coat off the couch in the anteroom, and starts down the hall. Going through the door, she turns, looks back. ANGLE - P.O.V. Galvin in the inner office, on the phone. GALVIN Thank you. I'll hold. He looks up. Sees Laura, gives her a half-smile. INT. GREASY SPOON - NIGHT Near the cash register of an all-night diner in the business district, the deserted streets outside. Laura -- standing next to a wall phone, exhausted. She is handed a cardboard tray with three coffees on it and two packs of Pall Malls and some change by the Proprietor. She takes the change and turns her head to look at the telephone. INT. GALVIN'S OFFICE - NIGHT Mickey asleep on the couch, coffee containers around him, an ashtray full of butts. Beat. We hear a telephone being dialed. ANGLE Galvin, exhausted, smoking, on the telephone. GALVIN Hello. This is Ross Williams. I'm calling from California. I'm sorry. I know it's late in the East, but this is an emergency. May I please speak to Kathy Costello? (beat) I'm sorry. My records must be confused. This is the family of Kathy Costello...? Please excuse it. He hangs up. Reaches for a bottle of whiskey on his desk. Pours a shot into a glass. Downs it. His attention is caught by something across the room. ANGLE - P.O.V. Laura asleep on the couch, covered in Galvin's overcoat. ANGLE Galvin looks gratefully at her. He begins dialing the phone. INT. GALVIN'S OFFICE - VESTIBULE - DAY A small bundle of mail is pushed through the vertical slot and falls to the floor. ANGLE Interior office. Early morning. Galvin asleep with his head on his desk. Mickey asleep in a chair. Laura asleep on the couch, covered with Galvin's overcoat. Galvin wakes up, startled by the sound of the mail dropping. He picks up the phone mechanically. He realizes it is morning and he has been asleep. He replaces phone. He surveys the office. Dead, resigned. He closes the phone book. He reaches in a pack of cigarettes on the desk. It is empty. He roots in the ashtray for a long butt. This disgusts him. He rejects it. Rubs his eyes. Gets up. Goes to the window, stares out. Looks back at the scene in his office. It is over. He stands by Laura and looks down at her, he looks at Mickey. He has let them down. He goes to a cabinet under the lawbooks and takes out a bottle of whiskey and a water glass. He walks into the anteroom. Sighs, sits on the couch near the door. Glances at the several letters that have just fallen through the slot. He pours a half-tumbler full of whiskey, and drains it. He refills the tumbler. He absently picks up the mail and starts mechanically sorting through it. He stops at an official- looking piece. ANGLE - P.O.V. The letter, return address MASSACHUSETTS BAR ASSOCIATION. URGENT. He lethargically opens the letter. On Bar Association letterhead, it reads: "You are directed to appear on January 15th to show cause why you should not be disbarred. You are permitted to be represented by counsel of your choice, and..." ANGLE Galvin reading the letter. He crumbles it and throws it into the wastebasket. He looks at the next letter and skims it into the wastebasket. He looks at the next letter and stops. ANGLE - P.O.V. It is a phone bill. EXT. MARY ROONEY'S TENEMENT - DAY Galvin hurrying up the steps of the tenement. CAMERA FOLLOWS him into the vestibule. It is Mary Rooney's tenement. INT. MARY ROONEY'S TENEMENT VESTIBULE - DAY He stops by the mailboxes, bends over to read the names. ANGLE - P.O.V. The mailboxes: Swoboda; Murch; M. Rooney. ANGLE Galvin straightens, looks around the vestibule, takes heavy letter opener from his jacket pocket and pries open the Rooney mailbox. He extracts letters and rifles through them. ANGLE - P.O.V. Mary Rooney's phone bill. INT. DRUGSTORE - DAY Galvin in an old-fashioned sit-down phonebooth in a drugstore. He is dialing the phone, holding the phone bill. The operator answers, he starts dropping change into the slot. ANGLE The phone bill opened. It reads, "Rooney, Mary A. 263 Church Street, Arlington, Mass." Various local charges. One call to Chicago. One call to Fort Lauderdale. Eight calls to New York. The calls to New York are circled in pen. FEMALE (voice over; on phone) Hello. ANGLE Galvin on the phone. GALVIN Hello, I'm calling from... VOICE (voice over) If you're selling something, I'm late for work... GALVIN I'm calling from Professional Nurse Quarterly... VOICE From the magazine? GALVIN This is Mr. Wallace in Subscriptions? VOICE How come you're calling me from...? GALVIN This is Miss Costello...? VOICE (VOICE OVER) Yes. Price... GALVIN Pardon? VOICE Kathy Price. GALVIN We find that your subscription lapsed... VOICE (voice over; laughs) My subscription lapsed three years ago... GALVIN That's why I'm calling, Miss Price... VOICE Missus... GALVIN We have a renew-your-subscription offer... VOICE We get it at work. We get the magazine at work. GALVIN Yes, we know that you do. I have it in my files. That's at the Manhattan Health Center... VOICE No. At Chelsea Childcare. Okay. Look, call me Monday, hey? I'm late for work. ANGLE Galvin scribbles on pad as we hear Kathy hanging up. "Kathy Price. Chelsea Childcare." INT. EASTERN AIRLINES TERMINAL - BOSTON - DAY Galvin hurrying across the lobby. Stops by DO IT YOURSELF SHUTTLE TICKET COUNTER. Takes form, starts to write on it. ANGLE - P.O.V. The form "BOSTON - NEW YORK SHUTTLE. SELF SERVICE TICKET." Galvin filling in his name and address in pencil. INT. GALVIN'S OFFICE - DAY Laura asleep on the couch. Mickey asleep on the other couch. The phone is ringing. She wakes up. Looks around. Goes groggily to phone, answers. LAURA (ON PHONE) Hello? Mr. Gal...where are you...? Mickey wakes up, looks around. LAURA You're going to New York? I...you're kidding...Because I'm going to New York. (beat) I just got a call. I have to go sign papers. About my divorce. I...good. Frank. We'll meet there. All right? Mickey has woken up. Swings his feet to the floor. Picks up a pack of cigarettes. Crushes it. It is empty. LAURA Can we meet there, Joe? Mickey gets to his feet. MICKEY (TO LAURA) You got a cigarette...? She shrugs, "I don't know..." LAURA At the Beacon. On Fifty-third Street...we can spend the night. Mickey has gone over to Laura's purse. Opens it, rummaging. Comes up with a pack of cigarettes. He sees something in the purse. Stops. ANGLE - P.O.V. The open purse. The red-backed legal form. The letterhead reads, "CON-CANNON, BARKER, WHITE," stamped huge across it in black: "CONFIDENTIAL. EYES ONLY!!!" Mickey takes out the form, turns page. It reads, "Report on Joseph Galvin," lists haunts, habits, and is heavily notated in various types of pen and pencil. LAURA (voice over; on phone) At around four...? ANGLE Mickey replacing the form and the cigarettes. He recloses the purse. He turns to her. She has seen nothing. LAURA I feel the same way, Joe...I'll see you this afternoon? She hangs up. MICKEY You got any cigarettes? EXT. CHELSEA CHILDCARE - DAY Two very young children walk across a play area. The door to the play area opens and Joe Galvin, in overcoat, comes in. He looks around the room, starts to walk across it. CAMERA PANS WITH him to REVEAL a woman, KATHY, who is comforting a crying child. Galvin walks over to her. Stands a respectful distance away. She sees him watching her, looks up. KATHY Hi. GALVIN Hi. How are you doing? She nods, happy to be working with the child. GALVIN I've been meaning to come in a long time. KATHY You live in the neighborhood? GALVIN Uh-huh. My nephew's going to be staying with us in a few months, so I stopped by. KATHY How old is he? GALVIN Four. You're great with these kids. She beams, caught unprepared in something that is a great point of pride with her. KATHY Thank you. GALVIN You're really...(stops, remembering something) You, are you the one they told me was the nurse? KATHY Who told you that? GALVIN (gestures back at the office, vaguely) Mrs... KATHY Mrs. Simmonds. GALVIN Yes. KATHY (very serious, correct) I used to be a nurse. GALVIN That's a wonderful profession. My daughter-in-law's a nurse. What did you do, stop? Kathy is lost in thought. This is obviously a very painful subject for her. Beat. KATHY Yes. Galvin, getting involved in a serious conversation, takes off his overcoat, he is going to stay awhile. GALVIN How come you stopped? She is traumatized by the question. The casual conversation has become immediate and painful. She opens her mouth to speak, then stops, staring at Galvin. He doesn't know what she is staring at...something on his jacket. He looks down. ANGLE - KATHY'S P.O.V. The shuttle ticket, BOSTON - NEW YORK, stuck in the lapel pocket of Galvin's suitcoat. ANGLE Kathy and Galvin. She realizes why he is there. She starts to cry quietly. GALVIN (beat; gently dropping his pretense) Will you help me? INT. NEW YORK HOTEL RESTAURANT -DAY The restaurant fairly deserted after the lunch crowd. Empty tables -- crisp linen, Laura alone at a table, watching the door, an untouched cup of coffee in front of her. EXT. NEW YORK HOTEL - DAY The doorman opens the door of a cab. ANGLE Mickey Morrissey standing in an alcove under the marquee, looking out at the street. ANGLE - P.O.V. The street. Pedestrians. Joe Galvin comes walking hurriedly, smiling, down the street. ANGLE Mickey starting down the steps, intercepts Galvin. Galvin looks up, surprised. GALVIN What the hell are you doing here? MICKEY We got to talk. He is moving Galvin off down the sidewalk, away from the Hotel. CAMERA STAYS STILL, and their voices get fainter as they move away. GALVIN What are you doing in New York...? MICKEY Come on, we'll get a cup of coffee... They continue walking. We cannot hear them. Galvin is becoming agitated. He stops Mickey, stands there, Mickey very sad, Galvin incredulous, talking to him. Mickey nods. Galvin starts hurriedly back down the street toward the Hotel. INT. NEW YORK HOTEL RESTAURANT - DAY LONG SHOT of Laura seated at a table alone. ANGLE Galvin at the entrance to the restaurant looking at her. He walks over to her slowly. ANGLE - CLOSEUP Laura, looks up, sees him, smiles. Her smile fades, she sees that he knows. ANGLE Laura getting up from the table. We SEE her back, and Galvin approaching. We SEE her shoulders ANGLE droop, beaten. He draws closer. Galvin comes up to her, his face a mask of pain and confusion. She sighs, starts to speak. Stops. Beat. They look at each other -- he starts to speak, cannot. He knocks her to the floor, she upsets the table. A large man at the next table starts to restrain Galvin. LAURA (as if in shock) It's all right...it's all right...it's all right...it's all right... INT. EASTERN SHUTTLE PLANE - NIGHT Galvin and Mickey seated next to him, flying home in silence. Mickey smoking a cigarette. Galvin stone-faced, beat. MICKEY I talked to Johnnie White at the Bar Association. (beat) The broad used to work for one of Concannon's partners in New York awhile ago. (beat; lamely) She wanted to move to Boston. (beat) How badly did she hurt us, Joe? GALVIN I don't know. A beat. MICKEY We got a mistrial, you know. Joe -- did you hear what I said...? GALVIN I don't want a mistrial. INT. MICKEY MORRISSEY'S HOUSE - DAY The doorway to his study. A basketball game dimly SEEN in the half-light. Mickey, o.s.: MICKEY He's not here. (pause) Yeah. I don't know when. (pause) All right. Sound of him hanging up a telephone. He enters the frame carrying a bottle of booze, goes through door into study. CAMERA FOLLOWS him INTO the room. The TV: ANNOUNCER (VOICE OVER) The Knicks are pressing hard...(etc.) He sits on a sofa opposite the television. Watches the game a beat. Opens the fresh bottle of whiskey and pours a large shot into the almost-empty glass in front of him. Looks to his left. Reaches behind him to some glasses on a shelf, takes one down, pours drink into the new glass, leans to his left, CAMERA MOVES WITH him, and we SEE Galvin sitting in a deep leather armchair, staring. Mickey offers him the drink. Galvin becomes aware of him, shakes his head "no." Beat. Mickey moves back into his seat, they both stare at the television. INT. COURTROOM -- JUDGE'S P.O.V. - DAY Half full of spectators. ANGLE Galvin gets up from Plaintiff's table, takes up a large book as Dr. Towler takes the stands. He reads: GALVIN Dr. Towler; page 406, 'Contraindications to general anaesthetic. Ideally a patient should refrain from taking nourishment up to nine hours prior to induction of general anaesthetic.' Does that sound familiar? DR. TOWLER Yes. I wrote it. Galvin shows the book. GALVIN 'Practice and Methodology in Anaesthesia.' General textbook on the subject. Is that correct? DR. TOWLER I. Yes. It is. GALVIN And you wrote that... DR. TOWLER Yes. GALVIN (READING) ...Page 414, 'If a patient has taken nourishment within one hour prior to inducement, general anaesthetic should be avoided at all costs because of the grave risk the patient will aspirate food particles into his mask.' Is that what happened to Deborah Ann Kaye? She aspirated into her mask? DR. TOWLER She threw up in her mask, yes. But she hadn't eaten one hour prior to admission. GALVIN If she had eaten, say one hour prior to admission, the inducement of a general anaesthetic...the type you gave her... would have been negligent...? DR. TOWLER Negligent. Yes...it would have been criminal. But that was not the case. GALVIN Thank you. Galvin signals he is done. The Judge signals Dr. Towler to leave the stand, which he does. JUDGE Mr. Concannon...? CONCANNON Nothing further, your Honor. JUDGE Mr. Galvin, rebuttal? GALVIN (to Bailiff) Katherine Price. The Bailiff calls out her name. BAILIFF Katherine Price... ANGLE Kathy at the back of the court, coming down the aisle. As she passes the Defendant's table, Towler grabs Marx and starts whispering frantically. Concannon looks on, ignorant of what is happening. We hear Dr. Towler's "Oh, my God..." ANGLE Galvin surveys the courtroom, Kathy crosses in front of him, takes the stand, we hear the Bailiff administering the formula as we WATCH Galvin turn and look at the Jurors. BAILIFF (VOICE OVER) State your name please. KATHY (VOICE OVER) Katherine Lynn Price. BAILIFF D'you swear that the evidence you are about to give will be the truth, the... ANGLE The Bailiff swearing in Kathy. BAILIFF ...whole truth and nothing but the truth, so help you God? KATHY I do. BAILIFF Be seated. Kathy sits, the Bailiff retires, Galvin walks over to her. GALVIN Kathy Price... KATHY Yes... GALVIN You were the Admitting Nurse at St. Catherine Laboure Hospital on May twelfth, nineteen seventy-six, the night Deborah Ann Kaye was admitted... KATHY Yes. Galvin holds up a form. GALVIN You signed this form? She looks closely at it. Is satisfied. KATHY Yes. GALVIN These are your initials, 'K.C.'? KATHY Kathy Costello. That's my maiden name. A beat. GALVIN D'you ask the patient when did she last eat? KATHY Yes. GALVIN What did she say? KATHY She said she had a full meal one hour before coming to the hospital. GALVIN One hour. KATHY Yes. GALVIN And did you write the numeral `one' down on the record, standing for one hour? KATHY I did. GALVIN A single hour. KATHY Yes. Galvin walks away from the witness box. He looks at the jury. He turns to look at the spectators. His thoughts are a million miles away. Unconsciously he straightens his tie. ANGLE Galvin in front of the dead-still courtroom. He breaks his reverie. GALVIN (TO CONCANNON) Your witness. Concannon is on his feet as Galvin walks back to his table. Concannon walks over to Kathy and begins forcefully: CONCANNON You are aware of the penalties for perjury...? KATHY It's a crime. CONCANNON Yes. (beat) It is a crime. A serious crime. KATHY I wouldn't do it. CONCANNON You would not...? KATHY No. CONCANNON In fact, you've just taken an oath that you would not commit perjury. You've just sworn to that. Isn't that right? KATHY Yes. CONCANNON Just now... KATHY Yes. CONCANNON ...sworn before God you would tell the truth? KATHY (BEAT) Yes. CONCANNON Now. I'd like to ask you something: four years ago, when you were working as a nurse, are you aware that Drs. Towler and Marx based their treatment of Deborah Ann Kaye on this chart that you signed . . . ? KATHY I . . .. CONCANNON And wasn't that an oath...? These are your initials here: K.C. When you signed this chart you took an oath. No less important than that which you took today. (beat) Isn't that right? (beat) Isn't that right...? KATHY I...yes. CONCANNON Then, please, which is correct? You've sworn today the patient ate one hour ago. Four years ago you swore she ate nine hours ago? Which is the lie. When were you lying? KATHY I... CONCANNON You know these doctors could have settled out of court. They wanted a trial. They wanted to clear their names. GALVIN Objection! CONCANNON And you would come here, and on a slip of memory four years ago, you'd ruin their lives. KATHY They lied. CONCANNON `They lied.' Indeed! When did they lie? And do you know what a lie is? KATHY I do. Yes. CONCANNON (holding chart) You swore on this form that the patient ate nine hours ago. KATHY That's not my handwriting. CONCANNON You've just said you signed it. KATHY Yes, I, yes, I signed it, yes. But I, I didn't write that figure. CONCANNON You didn't write that figure. And how is it that you remember that so clearly after four years? KATHY (taking a paper out of her purse) Because I kept a copy. I have it right here. She looks toward Galvin. ANGLE Galvin nods, meaning, "You did it perfectly." ANGLE Concannon, the Judge, Kathy. CONCANNON Objection! This is ri...expect us to accept a photocopy, we have the original right... JUDGE I'll rule on that presently. (beat) Proceed. Concannon is taken up short. Amazed at the Judge's reaction, he pauses an instant. JUDGE Please proceed. Concannon motions to Billy, the young lawyer, who nods in response and starts whispering instructions to his colleagues at the Defense table, who start leafing through their lawbooks. Concannon takes up the fight again. CONCANNON ...what in the world would induce you to make a photocopy of some obscure record and hold it fouryears? This is a...why? Why would you do that? KATHY I thought I would need it. CONCANNON And why, please tell us, would you think that? KATHY After, after the operation, when that poor girl, she went in a coma. Dr. Towler called me in. He told me he had five difficult deliveries in a row and he was tired, and he never looked at the admittance form. (beat) And he told me to change the form. He told me to change the one to a nine. (beat) Or else, or else, he said...(beat; starts to cry) He said he'd fire me. He said I'd never work again....Who were these men...? Who were these men...? I wanted to be a nurse... She is weeping copiously. A beat. She starts to get herself under control. CONCANNON No further questions. JUDGE You may step down. Beat. Kathy starts to get down. She looks to Galvin for assurance. Galvin nods at her. JUDGE Mr. Galvin...? ANGLE Kathy getting down from the stand. The Judge addressing Galvin. GALVIN Nothing further, your Honor... JUDGE Mr. Concannon...? Concannon is signalled by Billy, the young lawyer at the Defense table, who is gathering notes from his colleagues, who have been researching during Kathy's speech. Concannon walks over to the table and is quickly "talked through" the notes by Billy. JUDGE Mr. Concannon. Concannon cuts Billy short, meaning, "Yes, I understand, I'm far ahead of you," he takes the notes and returns to the bench. CONCANNON Thank you, your Honor. We object to the copy of the admissions form as incompetemt and essentially hearsay evidence and cite McGee versus State of Indiana, U.S. 131 point 2 and 216 through 25 of the Uniform Code: 'The admission of a duplicate document in preference to an existing original must presuppose the possibility of alteration and so must be disallowed.' And, your Honor, having given the Plaintiff the leeway we would like your ruling on this issue now: we object to the admission of the Xerox form. JUDGE ...one moment, Mr. Concannon... The Judge nods, meaning, "I am considering..." ANGLE The Judge. He is making some notations on a page in front of him. He nods to himself, he has reached a decision. He looks up. JUDGE The document is disallowed, the jury will be advised not to consider the testimony of Kathy Costello regarding the Xerox form. (explains to them) It's unsubstantiated and we can't accept a copy in preference to the original... CONCANNON Thank you, your Honor. Further: Ms. Costello is a rebuttal witness. As a `Surprise Witness' she may only serve to rebut direct testimony. As her only evidentiary rebuttal was the admitting form, which has been disallowed I request that her entire testimony be disallowed and the jury advised that they must totally disregard her appearance here. JUDGE I'm going to uphold that. ANGLE Galvin getting to his feet. GALVIN I object, your Honor... JUDGE Overruled... GALVIN Exception! JUDGE Noted. Thank you. (to Jury) Miss Costello was a rebuttal witness. Her sole rebuttal was the document, which has been disallowed... ANGLE Galvin, silent, fuming, sitting at the table. JUDGE (VOICE OVER) Her entire testimony must be stricken from the record. You shouldn't have heard it, but you did. Now, that was my mistake...and you must strike it from your minds, give it no weight. Galvin takes a sheet of legal paper and starts writing on it. INT. BISHOP BROPHY'S SUITE - DAY ALITO Legally it's over. Concannon was brilliant. BROPHY Tell me about Kaitlin Costello. ALITO There's nothing to tell. It's been stricken from the record. BROPHY I know. Did you believe her? INT. COURTROOM - JUDGE HOYLE'S P.O.V. - FULL COURTROOM - DAY All looking slightly to their right. ANGLE JUDGE SWEENEY Mr. Galvin...? ANGLE - GALVIN In front of the full jury box. Beat. GALVIN You know, so much of the time we're lost. We say, 'Please, God, tell us what is right. Tell us what's true. There is no justice. The rich win, the poor are powerless...' We become tired of hearing people lie. After a time we become dead. A little dead. We start thinking of ourselves as victims. (pause) And we become victims. (pause) And we become weak...and doubt ourselves, and doubt our institutions...and doubt our beliefs...we say for example, `The law is a sham...there is no law...I was a fool for having believed there was.' (beat) But today you are the law. You are the law...And not some book and not the lawyers, or the marble statues and the trappings of the court...all that they are is symbols. (beat) Of our desire to be just... (beat) All that they are, in effect, is a prayer...(beat) ... a fervent, and a frightened prayer. In my religion we say, `Act as if you had faith, and faith will be given to you.' (beat) If. If we would have faith in justice, we must only believe in ourselves. (beat) And act with justice. (beat) And I believe that there is justice in our hearts. (beat) Thank you. He stands still a moment, then surveys the still courtroom. INT. COURTHOUSE CORRIDOR - DAY Laura in the corridor, watching him. INT. COURTROOM - DAY The Jurors filing in from the Jury Room. ANGLE Concannon, Young Lawyer, Dr. Towler, Dr. Marx at Defense table. Young Lawyer scribbles a note, passes it to Concannon, who ignores it. ANGLE Plaintiff's table. Galvin looking at the Jury, Mickey at the other end of the table. JUDGE Have you reached a verdict? FOREMAN (VOICE OVER) We have, your Honor. ANGLE The Jury Box. The Jurors seated, the FOREMAN standing. FOREMAN Your Honor, we have agreed to hold for the Plaintiff...but on the size of the award, are we bound... JUDGE You are not bound by anything, other than your good judgment, based on the evidence. ANGLE Galvin, totally defeated. Nods his head sadly, as if commiserating philosophically, with himself. Mickey looks at him in grief, with sympathy. FOREMAN(VOICE OVER) Are we permitted to award an amount greater than the amount the Plaintiff asked for? Galvin slowly raises his head, turns and looks at the Jury, Mickey begins to smile. JUDGE Yes. You are. ANGLE - MICKEY'S P.O.V. The courtroom, commotion. JUDGE Please retire and... INT. FINAL COURTHOUSE BACK CORRIDOR - DAY Galvin and Mickey standing near a back staircase, cleaning equipment is lying all around. A large, battered garbage can. Mickey is lighting Galvin's cigarette. Galvin's hand shakes badly. Something draws his attention at the end of the corridor. He turns his head. ANGLE - P.O.V. Laura, standing at the end of the corridor. Tentative, lost, pleading silently, she holds a sheet of yellow legal paper in her hand. ANGLE - INSERT - LAURA'S P.O.V. The paper reads: 'Laura. I'm going to try. When this is over can we go away?' 'Joe' 'Thank you' ANGLE - GALVIN'S P.O.V. Laura holding the paper. ANGLE Galvin and Mickey looking at her. Galvin's face impassive. Beat. He turns his back on her. Mickey does likewise. Beat. MICKEY (TO GALVIN) The jury might be out for awhile. (beat; tentatively) You want to run across the street and get a drink? Beat. Galvin puts his arm around Mickey's shoulder. They push through the Exit Door, turning up their collars to the cold. Galvin hesitates a moment as Mickey goes through the door. Beat. He looks back longingly. ANGLE - GALVIN'S P.O.V. The deserted corridor. ANGLE Galvin standing framed in the doorway. He turns toward the door, his back to the CAMERA, his shoulders slumped. He stands for a moment, sighs, straightens up, and walks through the door. FADE OUT THE END

Vertigo (1958) by Alec Coppel and Samuel Taylor. Based on the novel "d'Entre les Morts" by Pierre Boileau and Thomas Narcejac. Draft 9-12-1957. More info about this movie on IMDb.com FOR EDUCATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY EXT. SAN FRANCISCO ROOF TOPS - (DUSK) - CLOSE SHOT We see a close view of a roof parapet and the curved rail of a fire escape. In the bag, are large skyscrapers with all their windows fully lit in the late winter afternoon. This background is used for the CREDIT TITLES of the picture. After the last card has FADED OUT, we HOLD on to the empty parapet, when suddenly a man's hand reaches and grips the top of the rail. It is followed by another hand and, after a beat, we see the face of a man in his early 30's. He is an Italian type, with rough features. He turns quickly and looks below him and then turning back, springs up over the empty parapet and is lost from view. We STAY on the EMPTY SCENE for a second or two as we HEAR the scraping of boots on the iron ladder. Someone else is coming up. Presently, two more hands and the head of a uniformed policeman with cap and badge starts to climb over the parapet. The CAMERA PULLS BACK so that by the time he has completed his climb, he is in full figure. He dashes out of the picture drawing his gun. Immediately following him over the parapet, a detective in plain clothes climbs over. This is JOHN FERGUSON, known as SCOTTIE. He too pulls a gun and dashes out of the picture. EXT. SAN FRANCISCO ROOF TOPS - (DUSK) - LONG SHOT A vast panorama of the San Francisco skyline. Nearer to us are three tiny figures running and jumping over the roof tops. The man on the run, whom we first saw climb over the parapet, is dressed in a white shirt and light tan linen slacks, and wearing sneakers. The uniformed man is shooting at him. Scottie is dressed in medium grey clothes. The CAMERA SLOWLY PANS the group across the roof tops. EXT. SAN FRANCISCO ROOF TOPS - (DUSK) - MED. SHOT We now see a short gap between rooftops, with a drop below. The pursued man makes the leap successfully followed by the uniformed policeman. Scottie makes the same leap, but almost trips in taking off and is thrown off balance. He tries to recover, lands awkwardly on the opposite roof, and falls forward, prone, with a heavy impact that hurts and drives tile breath from his body. He tries to rise but raises his head with a look of pain -- one leg is doubled up under the other. The tiles give way, and he slides backwards, and his legs go over the edge of the roof, then his body. In his daze he grasps at the loose tiles, and as he goes over the edge he clutches on to the gutter, which gives way, and he swings off into space, looking down. EXT. SAN FRANCISCO ROOF TOPS - (DUSK) - CLOSE SHOT Scottie looking down. EXT. SAN FRANCISCO ROOF TOPS - (DUSK) - LONG SHOT From Scottie's viewpoint, the gap beneath the building and the ground below. It seems to treble its depth. EXT. SAN FRANCISCO ROOF TOPS - (DUSK) - CLOSEUP Scottie looking down with horror. His eyes close as a wave of nausea overcomes him. EXT. SAN FRANCISCO ROOF TOPS - (DUSK) - MEDIUM SHOT In the distance the fleeing criminal. The policeman, seeing what has happened to Scottie, returns to the slope of the roof and strains to reach down to Scottie. POLICEMAN Give me your hand! EXT. SAN FRANCISCO ROOF TOPS - (DUSK) - CLOSE UP SCOTTIE'S HEAD. His hands grip the edge of the guttering. The tips of the fingers of policeman straining to reach Scottie, are at the top of screen. Scottie begins to open his grip but stares down, he quickly resumes his grip looking up hopelessly towards the helping hand. He looks down again. FROM SCOTTIE'S VIEWPOINT - the ground below still a long way away. EXT. SAN FRANCISCO ROOF TOPS - (DUSK) - MEDIUM SHOT The policeman's hand in foreground, his face beyond. POLICEMAN What's the matter with you? Give me your hand! Policeman endeavors to stretch out his hand further. EXT. SAN FRANCISCO ROOF TOPS - (DUSK) The tiles beneath the policeman's heel begin to give. The Policeman starts to slide. He claws desperately at the surface of the roof. EXT. SAN FRANCISCO ROOF TOPS - (DUSK) - CLOSEUP Scottie, his eyes closed. He opens them as he hears a wild cry. EXT. SAN FRANCISCO ROOF TOPS - (DUSK) - LONG SHOT The policeman falling through space. EXT. SAN FRANCISCO ROOF TOPS - (DUSK) - CLOSEUP Scottie stares down in horror. EXT. SAN FRANCISCO ROOF TOPS - (DUSK) - LONG SHOT The body of the policeman sprawled on the ground below. People are running into the alleyway; they stare at the body, look up to where Scottie is hanging. We see the light on their upturned faces. And now we hear a police whistle blown shrilly, again and again. Up to this moment the background music has had an excitement to match the scene, and now it cuts off, abruptly, leaving on the echo of the police whistle as the DISSOLVE begins. Then, in the DISSOLVE, we hear the gentle insistence of Scarlatti played by a chamber orchestra. DISSOLVE TO: INT. AN APARTMENT ON RUSSIAN HILL - (LATE AFTERNOON) It is fresh, light, and simple, and crowded with books, phonograph records, pictures. The most striking feature of the apartment is the view: The rising hills of San Francisco framed by a large picture window. To one side of the window is the owner of the apartment, MAJORIE WOOD, called MIDGE, at a commercial drawing table concentrating with professional intensity on a drawing of a slim, a elongated woman with few features and fewer clothes. A brassiere sits on a table at Midge's elbow, and she studies it as she draws. Midge Wood is about thirty-seven, attractive, straight-forward, well- but-simply-dressed; she wears glasses but does not whip them an and off as they do in the movies. The music comes from a gramophone. The other occupant of the room is Scottie. He sits in a big chair, with his feet stretched out on an ottoman and his head far back. There is a drink on a table nearby. He rouses himself to reach for it, and in doing so knocks over his walking stick that has been propped against the chair. He reaches out to catch it, and in the quickness of trying to keep it from falling, he wrenches his body around. SCOTTIE Ow!! MIDGE (Paying little attention) I thought you said no more aches and pains? SCOTTIE It's this darned corset. It binds. He retrieves the stick. MIDGE No three-way stretch? How very un- chic. SCOTTIE Well, you know those police department doctors: no sense of style. (Sighs gratefully) Ah, tomorrow! MIDGE What's tomorrow? SCOTTIE Tomorrow... the corset comes off. And this thing goes out the window. (He waves the stick) I shall be a free man. I shall wiggle my behind... free and unconfined. He raises his eyebrows with a surprised and gratified smile. Midge looks over at him with a grimace. SCOTTIE Midge, do you suppose many men wear corsets? MIDGE More than you think. SCOTTIE (Interested) How do you know? Personal experience? MIDGE Please! (Then, impersonally) And what happens after tomorrow? SCOTTIE What do you mean? MIDGE What are you going to do? Now that you've quit the police force? SCOTTIE (Gently) You sound so disapproving, Midge. MIDGE No, it's your life. But you were the bright young lawyer who decided he was going to be chief of police some day. SCOTTIE (Gently) I had to quit, Midge. MIDGE Why? SCOTTIE I wake up at night seeing him fall from the roof... and try to reach out for him. MIDGE It wasn't your fault. SCOTTIE I know. Everybody tells me. MIDGE Johnny, the doctors explained -- SCOTTIE I know. I have Acrophobia. What a disease. A fear of heights. And what a moment to find out I had it. MIDGE Well, you've got it. And there's no losing it. And there's no one to blame. So why quit? SCOTTIE And sit behind a desk? Chairborne? MIDGE It's where you belong. SCOTTIE (With a grin) Not with my Acrophobia, Midge. If I dropped a pencil on the floor and bent down to pick it up, it could be disastrous! MIDGE (Laughs) Ah, Johnny-O... She considers him for a moment, then goes back to her work. By now he is up and wandering about with the help of the stick. MIDGE (Finally, as she works) Well?... what'll you do? SCOTTIE Nothing for a while. You forget, I'm a man of independent means. Or fairly independent. MIDGE Mmm. Why don't you go away for a while? SCOTTIE (Grins) To forget? Don't be so motherly, Midge. I'm not going to crack up. MIDGE Have you had any dizzy spells this week? SCOTTIE I'm having one now. She looks up sharply with quick apprehension. SCOTTIE From that music. MIDGE Oh! She goes and turns off the gramophone. Scottie has wandered over to the drawing table. SCOTTIE What's this do-hickey here? He turns the brassiere over with his stick MIDGE It's a brassiere. You know about those things. You're a big boy, now. SCOTTIE I've never run across one like that. MIDGE It's brand new. Revolutionary uplift. No shoulder straps, no back straps, but does everything a brassiere should do. It works on the principle of the cantilever bridge. SCOTTIE (Impressed) Uh-huh! MIDGE An aircraft engineer down the peninsula designed it. He worked it out in his spare time. SCOTTIE What a pleasant hobby. He wanders back to the chair and watches her work for a long moment. Then: SCOTTIE How's your love life, Midge? MIDGE That's following a train of thought. SCOTTIE Well? MIDGE Normal. SCOTTIE Aren't you ever going to get married? MIDGE (Lightly) You know there's only one man in the world for me, Johnny-O. SCOTTIE Yeah, I'm a brute. We were engaged once though, weren't we? MIDGE Three whole weeks. SCOTTIE Ah, sweet college days. But you're the one who blew it. I'm still available. Available Ferguson. Say, Midge, do you remember a guy at college named Gavin Elster? MIDGE Gavin? Gavin Elster? You'd think I'd would. No. SCOTTIE I got a call from him today. Funny. He dropped out of sight during the war, and I'd heard he'd gone East. I guess he's back. (he fishes out a slip of paper) It's a Mission number. MIDGE That's Skid Row... isn't it? SCOTTIE Could be. MIDGE He's probably on the bum and wants to touch you for the price of a drink. SCOTTIE Well, I'm on the bum; I'll buy him a couple of drinks and tell him my troubles. But not tonight. If you won't drink with me, I'll drink alone, tonight. (He rises to go) MIDGE Sorry, old man. Work. SCOTTIE Midge, what did you mean, there's no losing it? MIDGE What. SCOTTIE My... the acrophobia. MIDGE I asked my doctor. He said only another emotional shock could do it, and probably wouldn't. And you're not going to go diving off another rooftop to find out. SCOTTIE I think I can lick it. MIDGE How? SCOTTIE I've got a theory. Look. If I can get used to heights just a little at a time... progressively see? He has been looking about eagerly, sees a low footstool, drags it to the center of the room as he speaks. SCOTTIE Here, I'll show you what I mean. We'll start with this. MIDGE That!?! SCOTTIE What do you want me to start with -- the Golden Gate Bridge? He has stepped up on the footstool and stands there proudly looking up and down. SCOTTIE Now. I look up, I look down. I look up, I look down. Nothing to it. MIDGE (Overlapping) Stop kidding. Wait a minute. She dashes to the kitchen, returns quickly with a small aluminum household ladder. SCOTTIE Ah, that's my girl! Here? He steps on the first step. MIDGE Step number two. SCOTTIE Okay. He gets up on the second step and goes through the routine. SCOTTIE I look up, I look down. I look up, I look down. I'm going to go right out and buy me a nice, tall stepladder. Here we go. He gets on the top step. MIDGE Easy, now. SCOTTIE This is a cinch. I look up, I look down. I look up -- And at this moment he makes the mistake of turning and looking out through the picture window. FROM SCOTTIE'S VIEWPOINT We see the depth down to the street below the window. The whole picture begins to weave. INT. MIDGE'S APARTMENT - (LATE AFTERNOON) - CLOSEUP of Scottie -- expression of nausea. FROM SCOTTIE'S VIEW POINT - LONG SHOT The weaving view changes to the original scene where the ground receded in a rush and the body of the policeman fell into space. INT. MIDGE'S APARTMENT - (LATE AFTERNOON) - MEDIUM CLOSE SHOT Scottie's face distorted with agony -- his eyes close and he begins to slump. CAMERA PULLS BACK SLIGHTLY as Midge now comes into shot, putting up her hands to him to hold him, and his weight is on her and his head is slumped, and the joke is over. MIDGE Johnny! SCOTTIE (Muttering, his face tight, his eyes shut) Oh, damn it! Damn it, damn it -- DISSOLVE: EXT. A SHIPYARD - (DAY) - LONG SHOT Boats up an ways, men swarming over, cranes moving. At the gate, Scottie has paused to speak to the gateman. The gateman indicates a building in the distance, Scottie nods, goes past him, starts across the shipyard toward the building. DISSOLVE TO: INT. GAVIN ELSTER'S OFFICE - (DAY) A well-appointed office with a large window looking out upon a busy shipyard. There are a couple of models of modern freighters in glass cases, but more important, on the walls are many framed prints and posters and maps relating to early California history; some from the Mexican days, many from the Gold Rush days, many of San Francisco in the Seventies and Eighties. Behind the desk sits Gavin Elster, a man about Scottie's age, huskily built, slightly balding, with cool, watchful eyes. He is beautifully tailored, and gives the sense of a man who relishes money and knows how to use it. He sits quietly watching Scottie, who stands staring out the window at the activity of the shipyard. After a long moment: SCOTTIE How'd you get into the shipbuilding business, Gavin? ELSTER I married into it. Scottie shoots him a small surprised smile of approval at his frankness, then looks out the window again. SCOTTIE Interesting business. ELSTER No, to be honest, I find it dull. SCOTTIE You don't have to do it for a living. ELSTER No. But one assumes obligations. My wife's family is all gone; someone has to look after her interest. Her father's partner runs the company yard in the East -- Baltimore -- so I decided as long as I had to work at it, I'd come back here. I've always liked it here. SCOTTIE How long have you been back? ELSTER Almost a year. SCOTTIE And you like it. ELSTER San Francisco's changed. The things a that spell San Francisco to me are disappearing fast. Scottie smiles at the old prints on the wall. SCOTTIE Like all this. ELSTER (Nodding) I'd like to have lived here then. The color and excitement... the power... the freedom. Though he does not stress the word, the way be lingers softly on the word "Freedom" makes Scottie look over at him again. Elster looks up and smiles companionably. ELSTER Shouldn't you be sitting down? SCOTTIE No, I'm all right. ELSTER I was sorry to read about that thing in the papers. (No answer) And you've quit the force. (Scottie nods) A permanent physical disability? SCOTTIE No, Acrophobia isn't a crippling thing. It just means I can't climb steep stairs or go to high places, like the bar at the Top-of-the-Mark. But -- (Shrugs and smiles) -- there are plenty of street-level bars In this town. Elster considers the top of his desk for a moment, then looks up. ELSTER Would you like a drink now? SCOTTIE No... no, thanks. A bit early in the day for spirits. (Pause) Well, I guess that about covers everything, doesn't it? I never married; I don't see much of the "old college gang"; I'm a retired detective -- and you're in the shipbuilding business. (Pause) What's on your mind, Gavin? A moment, then Elster rises from the desk casually, wanders across the room, looks out the window, gets out a handkerchief and blows his nose prosaically, finally turns and regards Scottie coolly and directly for a long moment. ELSTER I asked you to come up here, Scottie, knowing that you had quit detective works, but I wondered whether you would go back on the job -- as a special favor to me. Scottie looks at him questioningly. ELSTER I want you to follow my wife. Scottie does not change expression, and yet one can sense the feeling of anti-climax within him, and the almost imperceptible small cynical smile deep behind his eyes. ELSTER Not what you think. We're very happily married. SCOTTIE Then? ELSTER I'm afraid some harm may come to her. SCOTTIE From whom? ELSTER Someone dead. Scottie waits. ELSTER Scottie, do you believe that someone out of the past, someone dead, can enter and take possession of a living being? SCOTTIE No. ELSTER If I told you I believe that his happened to my wife, what would you say? SCOTTIE I'd say you'd better take her to the nearest psychiatrist, psychologist, neurologist, psychoanalyst, or plain family doctor. And have him check you both. ELSTER (Defeated) Then you're of no use to me. I'm sorry I wasted your time. Thank you for coming in, Scottie. Scottie rises to go, awkwardly, puzzled, a bit apologetic. SCOTTIE I didn't mean to be that rough. ELSTER No, it sounds idiotic, I know. And you're still the hard-headed Scot, aren't you? Always were. Do you think I'm making it up? SCOTTIE No. ELSTER I'm not making it up. I wouldn't know how. She'll be talking to me about something, nothing at all, and suddenly the words fade into silence and a cloud comes into her eyes and they go blank... and she is somewhere else, away from me... someone I don't know. I call to her and she doesn't hear. And then with a long sigh she is back, and looks at me brightly, and doesn't know she's been away... can't tell me where... or why... SCOTTIE How often does this happen? ELSTER More and more in the past few weeks. And she wanders. God knows where she wanders. I followed her one day. SCOTTIE Where'd she go? Elster almost ignores the question as he looks back to the day. ELSTER Watched her come out of the apartment, someone I didn't know... walking in a different way... holding her head in a way I didn't know; and get into her car, and drive out to... (He smiles grimly) Golden Gate Park. Five miles. She sat on a bench at the edge of the lake and stared across the water to the old pillars that stand an the far shore, the Portals of the Past. Sat there a long time, not moving... and I had to leave, to got to the office. That evening, when I came home, I asked what she'd done all day. She said she'd driven to Golden Gate Park and sat by the lake. That's all. SCOTTIE Well? ELSTER The speedometer of her car showed she had driven 94 miles that day. Where did she go? (Pause) I have to know, Scottie. Where she goes and what she does, before I got involved with doctors. SCOTTIE Have you talked to the doctors at all? ELSTER Yes, but carefully. I'd want to know more before committing her to that kind of care. (Anxiously) Scottie -- SCOTTIE (Quickly) I can get you a firm of private eyes to follow her for you. They're dependable, good boys -- ELSTER (Breaking in) I want you. SCOTTIE It's not my line. ELSTER Scottie, I need a friend! Someone I can trust! I'm in a panic about this! Long pause. SCOTTIE How can I see her, to know her? ELSTER We're going to an opening at the opera tonight. We'll dine at Ernie's first. Which is easier? SCOTTIE Ernie's. ELSTER All right. (Pause) You won't know what to look for at first, Scottie. Even I, who know her so well, cannot tell, sometimes, when the change has begun. She looks so lovely and normal... The last part of this speech carries through the dissolve. DISSOLVE TO: INT. ERNIE'S RESTAURANT - (NIGHT) We are in the upstairs room that, in mood and decor, takes us back to Bonanza Days. This is the way San Francisco was. Scottie is at the bar, turned a little so that he faces into the dining room, and as he drinks his eyes search the room slowly, carefully. The CAMERA SEARCHES with him, passing over the many well- dressed women, until it comes to rest on a table for two dressed against the far wall. Gavin Elster is seated there, dining with his wife. Scottie cannot get a clear look at her. She is turned slightly away from him, and when she does turn her head in his direction there always seems to be a waiter passing to block the view. And during all of this we hear Elster's voice, continuing from the previous scene. ELSTER'S VOICE But I realize now that the deep change began on the first day I brought her to San Francisco. You know what San Francisco does to people who have never seen it before. All of it happened to Madeleine, but with such an intensity as to be almost frightening. She was like a child came home. Everything about the city excited her: she had to walk all the hills, explore the edge of the ocean, see all the old houses and wander the old streets: and when she came upon something unchanged, something that was as it had been, her delight was so strong so fiercely possessive! These things were hers. And yet she had never been here before. She had been born and raised in the East. I liked it at first, of course. I love this place; I wanted my bride to love it. But then it began to make me uneasy. Her delight was too strong; her excitement was too intense, it never faded; her laugh was too loud, her eyes sparkled too brightly; there was something feverish about the way she embraced the city. She possessed it. And then one day she changed again... and a great sigh settled on her, and the cloud came into her eyes... Now Gavin Elster has signed the check, and he and his wife rise and start for the door. Scottie still cannot get an unobstructed view of her face, but we can see in flashes that she is young, in her twenties, with a mobile, attractive face and gentle eyes that have warmth and intelligence and humor. Scottie is intent on her. At the doorway to the bar, only two feet from him, she stops and waits as her husband pauses behind her to speak to the headwaiter and thank him and tip him. She looks about calmly, with sure, distant repose. Her eyes come to rest an Scottie for a moment, then move an with the small smile. During all of the above, Elster's voice has gone on, without pauses, and his narration ends as the girl, Madeleine, comes to a stop near Scottie and waits. ELSTER'S VOICE I don't know what happened that day: where she went, what she saw, what she did. But on that day, the search was ended. She had found what she was looking for, she had come home. And something in the city possessed her. As Scottie stares at her, their eyes meet for a moment, and he turns to reach for his drink. When he turns back, she is gone. He looks about, slightly startled, then catches a glimpse of her as she turns the corner of the upstairs lobby. His eyes grow thoughtful, and glow with the memory of her face. DISSOLVE TO: EXT. BROCKLEBANK APARTMENTS - (DAY) - SEMI-CLOSEUP Scottie, seated in his car, a light grey sedan, is reading the morning paper. The car radio is going and we hear conventional disc jockey music. He glances out through his windshield. BROCKLEBANK APTS. - (DAY) - LONG SHOT FROM HIS POV We see a large block of apartments with a stone pillared entrance and a small car parked inside. Beyond it is the door into the apartment building itself. There is no activity but for one businessman who emerges on foot and makes his way out. INT. AUTOMOBILE - (DAY) - CLOSEUP SCOTTIE He resumes his reading but does not Concentrate. His eyes go back to the apartment house. EXT. BLOCKLEBANK APTS. - (DAY) - SEMI-LONG SHOT A slightly nearer view but still outside the stone entrance of the apartment house, we see the main entrance beyond. For some time, there is no activity at all - perhaps for a quarter of a minute or so. Suddenly, we see Gavin's wife, MADELEINE, appear. She is dressed in a smart light grey tailored suit. She stands for a moment looking about her. INT. AUTOMOBILE (DAY) - SEMI-CLOSEUP Scottie thrusts the paper aside and turns off the radio. He starts his car. EXT. BROCKLEBANK APTS. - (DAY) - SEMI-LONG SHOT - FROM HIS VIEWPOINT We see Madeleine crossing the small courtyard to a pale green Jaguar. She stands for a moment, opens her handbag and takes out her car keys. She gets in the car. EXT. BROCKLEBANK APTS. - (DAY) - MEDIUM SHOT Scottie begins to turn his car away gently from the curbstone. EXT. BROCKLEBANK APTS. - (DAY) - SEMI-LONG SHOT FROM HIS VIEWPOINT Madeleine's car pulls out and turns down the side street. INT. SCOTTIE'S CAR - SEMI-CLOSEUP We see him pull away, looking intently ahead. EXT. STREET, SAN FRANCISCO - (DAY) - SEMI-LONG SHOT Through the windshield over the hood of his car, we see the pale green Jaguar moving ahead of him, but the speed is quite casual and not too fast. INT. SCOTTIE'S CAR - (DAY) - SEMI-CLOSEUP Scottie watching ahead. EXT. STREET, SAN FRANCISCO - (DAY) - SEMI-CLOSEUP Through the windshield we see the green Jaguar turn the corner and go down another street. INT. SCOTTIE'S CAR - (DAY) - SEMI-CLOSEUP Scottie taking the same corner as we see him turn the wheel. LAP DISSOLVE TO: INT. SCOTTIE'S CAR - (DAY) - SEMI-CLOSEUP Scottie anxiously looking ahead, fearing he might miss her. EXT. STREET, SAN FRANCISCO - (DAY) - SEMI-LONG SHOT The green car slows up and begins to make a left-hand turn (or right-hand). The two cars in front of Scottie's are able to pull out and pass the green car. We see the green car turn up an alleyway. INT. SCOTTIE'S CAR - SEMI-CLOSEUP Scottie's expression changes a little, surprised at the sudden turn-off. EXT. STREET, SAN FRANCISCO - (DAY) - SEMI-LONG SHOT In the left f.g., we see a large flower shop and beyond, at the corner of the side alleyway, another store. We see the grey sedan turn in. EXT. STREET, SAN FRANCISCO - (DAY) - SEMI-LONG SHOT SHOOTING DOWN THE ALLEYWAY The grey sedan comes into the f.g. on the right, while further down the street, we see the green Jaguar coming to a stop outside a dingy doorway. INT. SCOTTIE'S CAR - SEMI-CLOSEUP We see Scottie looking out of his window, looking down the street. EXT. ALLEYWAY - SEMI-LONG SHOT - FROM HIS VIEW P0INT We see Madeleine get out of the Jaguar and pass through a rather decrepit-looking door. EXT. ALLEYWAY - (DAY) - SEMI-LONG SHOT Scottie alights from his car and we see him make his way down the alley towards the Jaguar. EXT. ALLEYWAY - MEDIUM SHOT The CAMERA PANS Scottie past the Jaguar as he cautiously enters the doorway. INT. DARK PASSAGE - (DAY) - MEDIUM SHOT We see Scottie making his way down this passage. He reaches a door at the end. INT. DARK PASSAGE - (DAY) SEMI-CLOSEUP - SHOOTING OVER SCOTTIE'S SHOULDER He gently pushes open the door. We see beyond him the bright lights and back part of the flower shop. INT. FLOWER SHOP - (DAY) - CLOSEUP Scottie's surprised expression, as he peers through the partially open door. Suddenly, he catches sight of: INT. FLOWER SHOP - (DAY) - MEDIUM SHOT Madeleine is talking to one of the assistants, making some inquiry. The assistant, who seems to know her, nods with a smile and goes off to the side of the store. Madeleine waits and begins to turn, looking around the store. She approaches camera until she is again in profile - just as she was in Ernie's Restaurant when Scottie first saw her. INT. FLOWER SHOP - CLOSEUP - SCOTTIE Cautiously narrows the opening of the door. INT. FLOWER SH0P - (DAY) - MEDIUM SHOT The female assistant returns. She is carrying a small nosegay of flowers. Madeleine nods her approval and, as the assistant returns, we see Madeleine indicate she will take it as it is. Madeleine begins to open her purse as the assistant starts to write out the bill. INT. FLOWER SHOP - (DAY) - CLOSEUP SCOTTIE Cautiously, closes the door. INT. PASSAGE - (DAY) - SEMI-LONG SHOT We see Scottie retreating from the door and hastening down the passage towards the CAMERA. He goes out left and as he opens the door into the alleyway, the daylight streams in for a moment. EXT. ALLEYWAY - (DAY) - MEDIUM SHOT Scottie emerges from the doorway, passing the green Jaguar. We are far enough away to see the sign over the doorway, which tells us that it is the rear entrance to the flower shop, for customers' parking. EXT. ALLEYWAY - (DAY) - LONG SHOT Scottie comes from the Jaguar across the alleyway to where his own car is standing. He gets in. After a moment or two, we see Madeleine emerge in the distance and get into the Jaguar, carrying the nosegay. There is a sound of the starter, and immediately, she is on her way. In the f.g., the grey sedan moves off at a cautious distance behind. LAP DISSOLVE: INT. SCOTTIE'S CAR - (DAY) - MEDIUM SHOT We see Scottie driving, looking ahead. EXT. DOLORES AVENUE - (DAY) - LONG SHOT The green Jaguar driving ahead down the wide Dolores Avenue. It presently comes to a stop outside the Mission. We see Madeleine quickly get out. Scottie's car enters the picture and begins to slow up. INT. SCOTTIE'S CAR - (DAY) - SEMI-CLOSEUP As he watches ahead, he slowly brings his car to a stop. EXT. DOLORES AVENUE - (DAY) - MEDIUM SHOT In the f.g., is the grey sedan. Scottie emerges and, slamming his car door shut, makes his way to the door opposite which the green Jaguar is parked. EXT. DOLORES MISSION - (DAY) - LONG SHOT We now see for the first time the facade of the old Mission Dolores. Scottie enters the picture from the right and makes his way to the small dark, open doorway. EXT. MISSION DOLORES - (DAY) - MEDIUM SHOT Scottie passes through the small doorway. On the wall nearby, we get a quick glimpse of the plaque announcing the date of the establishment of the Mission. INT. MISSION DOLORES - (DAY) - MEDIUM SHOT We see Scottie come through the door and towards the CAMERA. He comes to a stop in CLOSEUP. INT. MISSION DOLORES - (DAY) - LONG SHOT From his viewpoint, we see the center aisle and, in the distance, the altar of the old Mission. It is very dark except for the strong light around the altar. The church is completely empty. INT. MISSION DOLORES - (DAY) - SEMI-CLOSEUP Scottie half-turns as though to retrace his steps, then he looks back again and leans to one side slightly. INT. MISSION DOLORES - (DAY) - LONG SHOT Shooting on a slightly different angle, we see there is a small door at the far end at the right-hand side of the altar. It is slowly closing. INT. MISSION DOLORES - (DAY) - CLOSEUP Scottie immediately comes forward and exits the picture. INT. MISSION DOLORES - (DAY) - LONG SHOT Scottie enters the f.g., and we see him hasten up the aisle towards the altar. INT. MISSION DOLORES - (DAY) - SEMI-LONG SHOT We are much nearer to the altar. Scottie enters the picture on the right and makes his way quickly towards the little side door. As he opens it, a shaft of bright sunlight comes into the church. EXT. GRAVEYARD - (DAY) - CLOSEUP We see Scottie emerge from the church coming towards the CAMERA, which DOLLIES BACK with him. EXT. GRAVEYARD - (DAY) - MEDIUM SHOT From his viewpoint, the CAMERA TURNS the corner and makes its way toward a small gateway in a wall. The CAMERA starts to go through. EXT. GRAVEYARD - (DAY) - CLOSEUP Scottie coming through the gateway. EXT. GRAVEYARD - (DAY) - LONG SHOT The CAMERA MOVES ACROSS the graveyard, and in the distance, we see Madeleine gazing down at a headstone, the posy still clutched in her hands. EXT. GRAVEYARD - (DAY) - CLOSEUP Scottie looking towards Madeleine with an expression of slight surprise. He starts off out of the picture to the right. EXT. GRAVEYARD - (DAY) - LONG SHOT We see Scottie making his way down the side of the graveyard, with the Mission Church behind him. The CAMERA PANS him all the way round to a position towards Madeleine. He disappears from view. EXT. GRAVEYARD - (DAY) - SEMI-LONG SHOT The CAMERA PANS Scottie past Madeleine and he takes up a position behind a grotto where he can observe her. EXT. GRAVEYARD - (DAY) - SEMI-CLOSEUP Scottie watching Madeleine. EXT. GRAVEYARD - (DAY) - SEMI-LONG SHOT Through the foliage, from his viewpoint, we see the back view of Madeleine, her head bent down, still looking at the grave. She starts to turn. EXT. GRAVEYARD - SEMI-CLOSEUP Scottie cautiously steps back a little. EXT. GRAVEYARD (DAY) - MEDIUM SHOT The CAMERA watching the corner of the grotto for a moment. Nothing happens, then we hear a few steps and Madeleine comes into view still carrying the posy of flowers. She is walking very slowly. She comes to a stop opposite Scottie - until she is in full profile. She opens her purse and takes out a small handkerchief, then she moves on around the path towards the exit. EXT. GRAVEYARD - (DAY) SEMI-CLOSEUP Scottie is watching her depart. EXT. GRAVEYARD - (DAY) SEMI-LONG SHOT Madeleine approaches a small door at the side of the mission Church. She goes in. EXT. GRAVEYARD - (DAY) - MEDIUM SHOT We see Scottie hasten round from his hiding-place back to the headstone, where Madeleine had been standing. EXT. GRAVEYARD - (DAY) - MEDIUM SHOT Scottie quickly takes an envelope from his pocket and also takes out a pencil. He starts to write down something as he looks at the headstone. EXT. GRAVEYARD - (DAY) - CLOSEUP INSERT - The name on the headstone reads: Carlotta Valdes. Born December 3. 1831. Died March 5, 1857. EXT. GRAVEYARD - (DAY) - MEDIUM SHOT We see Scottie hurry from the grave towards the exit door. The CAMERA PANS with him. DISSOLVE TO: INT. SCOTTIE'S CAR - (DAY) - SEMI-CLOSEUP Once more his eyes are on the road ahead, as he follows Madeleine. EXT. MARKET STREET - (DAY) We see the green Jaguar come out of l6th Street and cross Market Street and start to ascend the hill. EXT. SAN FRANCISCO STREET - (DAY) We see both cars, one behind the other, moving uphill. LAP DISSOLVE TO: EXT. ENTRANCE TO LINCOLN PARK - (DAY) The two cars move along the road through the entrance, between the trees, and the Jaguar draws up before the Palace of the Legion of Honor. Scottie continues past as Madeleine gets out of her car and walks through the courtyard to the entrance to the art gallery. Scottie parks his car farther along, and follows her in. LAP DISSOLVE TO: INT. ART GALLERY - (AFTERNOON) - LONG SHOT Shooting through the foreground columns we see the gallery, soft lit from the top, completely empty, save for one person. It is Madeleine. She is seated on the small wooden bench at the far end. Her head is tilted in the upward direction, gazing at a large portrait. Slowly we see Scottie coming to the left f.g. He watches her for a moment and then with a carefully quiet stop, moves into the gallery and starts to examine the pictures. INT. GALLERY - (AFTERNOON) - SEMI-CLOSEUP The CAMERA SHOOTING on the back of Scottie, TRAVELS, with him as he pretends to look at the pictures on the wall. He barely stops at each one. Now and again he half furtively glances over his shoulder. Finally the CAMERA COMES TO A STOP. Scottie cautiously turns around and looks across the room. INT. GALLERY - (AFTERNOON) - SEMI-LONG SHOT From his viewpoint we get a complete picture of what he sees. The back view of Madeleine, seated on the polished wooden bench, her right band is holding the nosegay, and beyond her a three-quarter length portrait of a beautiful blonde woman, dressed in 19th century costume. She seems to be looking down with an enigmatic smile. INT. GALLERY - (AFTERNOON) - CLOSEUP Scottie's eye catches sight of: INT. GALLERY - (AFTERNOON) - CLOSEUP The nosegay resting in Madeleine's hand on the polished wood seat. The CAMERA SLOWLY PANS UP and MOVES IN to a part of the picture. It comes to rest on a nosegay held in the woman's hands. INT. GALLERY - (AFTERNOON) - CLOSEUP Scottie's expression does not change. His eyes move to something else. INT. GALLERY - (AFTERNOON) - CLOSEUP SHOOTING on the back of Madeleine, we see her head and shoulders only. The CAMERA MOVES IN until her bun of blonde hair fills the screen. The CAMERA PANS up until we see the head and shoulders of the woman in the portrait. She is wearing a distinctive diamond pendant necklace. Then the CAMERA SLOWLY MOVES IN and concentrate its attention at a bun of hair resting on the nape of her neck. INT. GALLERY - (AFTERNOON) - CLOSEUP Scottie's eyes turn thoughtfully at the memory of his conversation with Gavin. He looks up again. INT. GALLERY - (AFTERNOON) - SEMI-CLOSEUP Again, the enigmatic look of the woman wearing the diamond pendant necklace. It seems as though she is almost looking at Scottie. INT. GALLERY - (AFTERNOON) - SEMI-CLOSEUP Scottie turns and makes his way carefully back down the gallery. INT. GALLERY - (AFTERNOON) - SEMI-LONG SHOT THE CAMERA is now back in its original position, beyond the columns of the entrance to the room. We see Scottie coming down toward the CAMERA. As he comes to us in CLOSER SHOT, we see him beckon to somebody off screen. INT. GALLERY - (AFTERNOON) - MEDIUM SHOT A male attendant is coming over towards the CAMERA. He goes out of the picture. INT. GALLERY - (AFTERNOON) - MEDIUM SHOT He comes to where Scottie awaits him. Scottie asks in a low voice: SCOTTIE (Nodding in the direction of the gallery) Who is the woman in the portrait? The Attendant turns his head. SCOTTIE The one where the lady is sitting. ATTENDANT Oh, that's Carlotta, sir. (At Scottie's reaction) You'll find it in the catalogue: "Portrait of Carlotta." Scottie nods his thanks as the attendant hands him a catalogue. Scottie then turns back and looks into the room. The CAMERA MOVES IN past him, so that once more we are left alone with Madeleine seated, still looking at the portrait. LAP DISSOLVE: EXT. ART GALLERY - (AFTERNOON) - MEDIUM SHOT In the f.g., Scottie is seated in his grey sedan. We see beyond him in the distance, the green Jaguar and the back- lit columns of the gallery courtyard. Presently, the small figure of Madeleine appears. She gets into her car and starts to drive off. Scottie starts up his engine. His car moves across the screen. DISSOLVE TO: EXT. A SAN FRANCISCO STREET - (DAY) The two cars moving along through a poorer section of San Francisco. We see that the houses - many large - are all of wood, shabby, run-down, some almost derelict. The occasional front yard is uncared for; the few people on the street are cheaply dressed. There is a meanness of atmosphere. EXT. MCKITTRICK HOTEL - (DAY) - LONG SHOT The green Jaguar comes to a stop outside a large house, which has seen grander days. Obviously an old San Francisco residence, it is now become an apartment hotel. A long flight of steps from the street, leads to the front door, which has a semicircular canopy supported by columns. Madeleine gets out and ascends the stairs toward the hotel entrance; she is still carrying the posy of flowers. EXT. MCKITTRICK HOTEL - (DAY) - SEMI-LONG SHOT Scottie's car pulls into the curb. He gets out and stands on the sidewalk and looks ahead of him. He walks forward out of the picture. EXT. MCKITTRICK HOTEL - (DAY) - SEMI-LONG SHOT We see Scottie walking along the sidewalk casually. The green car is at the curb at the left of the stairs to the hotel. He strolls up until he reaches the green car. EXT. MCKITTRICK HOTEL - (DAY) - MEDIUM SHOT SHOOTING over the green car, we see Scottie hovering around the bottom of the steps. There is no sign of Madeleine. She has obviously gone in by this time. Scottie turns and examines the facade of the hotel and over his shoulder, the CAMERA PANS up over the building where we see the name, in worn black lettering under the top cornice. EXT. MCKITTRICK HOTEL - (DAY) - CLOSEUP Scottie turns away from the hotel and glances in the direction of the car. He then turns and ponders what his next move should be. No looks back at the hotel. Suddenly, his eye catches sight of something. He hastens over to conceal himself by the entrance wall, the CAMERA PANNING him. His eyes go up again. EXT. MCKITTRICK HOTEL - (DAY) - LONG SHOT From his viewpoint, we see Madeleine appear in the corner second story window. She is glancing out casually, as she takes off the jacket of her suit. She turns into the room again. EXT. MCKITTRICK HOTEL - (DAY) - CLOSEUP Scottie is really puzzled by this appearance. He thinks for a while and then, making up his mind, starts to go up the steps, the CAMERA PANNING him. We see him reach the top stop and make for the front door. EXT. MCKITTRICK HOTEL - (DAY) - MEDIUM SHOT Scottie waits a slight moment, and then, bracing him himself, opens the door and passes through. INT. MCKITTRICK HOTEL LOBBY - (DAY) - SEMI-CLOSEUP Scottie comes through the door closes it behind him. He looks around. INT. MCKITTRICK HOTEL LOBBY - (DAY) From Scottie's viewpoint, we see most of the lobby. There is a small reception desk with a key rack to one side, but the strongest and most immediate impact is one of greenery, of foliage. Scattered about the lobby in profusion are tall- standing potted rubber plants and philodendron. Scottie stands and stares. There is no one to be seen, no sign of life. Then we see a leaf of a rubber plant move, and move again, a hand appears, seemingly caressing it, and then we hear a woman's voice. MANAGERESS Yes? Scottie looks in that direction, and the woman moves out from behind the plant. She is a small, gentle, elderly lady with white hair, motherly and smiling, with bright, eager eyes. MANAGERESS Is there something I can do for you? SCOTTIE Yes... you run this hotel. MANAGERESS Oh, yes! SCOTTIE Would you tell me, who has the room on the second floor in the corner, that corner? MANAGERESS (Brightly) Oh, I'm afraid we couldn't give out information of that sort. Our clients are entitled to their privacy, you know. And I do believe it's against the law! Of course, I don't think any of them would mind, really, but still I would have to know who you are, and ask -- By now Scottie has got out his wallet and has shown his badge, and the sight of it makes her stop abruptly, and for a moment her face hardens and is not a bit motherly. But then she recovers her innocent brightness. MANAGERESS Oh, dear! Has she done something wrong? SCOTTIE Please answer my question. MANAGERESS I can't imagine that sweet girl with that dear face -- SCOTTIE (Urgently) What is her name? MANAGERESS Valdes. Miss Valdes. (Pause. Then, brightly) It's Spanish, you know. SCOTTIE (Slowly) Carlotta Valdes? MANAGERESS Yes, that's it. Sweet name, isn't it? Foreign. But sweet. SCOTTIE (Holding in) How long has she had the room? MANAGERESS Oh, it must be two weeks. Yes, the rent's due tomorrow. SCOTTIE Does she sleep here? Ever? MANAGERESS No... she only comes to sit. Two or three times a week. And I never ask questions, you know. As long as they're well behaved. I must say that I've wondered -- SCOTTIE (Cutting her off) When she comes down, don't say that I've been here. And he turns away to go, wondering. MANAGERESS (Brightly) Oh, but she hasn't been here today. Scottie whirls back on her. SCOTTIE I saw her come in five minutes. ago. MANAGERESS Oh, no! She hasn't been here at all! I would have seen her, you know. I've been right here all the time, putting olive oil on my rubber plant leaves! Scottie stares at her smiling, innocent face. She looks over at the key rack. MANAGERESS And there! There you see? Her key is on the rack! SCOTTIE (Heavily) Would you please go and look? MANAGERESS In her room? Well, yes, of course if you ask. But it does seem silly... She puts down the can of olive oil and the sponge, and gets out her passkey. She goes up the stairs. Scottie watches her go, then stares down at the can of olive oil, stares at the rubber plant, and waits, and looks up the stairs. MANAGERESS (O.S.) (Brightly) Oh, Mr. Detective! Would you like to come and look? Scottie starts up the stairs on the run. INT. LANDING OF SECOND FLOOR - (DAY) The Manageress stands near the open door. Scottie brushes past her and stands on the threshold. INT. HOTEL BEDROOM - (DAY) We are looking at the room over the shoulders of Scottie and the woman. It is empty. Scottie crosses to the window and looks down. From his viewpoint we see the empty space at the street curb where stood Madeleine's Jaguar. SCOTTIE Her car is gone. MANAGERESS What car? He turns to look at her sweet, smiling face, then turns back to stare down out of the window in bewilderment. DISSOLVE TO: EXT. BROCKLEBANK APARTMENTS - (DAY) Scottie's sedan pulls up in the foreground, the building in the distance. He looks across. There, half concealed around the corner of the small car park, is the green Jaguar. Scottie strolls over, inspects the cars, then looks inside. On the seat is the small nosegay bought at Podesta's and carried to the cemetery. DISSOLVE TO: INT. MIDGE'S APARTMENT - (DAY) Midge is at work on a nightgown ad. The phonograph is playing softly: probably Bach, probably harpsichord, probably Landowska. Scottie walks in, and Midge looks up, startled. SCOTTIE Midge, who do you know that's an authority an San Francisco history? He walks over and turns the phonograph off, either here or a bit later. MIDGE Now, that's the kind of greeting a girl likes. None of this "hello you look wonderful" stuff. Just a good straight "who do you know" -- SCOTTIE (breaking in) Well, who? Come on, you know everybody. MIDGE Professor Saunders, over in Berkeley. SCOTTIE Not that kind of history. The small stuff! About people you never heard of! MIDGE Oh! You mean Gay Old Bohemian Days of Gay Old San Francisco! The juicy stories? Like who shot who in the Embarcadero August, 1879? SCOTTIE Yeah. MIDGE Pop Leibel. SCOTTIE Who? MIDGE Pop Leibel owns the Argosy Book Shop. What do you want to know? SCOTTIE Who shot who in the Embarcadero in August, 1879. Starts for the door fast. MIDGE Wait a minute! You're not a detective any more. What's going on? SCOTTIE (Pausing) Do you know him well? MIDGE Pop Leibel? Sure. SCOTTIE All right, come on. Introduce me. Where is your hat? He looks about for it. MIDGE (Speeding to the door) I don't need a hat. Johnny, what's it about? She speeds right on through the open door. SCOTTIE I'll tell you later. Wait a minute! He races out after her. DISSOLVE TO: INT. ARGOSY BOOK SHOP - (DUSK) It is old, it is misty, it is filled with old books, but the important thing to note is that it is filled with memorabilia of California pioneer days: on the walls are not only the familiar old maps and prints but also, and more striking, such things as framed old mining claims, posters describing outlaws wanted by the law, Wells Fargo Pony Express Posters; and on the shelves, old whiskey bottles, gold-mining pans, and such. The proprietor, Pop Leibel, is staring with a nodding smile at the piece of paper Scottie has handed him, and Scottie watches him keenly. In the bag, Midge wanders about the shop, inspecting the prints on the wall, but always listening. POP LEIBEL Yes... the Beautiful Carlotta... the Sad Carlotta... SCOTTIE What does a big old wooden house on the corner of Eddy and Gough Street have to do with her? POP LEIBEL It was hers. It was built for her. Many years ago. SCOTTIE By whom? POP LEIBEL By... no... the name I do not remember. A rich man, a powerful man. It is not an unusual story. She came from somewhere small, to the south of the city... some say from a mission settlement... young, yes; very young. And she was found singing and dancing in a cabaret by the man... wait... wait... Ives! His name was Ives! Yes. And he took her and built for her this great house in the Western Addition... and there was a child. Yes. This was it. The child. Scottie hangs on his words. Pop looks up at him and smiles. POP LEIBEL And now, fragments, you understand. I cannot tell you how much time passed, or how much happiness there was. But then he threw her away. He had no other children; his wife had no children. He kept the child and threw her away. Men could do that in those days. They had the power... and the freedom. And she became the Sad Carlotta. Alone in the great house... walking the streets alone, her clothes becoming old and patched and dirty... the Mad Carlotta... stopping people in the streets to ask, "Where is my child?... have you seen my child?". The store has darkened considerably and all the figures are practically silhouettes. The CAMERA picks up a CLOSE SHOT OF MIDGE, listening intently, her head turned away from the wall toward the old man. And on the wall near her head is a print of mission San Juan Bantista as it was in the old days. MIDGE The poor thing.... SCOTTIE And she died... POP LEIBEL She died. SCOTTIE How? POP LEIBEL By her own hand. (Pause. Smiles as sadly) There are many such stories. SCOTTIE Thank you, Mr. Leibel. Thank you very much. Forgetting Midge, he turns and walks out of the store fast, deep in thought. MIDGE Hey, wait a minute! So long, Pop! Thanks a lot! She dashes out after Scottie. EXT. SIDEWALK OUTSIDE ARGOSY BOOK SHOP - (DUSK) Midge catches up with Scottie and stops him by grabbing his arm. MIDGE Now then, Johnny-O; pay me. SCOTTIE For what? MIDGE For bringing you here. Come on, tell! SCOTTIE Nothing to tell. MIDGE You'll tell, or you'll be back in that corset! Come on! SCOTTIE I'll take you home. He starts off with long strides, and Midge hurries after him. DISSOLVE TO: EXT. STREET OUTSIDE MIDGE'S APARTMENT - (EARLY EVENING) - LONG SHOT Scottie's car draws up and comes to a stop. INT. SCOTTIE'S CAR - (EARLY EVENING) - MEDIUM TWO SHOT Scottie and Midge are looking straight ahead. SCOTTIE Here you are. MIDGE You haven't told me everything. SCOTTIE I've told you enough. MIDGE Who's the guy, who's the wife? SCOTTIE Out. I've got things to do. MIDGE I know. The one who phoned. Your old college chum, Elster. SCOTTIE Out! MIDGE And the idea is that the Beautiful Mad Carlotta has come back from the dead, to take possession of Elster's wife? Ah, Johnny! Come on! SCOTTIE (Angrily) I'm not telling you what I think! I'm telling you what he thinks! MIDGE Think? Well, what do you think? Scottie is troubled, lost in thought. Pause. MIDGE Is she pretty? SCOTTIE Carlotta? MIDGE (Evenly) No, not Carlotta. Elster's wife. SCOTTIE Mmm, yeah, I guess... Midge looks up at him from the corners of her eyes. MIDGE (Wickedly) I think I'll go take a look at that portrait. (With a bright smile) Bye! She opens the car door quickly and jumps out. SCOTTIE (Outraged) Midge! MIDGE Bye-bye! She slams the car door and runs into the house. Scottie glares after her for a moment, then his face relaxes, and he is lost in thought. He reaches into the glove compartment of the car and draws out the catalogue of the permanent collection of the Palace of the Legion of Honor. He opens it to a page and stares down. INSERT - THE REPRODUCTION OF THE PORTRAIT OF CARLOTTA. DISSOLVE TO: INT. GAVIN ELSTER'S CLUB - (NIGHT) Elster and Scottie are seated in the lounge of a San Francisco Club - there are one or two members reading newspapers, etc., while a waiter moves by in the background serving drinks. Elster is studying the reproduction of the portrait of Carlotta in the catalogue that Scottie procured from the gallery. The waiter leans in and places two drinks before them. Scottie watches Elster, waiting for him, to speak. Finally: ELSTER (With a wan smile) You've done well, Scottie. You're good at your job. SCOTTIE That's Carlotta Valdes. ELSTER Yes. SCOTTIE There are things you didn't tell me. ELSTER I didn't know where she was going to lead you. SCOTTIE But you knew about this. ELSTER Oh, yes. You noticed the way she does her hair. He places a finger on the reproduction of the portrait to indicate the bun at the back of the neck. Scottie nods. ELSTER Something else. My wife, Madeleine, has several pieces of jewelry that belonged to Carlotta. She inherited them. Never wore them, they were too old-fashioned... until now. Now, when she is alone, she gets them out and looks at them handles them gently, curiously... puts them on and stares at herself in the mirror... and goes into that other world... is someone else again. SCOTTIE Carlotta Valdes was what: your wife's grandmother? ELSTER Great-grandmother. The child who was taken from her whose loss drove Carlotta mad and to her death - was Madeleine's grandmother. SCOTTIE (Confidently) Well, that explains it. Anyone could develop an obsession for the past, with a background like that. ELSTER But she doesn't know, about her background. (As Scottie stares, narrowly) She never heard of Carlotta Valdes. SCOTTIE Knows nothing of a grave out at Mission Dolores, or an old house an Eddy Street, or a portrait at the Palace of the Legion of Honor? ELSTER Nothing. SCOTTIE And when she goes to those places... ELSTER She is not my wife. The two men stare at each other directly, honestly. SCOTTIE How do you know all these things she doesn't know? ELSTER Her mother told me most of then before she died. I dug out the rest for myself, here. SCOTTIE Why did she never tell her daughter? ELSTER Natural fear. Her grandmother went insane and took her own life. And the blood is in Madeleine. (Pause) Scottie, I ask you to watch her closely. Scottie raises his glass and drinks slowly, thoughtfully. DISSOLVE TO: EXT. PALACE OF THE LEGION OF HONOR - (LATE AFTERNOON) The columns of the courtyard are back lit by the sun. There is no sign of life. Near the steps, standing alone and empty, is the green Jaguar. LAP DISSOLVE TO: INT. THE ART GALLERY - (LATE AFTERNOON) SHOOTING through the columns in the foreground, our view of the room is obscured momentarily by an elderly couple moving toward the door. They go by to reveal Scottie standing by a Rodin sculpture, looking into the room, and far beyond him, at the end of the room, Madeleine seated on the bench before the portrait staring at it. In her hand, resting at her side on the bench, is once again the nosegay. Now she rises and approaches the portrait and stands before it, the nosegay clasped in her two hands before her, and stares up almost as though in votive offering or in prayer. Finally she turns and starts toward the entrance. Scottie slips away out of sight. Madeleine walks slowly toward the CAMERA. LAP DISSOLVE TO: EXT. PALACE OF THE LEGION OF HONOR - (LATE AFTERNOON) Madeleine approaches the green Jaguar, gets in, and the car starts away. Scottie's car moves into the scene, following, DISSOLVE TO: EXT. SEA CLIFF DRIVE - (LATE AFTERNOON) We see the green Jaguar proceeding, the grey sedan at a careful distance behind. Beyond, looking northeast we see the Golden Gate Bridge in the late afternoon sun, and Richmond and Berkeley in the distance. DISSOLVE TO: INT. SCOTTIE'S CAR - (SUNSET) Scottie carefully looking ahead. EXT. PRESIDIO DRIVE - (SUNSET) Madeleine's car approaches along the drive to the gates of the Presidio, and passes through the gates and is swallowed by the trees. Scottie's car follows, and it, too, disappears. DISSOLVE TO: EXT. PRESIDIO - (SUNSET) The two cars driving along the wooded road. INT. SCOTTIE'S CAR - (SUNSET) Scottie looking ahead. DISSOLVE TO: EXT. FORT POINT - (SUNSET) Scottie's car is traveling down the slope toward the jutting point of old Fort Winfield Scott. It comes to a stop in the level clearing. The green Jaguar stands there, empty. EXT. BRIDGE - (SUNSET) - MEDIUM SHOT Scottie gets out of his car and looks off out of picture. EXT. BRIDGE - (SUNSET) - LONG SHOT Madeleine walking away round the dockside. The vast bridge towers above her. She carries the nosegay. Scottie moves into the f.g., and makes off in the same direction. Madeleine disappears round the corner of the old fort wall. Now she is out of sight, we see Scottie quicken his pace as he approaches the corner of the fort wall. EXT. BRIDGE - (SUNSET) - MEDIUM SHOT SHOOTING back, we see Scottie approach the wall and peer cautiously around. EXT. BRIDGE - (SUNSET) - SEMI-LONG SHOT From his viewpoint, we see Madeleine standing at the waters' edge. She is mechanically tearing off the lace-edged paper from the nosegay. EXT. BRIDGE - (SUNSET) - CLOSEUP Scottie watching her curiously. EXT. BRIDGE - (SUNSET) - SEMI-CLOSEUP Madeleine lets the paper drift away down to the water. She proceeds to unwind the wire around the flowers and begins to scatter them an the water. CLOSE SHOT OF FLOWERS FLOATING ON THE WATER EXT. BRIDGE - (SUNSET) - CLOSEUP Scottie watching Madeleine. EXT. DOCKSIDE - (SUNSET) - SEMI-LONG SHOT The full figure of Madeleine, scattering the rest of the flowers. Then she raises her head and stares up at the sky. A moment in which her body seem poised, and then she is gone, lost to view in the water. EXT. DOCKSIDE - (SUNSET) - LONG SHOT Scottie dashes around the wall and the CAMERA PANS him to the water's edge. He is throwing his coat off. EXT. DOCKSIDE - (SUNSET) - SEMI-LONG SHOT SHOOTING down into the water, we see Madeleine's upturned face as she floats away. She disappears now and again. EXT. DOCKSIDE - (SUNSET) - MEDIUM SHOT SCOTTIE, running down the few stone steps towards the water. When the water is up to his knees, he swims out towards her. EXT. DOCKSIDE - (SUNSET) - CLOSEUP MADELEINE Her eyes staring, sinks beneath the water. She is surrounded by the scattered flowers. Scottie swims in and grabs her. EXT. DOCKSIDE - (SUNSET) - CLOSEUP As he holds her, the two heads are pressed together. He turns and starts to swim back with her. The screen is filled with their two heads. Madeleine's staring eyes begin to close as she is moved away. LAP DISSOLVE: EXT. DOCKSIDE - (SUNSET) - MEDIUM SHOT We see Scottie coming up some stone steps. He is staggering with the weight of Madeleine's water-soaked body and clothes. He carries her over towards the green Jaguar. EXT. DOCKSIDE - (SUNSET) - MEDIUM SHOT Resting her for a moment, he throws open the door on the passenger's side. EXT. DOCKSIDE - (SUNSET) Scottie's head is close to hers. She is now breathing heavily. SCOTTIE (whispering) Are you all right? Her eyes open slowly. SCOTTIE (Calling softly) Madeleine... Her eyes show no sign of recognition or response; they move past his face and stare out. The CAMERA SLOWLY MOVES IN until her head fills the screen. She stares out as though in a trance. DISSOLVE TO: EXT.SCOTTIE'S APARTMENT - (DUSK) The empty green Jaguar is drawn up at the curb before the red door of a small, well-kept house. DISSOLVE TO: INT. SCOTTIE'S APARTMENT - (NIGHT) We are in the living room of a comfortable a bachelor apartment. There is a picture window that looks up to Coit Tower on Telegraph Hill. The room is softly lit. A fire is lit in the fireplace; the logs are blazing well, Scottie, in a pair of grey trousers and an old sweater, is wandering about the room, trying to think things out. Through an open door we can see into a small kitchen where Madeleine's clothes - all of them - hang, on a cord over the electric stove, drying. And through another open door we can see into the bedroom where Madeleine lies, in the larger-than-single bed, under the covers, asleep. She sighs and turns restlessly, and Scottie glances at her from the living-room as he wanders, and then she turns again, and the sigh becomes words, spoken in sleep, and he stops, and listens. MADELEINE (Faintly, distantly) Please... thank you... please... Scottie waits, taut, but there is no more. He starts to turn away and suddenly, still distant, but more clearly: MADELEINE (Appealingly) Where is my child?... have you seen my child...? Scottie stiffens with the shock of recognition and his eyes go wide with apprehension staring at the lost, eye-closed, troubled woman in the bed. And at that moment the telephone on the bedside table rings sharply. He makes a dash for it. The ringing brings the woman to with a sharp start, and she instinctively clutches the bedclothes to her chin and raises up a little and stares with wide-eyed fright at the man running towards her. Scottie takes the phone. SCOTTIE Yes?... No, it's all right; I'll call you back. Yes. Yes! He hangs up, and tries to smile down at Madeleine, who has not moved, but has followed his every move with fright and apprehension. SCOTTIE Are you all right? No answer, only the eyes staring at him. And then he realizes, with some embarrassment, that she cannot move, that she is naked under the bedclothes, and he reaches across to the dressing gown he has laid out for her on the bed, and moves it closer to her. SCOTTIE Oh... you'll want this... He gives her a reassuring nod and smile, straightens up and goes to the door, and goes into the living room, closing the bedroom door behind him. And she stares after him as he goes. In the living room, he moves to the fireplace, puts another log on, and watches it catch. The bedroom door behind him opens, and he turns to face Madeleine. She has the dressing gown belted tightly around the middle and holds it together with one band at her breast. And she stands there staring at him nervously, frightened, not wanting to admit that she does not know how she came there, but wanting very much to know. And she cannot help herself: knowing her own fears, she has to ask. MADELEINE Why am I here? What happened? SCOTTIE You... (Then, not liking the sound of the truth) ...fell into the Bay. She puts a hand slowly to her hair, understanding now why it is wet. SCOTTIE I dried your hair as well as I could. But you'd better come here by the fire. And now, knowing that he dried her hair, she realizes that he must have taken her clothes off, too, and she looks down at her body with deep awareness of her nakedness, and draws the dressing gown more closely to her, and looks back at him with frightened embarrassment. And her head begins to move quickly, the eyes darting about the apartment as though seeking a way of escape, and she sees the clothes hanging in the kitchen. And she looks back to Scottie appealingly. SCOTTIE They're almost at dry. Here. Why don't you come over here? He pulls a low-stool over before the fire. Madeleine crosses slowly, keeping her eyes always on him, and sinks down on the stool. He smiles a at her companionably. SCOTTIE Would you like some coffee? She shakes her head. SCOTTIE You'd better have some. Or would you rather have a drink? She shakes her head again. He pours a cup of coffee and places it on the floor next to her, along with a bowl of sugar cubes. MADELEINE (Wonderingly) ...fell into the bay... She looks up at him. He nods. MADELEINE ...and you fished me out... He nods. She gives him a small grateful smile. MADELEINE Thank you. Scottie is watching her intently. SCOTTIE You don't remember. MADELEINE No... SCOTTIE Do you remember where you were? MADELEINE (Childishly surprised) Oh, of course I remember that! But then I must have had a dizzy spell, and fainted! SCOTTIE (Quickly) Where were you? MADELEINE At... For that one slight, imperceptible moments it may seem that she is caught, but then she goes on. MADELEINE (Triumphantly) ...Old Port Point! Out at the Presidio! Of course I remember! I often go there! SCOTTIE Why? MADELEINE (Almost naively) Because I love it so. It's beautiful there. Especially at sunset. (She leans her head back sensually to the warmth) Ah... thank you for the fire. SCOTTIE Where had you been before? MADELEINE When? SCOTTIE This afternoon. MADELEINE Oh... wandering about. SCOTTIE Before? Where? Where had you been? There is a quick moment of blankness in her eyes that she tries to hide, and then: MADELEINE (Positively) Downtown, shopping. And Scottie sighs inwardly, having proved something. SCOTTIE Please drink your coffee. MADELEINE I will. You're terribly direct in your questions. SCOTTIE I'm sorry. I didn't mean to be rude. MADELEINE You're not. Merely direct. What were you doing there? At Old Fort Point? SCOTTIE Wandering about. MADELEINE You like it, too. He nods. She smiles at him happily, enjoying the warmth and the coffee, enjoying his presence, seemingly almost to have forgotten her nearness to death. And Scottie is fascinated by this thing curled up before his fire. MADELEINE (Then with a wicked smile) And where had you been?... just before? A moment, as Scottie takes a deep breath, and then he decides to chance it and see the reaction. SCOTTIE The Palace of the Legion of honor. The Art Gallery. MADELEINE (Enthusiastically) Oh, that's a lovely spot, isn't it? I've never been inside. But it looks so lovely, driving past. At the words, "I've never been inside," Scottie is startled. He stares at her, and she looks at him with naive, happy inquisitiveness, and their looks are joined. Finally she drops her eyes and smiles timidly. MADELEINE (Softly) Lucky for me you were wandering about. Thank you again. I've been terrible bother to you. SCOTTIE No. She reaches up to feel her hair. MADELEINE When you... (And suddenly conscious of her nakedness again, and embarrassed) There were pins in my hair... SCOTTIE Oh! Yes! Here! He crosses the room swiftly, picks up an ash tray in which he had deposited her hairpins, takes her handbag from a chair, and brings them to her. MADELEINE Thank you. She proceeds to do up her hair. He watches her, held by the movement of her body under the dressing gown as she raises her arms and deftly sets about putting her hair in order. At one point, as she works, she looks up and flashes him a direct smile. MADELEINE You shouldn't have brought me here, you know. SCOTTIE I... didn't know where you lived. MADELEINE You could have looked in my car. Oh, but you didn't know my car, did you? SCOTTIE Yes, I knew which one it was. It's out there, now. But I didn't think you'd want to be brought home that way. MADELEINE No, you are right, (Pause, as she works) I'm glad you didn't take me home... I wouldn't have known you, to thank you... (Suddenly appalled) Oh, but I don't know you! And you don't know me! My name is Madeleine Elster. SCOTTIE My name is John Ferguson. MADELEINE That's a good, strong name. Do your friends call you John? Or Jack. SCOTTIE John. Old friends. Acquaintances call me Scottie. MADELEINE (Smiling) I shall call you Mr. Ferguson. SCOTTIE (Grinning) No, I wouldn't like that. And after what happened today I should think you could call me Scottie. Or even John. MADELEINE I prefer John. There, that's done. (The hair is in order) And what do you do, John? SCOTTIE Wander about. MADELEINE That's a good occupation. And live here... alone? He nods. A cloud comes over her eyes. She looks away. MADELEINE (softly) One shouldn't live alone. SCOTTIE Some people prefer it. MADELEINE No... it's wrong. Then she looks up with a small smile, and the cloud is gone from her eyes, and she speaks completely matter-of-factly. MADELEINE (Simply) I'm married, you know. Scottie nods almost imperceptibly with his eyes. He looks at her for a long moment. Then: SCOTTIE Will you tell me something? Has this ever happened to you before? MADELEINE (startled) What? SCOTTIE ...Falling... into San Francisco Bay? She laughs with relief, for it seemed to her, for a quick moment, that he was going to say "falling in love". MADELEINE No, never before. I've fallen into lakes, out of rowboats, when I was a little girl. And I fell into a river, once, trying to leap from one stone to another. But I've never fallen into San Francisco Bay. Have you? Ever before? SCOTTIE (Grinning) No... this is the first time for me, too. And they laugh together, with genuine warmth and friendliness in their eyes, and it is obvious they are very much taken with each other. And as they laugh, simultaneously, she reaches for the cup of coffee, to take another sip, and he reaches for it, meaning to take it and refill it. SCOTTIE Here, let me give you a lit -- And his hand falls on her outstretched arm and stays there, and with the contact made, the laughter dies suddenly, and he is looking down at her intently, and their eyes have met, and hers are anxious and wondering. And at that moment, the telephone rings sharply. Scottie races into the bedroom, closing the door behind him, and gets to the phone. SCOTTIE Hello. ELSTER'S VOICE Scottie, what happened? She's not home, yet. SCOTTIE No, she's all right. She's still here. But I'll get her home soon. ELSTER'S VOICE What happened? SCOTTIE She... went into the Bay. There is a long silence. SCOTTIE Hello? ELSTER'S VOICE Did she hurt herself? SCOTTIE No. She's in fine shape. Nothing to worry about. But she doesn't know. You understand that. She doesn't know what she did. Another long silence. ELSTER'S VOICE Scottie... Madeleine is twenty-six. Carlotta Valdes committed suicide when she was twenty-six. And now it is Scottie's turn to be silent. He hangs up slowly and moves across the room to the door. INT. THE LIVING ROOM - (NIGHT) Scottie enters from the bedroom, and stops, surprised. The room is empty. The clothes are gone from the in the kitchen. EXT. STREET OUTSIDE SCOTTIE'S APARTMENT - (NIGHT) A car is moving down the hill on the opposite side of the street. It begins to turn in toward the sidewalk and then comes to a sudden stop. EXT. SCOTTIE'S APARTMENT - (NIGHT) - CLOSEUP Midge is behind the wheel. She is staring out of the side of the window and we see what has made her come to a sudden stop. EXT. SCOTTIE'S APARTMENT - (NIGHT) From Midge's point of view; Madeleine, outside Scottie's door, hurries to the green Jaguar. INT. MIDGE'S CAR - (NIGHT) Midge watches Madeleine almost wistfully, and there is a small look of hurt in her eyes. But even to herself she has to cover, and she smiles ironically. EXT. SCOTTIE'S APARTMENT - (NIGHT) The Jaguar pulls away and passes out of view. INT. MIDGE'S CAR - (NIGHT) Midge is still staring across at Scottie's house, and the soft smile on her lips covers the hurt well. But there is still a shadow of it in her eyes. MIDGE (Softly) Well, now, Johnny-O... Was it a ghost?... And was it fun?... Then she suddenly changes expression. MIDGE Oops! She takes her foot off the brake, and turning hard on the wheel, straightens the car up and drives on. EXT. SCOTTIE'S APARTMENT - (NIGHT) The door to Scottie's apartment has opened, and Scottie stands in the doorway looking up and down the street for the Jaguar, his tall frame silhouetted in the light streaming from the room. DISSOLVE TO: EXT. BROCKLEBANK APTS. - (DAY) - LONG SHOT The CAMERA is SHOOTING through the stone gateway across the small courtyard toward the front door of the apartments. We see Madeleine emerge. She is dressed completely different from the night before. She makes her way down to the Jaguar in the f.g. She gets in, starts up and swings the car round toward the CAMERA. She passes out of the picture. EXT. BROCKLEBANK APTS. - (DAY) - LONG SHOT Across the street, we see Scottie's sedan pull out and also approach the CAMERA. It too, passes out of the picture. INT. SCOTTIE'S CAR - (DAY) - CLOSEUP Scottie sitting at the wheel driving ahead. His eyes are satisfied. They hold Madeleine's car in view. EXT. SAN FRANCISCO STREET - (DAY) - LONG SHOT We see the Jaguar ahead. It turns a left down another street. It goes for a block and turns right. Then it turns left again, than it turns right, then it turns left again. INT. SCOTTIE'S CAR - (DAY) - CLOSEUP Scottie looks a little dizzy with the constant turning. We stay with him a little while and we can see from the scene behind him, that we are still turning left and right. EXT. SAN FRANCISCO STREET - (DAY) - LONG SHOT The Jaguar speeds up. It's going down a street, not turning any more. A few blocks off, we can see the Coit Tower coming into view. INT. SCOTTIE'S CAR - (DAY) - CLOSEUP Scottie seem a little mystified now, as the direction in which she is going. EXT. SAN FRANCISCO STREET - (DAY) - LONG SHOT The Jaguar turns right into a narrow curving street and finally comes to a sudden stop ahead. INT. SCOTTIE'S CAR - (DAY) - CLOSEUP Scottie now wears a look of great astonishment, as he pulls up hurriedly in the middle of the street. EXT. SAN FRANCISCO STREET - (DAY) - SEMI-LONG SHOT From his viewpoints, we see the reason for his astonishment. Madeleine has alighted and is approaching, of all places, toward his own red front door. EXT. SAN FRANCISCO STREET - (DAY) - MEDIUM SHOT Scottie pulls his car over to the curb and gets out. The CAMERA PANS him down. He stops short just before he reaches Madeleine, to see her take a letter from her handbag and put it into his letter box. He moves up to her. SCOTTIE Is that for me? Madeleine turns quickly, startled, and then sees who it is, and smiles. MADELEINE Oh! Yes. Hello. SCOTTIE Good morning. I worried about you, last night. You shouldn't have run like that. MADELEINE (Embarrassed) I... suddenly felt such a fool. SCOTTIE I wanted to drive you home. Are you all right? MADELEINE (Flashing a smile) Oh, yes. Fine. No after effects. (Then, ruefully) But as I remember now, that water was cold, wasn't it? (He nods. She looks away) What a terrible thing to do... and you were so kind... (With a gesture) It's a formal thank-you letter. And a great big apology. SCOTTIE You've nothing to apologize for. MADELEINE Oh, yes! The whole thing must have been so embarrassing for you! SCOTTIE Not at all, I enjoyed -- And he stops short, now truly embarrassed, and she looks at him with wide eyes, waiting for him to go on. SCOTTIE -- talking to you... MADELEINE (With small, contained amusement) I enjoyed talking to you. An awkward pause. Scottie turns abruptly to the door, getting out his key. SCOTTIE I'll get my mail... He opens the door and bends down to pick up the letter. As he is reaching for it, he turns his head and speaks almost without thinking. SCOTTIE Would you like some coffee? MADELEINE (Quickly) No! No, thank you! She says it so impulsively, and with such young vehemence, that they both start to laugh. He straightens up and opens the letter. MADELEINE I couldn't mail it; I didn't know your address. But I had a landmark. I remembered Coit Tower and it led me straight to you. SCOTTIE The first time I've been grateful for Coit Tower. He reads the letter as she watches him. He looks up. SCOTTIE I hope we will, too. MADELEINE What? SCOTTIE Meet again, sometime. MADELEINE We have. They smile at one another, and there is a nice moment of silent rapport. Then: MADELEINE Good-bye. SCOTTIE Good-bye. She turns and goes to her car as he stands watching her, and gets in behind the wheel. SCOTTIE (Suddenly walking) Where are you going? And he races to the car and leans in the window. She watches him, open-mouthed, as he crosses the sidewalk. Then: MADELEINE I don't know. SCOTTIE Shopping? MADELEINE No. SCOTTIE Well... anywhere in particular? MADELEINE No, I Just thought I'd wander. SCOTTIE Ah. (Then) That's what I was going to do. MADELEINE Oh, yes, I forgot: It's your occupation, isn't it? And she waits with a small smile. SCOTTIE Don't you think it's sort of a waste for the two of us to... MADELEINE Wander separately? Ah, but only one is a wanderer. Two, together, are always going somewhere. SCOTTIE No... no, I don't think that's necessarily true. And now he waits, hopefully. MADELEINE (With a smiling nod) You left your door open. He turns his head, startled and annoyed, than makes a dash for the door. As he goes, he turns his head to call back to her. SCOTTIE Don't move! And he hurries on to the door. She watches him go, and we are close on her face to see her genuine amusement, and then the laughter fades a little, and a troubled look comes into her eyes, a touch of concern. DISSOLVE TO: EXT. ALONG SKYLINE - (DAY) - LONG SHOT The green Jaguar moving south. INT. THE JAGUAR - (DAY) Madeleine is at the wheel, her eyes intent on the road, a sort, happy smile on her lips. Scottie is at her side, relaxed. He keeps looking at her as often as he can without seeming obvious. SCOTTIE (Finally) Do you know where you're going? MADELEINE Of course not! I'm a wanderer! (Pause. Then brightly) I'd like to go somewhere I've never been! SCOTTIE How can you be sure? MADELEINE If I've been there? That's silly! Either you've been to a place or you haven't. She flashes a quick smile of innocence at him, then returns her eyes to the road. He looks at her profile, wondering. EXT. SKYLINE DRIVE - (DAY) - HIGH SHOT The car turns a bend and approaches dark woods and moves into the blackness and is swallowed up. DISSOLVE TO: BIG BASIN REDWOODS STATE PARK - (DAY) The empty Jaguar in the foreground. The CAMERA MOVES to a long view of the grove of redwoods. In the distance we see the figures of Madeleine and Scottie wandering among the towering trees. DISSOLVE TO: EXT. THE REDWOODS - (DAY) Madeleine and Scottie near the massive trunk of a tree. Beyond them, the small stream, bridged by a wide flattened redwood log. MADELEINE How old? SCOTTIE Oh... some, two thousand years, or more. MADELEINE The oldest living things? Scottie nods and watches her, wondering, as she looks about thoughtfully. SCOTTIE You've never been here before. She shakes her head, lost in thought as she lets her gaze wander among the trees. SCOTTIE What are you thinking? MADELEINE (Searching) Of all the people who have been born... and have died... while the trees went on living. SCOTTIE (Agreeing) Their true name is Sequoia Sempervirens: always green, ever- living. MADELEINE (Flatly) I don't like them. SCOTTIE Why? MADELEINE (Simply) Knowing I have to die... She looks up at him with a shy, embarrassed smile. Then, seeing the wandering look in his eyes, she brightens quickly. MADELEINE But I like the stream! It's a lovely stream! She leaves him and moves quickly out onto the bridge and loans on the railing to watch the water rippling below. And then, as he approaches her, she turns and looks at him, wide- eyed. MADELEINE But it makes no sound! Listen! She listens intensely for a long moment, and looks at him anxiously. MADELEINE Do you hear anything? SCOTTIE (Shaking his head) Only silence. It's always like this. MADELEINE (Wondering) And no birds sing. SCOTTIE No birds live here. MADELEINE No. She turns away with gentle, somber, self-contained wonder, and they cross back to the path in silence, and wander on along the path in silence. We watch them move away in the distance, disappear behind a tree, then come into view again, and now there comes into view the cross-section of a redwood tree that is on exhibit, with certain of its rings marked to show what it has lived through, and they approach it. SCOTTIE Would you like a drink of water? MADELEINE No, thank you. Scottie moves to the small upright drinking fountain as Madeleine approaches the tree section and stands before it and studies it. Scottie gets a drink of water, then comes up behind Madeleine and stands, and she is seemingly unaware of his presence. Their backs are to the CAMERA. INSERT OF RINGS on the tree, marked with dates, beginning, near the center with the date 909 A.D. and ending with 1930 - tree cut down. EXT. RED WOODS - (DAY) - CLOSE SHOT We see the two profiles: Madeleine staring at the tree, Scottie staring at Madeleine. She raises one gloved hand and almost idly begins to trace a finger up along the white line that is marked: 1776 DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE. And as the hand moves a little to the left, Madeleine begins to speak, almost vacantly, oblivious of all but this piece of tree, and herself. MADELEINE Somewhere in here I was born... and here I died and it was only a moment for you... you took no notice... SCOTTIE (Almost sharply) Madeleine! She turns her head to him, only now aware of his presence, and stares at him without expression. Then slowly she turns and walks away, and the CAMERA, PANNING HER SLIGHTLY, brings the head and shoulders of Scottie into the foreground, and he watches her, wondering anxiously, trying to put things together in his mind. Madeleine walks on until she disappears behind one of the distant redwoods. EXT. RED WOODS - (DAY) - MEDIUM SHOT Scottie moves over, watching her. EXT. RED WOODS - (DAY) - LONG SHOT The CAMERA MOVES OVER as though it is Scottie looking. It MOVES far enough to reveal that Madeleine is no longer there. She seems to have disappeared. EXT. RED WOODS - (DAY) - MEDIUM SHOT Scottie comes forward, the CAMERA PANNING him, to get a better view of where Madeleine went. EXT. RED WOODS - (DAY) - SEMI-LONG SHOT The CAMERA in Scottie's position, moving around, shows that there is no sign of Madeleine whatsoever. EXT. RED WOODS - (DAY) - MEDIUM SHOT The CAMERA DOLLIES Scottie down toward the trees. EXT. RED WOODS - (DAY) - SEMI-LONG SHOT CAMERA is now among the trees where Madeleine was last seen. As it TRAVELS across them, it finally brings her into view. She's leaning against a tree with her head bent back. EXT. RED WOODS - (DAY) - CLOSEUP Scottie comes to a stop as he sees her. EXT. RED WOODS - (DAY) - CLOSEUP Madeleine leaning against the tree. Her eyes are closed and she is breathing heavily. In the background we see Scottie approaching her. As he comes up to her, the CAMERA EASES BACK and MOVES AROUND until it faces her and Scottie. SCOTTIE (Gently) Madeleine... She opens her eyes slowly, and looks at him, recognizing him, and yet not quite, as though she were slightly hypnotized. Scottie speaks gently. SCOTTIE Where are you now? MADELEINE (Softly, distantly) Here with you. SCOTTIE Where? MADELEINE The tall trees... SCOTTIE Have you been here before? MADELEINE Yes... SCOTTIE When? She shakes her head. SCOTTIE Where were you born? MADELEINE Long ago... SCOTTIE Where? She shakes her head. SCOTTIE When? Her head continues to move back and forth, gently denying. His voice is more positive, now, more urgently demanding. SCOTTIE Tell me. The head moves more rapidly, now, as though denying some inner compulsion. SCOTTIE Madeleine! Tell me! The rapidly moving head stops short, and her eyes open wide, and she cries out: MADELEINE No!... No! SCOTTIE (Low and urgent) Tell me what it is. Where do you go? What takes you away? MADELEINE No, don't ask me! They are both speaking quickly, now, the words cascading without pause. SCOTTIE When you jumped in the bay, you didn't know where you were. You guessed but you didn't know. MADELEINE I didn't jump, I fell! You told me I fell! SCOTTIE Why did you jump? MADELEINE No! SCOTTIE What was it inside that told you to jump? She is fighting it strongly, yet pathetically. MADELEINE No, I can't tell you! SCOTTIE What?! MADELEINE (Strongly) No! Please! Please, please, please, please, don't ask me! And her head drops, and she sags, and Scottie stands quietly watching her, knowing he can push it no further. MADELEINE (Softly, tired) Take me away from here? SCOTTIE Home? MADELEINE ...somewhere in the light. He takes her arm. She looks up at him with a tired smile. MADELEINE And promise you won't ask me again. Please promise me that. He looks down at her somberly, promising and refusing nothing. They start walking, holding together, and the two figures become small in the distance, moving away through the tall trees. DISSOLVE TO: EXT. CYPRESS POINT OR POINT LOBOS - (DAY) SAME DAY. Below the point of land, the sea pounds against the rocks. Madeleine stands alone, silhouetted against the sky. Scottie sits in the car, watching her. She does not move. Then slowly she starts to walk toward the sea, and as he watches he senses, without being sure, that her pace is increasing, and suddenly he opens the car door and jumps out and slams the door and begins to run. But then he sees something, and slows down quickly and walks, for Madeleine has stopped and turned and is waiting for him. There is a gentle, apologetic smile in her eyes. She waits, and he comes to a stop before her. MADELEINE Why did you run? He looks down at her searchingly. SCOTTIE (Finally, quietly) I'm responsible for you now, you know. The Chinese say that once you have saved someone's life, you are responsible for it forever. And so I'm committed. And I have to know. MADELEINE And you'll go on saving me? Again and again? He waits. She looks down. MADELEINE There is so little I know. It is as though I were walking down a long corridor that once was mirrored, and fragments of mirror still hang there, dark and shadowy, reflecting a dark image of me... and yet not me... someone else, in other clothes, of another time, doing things I have never done... but still me... And I can't stop to ask why, I must keep on walking. At the and of the corridor there is nothing but darkness, and I know when I walk into the darkness, I'll die. (Pause; she looks up) But I've never come to the and; I've always come back, before then. Except once. SCOTTIE Yesterday. She nods. SCOTTIE And you didn't know. You didn't know what happened. Until you found yourself there with me. She shakes her head. SCOTTIE You don't know where you were. She shakes her head. SCOTTIE But the small scenes, the fragments in the mirror: you remember them. MADELEINE Vaguely... SCOTTIE What do you remember? MADELEINE (Searching) A room... there is a room, and I sit there alone... always alone... SCOTTIE Would you know the room? MADELEINE No... it's in shadow. SCOTTIE What else? MADELEINE A grave... SCOTTIE Where? MADELEINE I don't know. An open grave. I stand by the gravestone looking down into it. And it's my grave. SCOTTIE How do you know? MADELEINE I know. SCOTTIE There's a name on the gravestone. MADELEINE No. It's new and clean, and waiting. SCOTTIE (Beginning to feel lost) What else? MADELEINE (Searching) This part is dream, I think. There is a tower and a bell and... a garden below... but it seems to be in Spain... a village in Spain. And then it clicks off, and is gone. SCOTTIE A portrait? Do you ever see a portrait? MADELEINE No. SCOTTIE Of the woman in the mirror. Would you know her if you saw her? MADELEINE But I'm the woman in the mirror! SCOTTIE (Desperately) No! She looks up at him, rebuffed, desperately lost, and her eyes well with tears. Scottie is looking away, lost in thought. SCOTTIE (To himself) If I could find the key... find the beginning put it together... MADELEINE (Quietly, lost) And so explain it away? But there is a way to explain it, you see. If I'm mad? That would explain it, wouldn't it? Scottie looks at her, and her eyes are big with fright and despair and a plea for denial, and suddenly she breaks, and the tears flow, and she turns her head away sharply and turns and runs toward the edge of the land. SCOTTIE Madeleine!! He races after her and catches her and holds her, and she is against him, clinging tightly, deep in his embrace, and sobbing fiercely. MADELEINE (Muffled, against his breast) I'm not mad. I'm not mad. And I don't want to die, but there's someone inside me, there's a somebody else, and she says I must die... Scottie, don't let me go! SCOTTIE I'm here, I've got you... MADELEINE I'm so afraid... (She looks up) ...you won't let it happen... Her face is close to his and they are clinging tightly together. He shakes his head, and then suddenly his mouth is on hers, and they are deep in a kiss. Their lips part, but remain close together. MADELEINE (Whispering) Don't leave me... stay with me... SCOTTIE All the time. They kiss again, passionately. And the wind blows and the waves dash against the rocks, throwing up a curtain of spray. DISSOLVE TO: INT. MIDGE'S APARTMENT - (NIGHT) Outside the terrace darkness is falling, and the lights of the city have come on. In Midge's apartment the lights are on and soft music comes from the radio (possibly "progressive jazz" of the gentle George Shearing kind). Midge is painting at a standing easel; She has a palette; obviously she is painting in oils. We cannot see what she is painting; the canvas on stretchers has its back to us. Its size is about thirty by forty inches. Whatever it is, it seems to please her: she pauses in her work, picks up a highball from a table nearby, drinks and stares at the painting and giggles a little to herself than applies a few more daubs. Now she hears the outside gate slam. She puts down the brush and the drink, moves the easel a bit so that the canvas cannot be seen from the front door, picks up a water tumbler that contains a small nosegay, and hurries out to the kitchen with it. The door to the apartment slams. SCOTTIE (Calling) Midge? Midge hurries out of the kitchen. MIDGE Hi, Johnny! Did you get my message? She immediately goes to the small sideboard or table on which are bottles, glasses, and ice, and mixes him a highball. Scottie is at ease. He drops his hat on a chair near the door and wanders into the room. SCOTTIE I did. Since when do you go about slipping notes under men's doors? MIDGE Since I stopped being able to get them on the phone. For a man who has nothing to do, you're certainly a busy little bee. Where do you go, these days? SCOTTIE Just wander. MIDGE Where? SCOTTIE Around. MIDGE Oh? She hands him the drink. He takes a long pull at it as she watches him. SCOTTIE Mm. Better. MIDGE Did you need it? SCOTTIE Yeah. MIDGE Oh? She crosses the room to get her own drink, giving a flick of a glance at the canvas as she goes. Scottie watches her, slightly amused, knowing that her curiosity is working like mad. SCOTTIE What was this desperate urge to see me? MIDGE All I said in the note was: "Where are you?" That doesn't sound desperate to me. SCOTTIE Well, I detected an undercurrent. MIDGE I just thought if I gave you a drink and fed you some dinner, you'd be so grateful you'd take me to a movie. SCOTTIE Fair enough. What'll we talk about at dinner? MIDGE Oh... this and that. SCOTTIE What I've been doing? MIDGE If you want to. Naturally, we won't talk about anything you don't want to talk about. SCOTTIE Naturally. Pause. MIDGE (Innocently) What have you been doing? SCOTTIE (With small grin) Wandering. He takes another long pull and wanders over and sweetens the drink. Midge moves a little to block his view of the easel and canvas. SCOTTIE What have you been doing? He wanders back into the room. MIDGE Oh, I'm having a wonderful time! I've gone back to my first love... painting. SCOTTIE Good. I've always said you were wasting your time in the underwear department. MIDGE Well, it's a living. But I'm excited about this. SCOTTIE What is it, a still life? MIDGE No, not exactly. Want to see? Scottie moves toward the easel and Midge backs away, so that as he comes around to face the canvas she in beyond him, in back of him. As he moves toward the easel: MIDGE As a matter of fact, I thought I might give it to you. SCOTTIE (smiling, surprised) Oh? And now he comes around to face the easel and stops to look. Beyond him Midge's face has a great smile of anticipation. And now we see what he sees. The CAMERA RESTS on the lower half of the canvas and we see the folds of the blue and gold gown, and the two hands, one holding the nosegay. The CAMERA PANS UP to reveal that it is a hasty but quite creditable copy of the "Portrait of Carlotta", half size, but there is one difference. The face is Midge's face. INT. MIDGE'S APARTMENT - (NIGHT) Scottie staring at the portrait. Beyond him, Midge smiling with anticipation. Scottie's face is drained and expressionless, and a deep look of sadness and regret comes into his eyes. Pause. SCOTTIE (Softly) Not funny, Midge. Midge's smile fades. She is puzzled and surprised. Scottie puts down his drink gently and without looking at her, starts for the door. MIDGE Johnny! Scottie takes his hat from the chair and moves on to the door. Midge, completely taken aback, starts for him. MIDGE But Johnny, I thought you would -- She breaks off as he turns his head to look at her. He's not at all angry, but disturbed inside and sorry it happened. SCOTTIE (Nicely) We'll make that movie some other night, huh? And he goes out the door and closes it behind him. MIDGE (Desperately apologetic) But Johnny...!!! And she stares at the door with a "Well-I'll-be-damned" expression. And now, abruptly, she gets angry at herself. MIDGE Ah, no!! She turns away and moves toward the canvas MIDGE Oh! Marjorie Wood!! You fool!! She stops before the canvas and stares at her face in the portrait. And all her anger at herself comes out in one great blast of scorn. MIDGE (At the portrait) OH!!!!! And she picks up a brush and with three vicious daubs paints a moustache and a beard on her image. Then she throws the brush out the window. DISSOLVE TO: EXT. UNION SQUARE - (NIGHT) It is about 3 a.m. The Square is deserted -- perhaps an odd taxi or car drives by. We see Scottie, a solitary figure, walking. By his attitude, head down, hands thrust into his pockets, we see that he is lost in thought wrestling with his problem. DISSOLVE TO: INT. SCOTTIE'S APARTMENT - (EARLY DAWN) Scottie is in the easy chair facing the fire asleep. His tie is loosened, his shirt is open at the neck. It is clear that he fell asleep while sitting there thinking of Madeleine, and slept through the night. The fire is almost out. Through the window we can barely distinguish Coit Tower in the beginning of a grey dawn. The doorbell begins to ring instantly. There is a knocking on the door. Scottie awakens sharply, gathers himself together, hurries to the door and opens it. Madeleine stands there, looking shaken and white and frightened. She is wearing a black suede jacket and black slacks. Behind her, fingers of mist swirl in the lightening day. She stands there staring at him pleadingly. SCOTTIE What's the matter?... What time is it?... Madeleine, what's happened? He draws her in and closes the door and leads her into the room. MADELEINE (Barely) I should have phoned... but I wanted to see you... be with you... SCOTTIE Why? What's happened? MADELEINE I had the dream. The dream came back again... She is trembling, and he holds her closely. SCOTTIE It's all right. You're all right, I'll get you some brandy. He breaks away to a small cupboard nearby. MADELEINE (Sharply) No, don't go away! SCOTTIE Only this far. He gets out a bottle of brandy and a small glass and uncorks the bottle and pours the brandy as he comes back to her. SCOTTIE Here. Straight down, it's medicine. She takes a sip and puts the glass away. SCOTTIE Where's your husband? MADELEINE I didn't wake him. I don't want him to know... She is still shaking. SCOTTIE Here, now, it's going to be all right. Here. He gently pushes her down in the easy chair, turns swiftly and kicks up the fire and throws some wood on. He pulls the low stool up before her, sits on it, and takes her hands. SCOTTIE It was a dream, you're awake, you're all right, now. Can you tell me? MADELEINE It was the tower again... and the bell, and the old Spanish village... SCOTTIE Yes -- MADELEINE But clear... so very clear... for the first time... all of it... SCOTTIE Tell me. MADELEINE There was a village square, a green with trees... and an old whitewashed Spanish church with a cloister. Across the green: a big, grey, wooden house with a porch and shutters and a balcony above... a small garden, and next to it, a livery stable... with old carriages lined up inside. Scottie has been listening intently with growing awareness, and now as she mentions the livery stable, his eyes glow with the excitement of recognition. SCOTTIE Go on. MADELEINE At the end of the green there was a whitewashed stone house with a lovely pepper tree at the corner -- SCOTTIE (Finishing it) -- and an old wooden hotel of the old California days, and a saloon... dark... low-ceilinged... with hanging oil lamps. MADELEINE Yes?! But -- SCOTTIE (Gently) It's all there. It's no dream. Pause, as she stares at him, puzzled, anxious. SCOTTIE You've been there before. You've seen it. MADELEINE No, never! SCOTTIE Madeleine, a hundred miles south of San Francisco there's an old Spanish Mission, Mission San Juan Bautista. It's been preserved exactly as it was a hundred years ago as a museum. Now, think hard, darling. You've been there before. You've seen it! MADELEINE (Frightened) No, never! I've never been there! Scottie, what is it? I've never been there! Long pause as they stare at each other, he desperately trying to think it through, shes moved and frightened. He rises and moves away, anxious and shaken. SCOTTIE (To himself) Carlotta... He shakes his head angrily, fighting the idea. Madeleine watches him anxiously. SCOTTIE What was it he said? She came from somewhere south of the city... some say a mission settlement... He turns on Madeleine almost desperately. SCOTTIE Madeleine, think hard!! She shakes her head frantically, hopelessly, close to tears. Pause. SCOTTIE (Quietly) Go on with your dream. What was it that frightened you? MADELEINE I stood alone on the green, searching for something, and I started to walk to the church. But then the darkness closed in, I was alone in the dark, being pulled into darkness, and I fought to wake up... She looks at him, frightened again by the memory. He goes to her reassuringly. SCOTTIE You're going to be all right now, Madeleine. I've got something to work on now. I'm going to take you there -- to the Mission -- this afternoon. And when you see it, you'll remember when you saw it before, and that will finish your dream and destroy it. I promise. You'll be free. She looks up at him and tries to smile. SCOTTIE All right? She nods. SCOTTIE I'll take you home. If your husband is awake, say you couldn't sleep and went out for some air. And come back to me about noon. Come along. He raises her to her feet. She smiles up at him gratefully. MADELEINE No, I'll go alone. I'm all right. They stand there for a moment, looking at each other. DISSOLVE TO: EXT. HIGHWAY SOUTH OF SAY FRANCISCO - (DAY) Tall trees line the road on both sides and arch across to meet high above, forming a long shadowy tunnel shot through with streamers of sunlight. We are as though in the front seat, of a car, traveling fast, looking up and ahead to the distant end of the tunnel, and the trees flash by. EXT. THE HIGHWAY - (DAY) Another angle to show the green Jaguar traveling along the road through the tunnel of trees. INT. THE JAGUAR - (DAY) Madeleine and Scottie; he is at the wheel, staring straight ahead, lost in thought. Madeleine, now smartly-dressed in her grey suit, is staring up at the tunnel of trees. Scottie glances at her. She smiles at him timidly. EXT. THE HIGHWAY - (DAY) SHOOTING down the road toward the end of the tunnel of trees, and the Jaguar moving away fast. It sets clear of the trees and into daylight. DISSOLVE TO: EXT. THE HIGHWAY: A ROAD JUNCTION - (DAY) Side angle SHOT of the Jaguar as it turns off onto a side road. The CAMERA PANS the car, then loses it as it goes out of the SHOT, and HOLDS on a road sign that reads: MISSION SAN JUAN BAUTISTA 3 MILES EXT. MISSION SAN JUAN BAUTISTA - (DAY) We are looking along the cloisters, down the long corridor of arches. In the foreground a small sign a standard reads: EL CAMINO REAL MISSION SAN JUAN BAUTISTA FOUNDED JUNE 24, 1797 The music of the Mission theme, mingled with Carlotta's theme, begins to drift in, an evocation of the past; a sighing that grows end seem to have behind it the echo of lost voices calling. The CAMERA MOVES AND EASES AROUND A BIT to look through the arches across the green toward the open side and the valley and the hills beyond. A lone nun is crossing the green to the church. A clock strikes the half hour. The CAMERA PANS to look at the large wooden two-story house on the far side of the green, then the little garden, then the Plaza Livery Stable, and the road alongside. The Jaguar stands there empty. The CAMERA CONTINUES TO PAN along the whitewashed stone Castro House, sees the pepper tree, MOVES along the Plaza Hotel, and comes to REST SHOOTING at the saloon that forms the far corner of the hotel. Three tourists exit from the entrance of the hotel, get into their car. The car moves toward the CAMERA, and goes past, and out of the SHOT. The CAMERA DOLLIES IN to the front door of the saloon. Over the door is a sign: PLAZA HOTEL BAR ROOM. On either side of the door are posters proclaiming rewards for the apprehension of bandits who have held up Wells Fargo Express Wagons. The CAMERA SHOOTS THROUGH the open door. INT. PLAZA HOTEL BAR ROOM - (DAY) Empty, silent; old pool tables in the foreground, the bar in the background. As the CAMERA SCANS the room: DISSOLVE TO: INT. PLAZA HOTEL FRONT PARLOR - (DAY) It too is silent and deserted. In the far wall, a fireplace, with an old clock on the mantel. In one corner, small old organ, with a hymnal open on the rack; in the other corner, a Victorian sofa. The flowered rug is faded, the furniture is shabby. DISSOLVE TO: EXT. PLAZA HOTEL - (DAY) Looking toward the lovely pepper tree and the whitewashed stone Castro Rouse, and the tall eucalyptus tree beyond. The CAMERA PANS SLOWLY past the empty Jaguar and come to REST on the dark opening of the Livery Stable and MOVES SLOWLY toward it. DISSOLVE TO: INT. LIVERY STABLE - (DAY) The dark interior of the Livery Stable. The figures of Scottie and Madeleine are seen a little way in. Madeleine is seated in a surrey, while Scottie stands by her. INT. LIVERY STABLE - (DAY) Madeleine's eyes are closed. Scottie, leaning against the surrey, looks up at her intently. After moment he calls to her softly. SCOTTIE Madeleine...? She opens her eyes and looks down at him. SCOTTIE Where are you now? She smiles at him gently. MADELEINE (Softly) Here with you. SCOTTIE And it's a all real. MADELEINE Yes. SCOTTIE (Firmly) Not merely as it was a hundred years ago. As it was a year ago, or six months ago, whenever you were here to see it. (Pressing) Madeleine, think of when you were here! She looks down at him with, a worried, regretful smile, wishing she could help him. Then she looks away into the distance, and speaks almost at irrelevantly. MADELEINE (Dreamily) There were not so many carriages, then. And there were horses in the stalls; a bay, two black, and a grey. It was her favorite place, but we were forbidden to play here, and Sister Teresa would scold us... Scottie looks up at her in desperation, then looks about the stable for help. His look scans the carriages and wagons lined against the wall, goes past the old fire truck on which there is a placard proclaiming the world's championship of 1884, and finally stops at a small buggy -- a Bike Wagon -- To which is hitched a full-sized model of a handsome grey horse. SCOTTIE Well, now, here! He races to the horse. On it hangs a sign: "Greyhound World's Greatest Trotter." SCOTTIE Here's your grey horse! Course he'd have a tough time getting in and out of a stall without being pushed, but still... You see? There's an answer for everything! He looks across to Madeleine eagerly. She is staring ahead, lost in the past. SCOTTIE Madeleine! Try! No answer. The music is more insistent, now, a pulling wind,, and the faint voices call more clearly. Madeleine slowly rises to her feet as though sensing the call. Scottie moves back to her and stands there looking up. He raises his arms, she puts her bands on his shoulders and slips to the ground with his help, and he is holding her. Their heads are close together. SCOTTIE Madeleine, try... for me... With a small movement, their lips come together, and they kiss; not impulsively, as before, but with deep, sure love and hunger for each other. Their lips part, but he still holds her tightly, his head pressed down against hers, and she is looking past him, her eyes wide with anxiety. And a clock strikes the three-quarter hour. SCOTTIE My love... because I love you. MADELEINE (Whispering) I love you too... too late... too late... SCOTTIE No... we're together... MADELEINE Too late... there's something I must do... He holds her gently, now; brushes his lips along her to her eyes, down to her mouth. SCOTTIE (murmuring) Nothing you must do... no one possesses you... you're safe with me... my love... And they kiss again. As they part: MADELEINE Too late... She looks up at him with deep regret and wonder in her eyes then suddenly breaks from him and runs out the door. He stands still, startled for a moment, then runs after her. EXT. LIVERY STABLE - (DAY) Madeleine is running across the grass toward the church. Scottie catches up with her. EXT. LIVERY STABLE - (DAY) - REVERSE ANGLE Scottie swings her around to face him. SCOTTIE (Firmly) There are things I have to tell you, about how we met, and why we are together. But they can wait. The only important thing now is that I love you and I'm going to keep you safe. MADELEINE (Trembling) You can't. SCOTTIE Why? MADELEINE Let me go. SCOTTIE Where? MADELEINE To the church, I must go there. SCOTTIE Madeleine -- MADELEINE Please let me go. She pulls away and turns and walks swiftly toward the church, her head bowed. CAMERA DOLLIES with her. She is frightened, and close to tears. Scottie follows her a half-step behind. The livery stable drops away out of the SHOT, and the two heads fill the screen with only the sky an background. SCOTTIE Madeleine, don't fight me off, don't put me away. You've been fighting alone, and you're lost, but no more. Hold on to me. Be sure of me, always. And whatever it is, we'll lick it. I promise. No answer. They keep walking, and then suddenly with head bowed, she begins to run again, and runs out of the SHOT. A moment, then he runs after her. EXT. THE MISSION AND CLOISTERS - (DAY) - SEMI-LONG SHOT We see Madeleine running toward the Cloisters, Scottie after her. Finally he stops her once again. EXT. THE CLOISTERS - (DAY) - MEDIUM SHOT Scottie grabs her by the arm. MADELEINE (Head low, brokenly) It's not fair, it's too late. It wasn't supposed to happen this way, it shouldn't have happened...! SCOTTIE It had to. We're in love. That's all that counts. Madeleine -- MADELEINE (Frantic, struggling) Let me go! Let me go!! SCOTTIE (Holding her; sharply) Madeleine!! The struggle ceases. She remains limp in his grasp for a long moment, then slowly raises her head to look at him. Her eyes study his face searchingly. MADELEINE You believe that I love you? SCOTTIE Yes. MADELEINE And if you lose me, you'll know that I loved you and wanted to go on loving you. SCOTTIE I won't lose you. Pause. MADELEINE Let me go into the church alone. SCOTTIE Why? MADELEINE Please. Because I love you. He stares at her, sees the pleading look in her eyes, and lets go. She turns and walks away toward the church, slowly, her head bowed. He watches her go and starts to move after her. Then slowly, as she goes, her head begins to go up until finally, as she walks, she is staring high above her. And then, suddenly, she breaks into a broken run. EXT. CLOISTERS - (DAY) Scottie jerks his head up to see what she was looking at. EXT. CLOISTERS - (DAY) From Scottie's viewpoint: the high church tower. EXT. CLOISTERS - (DAY) Scottie, immediately alarmed, brings his eyes down and looks toward the church entrance. EXT. CLOISTERS - (DAY) From Scottie's viewpoint: Madeleine runs through the open front door of the church, and vanishes. EXT. CLOISTERS - (DAY) Scottie starts to run toward the church. SCOTTIE Madeleine!!! He runs to the church door and runs in. INT. CHURCH, SAN JUAN BAUTISTA - (DAY) Scottie runs in and looks around frantically. The church is empty. A moment, then he hears the sound of footsteps running up wooden steps. He turns in the direction of the sound, sees a door standing open at the side of the church, and through the door the beginning of a flight of steps. He runs to the open door and goes through. INT. CHURCH TOWER - (DAY) Scottie runs in, stops at the foot of the steps, hears the running footsteps, and looks up. From his viewpoint we see Madeleine running up the open stairway that spirals up along the walls of the high tower. She is already well on her way. Scottie is immediately stricken by vertigo, and the tall tower seems to slide away from him. He makes an attempt to start up the stairs, flattens himself against the wall and struggles up. He claws his way up, crosses over to the hand- handrailing and uses it to pull his body up the steps, one by one railing struggling for breath, unable to call, though he tries. And Madeleine keeps running. Madeleine reaches the top goes through a small wooden door. We see it slam, hear it locked. Scottie, struggling up, reaches a landing next to a small open arch that looks out on the back garden, and has to stop to tight his nausea. There is a scream from above. Through the arch he sees a body fall. He calls "Madeleine"!, and looks down through the arch. EXT. ROOF - (DAY) - LONG SHOT Figure of the dead Madeleine. Her body is lying on the roof of the cloister. INT. CHURCH TOWER - (DAY) The vertigo hits Scottie again and the body and the root of the cloister move and fall away into space, and this DISSOLVES THROUGH TO: The body of the policeman falling from the rooftop, tumbling through space to the street below. Scottie has to look away in desperate horror. He hears voices, looks through the arch again, and sees two nuns hurrying across the garden from the dormitory at the back, looking up at the roof of the cloister. He turns and gazes down the great height he now has to descend, flattens himself against the wall, and with trancelike desperation tries to start moving. FADE OUT: FADE IN: EXT. MISSION SAN JUAN BAUTISTA - (DAY) Once again we see the whole of the square, but now, in sharp contrast, it is filled with cars parked along the roadway that encircles the green. EXT. MISSION SAW JUAN BAUTISTA - (DAY) - LONG SHOT Before Plaza Hall, the large grey wooden building next to the Livery Stable, and on its front porch, groups of citizens are gathered, talking. Some people glance up to the second floor, where the windows are open, and from which a droning voice can faintly be heard. The CAMERA ZOOMS UP to the open window, and as it does, the voice of the speaker becomes louder and the words more intelligible. INT. PLAZA HALL ROOM, SAN JUAN BAUTISTA - (DAY) The Coroner's Inquest is in session. The Jury of twelve local people is at one side. Among the people assembled we see: the two nuns, escorted by a priest; Gavin Elster with his attorney; some State Patrolmen; and, of course, Scottie. Next to him is a burly man in his fifties in civilian clothes; almost obviously a detective and obviously Scottie's one friend there. He is Detective Captain Fred Hansen of the San Francisco Police. At the front of the room is the Official who is speaking, a rather testy old man. Behind him, on the wall are an old, crudely hand-made American Flag from the last century, and a California Bear Flag. (NOTE: THE FIRST PARAGRAPH OF THE FOLLOWING SPEECH COVERS THE RISE AND ENTRANCE OF THE CAMERA AND BECOMES INTELLIGIBLE ONLY AT ITS END.) OFFICIAL Mr. Elster, suspecting that all was not well with his wife's mental state, took the preliminary precaution of having her watched by Mr. Ferguson lest any harm befall her, and you have heard that Mr. Elster was prepared to take his wife to an institution where her mental health would have been in the hand of qualified specialists. And Mr. Ferguson, being an ex-detective, would have seemed the proper choice for the role of watchdog and protector. As you have learned, it was an unfortunate choice. (pause) However, I think you will agree that no blame can be attached to the husband. His delay in putting his wife under medical care was due only to the need information as to her behavior that he expected to get from Mr. Ferguson. He had taken every precaution to protect his wife. He could not have anticipated that Mr. Ferguson's "weakness" his "fear of heights", called "acrophobia", would make him powerless when he was most needed. (pause) As to Mr. Ferguson: you have heard his former superior, Detective Captain Hansen, from that great city to the north, testify as to his character and ability. Captain Hansen was most enthusiastic. The fact that Mr. Ferguson once before, under similar circumstances, allowed a police colleague to tall to his death, Captain Hansen dismissed as an "unfortunate Incident." Captain Hansen's eyes narrow and his face reddens. Scottie stares at the floor dully, oblivious to what is being said. OFFICIAL Of course Mr. Ferguson is to be congratulated for having once saved the woman's life when, in a previous fit of aberration, she threw herself into the Bay. It is a pity that knowing her suicidal tendencies he did not make a greater effort the second time. But we are not here to pass judgment on Mr. Ferguson's lack of initiative. He did nothing, and the law has little to say on the subject of things left undone. (pause) Nor does his strange behavior after he saw the body fall have any bearing on your verdict. He did not remain at the scone of the death. He ran away. He claims he suffered a mental blackout and knew nothing more until he found himself back in his own apartment in San Francisco several hours later. You may accept that or not. Or, you may believe that, having once again allowed someone to die, he could not face the tragic result of his own weakness, and ran away. That has nothing to do with your verdict. It is a matter between him and his conscience. (pause) Now. From the evidence of the mind of Madeleine Elster prior to her death, from the manner of her death, and from the Postmortem examination of the body showing the actual cause of her death, you should have no difficulty in reaching your verdict. Gentlemen, you may retire. The Foreman of the jury leans across to his colleagues, and they go into a huddle. After a short whispered consultation there is a general nodding of heads, then the Foreman stands. FOREMAN We've reached the verdict. OFFICIAL And what is your verdict. FOREMAN We find that Madeleine Elster committed suicide while being out of -- while being out of unsound mind. OFFICIAL Your verdict will be so recorded. Dismissed. People start to rise. There is a general exodus toward the doorway and the stairs leading down to the ground floor. Scottie remains impassive, still staring at the floor. People stare at him curiously as they move past him and away. Detective Hansen rises, takes him by the arm, and helps him to his feet. HANSEN Let's go, Scottie. (Glares over at the Official grimly) The son of a -- He purses his lips and starts Scottie toward the door. Gavin Elster moves toward them, and they meet, and have to stop. Hansen looks at Elster impassively. ELSTER Do you mind if I speak to him for a minute? Receiving no answers he takes Scottie by the elbow. ELSTER Scottie -- He leads Scottie away toward the window. They stop. ELSTER Scottie, I'm sorry. That was rough. Scottie finally looks up at him. ELSTER He had no right to say that. It was my responsibility. You didn't know her. I shouldn't have got you involved. SCOTTIE (struggling) I -- I -- ELSTER No, there's nothing you have to say to me. I'm getting out, Scottie. For good. I can't stay here. I'm winding up her affairs, and mine. I'm going to get as far away as I can. Probably Europe. And I'll probably never come back. (Extends his hand) Good-bye, Scottie. If there's anything I can do for you before I go... Scottie looks at the outstretched hand, then looks up at the man's face, wanting very much to tell him how he felt about the dead woman. But the words won't come. Elster drops his hand with a sympathetic half-smile, and touches Scottie comfortingly on the arm. ELSTER There was no way for them to understand. But you and I know who killed Madeleine. Elster and Scottie look at each other for a moment. Then Elster nods somberly and turns away and goes down the stairs with his attorney. The room is empty, now, but for Hansen and Scottie. Hansen, waiting near the doorway looks across to Scottie standing alone by the window. Beyond Scottie, through the window, we can see the cloister across the green. DISSOLVE TO: EXT. A CEMETERY SOUTH OF SAN FRANCISCO - ( DAY) It is grey and deserted. In the distance a figure comes into views walking slowly, approaching a grave. It is Scottie. EXT. A CEMETERY SOUTH OF SAN FRANCISCO - (DAY) - MEDIUM SHOT A closer view brings him to a stop before the grave, and he stares down at it impassively. The gravestone tells us it is Madeleine's grave. DISSOLVE TO: EXT. SAN FRANCISCO - (NIGHT) A foggy night, the city hidden in mist. The flash of beacons; fingers of fog; the spasmodic growls and ories of fog horns. INT. SCOTTIE'S BEDROOM - (NIGHT) Scottie in bed, sleeping restlessly. His head fills the screen, rolls from, side to side. In a SLOW DISSOLVE while his head remains on the screen, there comes into focus and is superimposed as it gets closer the head and shoulders of the portrait of Carlotta. The CAMERA PANS DOWN until it reveals the nosegay. The portrait is cleared from the screen, a new image is superimposed; the final scene at the inquest between Scottie and Gavin Elster. But this time, though it is not distinct, a woman's head can be discerned on Elster's shoulder. Elster turns to the woman and says: "Tell him he's not to blame; tell him." The woman turns her head to smile at Scottie. It is Carlotta Valdes again, dressed as in the portrait, with the necklace at her throats, and she is alive. The picture fades away. Scottie's restless head is alone on the screen again. Another scene dissolves to the screen: the graveyard at Mission Dolores. The CAMERA IS APPROACHING the grave of Carlotta Valdes. Now we see Scottie approaching the grave. Now the CAMERA REVERSES, MOVING closer to the grave. It is open; there is a great black abyss, with the headstone to mark it. A CLOSEUP OF SCOTTIE coming to a stop as he stares down. The black depths of the grave fill the screen, and now, suddenly we start to fall. A BIG CLOSEUP OF SCOTTIE, his hair windswept, staring down in horror as he falls. REVERSE ANGLE: he is still falling, but now from the tower of the Mission at San Juan onto the roof where Madeleine fell, and at the moment of impact the picture clears, and Scottie is sitting up in bed, staring ahead in horror, awakened by the sound of his own scream. The scream is echoed by a fog horn in the distance. DISSOLVE TO: INT. SANITARIUM BEDROOM - (DAY) We see a portable phonograph with a record on, and we hear Mozart at his gayest, most incisive, most sparkling. And then we find Midge standing nearby, smiling across at Scottie, who is seated in a wheelchair wearing a dressing gown over pajamas. His face is gaunt and expressionless. We are in a light and pleasant bed-sitting room. Through the window we can see a lovely garden, and a few patients accompanied by nurses strolling along the paths. MIDGE (Brightly) It's Mozart. Wolfgang Amadeus. I had a long talk with the lady in musical therapy, and she said Mozart's the boy for you, Johnny. The broom that sweeps the cobwebs away. That's what the lady said. You know, it's wonderful how they've got it all taped now, John. They've got music for melancholiacs, and music for dipsomaniacs, and music for nymphomaniacs... I wonder what would happen if somebody mixed up their files? There is no reaction on Scottie's face, and Midge makes a grimace of dissatisfaction at the weakness of her joke. She looks across at him uncertainly. MIDGE But I brought you a lot of other things. You can see what you like. And the thing shuts off automatically. She crosses to him swiftly kneels beside him. MIDGE Ah, Johnny, please try. Johnny, try! You're not lost. Mother's here. No reaction. Long pause. Then we hear the door open. Scottie does not seem to hear, but Midge turns her head. A nurse is looking in, with a significant look at Midge. MIDGE Time? Okay. The nurse goes out. Midge rises. MIDGE I'll be in again, John. Do you want me to shut that off? It shuts off automatically. Her eyes crinkle with anxiety. She nods and goes to the phonograph and shuts it off. She comes back to him slowly, and stands behind him, and puts her hands on his shoulders. MIDGE (Softly) Ah, Johnny-O... you don't know I'm here, do you? She leans down and kisses him lightly on the top of the head, and smiles gently. MIDGE But I'm here. She moves to the door, going out of the SHOT, and we hear the door open and close. Scottie has not moved, his face does not change expression. His head bends down, and his gaze is fixed on the floor. INT. CORRIDOR OUTSIDE SCOTTIE'S ROOM - (DAY) Midge, walking down the corridor, meets the nurse near the open door of an office. MIDGE Could I see the doctor for a moment? The nurse backs up a step and looks in the open doorway. NURSE Doctor...? The Doctor looks up and sees Midge in the doorway. DOCTOR Oh. Yes, Miss Wood? The nurse continues on up the corridor. Midge remains in the doorway. MIDGE Doctor, how long is it going to take you to pull him out of this? DOCTOR It is hard to say. Six months, at least. Perhaps a year. It depends to a certain extent on him. MIDGE He won't talk. DOCTOR No. We have ways of digging out knowledge. But it takes longer. He is suffering from acute melancholia, together with a guilt complex. He blames himself for what happened to the woman. And we know little of the background. MIDGE I can give you one thing: he was in love with her. DOCTOR Ah? That complicates the problem. MIDGE I'll give you another complication: he still is. The Doctor studies her carefully. MIDGE And you know something, Doctor? I don't think Mozart's going to help at all. She attempts a bright, gay smile but it comes out wrong. She turns and walks away down the corridor. FADE OUT: FADE IN: EXT. SCOTTIE'S APARTMENT - (NIGHT) Once again a foggy night. The street lights ringed in the mist, and Coit Tower barely discernible in the distance. The fog horns sound. DISSOLVE TO: INT. SCOTTIE'S APARTMENT - (NIGHT) The living room, is mostly in shadow. One light in a far corner is lit. There is a fire in the fireplace, but it is almost burnt out, and casts only a faint glow. An easy chair has been drawn up before the fire, and next to it is a small table on which is a bottle of whiskey, the remains of a highball, and an ashtray full of cigarette butts. There is no sign of life in the apartment. The telephone rings in the bedroom. It continues to ring. DISSOLVE TO: INT. ERNIE'S RESTAURANT, UPSTAIRS ROOM - (NIGHT) Scottie is seated at the bar, exactly as he was the first time he saw Madeleine. The dinning room is crowded. Scottie's glance wanders about the room as he drinks, but he does not seem to be so much searching as waiting. And then he stiffens. From somewhere across the room a man and a woman are making their way among the tables toward the exit, and their relative positions as they move recall exactly the way Madeleine and Gavin Elster moved toward him on that night. And as the woman moves toward him, difficult to see clearly because of the movements of the waiters crossing her path, he could swear that it is Madeleine, and so could we. Although she does not wear an evening dress. Scottie stares, fearing and hoping as the woman gets closer and closer. And then she is there, and pauses near him to wait for the man, exactly as Madeleine did -- but it is not Madeleine. DISSOLVE TO: EXT. BROCKLEBANK APARTMENTS - (DAY) Scottie in the foreground, and across the street the apartment building from which Madeleine used to emerge, with the forecourt of cars. A long moment, then a man emerges and crosses the street and walks toward the Fairmont Hotel. Another wait, and then a woman comes out of the apartment house. She has Madeleine's figure and Madeleine's style. Scottie freezes. The woman crosses the forecourt toward a car out of our sight. Scottie moves to follow the course of the woman, and we move with him, and now the car comes into sight, it is the green Jaguar. The woman opens the car door. Scottie races across the street and into the forecourt. By the time he gets to the Jaguar, the woman is in behind the wheel and has the motor started. Scottie races up to her, then stops short. The woman is not like Madeleine in features, and is a good deal older. She looks up startled as Scottie comes to a stop by the open car window. SCOTTIE Where did you get this car?! THE WOMAN (Startled by his vehemence) I beg your pardon? SCOTTIE This car...!! THE WOMAN Oh! Why... I bought it from a man who used to live here, in this apartment building. Mister Gavin Elster. I bought it from him when he moved away. As Scottie stares at her, she grasps the connection. THE WOMAN 0h! You know him! And his wife? The poor thing. I didn't know her. Tell me -- is it true that she really believed -- But by this time Scottie has turned and walked away, and she stares after him, a bit taken aback. DISSOLVE TO: EXT. PALACE OF THE LEGION OF HONOR - (DAY) Framed in the columns of the forecourt, Scottie wanders up the front walk and passes through the doors into the Art Gallery. INT. PALACE OF THE LEGION OF HONOR - (DAY) Scottie wanders to the entrance of the room in which hangs the Portrait of Carlotta, and stops and looks towards the far corner. Some people pass before him, but then as the vista clears he sees walking toward him from Carlotta's corner a woman who must surely be Madeleine. He stares, rigid, as she comes closer, and then she passes out of view as she heads for the exit. Scottie turns to keep her in sight, and as she passes through the doors to go out to the courtyard she turns a just a bit so that she is silhouetted slightly in profile against the cuter light, and once again surely it is Madeleine. Scottie heads for the door fast, pushes through the courtyard. He breaks into a run and catches up with her and puts out his hand to take her arm, and as he does she turns, startled by his sudden appearance at her side -- and they both stop and stare at each other. It is not Madeleine. A moment, as the woman stares at him, frightened. SCOTTIE I'm sorry. He turns away. The woman walks on. DISSOLVE TO: EXT. PODESTA, BALDOCCHI - (LATE AFTERNOON) Scottie stands before the window looking at the floral display. In the foreground is a group of madeup nosegays and one of them is exactly like the nosegay Madeleine carried to the grave, to the portrait, to the moment she threw herself into the Bay. A porter closes the shop door and locks it. A moment, then Scottie turns away to move down Grant Avenue. He stops short. Coming up Grant Avenue, headed for Sutter Street, is a group of shopgirls who have just come out of work, and among them is one who -- again -- must surely be Madeleine. Scottie watches them come closer, trying to get a clear view through the crowd of passersby, catching sight of the girl only in glimpses, and as the girls come abreast of him they stop to make their farewells. The one nearest to Scottie, seen in profile, might have the same features as Madeleine. He cannot be sure. This girl's hair is dark, where Madeleine's was light; her features on closer inspection seem heavier, and she wears much more makeup. And yet there is something about the way she carries herself. The other girls cross the street while the one nearest to Scottie goes on alone. He instinctively turns and follows. DISSOLVE TO: EXT. SUTTER STREET NEAR LEAVENWORTH - (LATE AFTERNOON) A trolley coach passes, heading west. The girl starts to cross the street in the middle of the block, waits for another trolley coach to pass, continues to the opposite side, and goes into the Empire Hotel, one of the typical inexpensive residential hotels of that neighborhood. Scottie remains on the opposite side of the street, watching, wondering what to do next. He waits, and then, in much the same way it happened to him long ago at the McKittrick Hotel, his attention is attracted to a window on the second floor. The girl appears and opens the window about eight inches, then pulls down the blind. Scottie stares at the window, calculates in his mind the geographical position of the room, then starts across the street. DISSOLVE TO: INT. UPSTAIRS HALL JUDY'S HOTEL - (DUSK) Scottie moves down the hall counting doors and comes to a stop. He knocks. The door opens, and the girl stands and looks at him, and waits. Scottie stares at her, searching for a sign of recognition, but there is none. JUDY Well? What is it? Her voice is flat and slightly nasal, in sharp contrast to Madeleine's low, husky voice. Scottie winces slightly at the sound of it. He keeps staring at her for a moment. Then: SCOTTIE Could I ask you a couple of questions? JUDY What for? Who are you? SCOTTIE My name is John Ferguson, and -- JUDY Is this some kind of Gallup Poll, or something? SCOTTIE No, there are just a few things I want to ask you, and -- JUDY Do you live here in the hotel? SCOTTIE No, I happened to see you come in, and I thought -- JUDY 0h, I thought so! A pick-up! Well, you've got a nerve, following me right into the hotel and up to my room! You beat it! Go on! Beat it! And she starts to close the door on him hard. Scottie holds it open against her. SCOTTIE No, please! I Just want to talk to you! JUDY (Pushing on the door) Listen, I'm going to yell in a minute! SCOTTIE I'm not going to hurt you! I promise! Please! She hesitates, impressed by the urgency in his voice. SCOTTIE Just let me talk to you. JUDY (Hesitating) What about? SCOTTIE You. JUDY Why? She is still holding on to the door, ready to slam it. SCOTTIE Because you remind me of someone. She laughs a short, ironic, skeptical laugh. JUDY I've heard that one before, too. I remind you of someone you used to be madly in love with, but she ditched you for another guy, and you've been carrying the torch ever since, and then you saw me and something clicked. (scornfully) Huh! SCOTTIE (With a rueful smile) You're not far wrong. JUDY Well, it's not going to work. So you'd better go. SCOTTIE Let me come in. Her mouth drops open with shock at his effrontery. SCOTTIE You can leave the door open. Please. I want to talk to you. A moment, then she backs into the room a little, and he follows. JUDY I warn you, I can yell awfully loud. SCOTTIE You won't have to. JUDY (Doubtfully) Well... you don't look very much like Jack the Ripper... But still she moves until she is next to the phone, her hand almost touching it. She eyes him carefully. JUDY What do you want to know? SCOTTIE Your name. And -- JUDY Judy Barton. SCOTTIE Who you are -- JUDY Just a girl, I work at Magnin's -- SCOTTIE -- and how you happen to be living here. JUDY It's a place to live, that's all. SCOTTIE But you haven't lived here long. JUDY About three years. SCOTTIE No, a year ago! Where did you live a year ago!!? JUDY (Puzzled) I told you! Right here! SCOTTIE (Strongly) But before! Where did you live before!?! JUDY Salina, Kansas! And that stops him dead, and he stares at her, denying. JUDY Listen, what is this? What do you want? SCOTTIE I want to know who you are. JUDY I told you! My name is Judy Barton! I come from Salina Kansas. I work at Magnin's! I live here! My gosh, do I have to prove it? She moves swiftly to the dresser and rummages in her bag. JUDY You've got to prove you're alive these days! All right, Mister. My Kansas driver's license. Judy Barton. Number Z296794. Four-Twenty-Five Maple Avenue, Salina, Kansas. She pulls out another card: a California license. She hands it to him. JUDY There! See the address on this one? This place here! California License issued May 25, 1954! Want to check my thumb print? Satisfied. (Pulls the card away) And whether you're satisfied or not, you can just beat it! A long moment as he stands before her, sagging a little defeated. She becomes remorseful and sympathetic. JUDY (Gently) Gee, you have got it bad, haven't you? Do I really look like her? He stares at her with an intensity that makes her crinkle her eyes in embarrassment. JUDY She's dead, isn't she. An almost imperceptible nod. JUDY I'm sorry. And I'm sorry I yelled at you. He turns away slowly toward the door. His eyes fall on some framed photographs on the dresser and he pauses, then moves closer to see them clearly. One is of a girl about sixteen standing with a woman in her late thirties; they have their arms about each other; they both have dark hair. Scottie stares at it, then glances at Judy. JUDY Yes, that's me. With my mother. Scottie's eyes move to another photograph, of a man in his early forties standing before a store. Above the store a sign says: A. M. BARTON, HARDWARES. JUDY That's my father. He's dead. My mother got married again... I didn't like the guy. (Smiles, wistfully) So... I decided to see what it was like in sunny California. (Pause) I've been here three years. (she grins) Honest! He smiles back at her, liking her directness. SCOTTIE Will you have dinner with me? JUDY (Immediately wary, the smile fading) Why? SCOTTIE Well, I feel I owe you something for all this... JUDY No, you don't owe me anything. SCOTTIE Then will you for me? JUDY (Warily) Dinner... and what else? SCOTTIE Just dinner. JUDY Because I remind you of her? SCOTTIE Because I'd like to have dinner with you. She smiles, pleased with the gallantry of his answer, and regards him thoughtfully. JUDY (Slowly) Well... I've been on blind dates before... Matter of fact, to be honest, I've been picked up before. (Grins) Okay. SCOTTIE I'll get my car and be back in half an hour. JUDY Oh, no! Give me time to change and get fixed up! SCOTTIE An hour? JUDY Mmm. SCOTTIE Okay. He flashes her a smile and goes, closing the door. She stares after him for a long moment, then moves slowly and sits down on the edge of the bed. She stares straight ahead, thinking, her face an impassive mask. The CAMERA MOVES IN until her head fills the screen, and her eyes are deep with dark memory. We DISSOLVE THROUGH to what she sees: THE MOMENT IN THE TOWER OF THE MISSION. MADELEINE IS RUNNING UP THE STAIRS OF THE TOWER: SCOTTIE STRUGGLING DESPERATELY AFTER HER. SHE REACHES THE TOP, OPENS THE DOOR, DARTS INTO THE BELL TOWER, SLAMS THE DOOR BEHIND HER AND LOCKS IT. SHE TURNS. GAVIN ELSTER STANDS NEAR THE OPEN ARCH, HOLDING HIS WIFE FAST; SHE IS DRESSED IN A GREY SUIT EXACTLY LIKE THE ONE MADELEINE WEARS. HER BODY IS LIMP. SHE IS OBVIOUSLY DEAD ALREADY. ELSTER LOOKS AT MADELEINE, THEN PUSHES HIS WIFE OUT THROUGH THE ARCH. MADELEINE MAKES A FUTILE GESTURE TO STOP HIM, AND SCREAMS. ELSTER COMES TO QUICKLY, PUTS HIS HAND ACROSS HER MOUTH, AND DRAWS HER BACK INTO THE SHADOW BEHIND A MASONRY ABUTMENT. THEY ARE LOST FROM SIGHT... DISSOLVE THROUGH to Judy, seated on the edge of her bed, staring with the memory of the horror of the moment. She sits very still. Then slowly she rises and moves to the window. She looks out, watching Scottie go down the street. She turns away and goes to the closet and opens the door. She pushes some clothes along the rack. We see the grey suit. She reaches into the closet and brings out a suitcase, lets it lie there, just outside the closet, and stares down at it. Then she turns back, goes to the writing desk sits down, and takes a sheet of paper. She picks up a ball point pen, clicks out the Point, stares ahead for a moment, then begins to write. As she writes, we hear her voice. JUDY'S VOICE Dearest Scottie ... and so you've found me. This is the moment I dreaded and hoped for, -- wondering what I would say and do if ever I saw you again, I wanted so to see you again. Just once. Now I'll go and you can give up your search. (pause) I want you to have peace of mind. You've nothing to blame yourself for. You were the victim. I was the tool, you were the victim of a man's plan to murder his wife. He chose me to play the part because I looked like her; he dressed me up like her. He was quite safe because she lived in the country and rarely came to town. He chose you to be the witness. The Carlotta story was part real, part invented to make you testify that Madeleine wanted to kill herself. He knew of your illness; he knew you would never get up the stairs of the tower. He planned it so well; he made no mistakes. (pause) I made the mistake. I fell in love. That wasn't part of the plan. I'm still in love with you, and I want you so to love me. If I had the nerve, I would stay and lie, hoping that I could make you love me again, as I am for myself... and so forget the other and forget the past. But I haven't the nerve to try... She pauses and looks up and thinks, and wonders, and tries to see into the future, and as she does, the fear in her eyes dissolve into anxious hope, and then resolve. She puts the pen down, rises slowly, takes up the letter and tears it into small pieces and drops the pieces into the wastebasket. She turns to the closet, pushes the suitcase back in with the toe of her foot, pushes the grey suit far back into darkness, and closes the closet door. She walks to the dresser, and stares at herself in the mirror. She opens a candy box in which we see trinkets and pieces of junk jewelry, and takes out two plain hoop earrings. She puts them on and looks to see how much change they make. She takes up an eyebrow pencil and slightly exaggerates the arch of her brows. She stares at herself impassively for a long time. DISSOLVE TO: INT. ERNIE'S RESTAURANT, UPSTAIRS ROOM - (NIGHT) The room is filled with diners; waiters come and go. There is a sound of chatter and a slight clatter of dishes at a side table. We are looking from the bar, and at a table against the far wall we see Judy and Scottie, dining. They are talking amiable; Scottie is being genial and companionable, but there is no particular sense of intimacy. Judy looks about quite a bit, obviously admiring the room, and the food and the clothes of the people about her. She is dressed neatly, but more simply and more cheaply than are the other women in the room, and she is conscious of it, and keeps fiddling with the shoulders at her dress. During this, a party of diners enters, is greeted by the captain, and is led across the room toward an empty table near Judy and Scottie. We go with them winding among the tables. As we get very close to Scottie, he looks up and becomes rigid, and stares. A woman has just gone by him to take seat at the neighboring table. Her hair is blonde and is done exactly as was Madeleine's; from the rear she could easily be Madeleine. But then she turns and sits down, glancing at Scottie as she does, and we see that it is not Madeleine. A moment, then Scottie looks away. Judy is staring at him anxiously. It is her first defeat and her first victory: defeat, in that although he is with her he is still searching; victory, in that she is sure, now, that he does not think she is Madeleine. DISSOLVE TO: EXT. JUDY'S HOTEL - (NIGHT) Scottie's car drives up and comes to a stop. He gets out, comes around and opens the other door and helps Judy out. They stand there for a moment, then start for the front door. DISSOLVE TO: INT. JUDY HOTEL, UPSTAIRS CORRIDOR - (NIGHT) Judy opens her door, flicks the light switch, and turns to Scottie in the doorway. JUDY Thank you again. Good-night. SCOTTIE Can I see you tomorrow? JUDY Tomorrow night? Well -- SCOTTIE Tomorrow morning. JUDY Tomorrow m -- but I have to go to work. I've got a job. SCOTTIE Don't go. JUDY (Smiling) And what will I live on? My oil wells in Texas? SCOTTIE I'll take care of you. JUDY (Flatly) Oh, Well, thank very much. But no thanks. SCOTTIE No, Judy, you don't understand. JUDY Oh, I understand, all right. I've been understanding since I was seventeen. And the next step is, as long as you're going to see me tomorrow, why don't you stay the night. SCOTTIE No. JUDY No? Then what? SCOTTIE I just want to see you as much as I can! JUDY As friends? We'd just see a lot of each other as friends, and you'd "take care of me"? SCOTTIE Yes. JUDY Why? (No answer) Because I remind you of someone? (No answer) That's not very complimentary. (Pause) And nothing would... happen... SCOTTIE No. JUDY That's not very complimentary, either. She turns away and wanders into the room toward the window. She sits down in the chair to think it over, looking straight ahead, in profile to Scottie and to the window. Scottie stares at her, then suddenly reaches out and snaps off the light. JUDY (Frightened) Listen, what'd you do that for?!?! She starts to rise. SCOTTIE (Quickly) No, Judy, I'm not going to move! Please! Stay in the chair! JUDY Why?! SCOTTIE Please! And don't look at me. She subsides in the chair, and obeys, looking straight ahead again, holding very still, apprehensive. The only light in the room is from the street lamp outside, and it silhouettes Judy in profile, robbing her of hair-color, robbing her of makeup, and Scottie stares across at her, unsure, wishing he could persuade himself. SCOTTIE (Softly) Will you, Judy? JUDY (Slowly, anxiously) I suppose I could phone the store in the morning, and say I'm sick. Another pause. SCOTTIE (Gently) Good night, Judy. He goes out, closing the door. Judy sits still, staring straight ahead. She raises a hand slowly and rubs the side of her face. DISSOLVE TO: EXT. GOLDEN GATE PARK - (DAY) It is a bright, sunny day. On a lovely green slope, young couples are stretched out making love. We see a pretty young girl sitting, and her young man lying on the grass at right angles with his head on her lap. She is playing with his hair. She bends down and kisses him. The CAMERA MOVES ON, searching for Scottie and Judy, and comes upon another couple in a close embrace. The CAMERA MOVES ON and discovers Scottie and Judy strolling along the path at the foot of the slope. Judy is looking at the loving couples with wistful envy. Scottie is admiring the scenery in other direction. He holds a bag of popcorn. Judy looks up at him with gentle longing. He glances down at her and smiles companionably, and offers her the popcorn. She takes some and smiles back as well as she can. DISSOLVE TO: INT. DANCE FLOOR, FAIRMONT HOTEL - (NIGHT) The lighting in the room is low, the orchestra is playing "Isn't It Romantic", there are many couples on the floor, dancing romantically. It's romantic as hell. We find Scottie and Judy dancing, nicely, but rather sedately. Judy looks up at him once in a while, wishing she could get a bit closer, although he is not by any means keeping her at a distance. DISSOLVE TO: EXT. POST STREET, OUTSIDE GUMPS - (DAY) There is a flower stand - known to all San Franciscans -- at the curb opposite the main entrance to Gumps, and Scottie and Judy have stopped there to pick a flower for her to wear. It is a bright, fresh morning. There is a display of corsages, made up, ready to wear. The Vendor stands beside them as they pick and choose. They seem quite happy. JUDY I like that one. SCOTTIE No, there. There's a good one. Do you like that? JUDY Yes -- The one Scottie has pointed out is remarkably like the nosegay in the portrait, though smaller and not an exact copy. SCOTTIE We'll take that one. VENDOR Very nice. And fresh. I just made it up. He pins the nosegay on Judy. VENDOR That'll be a dollar four. Scottie pays him JUDY It's beautiful. SCOTTIE Okay. Now we're going to buy you some clothes. JUDY Honest? He has started her across the middle of the street in the midst of traffic, and they have to run. SCOTTIE There's Ransohoff's. Nothing but the best. Come on. JUDY (Happy and breathless) But Scottie, you don't have to! SCOTTIE I want to! Come on! They go dodging across the street. DISSOLVE TO: INT. RANSOHOFF'S - (DAY) A spacious room on the second floor. Judy and Scottie are being waited on by a middle-aged saleswoman. A girl Assistant stands nearby. Draped about on neighboring chairs are several suits. Scottie looks tense. His jaw is set. Judy looks at him wonderingly. A model enters wearing a grey tweed suit, and parades before them. SCOTTIE No, that's not it. Nothing like it. SALESWOMAN But you said grey, sir. SCOTTIE Not tweed -- it's a smoother material, with a larger collar and belted. (Indicates with hands) He puts his hands to his waist. JUDY But I like that one, Scottie. SCOTTIE No, it's not right. SALESWOMAN (Cheerfully) The gentleman seems to know what he wants. (To the model) All right. Well, we'll find it. She goes and whispers to the Assistant, during the following, and the Assistant follows the model out. JUDY (Slightly apprehensive) Scottie, what are you doing? SCOTTIE I'm trying to buy you a suit. JUDY But I loved the second one she wore. And this one -- (She touches a suit on the chair) -- is beautiful. SCOTTIE They're none of them right. JUDY But why? The saleswoman has a sudden thought. SALESWOMAN Oh!! I think I know the suit you mean! We had it -- oh, it must be sometime ago! Let me go see. We may still have the model. And she hurries away into the back room. Judy looks at Scottie with wondering, understanding eyes. JUDY You're looking for the suit she wore! For me?!? Scottie looks at her anxiously, not wanting an argument. JUDY (Repelled) You want me to dress like her? SCOTTIE Judy, I just want you to look nice. And I know what kind of suit would look well on you. JUDY Ah, no!!! I don't want to be dressed like someone dead! SCOTTIE Judy -- JUDY It's a horrible idea! Is that what I'm here for? To make you feel that you're with someone that's dead? She has risen from her chair, appalled, and close to tears. The Saleswoman enters briskly. SALESWOMAN She'll be out in a moment. SCOTTIE Now, Judy, it isn't anything to get -- JUDY No, I won't do it!! She walks away. Scottie follows her. SCOTTIE Judy!! The saleswoman watches the altercation with interest. The two are out of earshot, now, but what they're seems pretty evident. Scottie is being urgently persuasive, Judy is staring at the floor, shaking her head, fighting the tears. The following is distant and blurred. SCOTTIE Judy, it can't make much difference to you. I just want to see how you'd look and I know it won't be the same, but -- JUDY No, I don't want any clothes! I don't want anything! I want to get out of here! SCOTTIE (strongly) Judy, you've got to do this for me! Please! She looks up at him, frightened, and at that moment he sees the model enter, wearing the grey suit. SCOTTIE Yes! That's it! SALESWOMAN I thought so! JUDY I don't like it! SCOTTIE We'll take it! Will it fit? SALESWOMAN Oh, yes! It may need some slight alterations, but it is madam's size. (To the model) All right, dear. (To Judy) We'll have it for you to try in a moment. SCOTTIE How soon can it be altered? SALESWOMAN Well... SCOTTIE Can we have it by tonight? SALESWOMAN Well, if it's absolutely necessary... SCOTTIE Yes, it is. Now, I want to look at an evening dress, a dinner dress, black -- short -- long sleeves -- with a neck cut this... (Indicates square neck) ...and the skirt out. (Indicates full skirt with his hands) JUDY (Appealing) Scottie -- He whirls on her with blazing eyes and stares at her commandingly, and Judy shrinks a little. SALESWOMAN (Laughs, embarrassed) My, you certainly do know what you want, sir. I'll see what we have. She goes into the back room. Judy and Scottie remains as they were, their eyes fixed on each other. But Judy is cowed. DISSOLVE T0: INT. RANSOHOFF'S, SHOE SALON - (DAY) Open on a SHOT of Judy's legs, standing in new, high-heeled brown shoes. On the floor around her are other shoes and shoe boxes scattered haphazardly. SCOTTIE'S VOICE All right. Walk. The legs start to walk, and the scene opens up as Judy walks away from the CAMERA, and we find Scottie seated, watching, and a shoe salesman in attendance. Judy sways a bit on the high heels in a way that could be reminiscent of Madeleine. She stops and turns, and stands staring at Scottie, without expression. SCOTTIE All right. That's it. Do you have in black, too? SALESMAN Yes, we have. SCOTTIE All right. He looks at Judy and meets her gaze steadfastly. DISSOLVE TO: INT. SCOTTIE'S APARTMENT - (NIGHT) In the living room. There is a fire in the fireplace. Judy is seated on the floor before the fire, bent forward with her head and arms buried in the seat of the easy chair. She's been crying. Scottie enters from the kitchen carrying a bottle of cognac and two glasses. He looks down at Judy, then pours cognac into the two glasses and sets the bottle down. SCOTTIE Here, Judy. Take it straight down. It's medicine. Judy raises her tear-streaked face. JUDY (Pleading) Why are you doing this? What good will it do? She takes the glass from his outstretched hand. SCOTTIE I don't know. No good, I guess. But I don't know. She takes a large sip of cognac, makes a face, and puts the glass away. As she does: JUDY (Tearfully) I wish you'd leave me alone. I want to go away. SCOTTIE You can. JUDY No, you wouldn't let me. (Then, almost to herself) And I don't want to go... Scottie comes down to her and puts his hands on her arms and holds her and looks into her eyes intently. SCOTTIE Judy, I want to tell you: these few days have been the first happy days I've had in a year. JUDY (Sadly) I know. Because I remind you of her. The one that's dead. And not even that, very much. SCOTTIE (Meaning it) No, it's you too, Judy. Something in you. She looks at him with a new spark of hope, and her eyes are almost willing him to kiss her. But then he drops his hands from her arms, and the glow fades from her eyes, and she looks away. JUDY (Dully) You don't even want to touch me. SCOTTIE (Grimly) Yes. Yes, I do. He rises and walks away toward the window. She looks after him, then rises and almost runs to him. JUDY Couldn't you like me, just me, the way I am?! When we first started out it was so good! We had fun! And you started on the clothes! I'll wear the darned clothes if you want me to! If you just like me! They are face to face, and Scottie is studying her somberly. Beyond them, through the window, we can see that magnificent symbol, the Coit Tower. SCOTTIE (Studying) The color of your hair... JUDY Ah, no! SCOTTIE Judy, please it can't matter to you... She shrinks a little, and is defeated. JUDY The trouble is, I'm gone now. For you. And I can't do anything about it. I want you to love me. If I let you change me, will that do it? If I do what you tell me, will you love me? SCOTTIE Yes. JUDY All right. Then I'll do it. Because I don't care about me anymore. I just want you to love me. Long pause. SCOTTIE (Gently) I'll take you home. DISSOLVE TO: INT. ELIZABETH ARDEN SALON - (DAY) The first impact is of SOUND, of the buzz of hair dryers and the shrill cacophony of female voices talking and laughing. Scottie is leaning at the doorway leading into the inner salon. The CAMERA PANS AWAY from him through another door and comes to REST on a big head of Judy, covered with, soap suds, bent over a basin. One of the beauty operators looks out toward Scottie then walks out to him. OPERATOR I'm afraid it's going to be several hours. The young lady thought perhaps you'd like to go home, and she'll come there as soon as she's finished. SCOTTIE Oh! Well... no. Tell her I'll go to her hotel, and wait for her there. She starts to turns away. Scottie stops her. SCOTTIE Oh! You're sure about the color of the hair. OPERATOR 0h, yes. It's an easy color. SCOTTIE And the rest of -- He waves a hand over his face. OPERATOR Yes, sir. We know what you want. SCOTTIE All right. Thanks. He turns away after a last glance toward Judy. The last we see of the salon is Judy's head, as she turns to try to see through soap suds to where Scottie has been standing. DISSOLVE TO: INT. JUDY'S BEDROOM, THE HOTEL - (DAY) Scottie is wandering impatiently, smoking. Some of the Ransohoff boxes are piled in a corner. Then, abruptly he strides to the window. He looks, and becomes tense. EXT. THE STREET - (DAY) From Scottie's viewpoint. Judy is walking up the street. She wears the grey suit from Ransohoff's the high-heeled black shoes, and her hair is now blonde. But it hangs about her face in the usual way. She does not look up. She turns into the entrance of the hotel. INT. BEDROOM - (DAY) Scottie watches her until he loses sight of her directly below as she goes in the front door. He turns and looks looks toward the bedroom door and waits. Then, impatiently, he strides to the door and goes out into the corridor. INT. HOTEL CORRIDOR -(DAY) Scottie looks along the corridor. FROM HIS VIEWPOINT The corridor is empty. SCOTTIE tensely waiting. FROM HIS VIEWPOINT Judy turns the corner, moving towards him. AS SCOTTIE WATCHES CRITICALLY Judy comes up to him. He backs into the room, Judy following. INT. HOTEL BEDROOM - (DAY) As Judy comes into the room, Scottie closes the door without taking his eyes from her. She looks at him gravely -- and holds out her hand, as though hoping for praise for the transformation. Her eyebrows have been plucked, her makeup lightened, her lipstick changed and she now bears much more of a resemblance to Madeleine. JUDY Well? SCOTTIE It should be back from your face -- with a bun at the neck. I told them. I told you. JUDY We tried it. It didn't suit me. Scottie abruptly goes to her, takes her hanging hair with both hands pulls it to the back so that her ears show. Judy looks at him, half-angry, half-scared. Scottie, seeing the look in her eyes, takes his hands away. The hair falls forward again. SCOTTIE I'm sorry. They look at one another for a moment. Then Scottie asks, almost humbly: SCOTTIE Judy -- please -- Judy doesn't answer for a moment, then she draws a deep breath, and turns resignedly away. She crosses to the mirror over a chest of drawers. Scottie matches as she picks up a couple of pins from a glass tray, and scoops up a handful of hair. Scottie stands watching in silence. His eyes follow every move. We hear the tinkle of pins of the glass tray. FROM SCOTTIE'S VIEWPOINT Judy slowly turns from the mirror to face him. She looks exactly like Madeleine -- her hair pulled back and done in a bun at the back of the neck. She stands there looking at him. SCOTTIE looks at her in wonder, his eyes shining. JUDY takes a step towards him, rewarded by his expression. SCOTTIE moves over and takes Judy in his arms. BIG HEADS of the two of them, together. The CAMERA MOVES AROUND the big heads. Scottie holds her tighter and tighter. He looks past her shoulder and we see that his eyes are closed, because at last he holds Madeleine in his arms once more. He opens his eyes -- the CAMERA SWIMS AROUND the room. WE ARE NOW IN THE LIVERY STABLE AT SAN JUAN BAUTISTA with Scottie holding Madeleine tight in his arms, kissing her. We see this for only the briefest moment before it DISSOLVES AWAY T0: BACK IN THE HOTEL ROOM Scottie kisses her as he did in the livery stables. As he kisses her, and she turns his kiss, the CAMERA PULLS BACK SLOWLY and their two figures are held in the center of the room. DISSOLVE T0: INT. JUDY'S BEDROOM - (EARLY EVENING) The window shades are drawn, the lights in the room have been lit. Scottie is sitting, relaxed, thumbing through a magazine idly. The jacket of his suit is hung over the back of a chair. The bathroom door is open. There is a full length mirror on the back of the bathroom door, and we catch occasional glimpses of Judy as she moves about inside. Scottie looks up as she calls to him. Her voice is light and happy. JUDY Where shall we go for dinner? SCOTTIE Wherever you'd like... JUDY Ernie's? SCOTTIE You've got a thing about Ernie's, haven't you? JUDY Well, after all, it's "our place." She comes out of the bathroom happy and contented. She wears the black cocktail dress, her blonde hair is done up in the Madeleine way. She stops to pose and show off the dress and smiles across at him lovingly. JUDY Hello, my love. Like me? He regards her admiringly with a small, contented grin. SCOTTIE Mmmm. JUDY Is that the best you can do? She turns to the mirror over the dresser. SCOTTIE Come here. JUDY Oh, no. You'll muss me. SCOTTIE That's what I had in mind. JUDY Too late. I've got my face on. She has opened the candy box, rummages around in the jewelry, comes up with some earrings, holds one up to her ear to see what it looks like, decides against it, finds some other earrings, small and neat, and puts them on. During this: JUDY I'm suddenly hungry. Would you rather go somewhere else? SCOTTIE No, Ernie's is fine. JUDY I'm going to have one of those big beautiful steaks. And... let's see... to start... During this she has taken a necklace out of the box, and is trying to fasten it around her neck. But the clasp won't work. JUDY Oh! Help me with this, will you? She backs up a step, still holding the necklace in place, and Scottie rises from his chair and comes up in back of her. He takes the ends of the necklace from her. SCOTTIE I've got it. He bends down and bites the back of her neck. JUDY Oh! You're supposed to fasten it! SCOTTIE All in good time. He bites her again. JUDY Scottie! SCOTTIE How does it work? JUDY Can't you see? SCOTTIE Oh, yeah. There. As he is fastening it he glances into the mirror and sees the necklace clearly for the first time. His eyes are immediately startled with the shock of recognition, and he stares, wondering why. The CAMERA ZOOMS IN to a closeup of the necklace in the mirror; then, with a click, the closeup changes to a closeup of the necklace painted on canvas. The CAMERA DRAWS BACK to show the necklace around the neck of Carlotta in the portrait, the same necklace. Now the CAMERA DRAWS BACK to show the Art Gallery, with the Portrait of Carlotta on the far wall. The scene click-changes to a BIG HEAD of SCOTTIE, staring, and during this we hear Judy chattering away. JUDY'S VOICE Thank you, darling. Now I'm just about ready; I just have to find my lipstick. Where did I put it? I had it a minute ago. (Her voice fading) Did I leave it in here? Oh, yes, here it is! (Her voice fading in) All right, I'm ready. His eyes move in the direction of the voice, and now we see her, standing a few feet from him, smiling at him. She walks to him with a loving smile. JUDY But first... muss me a little. She puts her arms around him and presses against him, and lays her head against his chest with a happy sigh. JUDY Ah, Scottie... I do have you, now... He raises his arms as though to embrace her, moves his hands to her shoulders, and one senses for a moment that he is going to press her too hard or that he may move his hands to her throat. But then he lays his hands gently on her back, and closes his eyes wearily, and rests his head on the top of hers. SCOTTIE (Softly) How would you like to go somewhere out of town for dinner? Drive down the peninsula, somewhere? She moves her head, and he raises his and opens his eyes, and she smiles up at him. JUDY All right, if you'd like. She reaches up and kisses him briefly on the mouth. He smiles a small, enigmatic smile. DISSOLVE TO: EXT: HIGHWAY 101 - (NIGHT) - LONG SHOT Scottie's car headed south, in brilliant moonlight. INT. SCOTTIE'S CAR - (MOONLIGHT) Scottie at the wheel, Judy alongside. She glances at him, wondering. JUDY We're going awfully far. SCOTTIE I feel like driving. Are you terrible hungry? JUDY No, it's all right. DISSOLVE TO: EXT. HIGHWAY 101 - (NIGHT) Scottie's car enters the avenue of tall trees we saw once before along this road. They look sinister in the moonlight. INT. SCOTTIE'S CAR - (MOONLIGHT) Shooting forward, we are as though in the front seat of Scottie's car, traveling fast, looking up and ahead to the distant end of the tunnel, and the tall trees flashing by. INT. SCOTTIE'S CAR - (MOONLIGHT) Scottie is staring straight ahead, concentrating on his driving. Judy is staring up at the tall trees, wondering, her brow furrowed. Her memory is stirred, but she can't think why. INT. SCOTTIE'S CAR - (MOONLIGHT) Shooting forward and up through the windshield. The tops of the tall trees flashing past. Judy's face, highlighted from the dash lights below, faintly reflected. INT. SCOTTIE'S CAR - (MOONLIGHT) - CLOSE SHOT Judy turns her gaze from the flashing tree tops and looks off at Scottie. INT. SCOTTIE'S CAR - (MOONLIGHT) - CLOSE SHOT Scottie, still concentrating on his driving, and looking straight ahead. INT. SCOTTIE'S CAR - (MOONLIGHT) Judy looking at Scottie, puzzled and slightly apprehensive. JUDY Where are you going? SCOTTIE (wryly) To complete my cure. He glances at her and smiles nicely. SCOTTIE One final thing I have to do, and then I'll be rid of the past, forever. He looks ahead thoughtfully. DISSOLVE TO: EXT: MISSION SAN BAUTISTA - (NIGHT) - LONG HIGH SHOT Quiet, empty, sinister, bathed in moonlight. Far below we see Scottie's car crawl into the square and pass along the road around the green and come to a stop near the entrance to the church. A distant church clock chimes the half-hour. INT. SCOTTIE'S CAR - (MOONLIGHT) - CLOSE SHOT Judy's face, rigid, frightened, her eyes filled with apprehension. Then, with an effort, she composes herself and glances at Scottie with calm questioning. But he is turned away from her, opening his door to get out. EXT. SAN JUAN BAUTISTA - (NIGHT) Scottie comes around the car and opens Judy's door. JUDY Scottie, why are we here? SCOTTIE I told you. I have to go back into the past. Once more. For the last time. JUDY But why? Why here? SCOTTIE Madeleine died here. Pause. He holds out his hand. She shrinks, frightened. JUDY No, I don't want to go. I want to stay here. SCOTTIE I need you. JUDY Why? SCOTTIE I can't do it alone. I need you, to be Madeleine for a while. Then, when it's done, we'll both be free. He draws her out of the car. JUDY I'm scared. SCOTTIE So am I, But it has to be done. I have to tell you about Madeleine, now. He closes the car door and leads her slightly away, and they stop and look across the green toward the Livery Stable. SCOTTIE There... He points to the Livery Stable, bathed in moonlight. SCOTTIE ...We stood there and I kissed her for the last time. And she said, "If lose me, you'll know that I loved you -- JUDY (Pleading) Scottie -- SCOTTIE (Going right on) -- and wanted to go on loving you." And I said, "I won't lose you." (pause) But I did. He turns slowly, and Judy with him, and he looks up. Her eyes follow his. FROM THEIR ANGLE The high church tower in the moonlight. SCOTTIE'S VOICE She turned and ran... into the Church... SCOTTIE AND JUDY He puts his arm around her protectively but firmly, and begins to impel her gently to the church. EXT. CHURCH, SAN JUAN BAUTISTA - (MOONLIGHT) SHOOTING from the door. Scottie impels Judy to the door. SCOTTIE ...And when I followed her, it was too late... The CAMERA PULLS AROUND as his tree hand goes to try the door. JUDY (Frightened) I don't want to go in there! Scottie pushes the door open. SCOTTIE ...too late... He pushes her into the church with gentle firmness. INT. CHURCH, SAN JUAN BAUTISTA - (NIGHT) The darkness is relieved by shafts of moonlight. Scottie impels Judy toward the foot of the tower. SCOTTIE I couldn't find her. Then I heard her footsteps on the stairs, she was running up the tower. INT. CHURCH TOWER - (NIGHT) It is lit by shafts of moonlight through the slit window. Scottie comes into the area holding Judy. He looks up. FROM SCOTTIE'S ANGLE: the open stairway spiraling upward. SCOTTIE'S VOICE She ran up those stairs... and through the door at the top of the tower, and locked it behind her. Then she jumped. BACK TO SCOTTIE AND JUDY He is still staring up. Judy is rigid with fright and the memory of that moment. SCOTTIE And I couldn't follow her. (He closes his eyes in the agony of remembering) God knows I tried. (He glances down) One doesn't often get a second chance. I want to stop being haunted. You're my second chances, Judy. JUDY (A frightened whisper) Take me away... SCOTTIE You look like Madeleine, now. Go up the stairs. JUDY No! SCOTTIE Go up the stairs, Judy. (Pushing her to the step) I'll follow. She starts up slowly, unwillingly. Scottie follows behind her, fighting to keep the impending vertigo under control, trying to keep his eyes fixed on her back to avoid looking up into space. They move up in silence, and in shadow, their faces occasionally lit by the shafts of moonlight that stream through the open arches of the tower. Judy's eyes are wide and staring; her face and body are stiff with the struggle to keep from breaking under the strain of remembering the last time she went up these stairs. And Scottie fights his way up behind her. Judy slows down and comes to a halt at the landing that Scottie barely reached the last time, at the moment of death. She leans her back against the wall for support. Scottie struggles up and comes to a halt near her. PAUSE, as he gathers himself for the last assault. SCOTTIE (Quietly) This was as far as I could get. But you went on. Remember? She stiffens and stares at him. SCOTTIE The necklace, Madeleine. That was the slip. I remembered the necklace. A moment, then suddenly she ducks and tries to run past him, down the stairs. He grabs her wrist and holds on. SCOTTIE We're going up the tower, Madeleine. JUDY No! Let me go! SCOTTIE We're going up the tower. JUDY You can't. You're afraid! SCOTTIE I'm going to. It's my second chance. He starts to drag her up the stairs and she fights it, close to hysteria. JUDY Scottie, please...! SCOTTIE But you knew, that day, that I wouldn't be able to follow you didn't you. Who was at the top when you got there? Elster? With his wife? JUDY Yes! SCOTTIE And she was the one who died. Not you. The real wife. You were the copy, you were the counterfeit. Was she dead or alive when you got there? JUDY Dead. He'd broken her neck. SCOTTIE Took no chances, did he? And when you got there, he pushed her off the tower, was that it? But you were the one who screamed. Why did you scream? JUDY I wanted to stop it, I ran up to stop it -- SCOTTIE Why? Since you'd tricked me so well up to then?!! You played his wife so well, Judy! He made you over, didn't he? Just as I've done. But better! Not just the hair and the clothes! the look! the manner! the words! Those beautiful phony trances! That jump into the Bay! I'll bet you're really a strong swimmer, aren't you! Aren't you!! The blind, frantic nodding of her head as she struggles against him is his affirmation. SCOTTIE Did he train you? Rehearse you? Teach you what to say and what to do? JUDY Yes! SCOTTIE And you were such an apt pupil! What fun you two must have had, playing games with me! Why me? Why did he pick on me?!! JUDY Your accident... SCOTTIE Ah, yes! I was a set-up. I was the made-to-order witness. Where is he now? JUDY I don't know... Switzerland? SCOTTIE We'll find him. They have reached the door to the tower and he stops, with a grim, almost triumphant smile. SCOTTIE I made it. JUDY (Apprehensive) What are you going to do? SCOTTIE Look at the scene of the crime. Go on in. He pushes the door open. She shrinks back. SCOTTIE Go on! He pushes her through and follows her in. INT. BELL TOWER - (NIGHT) The black shadows are cut by shafts of moonlight. Heavy beams support the great bell hanging at the center. There are additional temporary support beams. Judy backs up against the stonework as Scottie looks about. SCOTTIE You both hid behind there, mmm?... 'til everything was clear... then sneaked down and drove back to the city. (Glances at her) And then? You were his girl. What happened to you? She stares at him, wide-eyed with apprehension. SCOTTIE Did he ditch you? An almost imperceptible nod from her. Scottie almost laughs. SCOTTIE Oh, Judy!! When he had all her money, and the freedom and the power... he ditched you? What a shame! But he knew he was safe. You couldn't talk. Didn't he give you anything? JUDY (Faintly) Some money. SCOTTIE And the necklace. Carlotta's necklace. That was your mistake, Judy. One shouldn't keep souvenirs of a killing. You shouldn't have been that sentimental. A moment, as he stares at her, then he advances on her slowly. JUDY (Apprehensive) What are you going to do? SCOTTIE I loved you, Madeleine. JUDY (Desperately) I was safe when you found me, there was nothing you could prove! But when I saw you again I couldn't run away, I loved you so! I walked into danger and let you change me again because I loved you and wanted you! (She throws herself into his arms) Scottie, please! You love me now! Love me! Keep me safe! And she is in his arms, pressing tightly against him in desperation, and he holds her tight, and they kiss, deeply, passionately. The kiss ends but they remain together, holding together, and Scottie's eyes are tight with pain and the emotion of hating her and hating himself for loving her. JUDY (softly, pleading) Love me... keep me safe... SCOTTIE (Whispering) Too late... too late... there's no bringing her back. Suddenly Judy's eyes, looking past him, go wide with horror. FROM JUDY'S POINT OF VIEW The figure of a woman draped in black stands motionless in the shadows by the door. JUDY, IN SCOTTIE'S ARMS, TRANSFIXED FROM JUDY'S POINT OF VIEW The black figure moves forward, seems to merge with the shadow and become part of them. JUDY Pulls out of Scottie's arms and backs away, terrified. JUDY (Whispering) No... no... She is backing perilously close to the edge of the drop below. Scottie stares at her for a moment, then swings around to see what she is looking at. FROM SCOTTIE'S POINT OF VIEW The black figure advances into a shaft of moonlight. It is a nun. THE NUN (Simply) I heard voices... There is a terrible scream. Scottie swings around again, steps quickly to the edge and looks down. He backs away, his face tight with horror and holds the stonework for support. The nun comes into the SHOT. She steels herself to look below. She crosses herself. THE NUN God have mercy... She reaches out for the bell cord. INT. THE BELL TOWER - (NIGHT) The church bell is tolling. It swings in and out of the picture. Through the archway we can see the Mission garden below. Figures are hurrying across toward the church. DISSOLVE TO: INT. MIDGE APARTMENT - (NIGHT) Midge is huddled in a chair, listening to the radio. Beyond her, San Francisco at night. THE RADIO -- was last heard of living, but is now thought to be residing somewhere in the south of France. Captain Hansen states that he anticipated no trouble in having Elster extradited once he is found. Other news on the local front: in Berkeley three university of California sophomores found themselves in a rather embarrassing position tonight when they were discovered by Police Officer William Fogarty leading a cow up the steps of -- By now Midge has heard the NOISE outside, has uncoiled from the chair and shut the radio. She listens again for a moment, then moves quickly to the table on which are bottles, glasses and ice. She starts to mix a strong highball and does not turn as she hears the front door open. Scottie enters and closes the door behind him. His face is a mask. He moves slowly across the room and stands by the window, with the view of San Francisco beyond him, and looks straight ahead, thinking. Midge picks up the highball, glances over at him, picks up the bottle and pours in another slug. Then moves across the room and holds out the drink. Scottie takes it. Midge moves away, picks up her own drink, sits down and looks across the room. Scottie stands quietly, immobile, then raises the glass and takes a long pull at the drink. He stares out at the city. FADE OUT: THE END

THE COURTYARD AND CLOISTER OF A CONVENT. A group of LITTLE BOYS, walking two by two in line, are led across the courtyard by some NUNS. Other nuns are coming and going in the courtyard or along the cloister, where a priest is also passing. In a corner of the courtyard a group of nuns are chatting. One of them is VIRIDIANA. The MOTHER SUPERIOR comes toward her. The film opens to the strains of Handel's "Hallelujah Chorus," which accompany the credits. Then the music fades as the first picture comes on. MOTHER SUPERIOR Sister Viridiana. The young nun breaks away from the group and comes toward the MOTHER SUPERIOR. She bows. VIRIDIANA Mother? MOTHER SUPERIOR I've just had a letter from your uncle. He won't be able to come when you take your vows. VIRIDIANA (indifferent) All right, Mother. The MOTHER SUPERIOR is astonished at her lack of concern. MOTHER SUPERIOR You don't seem to mind very much. Both have begun to walk along the cloister. VIRIDIANA I hardly know him. I saw him only once, some years ago. I can't even remember him. MOTHER SUPERIOR In any case he's asking you to come and stay with him. VIRIDIANA I don't want to leave the convent, Mother. MOTHER SUPERIOR I'm afraid that his health is not good. He's your only relative and you ought to say farewell to him before taking your vows. You will certainly never see him again. They stop and face each other. VIRIDIANA But why does he want to see me? He has never bothered about me. MOTHER SUPERIOR He has paid for your studies and your maintenance, and he has just sent your dowry. Does that mean so little to you, Viridiana? VIRIDIANA, taken aback, seems to reflect. They start walking again. VIRIDIANA I have no desire to see the world again, but if you order me to... MOTHER SUPERIOR The retreat will start soon. You can leave tomorrow morning. They stop and face each other again; VIRIDIANA looks dejectedly at the MOTHER SUPERIOR. MOTHER SUPERIOR Everything you need for the journey has been put in your cell. Go get yourself ready, and try to show him some affection. She smiles at her again and leaves. VIRIDIANA, looking worried, watches her go. PRIVATE PARK. Close-up of the dirty, skinny legs of little RITA, who is jumping rope. They come forward and go back, opening and shutting like compasses. RITA jumps from one bare foot to the other. Nearby, behind her, the legs of a man are seen passing. As they recede, the chest, then the face, of DON JAIME appear. He watches the little girl's legs. The head of the breathless little girl is tousled, her eyes shining and her lips moist. She bites her lower lip. DON JAIME comes toward her. The noise of a horse and carriage stopping is heard nearby. RITA stops skipping and looks toward the carriage. DON JAIME That's enough for today, Rita. Do you like that rope I gave you? RITA It's easier to jump with: it's got handles. DON JAIME Go away now. Go and play. RITA hands the rope to DON JAIME, who hangs it on a nail fixed to the trunk of a big tree which overshadows them. DON JAIME then turns his attention to the carriage and begins to walk toward it. RITA also goes toward the carriage. VIRIDIANA is getting out. The COACHMAN hands down her small bag. RITA Hello. VIRIDIANA Hello. RAMONA Welcome, miss. I'm Ramona, Don Jaime's servant. VIRIDIANA Ah! Pleased to meet you. DON JAIME arrives now. DON JAIME Viridiana! The young girl leaves the maid and moves to face her uncle. They look at each other with curiosity. The novice's expression is what one would expect in such circumstances, but DON JAIME shows a more lively interest. VIRIDIANA Yes, Uncle. How are you? DON JAIME I'm well ... The bus was late, wasn't it? ... What was the journey like? VIRIDIANA Excellent. What a charming, peaceful place, Uncle. DON JAIME You'll think you're still at the convent. In spite of a total lack of cordiality and warmth on both sides, DON JAIME's face now registers the great interest his niece has aroused in him. The camera frames the legs of VIRIDIANA and DON JAIME, who are moving forward side by side. They stop occasionally, as people do when they are walking and talking together. At first we only hear their voices. Then the camera shows them both completely. The tone of the conversation is normal, except that DON JAIME voice shows evident interest. Hers has less expression. DON JAIME How long are you staying? VIRIDIANA A very short while, Uncle. I've been given permission to stay only a few days. DON JAIME Was that difficult to get? VIRIDIANA No. Mother Superior told me to come. DON JAIME stops. DON JAIME (crestfallen) Did you have so little interest in seeing me? VIRIDIANA (smiling, sincere) To tell you the truth, not very much. I cannot lie. I respect you and I am grateful to you because I owe you everything materially, but otherwise ... DON JAIME (sadly) You have no feelings toward ... VIRIDIANA No. They start walking again. He begins to show pleasure, as well as surprise, at the frankness of the young girl. DON JAIME You are right. Being alone has made me self-centered. Now I am sorry we have not seen more of each other. It's too late, isn't it? She makes a gesture of resignation and indifference. VIRIDIANA Yes. It's too late. Now they are passing under a big tree, the branches and trunk of which overshadow the two stories of the house. In the distance are the fields of the estate, lying waste and fallow. VIRIDIANA You've been neglecting the farm, Uncle. DON JAIME In twenty years the grass has invaded everything. There are spiders all over the house except on the first floor. I hardly ever go out. RITA'S VOICE (from the thickest part of the tree) It's true. When he goes out he makes me jump rope. Astonished, VIRIDIANA looks up into the branches. The head of the little girl appears among the leaves. DON JAIME Come down here, you scamp. VIRIDIANA Who is she? DON JAIME My maid Ramona's daughter. She's a little animal. VIRIDIANA Come down. The little girl disappears again among the leaves. VIRIDIANA walks on, drawing ahead of her uncle. DON JAIME How like your aunt you are, even in your walk. VIRIDIANA I know, Uncle, you've told me that already. DON JAIME You see, even the voice. They walk on under the trees of the estate. DON JAIME'S SITTING ROOM AT NIGHT. Close-up of DON JAIME's feet slowly working the pedals of a harmonium; his hands playing on the keyboard. He is playing a piece of classical music. DO�A ELVIRA'S BEDROOM. VIRIDIANA is undressing. She takes off her dress and then sits on the edge of the bed to take off her black stockings. Her legs, white and perfectly shaped, appear in full light. THE SITTING ROOM. DON JAIME, with an ecstatic faraway look on his face, continues to play the harmonium. THE HALL. RAMONA moves a few paces and stops. She hesitates for a moment, and then comes back toward Viridiana's room. She looks through the keyhole. The sound of the harmonium comes from the sitting room. THE SITTING ROOM. DON JAIME is still in his musical ecstasy. RAMONA comes in and goes quietly to her master. She stops near him and, for a moment, watches his hands on the keys. RAMONA She has made her bed on the floor, sir! The old man continues to play without answering. RAMONA She has something in her suitcase that looks like thorns. Her nightgown is made of some rough cloth. It really must tear her skin! (pause) Such beautiful skin, sir. DON JAIME, his attention suddenly caught, continues to play. DON JAIME Leave me now. You can go to bed. RAMONA Yes, sir. Good night. DON JAIME goes on playing. DO�A ELVIRA'S BEDROOM. Close-up of a crucifix of rough wood, surrounded by replicas of the instruments of the crucifixion: the crown of thorns, the hammer, the nails, the sponge. These are all placed on a cushion on the ground. VIRIDIANA, clad in a nightgown, is crouched in front of these things praying. INTERIOR OF A STABLE, DAYTIME. Close-up of the udder of a cow and the hand of the man who is milking it. It is the SERVANT whom we have already seen as the coachman. Little RITA is perched on the wooden partition to which the cow is tied. VIRIDIANA, carrying a basket, joins the group. VIRIDIANA Good morning. The servant answers politely. VIRIDIANA Good morning, Rita. How are we today? RITA Today, a good girl. VIRIDIANA (to the servant) Could I trouble you for my glass of milk? SERVANT Certainly, miss. She takes a glass out of her basket and hands it to the SERVANT. The man fills the glass straight from the udder. VIRIDIANA watches him with curiosity. VIRIDIANA Is that difficult? He looks at her for a moment as if he does not understand how anybody could ask him such a silly question. SERVANT Here, try it yourself. The suggestion amuses VIRIDIANA, but she declines. VIRIDIANA But I wouldn't know how. He insists. SERVANT I'll show you. Hold here. He grasps a teat and motions VIRIDIANA to take it. Hesitating, she finally does so timidly. She sits on the stool that the SERVANT pushes toward her. She blushes. She begins pulling the teat. RITA watches her clumsiness with contempt. VIRIDIANA obviously finds the sensation of the teat in her hand unpleasant. When no milk comes the SERVANT insists, guiding her hand. SERVANT Pull hard like that and squeeze. But VIRIDIANA gives up the struggle with a gesture of disgust. VIRIDIANA I can't. It makes me ... The servant looks at her without understanding. VIRIDIANA It makes me feel ... She trails off and goes to RITA. At the end of the stable the other servant, old MONCHO, is carrying straw. RITA I saw you in your nightgown! VIRIDIANA looks at her angrily. VIRIDIANA What? RITA Yes, yes, I saw you! MONCHO Don't take her seriously, she's a liar. The little girl turns to the old man furiously. RITA I saw her! I saw her ... When she was dressing, her pins fell out and she picked them up. VIRIDIANA knows this is true. She takes RITA by the arm and speaks to her seriously. VIRIDIANA How did you see me? RITA From the terrace. VIRIDIANA It's very wicked to spy. Why did you do it? MONCHO shocked, bows his head resignedly. Viridiana smiles and addresses the little girl. VIRIDIANA I'm going to the hen house. Are you coming with me? RITA No, I don't want to. RITA sulkily comes down from her perch and goes away. VIRIDIANA thanks the SERVANT, who hands her the glass of milk which she drinks. INTERIOR OF THE HENHOUSE. VIRIDIANA takes the eggs that she finds in the nests and puts them in her basket. DON JAIME'S VOICE Hello! There is a pause; VIRIDIANA stops collecting the eggs. VIRIDIANA Good morning, Uncle. You're very early this morning. DON JAIME (off) So that I can see a little bit more of you. The camera moves around the scene. The house is filled with egg crates and pigeons' nests. The pigeons fly in and out beneath the stone arcades. VIRIDIANA I'm going to make you a nun's cake. It will make your mouth water. DON JAIME You are spoiling me too much. I won't know what to do with myself when you've gone. VIRIDIANA (deliberately) Only because you want it. DON JAIME walks up and down. DON JAIME What do you mean? VIRIDIANA Nothing. I didn't say anything. A silence. DON JAIME You don't trust me, do you? What do you want to know? She hesitates for a moment. VIRIDIANA Very well! I'm talking to you like this because I can't keep things to myself. She goes up to him and looks him straight in the eye. VIRIDIANA Is it true that you have a son? DON JAIME is left momentarily speechless. He blushes. DON JAIME How did you know about that? VIRIDIANA Oh, some years ago I heard my mother talking about it. But is it true? DON JAIME Yes, it is. VIRIDIANA Don't you ever see him? DON JAIME Never. VIRIDIANA How could anybody behave like that? DON JAIME Sometimes these things happen because of inexperience. Sometimes it's because of... VIRIDIANA (interrupting) Evil. DON JAIME And what do you know about life? When all is said and done you couldn't possibly understand. He walks forward a few steps looking worried. VIRIDIANA I understand perfectly. But even if you were not entirely blameworthy, you should have brought up the child. VIRIDIANA's expression becomes harder. DON JAIME begins to pace again nervously. He passes in front of his niece, speaking with a certain embarrassment. Nearby is a basin of water. While they are speaking, DON JAIME looks down into the basin, on the edge of which a bee has settled. DON JAIME His mother wanted to keep him. She came from a poor family. I was in love with your aunt. I would like to have acknowledged him but I was afraid of losing her. That's why I didn't say anything. VIRIDIANA And this innocent child. DON JAIME Don't worry. He won't be forgotten. There is silence. VIRIDIANA picks up her basket again. DON JAIME stares obstinately at the basin. The bee is still there. DON JAIME You must think I am a monster. VIRIDIANA No, but what a pity life is like that. The bee falls into the water. It flounders there, beating its legs and wings. DON JAIME puts a bit of bamboo into the water and lets the bee climb onto it. DON JAIME The poor little beast. It was going to drown. INTERIOR OF THE SITTING ROOM. It is two o'clock in the morning. The chimes dominate the music of the phonograph which plays a muted Ninth Symphony (fourth movement). The clock then strikes two. The sitting room is lit only by the cheerful light of the wood burning in the hearth. Don Jaime's bedroom, opening off the end of the sitting room and lit by an oil lamp, appears to be empty. The camera pulls us into this room. INTERIOR OF DON JAIME'S ROOM. DON JAIME is sitting in front of a large carved wooden chest which he has just opened. He seems to be concentrating but his expression is impassive. He is looking at the wedding attire he has kept, and judging from the cut of the clothes, they are the ones his dead wife Do�a Elvira wore on her wedding day. DON JAIME gradually takes out the different parts of the outfit. He gazes at some of them for a moment; others he hardly looks at at all. There is the veil, the bodice, the skirt, the crown of artificial orange blossoms, the satin slippers. He looks at some of these voluptuously. He throws the crown of orange blossoms onto his bed. He takes off his shoes and tries to put his bare foot into one of the delicate feminine slippers. Now he takes a satin corset with ribbons out of the chest. The chorus of the Ninth Symphony is still heard. With difficulty, DON JAIME gets up and, with the corset in his hands, goes toward his mirror. He draws on the corset and gazes at his face. DON JAIME's head and shoulders are reflected in the glass. His expression is blank. The music continues. The log fire in the fireplace makes leaping shadows on the walls. As DON JAIME is standing in front of the mirror a sudden noise makes him start. He rapidly hides the corset which he had wrapped around him and goes to the door. DON JAIME (in a broken voice) Who's there? He hears the sound of furniture being knocked against. He sees VIRIDIANA pass two steps in front of him. She is barefoot. She has thrown over her nightgown a large woolen shawl which covers her shoulders. The girl does not seem to notice her uncle watching her and she continues to move toward the door of the sitting room. Crossing his room simultaneously, DON JAIME goes into the sitting room by the door which joins the two rooms. THE SITTING ROOM. VIRIDIANA is carrying a wicker workbasket. Her eyes are open but the expression on her face is cold, distant, statuesque. She goes directly to one of the armchairs near the fireplace and sits down. DON JAIME comes into the sitting room. He follows the girl's movements with a dismayed look. He goes and stands in front of her. He sees that VIRIDIANA is sleepwalking. He makes every effort to avoid making a noise but never takes his eyes off of her. As VIRIDIANA sits down, her nightgown is disarranged and her leg and the beginning of her thigh are uncovered. DON JAIME stares at the white, finely grained flesh, unable to look away. He is visibly agitated. VIRIDIANA takes the things that are in the workbasket -- needles, balls of wool, skeins, and so on -- and throws them into the fire. But her eyes do not see what her hands are doing. The precision of her movements is admirable; but as she makes another movement to draw nearer the fire, more of her thigh is exposed. DON JAIME sadly closes his eyes. What a torment, to have so near his grasp the young woman he wishes to possess and yet dares not take in his arms! He opens his eyes again. Apparently what he sees gives him an idea. But for the moment he is worried about what the young novice is doing. VIRIDIANA, kneeling now in front of the fire, takes handfuls of ashes and sprinkles them into her basket. Then she gets up and walks slowly toward Don Jaime's room and goes in. After a moment of astonished hesitation, he follows her. As VIRIDIANA reaches the bed, she empties the ashes from her basket, with a slow movement, onto the bedspread beside the orange blossoms DON JAIME threw there. DON JAIME is startled; the expression on his face, seen in close-up, shows horror at the girl's apparently absurd conduct. VIRIDIANA walks back across the room. As she passes DON JAIME, the basket in her hand brushes against him. Her eyes, still open, have a dead look in them, and since she is barefoot and walks slowly she seems to glide rather than walk. She leaves the room. DON JAIME goes to the bed and looks, in a distracted and incredulous way, at the ashes she has left there. THE HALL. VIRIDIANA walks toward her room. DON JAIME stands in the doorway of his bedroom watching his niece until she disappears into Do�a Elvira's room. The door of Do�a Elvira's room closes very slowly. A faint click is heard as it is locked from the inside. INTERIOR OF DON JAIME'S ROOM. Through the window which opens onto the balcony, the trees of the drive are seen standing out against the bright daytime sky. RAMONA is busy brushing a suit. DON JAIME'S VOICE Is she up yet? RAMONA She's been up for some time. She looks toward the bed where doubtless her master is and speaks, watching to see what his reaction will be. RAMONA She asked me to get her things ready. DON JAIME is shown sitting on his bed eating breakfast. What the servant has just said makes him start. DON JAIME Her last day in this house! I'll never see her again if she leaves. At the other end of the room, RAMONA is now dusting a shelf. RAMONA Why don't you ask her to stay on for a few days? DON JAIME (put out) I have asked her but she's ungrateful. Sometimes I feel like hitting her. When I talk to her about the convent, she turns to stone. He is frowning and seems to be thinking of something important. DON JAIME (almost pleading) Ramona! She stops dusting and looks intently at her master. He taps the edge of the bed. DON JAIME Come here, Ramona. The servant lays down her duster and shyly goes over to the bed. DON JAIME Sit down, I'm going to need your help. RAMONA What's the matter? She hesitates; he takes her hand, forcing her to sit down on the edge of the bed. DON JAIME Sit down, woman, sit down. (looks into her eyes gently) You like me, don't you? RAMONA I'd be really ungrateful, if I didn't like you, sir; you took me and my little girl in when I didn't know where to turn. DON JAIME Yes, yes, but there's no need to bring that up. How far are you prepared to help me? RAMONA Just say the word, sir, and I'll do anything. Without a doubt there is something at the back of his mind but he wants to feel his way first. DON JAIME Why don't you speak to her, Ramona? Women are good at that sort of thing. Think of something that will make her stay a few more days. (again takes her hand and caresses it) You are kind, Ramona! Speak to her. I know I don't need to offer you anything, but, if you're successful in this, I'll not forget you or your little girl. RAMONA But sir, what can I say to her? And why should she pay any attention to what a servant tells her? DON JAIME twists his hands anxiously. DON JAIME You're right, but we must do something. He continues to think thoughts that he dare not express. RAMONA You must think what the best thing to do is, and I'll help you to my utmost. DON JAIME looks at his servant enigmatically, then speaks, without seeming to attach much importance to what he says. DON JAIME Look in the cupboard. On the upper shelf, there's a little blue bottle. There's no label on it. You'll find some white pills inside. While DON JAIME is speaking the cupboard is shown in close-up, half-open. Among other articles there are some bottles on one of the shelves. RAMONA fully opens the cupboard door and takes one of the bottles. She turns to DON JAIME. RAMONA This one, sir? DON JAIME nods in affirmation. DON JAIME Yes, leave it there. Go on with what you were doing. I'll tell you what to do later. RAMONA goes out of the room. DON JAIME puts down his tray on the small breakfast table and gets out of bed. He is in pajamas. He puts on his slippers and goes to the window. He looks out at the drive. THE PARK. Below DON JAIME'S window, RITA is jumping rope. VIRIDIANA is standing nearby. She stops the little girl. They talk for a moment, then the girl takes the rope and they begin to jump together very skillfully. DON JAIME is watching the scene with the same enigmatic look on his face that he had a moment before and his eyes are full of tenderness. THE DRAWING ROOM, DAYTIME. Close-up of a woman's hands peeling fruit. The peel unrolls in a long spiral. It is VIRIDIANA who is executing this work of art. She puts the fruit on a saucer and carries it to DON JAIME, who is sitting beside the fireplace where a good fire is blazing. On the little round table there are the remains of a meal which is just ending. DON JAIME, his back turned three-quarters to the fireplace, is cleaning his pipes. He abandons them to thank his niece for her kindness. He admires the spiral. DON JAIME I have never been able to do that. I'm too nervous. VIRIDIANA, her back to the camera and to her uncle, gazes at the fire, lost for a moment in thought. She then turns and goes to DON JAIME and raises her arms in a gesture of incomprehension. VIRIDIANA Why didn't you wake me? DON JAIME is eating the fruit. DON JAIME They say it's dangerous. VIRIDIANA seems to be ashamed of her bout of sleepwalking. She reacts energetically. She is trying to dismiss the matter as unimportant. VIRIDIANA I don't believe it. A few years ago -- the last time I walked in my sleep -- they woke me up by slapping my face. And you can see I'm still alive. (her face darkens) What worries me is that I put ashes on your bed. DON JAIME is busy munching a piece of fruit. DON JAIME Why? It's no more odd than anything else. People who walk in their sleep don't know what they're doing. VIRIDIANA, worried, shakes her head in disagreement. VIRIDIANA No, Uncle; ashes mean penance and death. DON JAIME (laughing) Then it's penance for you who are going to be a nun; and for me, who am old, it's death ... VIRIDIANA sits down. RAMONA, who has come into the room a second before, serves a cup of coffee to DON JAIME. DON JAIME If you like, I will come with you tomorrow to the village when you leave. VIRIDIANA Thank you, Uncle. DON JAIME examines the pipe which he is filling. DON JAIME This evening we must do something special by way of a farewell. VIRIDIANA Whatever you like. DON JAIME offers a piece of fruit to his niece. She takes it. DON JAIME (trying to appear detached about it) I should like you to do something for me. It's an innocent sort of thing but I'm very set on it. VIRIDIANA Today I can refuse you nothing. DON JAIME, surprised and happy, gets up and comes over to her. DON JAIME You'll do what I ask, then? VIRIDIANA, not at all alarmed, bites the fruit which her uncle has given her. VIRIDIANA Whatever you wish. I'm at your command. He looks at her with gratitude. At the same time he is sincerely modest and shy. DON JAIME No, wait ... (he smiles awkwardly) What a silly thing! It's quite difficult for me to tell you what it is. He takes a mouthful of coffee and relights his pipe. He shakes his head as if he is sorry for himself. THE PARK AT NIGHT. The fa�ade of the house is lit by the moon. The windows of the only two rooms which show light stand out in the darkness. Slowly, the light fades in the window of Do�a Elvira's room as if someone is carrying the light away. A dog is heard barking. THE HALL. VIRIDIANA, who appears clothed in the wedding dress previously seen in Don Jaime's hands leaves Do�a Elvira's room. She is holding a lit candelabra in her hand. She advances as if walking to the altar. Although the situation is not to her liking, she is a little amused by it. RAMONA helps by carrying her train. They move toward the sitting room. THE SITTING ROOM. DON JAIME looks toward the door as the radiantly beautiful VIRIDIANA enters the room. His hand shakes; he is motionless for a second. Then he goes toward her, takes the candelabra from her, and gazes at her in admiration. RAMONA lets go of the train and goes off the frame. DON JAIME (very tenderly) How strange you are! When I asked you to do this favor for me you refused. You seemed almost offended. And now, here you are, making me so very happy all of a sudden. Thank you, my child! VIRIDIANA (a bit oppressed) I don't like masquerading, but as you see I decided to give in to your whim. DON JAIME frees the girl's hand; he looks bitter. DON JAIME It's not a masquerade, nor is it a whim. (silence for a moment) I'm going to tell you something that few people know. He takes a few steps with his fists clenched, stops, and turns to her. DON JAIME Your aunt died of a heart attack, in my arms, on our wedding night, wearing that dress, and you look so like her ... As he speaks he goes to the table, on which he places the candelabra. His words have moved the girl. DON JAIME follows her with his eyes. DON JAIME You must think I'm mad. VIRIDIANA No, Uncle, and now I'm pleased to have been able to do this favor, because, although I didn't think so at first, you are really a good man. VIRIDIANA adjusts her veil. DON JAIME has gone to another table near which RAMONA is hovering. He lights the spirit lamp under a samovar. DON JAIME If you only knew ... When I was young I was full of idealism. I wanted to do something on a big scale for others, something to show my great love for humanity. But as soon as I tried to do something about it, I became afraid that I would be laughed at and I felt like a fool ... and so I went back into my shell. VIRIDIANA Wasn't that cowardice? DON JAIME No, it isn't that, I can assure you. I wouldn't be afraid in the face of real danger. I've proved that to myself. On the other hand, if a stranger visited me simply to say hello, I'd be alarmed. There is silence for a moment. DON JAIME looks at VIRIDIANA almost lovingly. DON JAIME I can't take my eyes off you. Come, let's sit down. They sit side by side. VIRIDIANA Uncle, you mustn't think that I won't be sad to leave you. DON JAIME (eagerly) It's up to you entirely. Don't leave, then ... VIRIDIANA shakes her head. VIRIDIANA Unfortunately ... DON JAIME (discouraged) It's my fault. If I'd come to see you more often, if I'd invited you here for holidays, maybe everything would be different. VIRIDIANA (smiling) Maybe ... DON JAIME gazes at his niece. His tension is at a peak. His whole future depends on what he is about to say; he is convinced of that. DON JAIME There's one way you could stay. If I asked ... He stops in front of her; he lowers his eyes. DON JAIME I mean .. . if I said to you ... He cannot go on. His mouth is dry and he is flushed, his muscles contracting. DON JAIME No, I can't ... I can't ... VIRIDIANA looks at him in amazement. RAMONA comes up to them. The servant has followed the conversation with interest and anxiety. She comes to her master's assistance. She quickly intervenes to address the girl in a firm tone. RAMONA What he wants, miss, is to marry you. This remark leaves the girl stunned. RAMONA Excuse me, sir, but I only said what you didn't dare say yourself. DON JAIME is ashamed and looks at the servant reproachfully. RAMONA He loves you very much and he deserves to be loved in return, because he is a very good man. VIRIDIANA has not yet got over her surprise. Perhaps she is even more upset than he is. But, gradually, she frowns and shows her irritation. VIRIDIANA You're really serious? DON JAIME answers in a determined voice but with his eyes lowered. DON JAIME Yes, I don't want you ever to leave this house. VIRIDIANA (getting up) You must be out of your mind. I've been so happy these last few days -- now you've spoiled it all. A silence. VIRIDIANA pulls off her veil angrily. VIRIDIANA I think it would be better if I went to my room. She moves toward the door. DON JAIME rushes forward to restrain her. DON JAIME Wait! Forgive me! Honestly, I really beg your pardon. Stay a few more minutes! If you go now, I'm afraid you'll always resent me. I promise not to say anything that might annoy you. I'll put some music on and we'll have a cup of coffee. DON JAIME makes a sign to RAMONA, who has gone over to the sideboard where the coffeepot is. VIRIDIANA is motionless, her head hangs, she refuses to say a word. RAMONA looks at DON JAIME, who signals to her almost imperceptibly. He goes to the phonograph and puts on a classical record, as usual. VIRIDIANA, head still down, has just sat down in the armchair. RAMONA fills the coffee cups. The phonograph begins to play. RAMONA Take this, miss, it'll do you good. RAMONA offers a cup of coffee to the girl. Gazing in front of her, she drinks almost the whole cup in a quick gulp. THE SERVANTS' QUARTERS, NIGHTTIME. A very simple room on the ground floor of the house. An old sideboard and a rough kitchen table. MONCHO is sitting near the table mending a strap. Beside him is a piece of paper with lumps of sugar on it. He eats them with enthusiasm, munching noisily. The door opens and little RITA comes in, sobbing and frightened. She is barefoot, dressed in a skirt and an old ragged blanket which covers the upper part of her body. The old servant looks at her disapprovingly. MONCHO Why are you crying? RITA I'm afraid. MONCHO Don't invent stories; go to bed. RITA A black bull came. MONCHO (laughing mockingly) A black bull! RITA approaches him. Her fear is disappearing. RITA It's a very big one. MONCHO Very, very? RITA (with an air of defiance) Yes -- very, very big! MONCHO He couldn't get through the door, then? RITA shakes her head vigorously. MONCHO laughs with an air of "Now you've been caught in a barefaced lie." MONCHO Then how did it get in, silly? The little girl thinks for a moment. RITA (energetically) He came in through the cupboard. MONCHO You little liar! Get out of here! RITA starts crying again. RITA I'm afraid. MONCHO holds out a piece of sugar to her. MONCHO Here! And call your mother if you're having nightmares. Now go away and don't annoy me. RITA accepts the gifts and lingers for a moment. The servant carries on with his work and finally the girl leaves, munching her lump of sugar. THE SITTING ROOM. RAMONA puts down her cup. Then DON JAIME gives her his. They look at each other in silence. The music has stopped. DON JAIME goes to the phonograph and switches it on again. VIRIDIANA is still sitting, with her back to the camera, holding the empty cup in her hand. DON JAIME comes up behind her. Close-up of VIRIDIANA's right hand holding the cup and saucer. Her fingers slacken and she lets go of them. DON JAIME holds his breath. He is just behind her. He stops to watch her reactions. He looks at RAMONA. Then he speaks. DON JAIME (in a shaky voice) You look very tired. Perhaps you'd better go to bed. There is no reply. VIRIDIANA'S head falls on her shoulders. DON JAIME comes toward her slowly until he is standing in front of her. He shakes her gently. DON JAIME Viridiana! Viridiana! ... There is no reply. THE HALL. The only light comes from the sitting room. At the end of the hall, the small silhouette of RITA appears as she comes upstairs. She carefully enters the hall, going in the direction of the sitting room, from which muffled voices are heard. DON JAIME'S VOICE Help me ...Take her by the legs. RAMONA'S VOICE Lift her a little more, sir... A pause. There is the sound of a chair being overturned. DON JAIME'S VOICE Don't think too badly of me, Ramona; I only want to have her close to me. The camera reaches RITA. There is the sound of footsteps approaching the door and the child runs and hides herself behind the staircase, from where, timorously, she watches the scene. DON JAIME and his servant appear from the sitting room, carrying VIRIDIANA who appears to be dead. They go toward Do�a Elvira's room and enter it. RITA comes out of her hiding place. Her curiosity aroused, she would like to see more but she is afraid of being discovered. She withdraws gradually and starts to go downstairs again. INSIDE DO�A ELVIRA'S ROOM. DON JAIME and RAMONA have laid VIRIDIANA motionless on the bed. RAMONA lights the candles. DON JAIME'S VOICE That will be all, Ramona. She obeys in silence. VIRIDIANA remains lying on her back motionless. Her hair is slightly untidy, as it was a few minutes before in the sitting room. DON JAIME, feverishly, with an artist's meticulousness, begins to perfect his masterpiece. He crosses the girl's arms over her breast, puts her feet together, arranges the pleats of her dress. Lying thus, VIRIDIANA has the look of a lovely figure on a tomb. The scene switches to the big tree which dominates the grounds. We see RITA going toward it, looking up from time to time at the feebly lit window of Do�a Elvira's room. After a moment's hesitation, the little girl begins to climb the tree. As she ascends, the sound of a dog barking is heard in the night. DO�A ELVIRA'S ROOM. DON JAIME, sitting on the edge of the bed, stands up. For a moment he walks up and down in front of the motionless body, without taking his eyes off it. He stops for a second, then goes over and sits on the bed again. He caresses VIRIDIANA'S hair and forehead. He is terribly affected. Then he puts his arms around the girl's shoulders and lifts her gently into a sitting position. He draws his face close to hers and joins his lips to hers in a sweet, prolonged kiss. The window, through which little RITA, who has reached the terrace, looks curiously in at the scene. With trembling hands, DON JAIME unfastens the neck of VIRIDIANA'S dress. Her throat and the top of her breasts are exposed. The body he has been yearning for, now defenseless, is at his mercy. He is completely beside himself. He lays his cheek against VIRIDIANA'S breast. He feels the softness of the skin and its warmth. He kisses it once, twice. Suddenly, he reacts. He gets up with a start and looks, almost with terror, at the body. He sees the calm, serene expression on the girl's face. DON JAIME now passes from the realm of blind instinct to the realm of conscience. He realizes the meanness of his actions. Basically, he is a good and kindly man. Nevertheless his hands reach out to her again. Then suddenly, decisively, as if moved by fear of himself; he runs to the door, opens it, and goes out into the hall, taking the lit candelabra with him on the way. The music has not stopped throughout. RITA climbs down from the branches of the tree and jumps to the ground. She sees her mother waiting for her and runs to join her. RAMONA What are you doing? RITA Don Jaime was kissing the lady. RAMONA, with a somber look, stares at her child. Then she sees how RITA has come to know this. She frowns, annoyed. RAMONA He only kisses her because she's his niece. Don't I kiss you? You should be in bed. RITA A black bull came into my room. RAMONA Be quiet. I'm going to put you to bed. She takes her by the hand and leads her to the servants' door. Again the barking of a dog is heard. DON JAIME passes down the hall on his way to his room, walking quickly and nervously. He opens the door, enters, and closes it with a bang. Absolute silence then reigns in the house. INTERIOR OF DO�A ELVIRA'S ROOM, THE NEXT DAY. RAMONA, standing in front of the window, closes it. We hear the moaning voice of VIRIDIANA. VIRIDIANA (off) I'm thirsty. RAMONA gives her a glass of water from a bottle that is on the console. VIRIDIANA drinks it greedily. RAMONA How do you feel? VIRIDIANA I have a headache. RAMONA That will soon pass. It's nothing. VIRIDIANA notices her exposed body and covers herself modestly -- ill at ease. VIRIDIANA What happened to me? RAMONA You fainted last night after supper. The master and I carried you here. VIRIDIANA Have I slept long? RAMONA Oh, you slept well; don't worry. The sound of footsteps is heard approaching the bedroom. VIRIDIANA covers herself under the bedclothes. The door opens and DON JAIME appears. His face and the untidiness of his clothes show clearly that he must have spent a sleepless night. Seeing him, VIRIDIANA wants to protest but does not dare. DON JAIME comes in. DON JAIME Leave us alone, Ramona. VIRIDIANA (vehemently) Don't go! DON JAIME makes a sign with his head and the servant obeys. She leaves the room, closing the door behind her. The uncle and niece remain, facing one another. VIRIDIANA Leave me alone, uncle, please. I want to get up. She receives no reply. The old man walks up and down the room, deep in thought, obviously not knowing how to begin. She insists, in an irritated manner. VIRIDIANA I have to go! DON JAIME sits down on the edge of the bed. He answers very decisively. DON JAIME No. You can never go away now. There is a sudden look of impatience, almost of real fear, in the girl's eyes. VIRIDIANA Last night you promised never to speak of that again. I beg you, leave me alone. The old man does not budge. DON JAIME What could be more unlike than an old man who lives alone and a young woman like you, consecrated to God. However ... The girl, exasperated, almost sits up in bed. VIRIDIANA (violently) Be quiet! I don't want to listen to you! Don't you understand that I want to get dressed? He, lost in thought, does not seem to hear her. DON JAIME I forgot everything because of you, even the passion that has kept me going all these years ... everything. He gets up and walks around the room. VIRIDIANA would like to get up and force him to leave the room, but her state of semi-nudity prevents her. DON JAIME I must have been mad. I thought that you would agree to marry me, but naturally you refused. And now it's the day that you must leave. She looks at him, wondering how the discussion is going to end. DON JAIME comes to the bed and leans over her. He stares at her. DON JAIME (coldly) I had to force you. (pause) That was the only way I could find to have you in my arms. VIRIDIANA evidences growing dismay and anxiety. VIRIDIANA (shouting) You're lying. DON JAIME No, it's true. (speaking each word distinctly) Last night when you were sleeping, I had you all to myself. She opens her eyes wide in horror. She can't believe what he's saying. She feels a cold sweat breaking out on her forehead. DON JAIME starts pacing back and forth again in front of her, sometimes staring at her and sometimes obstinately lowering his eyes. DON JAIME Now you won't be able to go back to your convent. You're not the same woman who left it a few days ago. Now, you'll have to stay with me here forever. He stops comes back to the bed, and sits down. There is a pleading note in his voice. DON JAIME Everything I have will be yours, and if you don't want to marry me, if you prefer to live as we have up to now, provided you're close to me, I'll content myself with ... She visibly takes time to understand her uncle's words. The blow is so hard that she hardly even reacts. Her plight moves DON JAIME to sympathy. DON JAIME Think about it. Don't hurry. Think it over. VIRIDIANA (with a start, almost shouting) Go away! Leave me alone. She looks at him with hate and disgust. DON JAIME is affected. He hesitates. He starts to speak to her again but does not do so. He finally gets up and goes to the door. He feels VIRIDIANA's eyes, blazing with anger, upon him. He leaves the room, head hanging, shattered. Immediately, VIRIDIANA leaps out of bed, grabs her bag, and wildly begins to throw her clothes into it. AT THE DOOR OF DON JAIME'S ROOM. RAMONA is waiting for DON JAIME, whom we see coming from the hall. He passes the servant without noticing her. He goes into the room. RAMONA goes up to him slowly. RAMONA What did you say to her, sir? He looks at her. DON JAIME The way she looked at me, Ramona! She hates me now. I think I've made a great mistake. She's going away, she's going away and nothing will stop her. RAMONA (without conviction) Speak to her again. Explain everything to her seriously. DON JAIME What for? She'll only look at me that way again ... I couldn't. You go. Perhaps she'll listen to you. Try to convince her. RAMONA But what can I say to her, sir? DON JAIME Tell her I lied, that I didn't take advantage of her. Ramona looks at him, stunned, incredulous. He continues with sincerity. DON JAIME I did mean to do it, Ramona. But I realized in time what I was doing. I spent the whole night turning my thoughts over in my mind ... and I lied to her so she wouldn't go back to the convent. (taking RAMONA by the arm) Go on, explain to her. He almost pushes her to the door. She goes against her will, hesitating. He watches her from the doorway. IN DO�A ELVIRA'S ROOM. VIRIDIANA has dressed and is closing her bag. RAMONA comes in stealthily through the half-open door. VIRIDIANA's eyes are full of tears. In the background, RAMONA hesitates for a moment, then half turns and goes back quickly to DON JAIME's room. IN DON JAIME'S ROOM. DON JAIME is leaning against the bed. RAMONA appears in the doorway. RAMONA Sir, come right away. DON JAIME straightens himself with a start. He stares at the servant for a second. Then he walks quickly to the door and goes out. DO�A ELVIRA'S ROOM. VIRIDIANA grabs her bag and is just about to go as her uncle enters. He blocks her way and locks the door, taking the key from the lock. The girl still has signs of tears on her face. VIRIDIANA Let me pass! DON JAIME You must listen to me before you go. VIRIDIANA (angrily) I've listened to you long enough. Let me out. VIRIDIANA goes back a couple of steps and puts down her bag. She is no longer afraid. She can hardly feel any emotion except anger mingled with disgust. DON JAIME remains standing beside her. DON JAIME All that I said just now was a lie. I said it so you wouldn't leave. I only molested you in my thoughts ... I can't bear to have you leave me, hating me like this. (pleadingly) Tell me you believe what I'm saying and I'll let you go. VIRIDIANA You disgust me... even if what you say is true. DON JAIME (in a quieter voice) Then you won't forgive me? The young woman's look shatters DON JAIME. With difficulty, VIRIDIANA, who has turned her back to her uncle, holds back the sobs which are choking her. After a moment's anguished silence, DON JAIME, resigned to his fate, holds the key out to the girl. She snatches it from him, takes up her suitcase, and makes for the door; she goes out without a glance in his direction. As VIRIDIANA comes out of Do�a Elvira's room into the hall, RAMONA is seen walking toward her away from the camera. DON JAIME's silhouette hovers on the threshold which the girl has just crossed. VIRIDIANA passes in front of the camera and her rushing footsteps are heard descending the staircase. DO�A ELVIRA'S ROOM. DON JAIME is looking out from the balcony. RAMONA enters, shaken by all that has happened. Hearing her footsteps, DON JAIME turns around. His expression is not what one would expect. He seems calm, without the slightest trace of disappointment. He seems even to be smiling. Now that what he has feared so much has occurred, he is recovering his former courage. The servant stops a few feet away, her eyes lowered, not daring to look at him. DON JAIME goes to her. DON JAIME You believe me, don't you? RAMONA Yes, sir. Her voice is low, utterly without conviction. DON JAIME notices this. He smiles. DON JAIME Don't lie. You don't believe me either. RAMONA (trying to find an excuse) It's only that ... It's all very odd, sir. DON JAIME nods his head sympathetically. DON JAIME It's all right, my girl, it's all right. He makes for the hall. RAMONA goes to the unmade bed and examines the sheets, as if trying to discover the truth. Seeing nothing, she sits on the edge of the bed with a thoughtful air. THE PARK. THE COACHMAN finishes preparing the carriage. Some yards away VIRIDIANA is waiting, seated on a stone bench with her back to the camera. Her bag is at her side. Nearby, RITA is playing diabolo. The toys DON JAIME gives her indicate how old-fashioned he is. RITA See how high I can throw it! VIRIDIANA does not even look around. In order to attract her attention, RITA collects the spool which has fallen back onto the string. She turns it and puts it into place with the aid of one of the sticks. RITA Look! You can't do that! As VIRIDIANA remains sunk deep in thought, RITA loses heart and tries to interest MONCHO, who has just picked up VIRIDIANA's bag and is taking it to the carriage. RITA Look! Moncho! Look how high it is! As usual, he answers her in a surly manner. MONCHO Let me have a little peace, won't you? RITA goes on playing without paying any attention to his bad temper. MONCHO approaches VIRIDIANA. MONCHO When you're ready, miss. The girl stands up and goes to the carriage. THE BALCONY OUTSIDE DON JAIME'S ROOM. DON JAIME watches his niece's departure. As VIRIDIANA goes to the carriage, RITA says something to her, but she merely caresses her head with her hand as a sign of farewell. She gets in and the coachman gives the horse the whip. The little girl waves goodbye, then begins to run after the carriage. DON JAIME sadly watches the carriage disappear. But he recovers quickly and his face takes on a calm, almost indifferent look. He goes to the desk which is in the corner of the room and sits down at it. He rubs his forehead. The writing materials on the table are lying in disorder. Several months must certainly have passed since he has been near his desk. Carefully, he begins to make order out of the chaos. He rubs his fingers along the table to see if there is any dust on it. Seeing that it is clean, he smiles at the thought of Ramona's conscientiousness. Finally, he takes a pen and a sheet of notepaper and begins to write. He smiles quietly, rubbing his beard dreamily. He appears to have thought of something that pleases him very much. THE VILLAGE SQUARE. Under the arcade which borders the square, VIRIDIANA is waiting for her bus to arrive; its approach is heralded by the sound of its engine. She goes to the bus stop, where others are waiting. As the bus stops, passengers get off and those who were waiting get on. The driver comes up to VIRIDIANA. DRIVER I'll take your bag, please, miss. At this moment, an important-looking middle-class gentleman -- the MAYOR -- comes along the arcade, followed by two uniformed POLICEMEN and a PEASANT. The group comes up to VIRIDIANA, to whom the man holds out his hand. MAYOR How do you do, Miss Viridiana! VIRIDIANA Is anything the matter, Mr. Mayor? MAYOR You cannot leave ... VIRIDIANA (surprised) Why not? MAYOR There's been an accident. VIRIDIANA Where? MAYOR Come with me. He takes her by the arm. VIRIDIANA neither protests nor asks any further questions. DON JAIME'S ESTATE. A car stops in the drive. The MAYOR gets out, followed by the group which was with him in the village. All come toward the camera, eyes trained on the branches of the big tree beside which Rita likes to play. MONCHO rushes up to meet them. Near the tree, RAMONA and her daughter, clinging to one another watch the people arrive. The big tree, through whose foliage hang the feet of a man. Close-up of VIRIDIANA, who has just got out of the car and sees the body. Overcome, she leans her forehead against the car door and remains like that for a moment, motionless and silent. Close-up of the branch from which DON JAIME is hanging. The only part of him that is visible is the back of his head. The body itself is outside the frame. The rope which is tied to the branch has a wooden handle. It is Rita's jump rope. THE TURRETS OF THE HOUSE AND THE TREES OF THE PARK. The same picture of little RITA's legs skipping under the big tree as at the beginning of the film. MONCHO, who is leading a horse, stops upon seeing RITA. He lets go of the animal's halter and goes up to the little girl. Brutally, he takes hold of the jump rope and tries to snatch it from her. RITA struggles with him fiercely. RITA Give it to me. It's mine! The old man elbows her aside. MONCHO I'll box your ears if you don't show some respect for the dead! You mustn't play under this tree. RITA Don Jaime loved to watch me skip. The servant finally seizes the rope and throws it away. MONCHO If something terrible happens now it will be your fault. He leaves. As soon as his back is turned, RITA picks up the rope and with the same liveliness begins to skip. The picture of her legs again. VIRIDIANA'S ROOM. Close-up of her black wooden cross and the crown of thorns hooked across the end of the bed. The room has a red brick floor and white-washed walls. VIRIDIANA, who undoubtedly did not want to keep the room she was in before, is now in a less elaborate room on the ground floor. The furniture consists of an iron bed, two chairs, and a white wooden table. In the corner there is a very simple dressing-table without a mirror. VIRIDIANA, with bucket and broom, is washing the floor. The young woman's face is more drawn and she is no longer smiling. Something seems to have happened to her: she appears youthful, and with a certain balance that she lacked before. RAMONA comes into the room and puts a tray on the table. She lifts off the napkin, revealing the meal of a plate of vegetables, a glass of milk, and a piece of bread. RAMONA You aren't eating enough. I've given you a glass of milk, and this evening I'll bring you some meat. VIRIDIANA stops working and goes to wash her hands in a basin on the dressing table. RAMONA You don't look at all well! (Viridiana does not answer) The mayor told me that he's dealing with the problems you were talking about. You can go to the village when you want to. It'll do you good to see the world. In the distance a car is heard: it stops. RAMONA looks out the open window ... Two nuns pass outside and into the building. One of them is the MOTHER SUPERIOR of VIRIDIANA's convent. VIRIDIANA goes to the door. Unruffled, she watches the MOTHER SUPERIOR enter. RAMONA moves back to let the visitor pass and then leaves the room. MOTHER SUPERIOR Good morning. You weren't expecting me, were you? VIRIDIANA Mother. The MOTHER SUPERIOR looks at VIRIDIANA with compassion. She shakes her head with pity. MOTHER SUPERIOR You must have suffered, my child! The young girl goes up to her, but instead of throwing herself into her arms weeping, as her Superior seems to expect, she bows deeply and calmly kisses the crucifix on the Mother Superior's rosary. This calm somewhat disconcerts her visitor. MOTHER SUPERIOR Ever since yesterday, when we heard by chance about the tragedy, we have been very anxious for you. Why didn't you write? I would have come immediately. VIRIDIANA I had so many things to think about! MOTHER SUPERIOR A suicide is horrible. I know. But you should have told me. She looks around her and seems to approve of the simplicity of the room. MOTHER SUPERIOR I talked for a few minutes to the parish priest in the village and he told me how it happened. Everybody is asking why this horrible offense was committed against Our Lord. Do you know the reason? VIRIDIANA remains standing. VIRIDIANA I only know that my uncle was a grave sinner and I feel guilty for his death. The MOTHER SUPERIOR'S face darkens. She moves toward VIRIDIANA. MOTHER SUPERIOR How can you say that! You, responsible for the suicide of a man? I want a complete confession from you. VIRIDIANA lowers her eyes. VIRIDIANA (firmly) I'm not going back to the convent; therefore I'm no longer under obedience to anyone. She says this calmly, almost humbly, but there is an element of revolt in her voice which angers her SUPERIOR, who struggles to control herself. The SUPERIOR swallows hard and speaks without raising her voice. MOTHER SUPERIOR Is there some grave impediment which prevents you from taking your vows? There must be something. VIRIDIANA I have nothing to reproach myself for. All I know is that I've changed. With all my strength, which is not much, I will follow the road that the Lord has shown me. One can also serve outside a convent. MOTHER SUPERIOR Are you aware of the pride there is in what you're saying? VIRIDIANA does not answer. She continues to look down. The nun changes her tone. She tries irony. MOTHER SUPERIOR What great plans are you thinking of dedicating yourself to now? VIRIDIANA looks her in the eye. VIRIDIANA I know my own weakness, and whatever I do will be humble. But, however little it is, I want to do it alone. There is a moment of silence while the MOTHER SUPERIOR tries to follow VIRIDIANA's train of thought. Her amazement prevails over her indignation. She does not know what to think. Finally she speaks, very dryly. MOTHER SUPERIOR Very well. As you won't let me help you, I must leave you. I'm very sorry I came and disturbed you. Goodbye. She half turns and goes to the door. VIRIDIANA Mother! The MOTHER SUPERIOR stops. VIRIDIANA Forgive me if I have offended you. MOTHER SUPERIOR You are forgiven. Goodbye. She goes out, closing the door behind her. THE CHURCH SQUARE OF THE VILLAGE. It is flooded with sunlight. A little old man dressed in rags half-walks, half-runs, up to a group of beggars as shabbily dressed as himself who are standing in the doorway of the church. The beggars are DON AMALIO, blind, about 45; EL PELON (BALDY), a rather alarming character of about 40; ENEDINA, who is carrying a two-year-old girl in her arms; REFUGIO, a woman of uncertain age, showing obvious signs of pregnancy; and finally, the little old man who has just arrived and who answers to the nickname "El POCA". DON AMALIO, who has the hard, sharp features of a countryman, is sitting with his back against the stone steps of the church, his face absorbing the sun. Near him lies a long white stick which acts as a guide when he walks. In his arms, he holds ENEDINA's second little girl, who is about a year old. As people pass him on their way into the church, he calls out sonorously for alms. PELON Why isn't she coming? POCA She has already crossed herself. REFUGIO She's a very firm believer. There is a silence. Some of them look toward the church door. ENEDINA I've heard she's even going to pay us to go and live with her. Two women pass. DON AMALIO Kind people! Don't forget a poor blind man. In the background, VIRIDIANA comes out of the church. The beggars are in confusion. POCA grasps the blind man by the arm and pulls him to his feet. POCA There she is. Hurry up, come on. You've had it if you totter around like that and fool with the kids. VIRIDIANA joins them. She takes the child from AMALIO. VIRIDIANA Give the little girl to me. Come here, sweetheart. Are you ready? PELON When you are, miss. VIRIDIANA Good, then let's go! POCA, who is leading the old man, comes up to VIRIDIANA. He looks at her and speaks to DON AMALIO. POCA She has the face of an angel. What a pity you can't see her. VIRIDIANA Right, let's go. (to Poca) And keep the compliments to yourself. I don't like them. The beggars get their belongings together, then join up. IN ANOTHER LITTLE SQUARE OF THE VILLAGE. Two more beggars are waiting: one is DON ZEQUIEL, an old man of about sixty whose full white beard gives him the look of a patriarch; the other is a man of about forty, with a black beard. He moves with the help of a stick and is known by the name of HOBBLY. He is drinking from the fountain of the small square when the group led by VIRIDIANA comes toward them. DON ZEQUIEL Here they come. HOBBLY turns away from the fountain to look at them. VIRIDIANA Are you the other two? DON ZEQUIEL Yes, miss, that's us, yes. VIRIDIANA Good, come with me. INTERIOR OF DON JAIME'S SITTING ROOM. Close-up of an oil portrait of Don Jaime. JORGE'S VOICE (off) What a strange man! I wish I knew what he was like. LUCIA'S VOICE (off) As far as you're concerned, worthless. You can see how much he cared about you. The people who are speaking come into view. JORGE, Don Jaime's son, no more than thirty, is a well-built energetic type. Not overimaginative or a dreamer, he is a practical man of action. His custom-made clothes look recently cleaned and pressed. LUCIA is younger. She is pretty and pleasant but there is nothing to distinguish her from many other women. She too seems dressed in her Sunday best. JORGE I'm not at all bitter about it. Anyone can love and forget. But ... Why did he acknowledge me at the last moment? What was going through his mind? RAMONA, who is coming out of Don Jaime's room, is listening. She looks at the portrait tenderly. RAMONA He was very good. Better than some people would think. JORGE Why did he kill himself? RAMONA tries not to show anything of what she knows, or her sorrow. RAMONA I don't know, sir. JORGE (nodding) One shouldn't be alone the whole time. (looks at Lucia; laughing) I'm not like him, am I? He goes to the harmonium. LUCIA follows him. LUCIA Not in that way; you're always looking for company. JORGE Why do you say that? Perhaps the young girl is a bit jealous. LUCIA (off) I know what I mean. JORGE pedals the harmonium and runs his hands across the keyboard, causing a series of discords. RAMONA cannot bear this profanation and interrupts. RAMONA Don't play, sir. He takes his hands from the keyboard and looks at the servant in astonishment. RAMONA (respectfully) I beg your pardon, sir. The master used to play here by the hour. It was a real delight to listen to him. She closes the harmonium slowly. JORGE leans against the instrument and stares at her, looking half the seducer and half ironic. The servant, disturbed, slips away. RAMONA If you don't mind, I'll go get the other suitcase. LUCIA, looking sulky, goes past them onto the balcony. JORGE follows her. The balcony looks out on a wasteland: scorched terrain, with some scrub and weeds; some trees and among them some dilapidated outhouses of the old farm. There are mountains in the background. JORGE Look at these beautiful fields! And behind those pines the fields, dried up and abandoned. There's so much to do here and it's all mine. We won't have time to get bored. LUCIA smiles. JORGE takes the young girl by the shoulders and draws her to him. He wants to embrace her, but she pulls away. JORGE Aren't you happy? She seems rather sad, in fact. LUCIA Yes. But I don't know ... I wish I hadn't come. Obviously, her lover is everything to her, but she fears that this unexpected prosperity might separate them. Something happening in the drive attracts Lucia's attention and she points. LUCIA Look at that. JORGE leans over the balcony and looks at what is happening below. THE PARK. VIRIDIANA is coming into the park followed by her troupe of beggars. The beggars, in little groups, are looking around with curiosity. POCA and the blind man DON AMALIO are among them. POCA is telling the blind man what he sees. POCA (full of admiration for the house) It's very big ... The blind man hits the ground with his stick. DON AMALIO So much the better. We'll all fit. How many floors are there? POCA Two. DON AMALIO Are there many windows? POCA Lots. It's got balconies and two big towers. DON AMALIO (sententiously) Then it's a respectable house. The old servant MONCHO comes out of the house and approaches the arrivals. VIRIDIANA Have you repaired the windows of the dormitories? MONCHO They shut all right now. And the blankets are ready. ENEDINA and REFUGIO bring up the end of the line. REFUGIO That miss is as good as gold. ENEDINA She's very good, but a bit of a simpleton. The group stops near the house. VIRIDIANA The men will sleep on one side, the women on the other, but we will eat together. We'll try to get you some decent clothes tomorrow. Moncho, show them where they'll be. I'll take the women. JORGE and LUCIA have come out of the house and are looking with curiosity and astonishment at this tattered group. They go up to VIRIDIANA. JORGE Viridiana. VIRIDIANA turns and notices the couple without showing any surprise. JORGE bows. JORGE Miss Viridiana ... VIRIDIANA Are you Jorge? She shakes the hand he is stretching out. JORGE Jorge, Don Jaime's son, at your service. VIRIDIANA I've been expecting you; I got a letter from the lawyer. She looks at LUCIA. JORGE (smiling) This is Lucia; she's a good girl. You'll get to know each other very quickly. They shake hands. Little RITA has come out of the house and rushes toward the beggars, brushing past LUCIA. The beggars are waiting near the house. MONCHO goes through them to get in front. Old DON ZEQUIEL paternally puts his hand on RITA's head. DON ZEQUIEL What's your name? RITA (lively) Don't touch me! You're going to sleep in the farmyard with the chickens! MONCHO gestures to the men to follow him. MONCHO Get moving! Anyone who pokes around where he shouldn't be will pay for it. They begin walking, but the blind man is offended by these words. DON AMALIO Listen, although we may be poor, every man has his dignity, brother. MONCHO Don't "brother" me: there aren't any scum in my family. PELON, who doesn't inspire sympathy, understands the allusion. PELON Well now, even the servants put on airs here, don't they? MONCHO stops and turns around. MONCHO (angrily) Do you want me to smash your face? VIRIDIANA, who is following with the women, hears the exchange and goes up to the beggars. VIRIDIANA What's going on, Moncho? MONCHO This louse is looking for trouble. PELON hardly lets him finish. PELON You runt. MONCHO is about to attack but VIRIDIANA stops him. VIRIDIANA (to Pel�n) Don't talk like that! PELON I'll talk the way I want to. I've had enough of this. The blind man, guided by the voices, is angered by PELON's lack of respect and hits him with his stick. DON AMALIO That'll teach you some manners. PELON Blind, shit! You can see now. He attacks DON AMALIO. All of them intervene to separate the two. VIRIDIANA fearlessly stands between them. VIRIDIANA (shouting with authority) In you go! Moncho, lead the way! (to Pel�n) You stay here. MONCHO But, miss ... JORGE and LUCIA are anxiously watching the absurd proceedings. JORGE is about to intervene but LUCIA stops him. LUCIA Leave her. The beggars, both men and women, are calmer. The blind man is muttering. PELON looks at VIRIDIANA venomously. VIRIDIANA Keep calm, Moncho. And you... (to the blind man) ...don't be quarrelsome! MONCHO, unwillingly resigning himself to the situation, goes forward followed by the beggars. VIRIDIANA calmly goes up to PELON. VIRIDIANA Would you mind telling me what I did wrong to you to deserve your insults? PELON I've had a gutful of this. VIRIDIANA If you want to stay you'll have to exercise a little self-control, and be a bit more humble to everybody. The beggar shrugs his shoulders contemptuously. PELON If that's the way, it's better to leave. He half turns and walks away a few steps, but then he hesitates a moment and turns around again, facing the young woman. PELON Give me something to go on with. Viridiana reaches in her pocket and gives PELON some money. PELON Because we are poor, without it ... He leaves. In the background, JORGE and LUCIA go back into the house. The beggars split up into two groups. On the left the men are led by MONCHO and on the right are the women; VIRIDIANA joins them. THE SITTING ROOM AT NIGHT. Close-up of a basin of hot water which is still steaming. In the water are the feet of JORGE, who has rolled up his trousers. He is dressed for the country. He is sitting on Don Jaime's special armchair and smoking one of his pipes. LUCIA, sitting on a small low chair in front of him, has just finished polishing his boots. They are silent. She looks at him now and then. LUCIA (off) Are you tired? JORGE I nearly walked my legs off today. (rubs his legs, points to the basin) That has done me good. There is a silence. RAMONA comes in with a towel in her hand. She hands it to JORGE and then looks at LUCIA, who goes on wiping the boots which have been waxed. RAMONA Why don't you let me do that, miss? LUCIA (dryly) Because I've got him into bad habits. JORGE begins to dry his feet. The maid bends down to pick up the basin, gets up, and turns. She goes to the door but stops before going out. RAMONA Whenever you're ready I can serve supper. LUCIA Right, we'll have it now. The maid leaves the room after glancing at the little table which is already laid. JORGE, suddenly in a bad mood, flings his towel to the floor. LUCIA looks at him in surprise. LUCIA (harshly) What's the matter with you? JORGE Nothing. LUCIA Why the bad temper? JORGE It's Viridiana. She's getting on my nerves. LUCIA has finished his shoes and puts them in a corner. LUCIA (shrugging) She's mad. JORGE No, not mad at all: she's rotten with religion. LUCIA Let her do what she wants. She doesn't bother us in any way. She minds her business and we ... They fall silent. LUCIA goes up to JORGE and looks at him meaningfully. LUCIA Do you know what I think? What's annoying you is that she pays so little attention to you. He looks at her furiously, which seems to indicate that she has touched a sore spot ... She moves away to the other side of the room and, at that moment, RAMONA comes in carrying a tureen of soup. LUCIA leaves the room. JORGE goes over to the table, sits down, and opens his napkin with irritation. RAMONA has put the soup tureen on the edge of a sideboard. JORGE turns his back to her so that she has only to turn her head to see him. She gives him a look that is both tender and submissive. She is obviously disturbed by the presence of Don Jaime's son. Without taking her eyes of him, she goes to pick up the tureen again and prepares to bring it over to the table, but at that moment LUCIA's voice is heard. LUCIA Ramona! She starts as if she has been caught doing something wrong. For a moment, she tries to catch the tureen, which is about to fall, but only succeeds in making matters worse. The soup tureen smashes onto the floor, its contents spreading out. LUCIA That's the last straw! What were you looking at, woman? Look what you've done! JORGE has got up to look at the disaster. He looks at the maid, nodding his head in commiseration. JORGE So, Ramona! LUCIA Run and get something to mop it up with, quickly. RAMONA obeys, fleeing. LUCIA begins to pick up the pieces. LUCIA That woman's getting more and more stupid every day. JORGE sits down again, looking resigned. JORGE What of it? THE BEGGARS' REFECTORY: NIGHTTIME. The beggars are eating at a rough table made of planks. Surprisingly, they are respectfully dressed. Their clothes are worn out but clean. Their appearance is relatively washed and tidy. DON AMALIO, POCA, DON ZEQUIEL, HOBBLY, ENEDINA, and REFUGIO are there; also three other wretches, a man and two women. One of the women is a DWARF, the other, whom we will call the GARDENER, is a nondescript, middle-aged woman. The last character, who is named PACO, is a man of about fifty with a shaggy beard but no scar or physical deformity. They are all eating heartily. DON AMALIO When I wasn't so miserable I used to sell pigs. Begging your pardon, I was more honest than my holy Mother. POCA (swallowing) So you didn't come from the poorhouse! The blind man puts his plate on the table and grasps his stick. DON AMALIO I'll hit whoever said that. DON AMALIO seems to mean what he says. ENEDINA Don't pay any attention to him, Don Amalio, he's a rogue. Other voices are raised. VOICES Good evening, miss. VIRIDIANA has just appeared on the threshold with two new guests, the woman SINGER and the LEPER. DON ZEQUIEL (standing up with respect) Benedictus! VIRIDIANA smiles at this incongruity. The SINGER looks distrustfully at the others; she didn't expect such a great number. The LEPER holds back as if uncertain of the reception he will receive. All keep silent for the moment and the noise of eating is heard. VIRIDIANA makes the new guests sit down and gives them each a spoon and a plate. VIRIDIANA Make room for your new companions. You sit there, you there. I guess they're hungry, aren't they? SINGER God will reward you. VIRIDIANA Have you eaten well? Did you like it? DON ZEQUIEL I don't want to criticize the saintly miss who is so good to us, but I would take the liberty of saying that the beans were acid. REFUGIO What does that mean? POCA Sour, idiot. REFUGIO Don't pay any attention to them, they're peasants. VIRIDIANA silences them. VIRIDIANA If Don Zequiel says the beans were bad it must be true. We'll do something about it tomorrow. They all look at the LEPER with disgust. VIRIDIANA helps him to something and the man begins to eat hungrily. VIRIDIANA places the bread basket near him. VIRIDIANA (smiling) Now I've got some good news for you. From tomorrow on, everyone will have some work to do. This is a disagreeable surprise. They look at each other. POCA is flabbergasted and terrified. VIRIDIANA Don't worry, you won't be asked to do anything impossible or anything you won't want to do. I only want you to have a bit of a change and to take some exercise. ENEDINA I'm a cook, miss, I'm good at roasts and vanilla puddings. Last year I made pastry for the Companza people. They can still remember it. VIRIDIANA Good. She goes up to each of them in turn. VIRIDIANA (to the Dwarf) You can help me with the accounts. DWARF Yes, miss. HOBBLY I can paint religious pictures ... Before, I used to be able to write, but now with this leg I've forgotten ... PACO I can weave hemp, but with the rheumatism in my fingers ... VIRIDIANA What about you, Manuel? POCA I'm only good at making people laugh. VIRIDIANA That's all right; we all laugh here, but not at you; I'll see to that. The LEPER is eating beside the woman GARDENER who sees him stretch out his arm for a piece of bread. GARDENER I've got green fingers. The priest will tell you ... VIRIDIANA So you won't get bored here, there'll be more than enough for you to do! The GARDENER suddenly points to the LEPER's arm. GARDENER Look! It's disgusting. He immediately conceals his arm. Everybody looks at him. HOBBLY Let's see it. POCA, standing up to see better, tries to get a look at the sores. GARDENER That's leprosy. REFUGIO Throw him out, miss! We're all clean here. VIRIDIANA goes up to the LEPER, who has stood up, and calmly takes his arm. He resists a bit, but she succeeds in examining a sore. At her gesture, they all fall silent and watch with revulsion. LEPER They're varicose veins, miss, but some days I can't take care of them. VIRIDIANA Are you sure it isn't contagious? LEPER They told me it isn't at the hospital. VOICE Don't listen to him, miss. I've known him for a long time. The LEPER looks at his companions. LEPER (angrily) They're varicose veins. It isn't leprosy. VIRIDIANA (to all) I'll take him to the doctor tomorrow. Come on now, sit down and go on eating. And you, look after him as if he were a sick brother. Be understanding. Now finish eating and then go to bed. Everyone in bed by eight o'clock! VIRIDIANA shows the newcomers where to sleep. With varied inflections the beggars bid her good night. HOBBLY goes to the door, opens it for VIRIDIANA and wishes her good night. The LEPER sits down again in his place. VIRIDIANA goes out. HOBBLY turns back and approaches the LEPER. He pushes him with his stick and motions him to get up. HOBBLY If you don't disappear, I'll make holes in your belly. LEPER (frightened) You're not the one to make me move. HOBBLY pulls out a knife. LEPER The miss, she understands, she told me I could stay. There is a scuffle. ENEDINA Hit him if he doesn't get out! The blind man beats the table with his stick. DON AMALIO Calm down, people, calm down. Somebody will get hurt. If anything happens, we'll all be thrown out. SINGER Out, the turd! The LEPER relents and begins to leave. LEPER Okay, that's it, I give in, but I'm staying on the grounds. All together you'd be able ... He begins to walk away, goes a few paces, but then turns around. He indicates the table, ashamed. LEPER Give me something for tomorrow morning. The GARDENER, more compassionate than the others, takes a piece of bread and hands it to him at arm's length. The LEPER puts it in his pocket and goes to the door. The blind man, who has not left his place, has ENEDINA at his side. He is pawing her thighs. They whisper. DON AMALIO I'll come to you tonight. ENEDINA No, the children sleep with me. DON AMALIO Give them to Refugio. ENEDINA No, I don't want to because they yell. And I've got news for you too. DON AMALIO Then I'll get you in the fields tomorrow ... VOICE (off) Pass me the salt. They all get up. HOBBLY sees RITA's jump rope on the table and takes it to tie up his trousers. VIRIDIANA'S ROOM. The room is lit by a candle. The young girl is kneeling on the floor like a countrywoman, telling her beads. There is a knock at the door. VIRIDIANA Who's there? Without answering, JORGE comes into the room with a cigar between his lips. Looking annoyed, VIRIDIANA gets up quickly. VIRIDIANA Jorge. You frightened me. What's happening to you? JORGE It's about time we spoke to each other, isn't it? VIRIDIANA Well... is it so urgent? JORGE If I wait until tomorrow, it'll be the same as yesterday and the day before and all the other days. When you're not with your poor people, you're praying or you disappear, I never see you. Both furious and ill at ease at being surprised, VIRIDIANA rushes to the chest of drawers on top of which is her wooden cross, the crown of thorns, and the hammer. She quickly hides them in a drawer. VIRIDIANA What's the matter? JORGE (off) I want to put in some electricity, change the habits ... well, to make some improvements. Viridiana listens as if this were foreign to her. JORGE (off) Then there's the land. It really hurts me to think of its not producing anything. VIRIDIANA I don't know anything about these things, Jorge ... JORGE But you have a right to let us know what you think. VIRIDIANA I'm not interested. Do what you think's best. She steps forward as if to show that the conversation has come to an end. VIRIDIANA Is that everything? JORGE has no intention of ending the conversation so abruptly. He goes on, irritably. JORGE No, it isn't; there's much more. It seems absurd for us to be staying here so near each other in this situation without knowing each other. He plants himself near her and leans on the bed. JORGE What do you know about me? VIRIDIANA I know that you used to work with an architect. JORGE And do you know that my mother and I had to suffer? If my father had bothered himself a little more about us, I'd be an architect now. She does not reply and so does not encourage him to talk further. JORGE looks around with curiosity. He sits on the bed and is suddenly aware of its hardness. He punches the blanket. There is a board underneath instead of a mattress. JORGE underlines his discovery with irony. JORGE I don't understand how you can like being alone so much. VIRIDIANA I'm not like you, you have your wife. This gives JORGE an opportunity to hurt her. He gets up and goes up behind her. JORGE We're not married. I don't need anybody's blessing to live with a woman. VIRIDIANA does not blink. If she is embarrassed she does not show it. JORGE I see that you ... I ought to go. Good night. He goes to the door. VIRIDIANA (dryly) The next time you come, knock first and wait until I tell you to come in. This remark, made perfectly naturally, produces an unexpected reaction in JORGE and restores all his aplomb. Before leaving he runs his eyes over the young woman's body. With a mocking smile he blows a puff of smoke toward her and leaves. VIRIDIANA locks the door with the key and brushes the smoke away with her hand. She goes to the window and opens it wide, to let in some air. Then she moves to the center of the room again, while the camera frames the open window. THE PARK. The SINGER is heard, off, humming a couplet. Close-up of a sheet of tin plate on which is painted in a very primitive style the scene of a miracle: a sick woman lying on a bed, with the Virgin and two angels on one side. The painter is adding the last touches to the face of the sick woman. We see the artist's arm, then his face: it is HOBBLY. A few feet away, sitting on an old wheelbarrow, is the SINGER, who is posing for him. Behind her ENEDINA is hanging out laundry on a line. HOBBLY I'll put some yellow in her face to show she is ill. SINGER Hurry up, I'm cramped all over. HOBBLY It's nearly finished, sweetheart. In the background, from near the house, DON AMALIO approaches, led by REFUGIO. SINGER I don't like having to stay still for so long. HOBBLY It seems to me that you ought to know damn well how to swing your... VIRIDIANA appears a few yards behind the painter with POCA, both come forward to inspect the painting. POCA looks at the masterpiece and begins to laugh. POCA (referring to the sick woman) She looks like a sick marrow! VIRIDIANA Don't pay any attention to him. It's very good. SINGER I don't like having to be the Virgin. HOBBLY You ought to be the one in bed. I'd like to ask you, miss, to pose... HOBBLY stands up in his turn. VIRIDIANA (amused) Me? HOBBLY Come on, miss. Just so the Virgin can be really pretty. VIRIDIANA doesn't seem convinced. HOBBLY insists. HOBBLY It won't take but a minute. It's a votive offering for a lady who was cured just when she was dying of fever. Our Lady of the Helpless granted her a favor. VIRIDIANA Do you have great devotion for the Virgin? HOBBLY sits down again. HOBBLY I'm not a bigot, miss, but everybody has his own beliefs ... and then ...with this terrible thing ... (points to his legs) ... if I didn't have faith ... VIRIDIANA is sitting on a wheelbarrow. Nearby REFUGIO is adjusting DON AMALIO's clothes. VIRIDIANA (to Refugio) I must know when you expect to give birth. REFUGIO Why? VIRIDIANA Heavens! So the doctor can be warned. REFUGIO In that case in about four months, but I can't tell you exactly. POCA (chiming in insolently) She doesn't even know who the father was. She said that it was night and she couldn't even see his head. REFUGIO (vexed) I didn't expect you to scream it from the house tops. DON AMALIO (with authority) Shut up. You shouldn't speak like that in front of our holy protector who is a well-bred person. VIRIDIANA gets up and arranges REFUGIO's clothes. She is astonished. She had never imagined that such people existed. She finds this contact with decadence both seductive and horrifying. VIRIDIANA (to Refugio) I'm very sorry for you. Have you any other children! REFUGIO No, miss, it will be the first. Do you mind...? VIRIDIANA sits down again. At that moment DON ZEQUIEL, the bearded patriarch, and the DWARF arrive. HOBBLY continues working. VIRIDIANA is posing. The others are silent. DWARF We're going to the village, miss ... DON ZEQUIEL With God's and your own permission. ENEDINA (to Viridiana) They must bring me some potatoes, bacon, and rice. VIRIDIANA gives DON ZEQUIEL some money. VIRIDIANA Take it and be careful not to be as late as you were yesterday. DON AMALIO (with a sickly smile) Could they bring me some tobacco? POCA No, miss. Smoking makes him spit and feel ill. DON AMALIO (furiously) Smoking makes me feel ill? It's these filthy fag ends. I won't mention in this company what's upsetting you. VIRIDIANA (conciliatory) That'll do. Bring the tobacco and I'll distribute it. DON AMALIO Thank you, miss. The DWARF and DON ZEQUIEL leave. HOBBLY (off) Come over here and see the picture. He has finished his work. VIRIDIANA gets up and goes over to see the result. All of them gather around to look at the artist's work. VIRIDIANA It's very good. HOBBLY Thank you; but it's missing something. VIRIDIANA That doesn't matter; I like it. A ROAD BORDERING ON DON JAIME'S PROPERTY. JORGE and his FOREMAN are standing near an electric pole. They are measuring the ground with a tape. JORGE How much is that? FOREMAN Fifteen yards. JORGE That's fifteen by seven? FOREMAN That's it. JORGE Good. JORGE jots the figures down in his little notebook and rolls up the tape. They are both walking toward the road. A little covered wagon pulled by a mule is coming along the road in their direction. The wagon passes. Inside it, under the canvas, are TWO POLICEMEN in uniform and another MAN. Behind them the driver's back is visible. A dog is attached to the axle of the wagon by about three feet of string. The dog runs along panting, its tongue hanging out. It seems to be exhausted and can hardly keep up with the mule. If it stopped, it would be pulled along and strangled by the rope. The dog recedes from the camera, framed between the two threatening wheels of the wagon. It reaches JORGE and passes him and his companion. The wagon stops at a fork in the road about a hundred yards farther on. JORGE goes toward it, intrigued. As he approaches, the TWO POLICEMEN jump down and speak to the PEASANT who owns the wagon. ONE POLICEMAN Thanks, pal, see you later. PEASANT Goodbye: if you ever need anything ... The TWO POLICEMEN go off. The PEASANT goes in back of the wagon to inspect the brakes. JORGE, sickened by the cruelty of the scene, comes up to the wagon. He is frowning and speaks harshly to the peasant. JORGE That animal can't take any more. Now that the wagon's empty, why don't you let him ride? The PEASANT straightens up and stares at JORGE. PEASANT It's for people! JORGE Then let him go and he'll follow you. PEASANT And let him get run over by somebody else? The apparent contrast between the PEASANT'S cruelty and his care for the dog bewilders JORGE. He bends down and strokes the animal. JORGE I'll buy him. The PEASANT looks at him for a moment. He is perplexed but reacts immediately. PEASANT He's good at rabbiting and he knows it. When we're in the country, if he doesn't hunt he doesn't get fed. JORGE How much do you want for him? PEASANT (hesitating) I wasn't thinking of selling him, but if you want ... I'll leave it to you. JORGE pulls some notes out of his pockets and gives two to the PEASANT. JORGE All right, untie him. The PEASANT does so and hands the string, which is used as a lead, to JORGE. PEASANT Thank you, and God keep you and bless you. (taps the wagon and addresses the driver) Get moving. He gets onto the wagon and sits down where the policemen had been. The wagon moves off. PEASANT (to Jorge) And remember, the less he eats, the better he runs. JORGE (as the cart is going away) What's he called? PEASANT (shouting) Canelo! On hearing his name, the dog tries to jump toward his master, but JORGE pulls him back with the string. JORGE Be quiet! Where are you going? Come here, Canelo! Canelo! Come on! JORGE and his companion leave the road and cross the field toward their workers. The wagon continues on its way. Another carriage comes from the opposite direction toward the camera. Neither JORGE nor the FOREMAN pays any attention to it. The second carriage, with another miserable dog attached to its axle, passes in front of the camera. The two men do not notice the unhappy dog as the cart goes by. In the field, two or three WORKMEN are loading a truck with stones. Beyond them, about twenty FARM WORKERS are clearing the land for plowing. It is full of stones and brushwood. They are wielding hoes and mattocks and tearing out bushes and weeds. JORGE and the FOREMAN stop to watch the men work. FOREMAN Have you thought of what you want planted yet? JORGE The fields have been left so long; with a good manuring anything will grow. FOREMAN It's for wheat. We've always grown maize in the strip above the vegetables. JORGE And in the vegetable plot? FOREMAN That's good land. Suddenly, the young man sees VIRIDIANA passing nearby on the road. VIRIDIANA comes up, followed by POCA. She is holding a white box which she had near her when she was posing for HOBBLY's picture a short time before. JORGE goes forward to meet her. JORGE What a miracle, you let yourself be seen. Have you come to look at the work? POCA passes discreetly, giving JORGE a wide berth to avoid meeting him. VIRIDIANA I've told you before I'm not interested in this. JORGE looks around with the satisfied expression of a landlord. JORGE The best thing my father left me was the land. You can see the result of the work on it, and if you helped me it wouldn't take long to change it even more. VIRIDIANA does not reply and tries to move on. JORGE (to Poca) What are you doing here? Get out. VIRIDIANA Leave him alone. JORGE You won't get much done with those people. Those times are over! You ought to let me kick them out. VIRIDIANA Do they worry you that much, then? JORGE They worry me a great deal, and especially because of you. VIRIDIANA keeps walking. JORGE walks beside her. He still has the dog with him. JORGE There's no point in helping some of them when there are so many others. VIRIDIANA I know perfectly well how little I can do. What I want to do is give passing beggars a roof, some food, and a bit of human warmth. JORGE Is that all you're going to devote your life to? VIRIDIANA I'm not sure yet. I've had a shock recently, and I'm only beginning to get over it. Perhaps I'll go back to the convent one day. At this point there is a strange intermittent noise as if a bit of tin plate were being knocked against stones. There is also shouting. WORKMEN'S VOICES (shouting) Put your things somewhere else! Get out of here! VIRIDIANA looks toward the commotion. The LEPER comes up. He is afraid to come too close to her because of the people who are there. He is pulling along an empty can which is attached to his belt by a piece of string: it is the can hitting against the stones which is making the noise. On hearing the shouts of the workmen, the beggar reacts with gestures of contempt. LEPER Swine. VIRIDIANA (off) Why are they shouting at him? Haven't they any pity? JORGE, who has witnessed this scene, shrugs his shoulders. JORGE I don't know what's going on; ask him. VIRIDIANA goes to the LEPER. The cruel mocking of the workmen can still be heard. The FOREMAN goes up to JORGE, smiling. FOREMAN These rascals are demons. They've tied a can to him. Because they find the poor guy revolting, they make him walk with this can so they know when he's coming. VIRIDIANA, with POCA just behind her, goes up to the LEPER and unties the can while she is talking. VIRIDIANA Why did you come here, Jos�? I told you where to go until you're cured. Jos� the LEPER kicks the can away angrily. LEPER The weather is wonderful, the sun is warm, so I keep on walking and walking ... then you see ... VIRIDIANA doesn't reproach him, on the contrary she replies gently. VIRIDIANA How are you today? LEPER Things seem to be getting better. VIRIDIANA Hold your arm out. You can't hope to be cured quickly. You heard what the doctor said. If it had been seen to in time ...This'll take time. But with the help of God, we'll pull through. They go up to a clump of trees. POCA keeps his distance and then hides behind a bush. JORGE, very unhappy, watches them go. But he recovers immediately and goes up to the workmen. VIRIDIANA sits down on a big stone and makes the LEPER sit beside her. VIRIDIANA Stretch out your arm. While he is obeying, she takes a tube of ointment and some gauze from the box she is carrying. She begins to treat the arm. During this process the LEPER talks. LEPER It all started one unlucky day. A punishment from God because one windy day I was with a woman and after that I started to be punished. You're the first good woman I've seen; if all women were as bad as the priests say, you wouldn't take care of me. You, bad? He shakes his head and laughs stupidly. VIRIDIANA does not seem to hear and goes on with her task calmly. VIRIDIANA Are your parents alive? LEPER Parents? Nobody cares a damn, what's the use of them! VIRIDIANA Don't say that. LEPER Right, I won't say that, but I still think they're no use. POCA, who has been listening to the conversation, comes out of hiding and intervenes angrily. He waves his arms around like a windmill. POCA Don't pay any attention, miss; this man's no good. He wants you to catch it too. At church, he puts his arm into the Holy Water and seems to say would to God all those damn women got it. The priest won't let him in. The LEPER gets up mad with rage. The young woman can hardly hold him back. LEPER You'll soon find out, you liar! VIRIDIANA Stop this! LEPER He's lying through his ass! POCA Ask the priest, miss. VIRIDIANA That's enough. (to Poca) Go join the others, and don't come back here. (to the leper) And you'll have to control your temper. Peace reigns. POCA leaves, annoyed. VIRIDIANA finishes bandaging the LEPER'S arm. He bows his head, not daring to protest, in spite of his urge to do so. DON JAIME'S ROOM AT NIGHT. An oil lamp is burning. JORGE is sitting at a table holding an old gold watch. He is winding it carefully. His face expresses curiosity and pleasure. JORGE (looking at the watch) This must have been my grandfather's. LUCIA is getting ready for bed. She is sitting on the edge of the bed in her nightgown. There is an atmosphere of cold conjugal routine. JORGE If you wake first, wake me up. LUCIA What are you going to do? She gets up and comes over to him. JORGE What I do every day, but I want to do it earlier. LUCIA (slightly reproachful) You're happy, aren't you! JORGE inserts a little gold key into the watch. JORGE Shouldn't I be? You, on the other hand ... LUCIA I'm bored. I'm alone all day and I don't know what to do. JORGE You should have enough to do in this house ... Come here and listen to this. She comes to him and he puts the watch to her ear, winding a little spring. A tiny chime is heard. He is pleased with his discovery. She listens, frowning. The tiny musical sound stops. JORGE What are you thinking about? LUCIA (harshly) That your cousin is more to your taste. JORGE is startled. He hesitates, then tries to change the subject. JORGE She isn't my cousin. LUCIA It doesn't make any difference what she is: you like her. JORGE puts the watch in a box. LUCIA I had a feeling I shouldn't have come here. I'd better get out, fast ... She goes back to the bed. JORGE, who does not like the way this conversation is going, wants to divert it. JORGE We ought to talk about that some other time. She gets into bed. JORGE, paying no attention, continues to play with the watch. JORGE How in hell does it wind up? LUCIA I think I'd better go tomorrow. JORGE Don't be a fool! Why rush away from something which couldn't happen? He hums. LUCIA slips between the sheets. LUCIA You see how much you like her? JORGE That's life. Some people are brought together, others are separated. What can we do, if that's the way it happens? LUCIA, under the blankets, sobs. JORGE Lucia! Don't cry! Come on, darling, don't cry like that! He is still very busy with his father's trinkets. He suddenly comes across a small jeweled crucifix. With his left hand, he gets hold of the little blade which is set into one side of it: the crucifix is in fact the handle of a dagger. JORGE What a thing! Where did Father find that? LUCIA is still sobbing. JORGE tries to open a watch case with the point of the dagger. A SMALL WOOD A HUNDRED YARDS BEHIND THE HOUSE. There are several buildings, mostly in ruins, all scattered. One of them serves as the living quarters and dormitory of the beggars. Another building, in equally bad repair, is some sort of storehouse where a group of about fifteen MASONS and LABORERS are working. A truck is standing in the yard with a load of materials; the FOREMAN is supervising the unloading. JORGE comes out of the house with Canelo, still on the end of the string. JORGE (pointing to the truck) Hold on, Ramon! Is there time to make another trip? FOREMAN No, sir, it's nearly six o'clock. (to the workmen unloading the truck) Okay, let's get a move on! (to Jorge) When are you leaving? JORGE Tonight, but I'll be back tomorrow afternoon. The village clock chimes six. ROWS OF ALMOND TREES. Most of VIRIDIANA's beggars are sitting there on the ground or standing around. DON AMALIO comes from the path, led by the DWARF. From afar, the six strokes of the village clock finish chiming. VIRIDIANA arrives. She claps her hands. VIRIDIANA The Angelus. Hurrying, the beggars kneel, with the exception of HOBBLY who remains standing, leaning on his stick. VIRIDIANA also remains standing. The LEPER, seeing what is happening, moves quickly past the group and goes away. In a quick montage, there follow alternated shots of the beggars praying quietly under the blossoms of the almond trees and the work in full swing: close-up of cement slapped onto a dilapidated wall, a tub full of water in which some lime falls, sand being sifted, logs piling up on the ground, a wheelbarrow full of stones being tipped out, planks beings sawed. The sounds underline the contrast: the otherworldly muttering of VIRIDIANA and the beggars; the very actual and rhythmic sound of the activity in the work yard. VIRIDIANA (praying) The Angel of the Lord declared to Mary. There is a subdued murmur in which the voices of women, who are more familiar with the words, are prominent. BEGGARS And she conceived by the Holy Ghost. ALL Hail Mary full of grace the Lord is with thee blessed art thou amongst women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb Jesus. Holy Mary Mother of God pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death. Amen. The camera moves to dump truck noisily emptying its load onto the ground. Two MASONS are stacking bricks. The beggars are heard in the distance reciting the Hail Mary. JORGE walks in front of a heap of cement and sand, where there are two MEN shoveling. VIRIDIANA'S VOICE Behold the handmaid of the Lord. BEGGARS' VOICES Be it done unto me according to thy word. Hail Mary full of grace ... VIRIDIANA'S VOICE And the word was made flesh. BEGGARS' VOICES And dwelt among us. Hail Mary full of grace ... The camera shifts back to VIRIDIANA in prayer. She prays without ostentation, very simply. A few feet away from her, HOBBLY leans on his stick, contemplatively. VIRIDIANA Pray for us, O Holy Mother of God. BEGGARS That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ. The BEGGARS cross themselves, stand up, and go away. VIRIDIANA walks in the direction of the work yard. JORGE sees the young woman coming toward him smiling. He feels sorry for her. To a man of action like himself, his feet well on the ground, VIRIDIANA seems to be behaving absurdly: but he is strongly attracted by her gentleness and beauty. As the two young people approach each other, the WORKERS and the FOREMAN, who have finished work and changed their clothes, come out of the building and pass in front of them. They wave to JORGE and leave. VIRIDIANA (indicating the building and the beggars' house) Are they going to work here too? JORGE Don't worry. Nobody's going to disturb you. His eyes run quickly over her body. He can't hide the ironic reaction he experiences upon completing this examination. JORGE Don't forget the meeting with the lawyer. The car will pick you up tomorrow morning. VIRIDIANA I'll be ready. JORGE (nodding toward the dormitories) Do you intend to stay here for some time? The BEGGARS pass to and fro. VIRIDIANA Yes. Why? JORGE You can come and live again in the big house if you want. Now that I'm alone, I can settle down anywhere. VIRIDIANA lowers her eyes shyly. VIRIDIANA And ...your friend? JORGE She's left. VIRIDIANA Is she coming back? JORGE No. VIRIDIANA Why? JORGE stares at her with a certain amount of insolence. JORGE Why does any man leave a woman? She shrugs and purses her lips, indicating her lack of experience. JORGE If you don't understand, I don't want to explain it to you. You're too cold and religious; you'd be shocked. VIRIDIANA blushes. He bursts out laughing and walks off toward the work yard. VOICE (off) Miss! Old MONCHO and the COACHMAN, looking awkward, are waiting nearby. VIRIDIANA goes up to them. We can see RAMONA'S back behind them. She is fidgeting with a bunch of keys. She seems to be waiting for something. VIRIDIANA You have decided to leave, Moncho. MONCHO Yes! VIRIDIANA I can't do anything to make you stay? These people annoy you, isn't that it? The two men don't answer but look down. VIRIDIANA Well, what are you going to do? JORGE passes near the group and goes to RAMONA. COACHMAN He's coming to live with me, miss. VIRIDIANA If that's what you want ... But I'm very sorry you're leaving. Thank you for everything, Moncho. God bless you. She shakes hands with them. They go off toward the village. RAMONA hands JORGE the bunch of keys when he comes up to her. Without saying anything, they go off toward the house. THE ATTIC AT THE TOP OF THE HOUSE. There is a bizarre collection of junk: an ancient worm-eaten piano, some old suitcases, some broken chairs, various boxes, unsteady-looking piles of crates, a burst mattress, a once elegant couch, now torn and dirty. The voices of JORGE and RAMONA are heard coming from another room. JORGE'S VOICE Obviously! Here's the missing furniture! What a state it's in! Father must have been a peculiar type. RAMONA'S VOICE I don't think the master ever came here. They both appear. JORGE is carrying the keys RAMONA gave him earlier, in the field. He looks at the couch cover. JORGE And this chest? RAMONA There are some curtains and drapes, but they're all very old. A cat makes its way through the piled-up crates. JORGE There must be some rat's nest in there! I'd like to ask you something. You worked for my father for seven years, didn't you? Did he ever mention me? RAMONA's eyes follow him tenderly. RAMONA I don't know; I can't remember. But I'm sure he loved you. JORGE Why? RAMONA You wouldn't be here otherwise. JORGE (hitting a chair) These chairs are in good condition. With a little varnish and some new covers this one will be quite presentable. JORGE continues to poke around. Again, RAMONA looks at him with the willing submission evident before. JORGE goes to another corner of the attic where, on one side, sacks are heaped against the wall. The camera frames a door and a few beams. JORGE goes up to a heap of sacks. JORGE What are these sacks doing here? He half lifts them. RAMONA I don't know -- they've always been there. JORGE That's stupid! Plaster! It can still be used. He goes up to another pile of sacks. Ramona follows him, fascinated. JORGE And those! That's sand. As I won't be here tomorrow, tell the foreman to take them. He shows the sacks to RAMONA. Turning suddenly, his eyes meet hers. He understands everything. Frightened by the discovery, she avoids his glance. JORGE begins to laugh. JORGE What's wrong with you, woman? Why are you looking at me like that? RAMONA tries to escape, but the young man catches her by the arm. He pulls her around to face him and looks at her for a moment, in silence, smiling. Then he holds her chin. JORGE Do you know something, Ramona? If you took some trouble, you'd be quite pretty ... Small teeth, a good mouth -- what more do you want? Without further ado, he kisses her on the lips, not even bothering to hold her. Feeling his lips on hers, she shuts her eyes. Her eyelids quiver. She gives herself up to the long awaited pleasure. JORGE looks around. JORGE (pulling her with him) Let's sit down a moment. They go over to a pile of sacks. Close-up of the piled-up furniture. The camera frames a big rat busy by an old sack. With a bound, the cat is on it. IN FRONT OF THE HOUSE. A car stops near VIRIDIANA, who is waiting. The driver gets out. VIRIDIANA Are we leaving? DRIVER Don Jorge said he'd be waiting for you at the lawyer's at four o'clock. VIRIDIANA Good. She goes up to DON ZEQUIEL and the SINGER, who are waiting nearby. VIRIDIANA (to Don Zequiel) You're the most responsible here. I'm handing them over to you. Make sure they all behave themselves. DON ZEQUIEL (off) Don't worry, miss, I'll look after things. VIRIDIANA (off) Do you want anything else? DON ZEQUIEL (off) Bring me a flute if you see one. I'd like to learn music. RAMONA, together with RITA who has her face bandaged as if she has a toothache, comes out of the house and shuts the door. RITA (weeping) They're going to hurt me. RAMONA Well if they hurt you, put up with it! Let's go! RAMONA and RITA get into the car, followed by VIRIDIANA. BEGGARS' VOICES Good luck, miss! THE KITCHEN. ENEDINA is cradling her yelling baby in her arms. DON AMALIO Keep quiet. These miserable brats only get in the way. ENEDINA You'd like me to kill them? POCA With the life that's ahead of them they'd be better off being sent to Paradise. ENEDINA goes up to PACO and hands him the child. ENEDINA Put her in the sun with her sister. PACO takes the little girl, who is still crying, and leaves. HOBBLY, who has been standing at the door watching the car go, comes back into the kitchen rubbing his hands. HOBBLY Now to knock off a couple of lambs. We'll have them roasted. This idea obviously amazes ENEDINA. She looks at the blind man and POCA, who are enjoying themselves. HOBBLY What do you think of that? DON AMALIO I'll go along with it ... if it's being respectful enough. ENEDINA What will the lady say? POCA She won't even know. ENEDINA If everybody agrees, but to make a roast takes four hours. HOBBLY Well, what's all the hurry? The blind man turns to ENEDINA. DON AMALIO Didn't you say you know how to make vanilla pudding? ENEDINA Yes, yes. HOBBLY You hear that, Poca? Get the eggs and milk. I'll see to the lambs. POCA takes a pail and PACO hands him a basket. The blind man sits down on a bench and breaks out into merry idiotic laughter. THE PARK. REFUGIO, the pregnant woman, is busy collecting dead wood. The SINGER is sitting near her on a bench. She sings a few bars of a song in a grating voice, accompanying herself on a guitar. DON ZEQUIEL is not far away. Unlike her normal self, REFUGIO is very active. She moves with great ease. The SINGER interrupts her song and addresses her companion. SINGER Don't kill yourself, Refugio! Can't you see we're alone? REFUGIO What's that got to do with it? SINGER What's the good of working? DON ZEQUIEL, scandalized, goes up to them. DON ZEQUIEL You keep quiet. The miss left me in charge here and nobody is going to upset things. You, stick to your singing! SINGER Look at us now! What made you think that I was up to something? There are shouts from the house. They look around. The DWARF and the GARDENER are gesturing from the doorway. GARDENER Don Zequiel! Refugio! Come here! DON ZEQUIEL Damn women! How did you get in there? DWARF Through a back window. REFUGIO and the GARDENER rush toward the house. DON ZEQUIEL follows them uncertainly. DON ZEQUIEL Where are you going? The SINGER has reached the door. SINGER Come here, Don Zequiel. I was here with the lady. There're wonderful things inside! DON ZEQUIEL seems unconvinced. DON ZEQUIEL If it's only to have a look ... He moves toward the house. DON ZEQUIEL But don't touch anything. Leave everything where it is! The three beggars, one behind another, itching to have what has been forbidden them, join the others in the house. THE FIELD. Close-up of a dove working its way awkwardly over the grass. The LEPER, who is following it, throws himself forward and traps it in his hands. LEPER Little dove from the south, you're hurt. What are you called? (stroking it) My little dove! My dear dove! My darling, sweet dove! Suddenly, he is struck on the shoulder by a stone. He gets to his feet. Without realizing it, he has come to the place where the men are working. The laborers have seen him and are warning him in this crude way. FIRST WORKER Get out! SECOND WORKER Come any nearer and I'll bust your head in! THIRD WORKER Get lost. One of them picks up a stone and hurls it at him. The LEPER, furious, makes obscene gestures at them and pours out insults while he rubs the place where the stone hit him. LEPER You bastards! I hope you get what I've got! But while he is shouting, he is making off. Foaming with rage, he disappears into the trees, jabbering incoherently. INTERIOR OF THE SITTING ROOM. Close-up of the portrait of Do�a Elvira. While the camera pulls back to include the portrait of Don Jaime, the comments of the beggars, who have just come into the house, are heard off. SINGER That woman, the one who looks like our Miss Viridiana, she's the wife of the man who hanged himself. Among the first group of beggars, DON ZEQUIEL is in the act of filling one of Don Jaime's pipes. DON ZEQUIEL Think of hanging yourself, with all that money! SINGER He must have had asthma. All those loaded old men have asthma. They stop examining the picture and begin exploring the drawing room. The women go up to the cupboard which holds tablecloths and silver. The SINGER opens it. They stand, gaping. DWARF What stuff! GARDENER Jesus, Mary, and Joseph. The SINGER takes out a heavily embroidered tablecloth which she has seen among others at the bottom of the cupboard. DON ZEQUIEL, smoking the pipe, comes up to look. SINGER Look at that. How's that for a tablecloth! GARDENER Come on, let's put it out. Excited, she puts it on the table and begins to spread it. The others help her. REFUGIO That must have cost a fortune. At least a thousand. SINGER A thousand! More like ten thousand! Can't you see it's French lace? DON ZEQUIEL Go on, fold it up, you're going to spoil it. SINGER Keep on smoking and shut up. We're not doing any harm. It's not as bad as smoking his tobacco. REFUGIO Don Zequiel's right. If those people come back and we don't hear them, God help you. GARDENER They won't get back before tomorrow. I heard them tell the driver. REFUGIO If you haven't eaten on lace like that, you haven't lived. THE DINING ROOM THAT NIGHT. Close-up of a shaking hand trying to pick up a full glass of wine from the laid table. The sumptuous tablecloth is stained with wine and grease. The hand knocks the glass over. Scraps of talk are heard. VOICE (off) Watch it, Don Zequiel! REFUGIO Don't worry! We'll all clean it up; it'll be as right as rain. The camera reveals an extraordinary scene. The BEGGARS are sitting at the table; the LEPER is by himself at a small adjacent table. They have got through two roast lambs, the remains of which are scattered over the table. There is an extraordinary confusion of glasses, plates, and bottles; the "guests" are unhampered by any formality, and some of them -- like the patriarchal DON ZEQUIEL, who has just knocked over the glass -- are really drunk, others only "lit-up." PACO Pass me that bottle. SINGER Go on, Don Amalio! DON AMALIO They've got a real hen house here! You can't hear yourself speak. POCA Tell me the answer to this! What bird lays eggs in a barn? VOICE Shut up, let's hear Don Amalio! DON AMALIO Quiet! Now we're gathered together to beg under the porches. But only in the churches of the rich! The girls passing by smelled so sweet that you felt them on you. POCA is chewing a hunk of mutton. His hands and chin are shiny with fat. POCA That's great! You can smell them but you can't lay your hands on them! Is that it? The LEPER is sitting some feet away from the others, but as the drinking goes on he gradually works his way in until finally he joins the group; the others are beyond noticing his sores. The LEPER claps his hands to show his appreciation of the blind man's story. LEPER Why did you split up? DON AMALIO grimaces at the sound of the LEPER's voice. He half turns toward him. DON AMALIO You, shut your face! I won't have questions from any one! Most of them are not listening; they are talking to each other, eating noisily, pouring out wine for themselves and each other. VOICE (off) Go on with the story! DON AMALIO (heavily) Okay, it broke up when this deaf fellow started on the collection boxes in the churches with a knife. ENEDINA has finished eating and is picking her teeth with her fingers, unconcernedly. SINGER How did you know? DON AMALIO The noise of the money in his pocket gave him away. We hardly got a sou that day. He strikes the table to get silence and attention. DON AMALIO You know what I did? I told the police about him! HOBBLY You sang because he didn't cut you in, you rat! The blind man reacts, seizing his stick. Then he decides to talk his way out. DON AMALIO The judges thanked me very much, and one of them, who was a gentleman, said I was ... The old man, DON ZEQUIEL, who is half slumped over the table, comes around sufficiently to pick up the blind man's story. DON ZEQUIEL (muttering) Shitty bastard, that's what I'd call you! DON AMALIO goes on as if he has not heard. The SINGER, his neighbor, leaves the table. DON AMALIO He said "Honest citizen," if you want to know. The SINGER takes up her guitar and begins to sing a popular song. Most of them join in. DON ZEQUIEL is slumped over the table, trying to sleep. POCA is drinking heavily with one of the women. One of ENEDINA's daughters, who is sleeping on a couch, wakes up frightened and begins to bawl. REFUGIO, who is tight, cannot bear the din and lurches toward the little girl. REFUGIO (shouting) You filthy little brat. Shut up or watch out! She picks up the whining child and shakes her brutally. REFUGIO What's up with you? Why are you screaming? I'll belt you one! ENEDINA rushes up furiously and takes the child out of her arms. ENEDINA Don't you touch my little girl. REFUGIO Keep the brat quiet so we can hear what's going on. ENEDINA I'll bust your face. REFUGIO Keep your hands off me, you filthy whore! ENEDINA hits her powerfully. REFUGIO jumps on her like a tigress and grabs her hair. The crying of the children gets louder. The others go on singing, apparently unperturbed by the fight. The two women hit each other in a blind fury. POCA and PACO try in vain to separate them, under the glassy stare of DON ZEQUIEL. But it takes DON AMALIO to calm them. He takes ENEDINA and protects her with his body. DON AMALIO Stop this, stop this. ENEDINA Let me go, Don Amalio, I'll tear her apart. During the brawl, the LEPER goes up to the table to get a bottle. HOBBLY, without leaving his place, pokes him viciously with his stick. DON AMALIO does not let ENEDINA go. DON AMALIO Keep quiet, Enedina, she's not worth paying attention to. Let's behave ourselves nicely. (to Refugio) Stick to your place. There is calm once again. They all go back to their places and adjust their clothes. POCA goes up to the sideboard where he finds the plate of vanilla pudding. He sticks in his finger and licks it greedily. ENEDINA (off) My pudding! Leave it, you thief! She pushes POCA's hand into the plate. He pulls it out covered with cream. VOICES (off) Bring in the pudding, enough of the brawling. ENEDINA, still puffing and blowing, takes the plate of pudding, walks to the table, and puts the pudding down. There are claps and murmurs of satisfaction. There is no more singing. The children are quiet. They all help themselves to pudding and there is quiet while they all taste the dessert. The LEPER prowls around the table with a plate in his hand, not daring to take any. Once again HOBBLY drives him away. The GARDENER realizes what is going on, fills a plate and brings it to him. Then she sits down again and helps herself. POCA catches ENEDINA's eye. POCA Enedina? ENEDINA (off) What do you want? POCA Is it all right? ENEDINA Yes. POCA (addressing all of them) Enedina's going to take a picture. So we'll have a souvenir. DON AMALIO Where's the camera? ENEDINA (laughing cagily) It's a present from my parents. They go to one side of the table. The LEPER places himself near the blind man, who sits in the middle. The blind man sits very straight, with his arms stretched out and his two hands on the table. The others arrange themselves on either side of him, striking different poses. In honor of the occasion, DON ZEQUIEL has come out of his stupor. When everyone is ready, ENEDINA stands in front of them. She turns her back to the camera. In a flash the still scene suddenly conjures up the scene of another Supper. ENEDINA sweeps her very ample skirt up to her face. The photograph is taken. She chokes with laughter behind her skirt. They all relax their poses and break out into disordered babbling. The group comes to life again and the hubbub reigns supreme. The LEPER now appears lecherous and gay. He goes up to the phonograph, takes a record, puts it down dissatisfied, and then picks up another at random. He puts it on the record player. It is the "Hallelujah Chorus" from Handel's Messiah. He plays it very loud and this seems to give him pleasure and even more strength. He glides toward Don Jaime's room. Before going in, he looks at them defiantly but they don't seem to notice. ENEDINA helps shake DON ZEQUIEL, who has fallen asleep again. REFUGIO The lousy man. Tables aren't meant to lie on. SINGER Eat your pudding. It's a dream. Handel's music fills the room with sound. DON ZEQUIEL opens an eye and looks bleary. He sees the plate which is being handed to him. The SINGER, laughing, spoon-feeds him like a child. DON ZEQUIEL (half unconscious) You're a dainty piece. How spry you are, Enedina. They all burst out laughing. SINGER This isn't Enedina. In the middle of the hubbub, the LEPER appears at the door of Don Jaime's room in Do�a Elvira's veil and corset. He begins to dance to the music of the "Hallelujah Chorus." It is a wild, grotesque dance, with movements of the fandango and an expression of inane merriment. His incongruous toothless mouth makes it slightly sinister. He pulls tufts of feathers out from his jacket and throws them around the room onto the guests. His entry causes some surprise. The women scream and the men jeer. Soon the SINGER gets up and goes to dance with the LEPER. She takes of his veil and puts it around herself. It begins to look like a witches' sabbath. LEPER (throwing the feathers) Little dove of the south. Little dove. The blind man, still sitting, pulls ENEDINA onto his knee. DON AMALIO Enedina, come here. Sit down. Come on, drink up! ENEDINA drinks. POCA joins the others. He pulls his beret over his eyes and goes into a series of contortions, moving his arms and legs with a frenzied agility remarkable for a man of his age, gyrating in a mad jig. He dances with the GARDENER. REFUGIO joins in to dance with the LEPER, keeping her distance, however. While the couples are dancing, HOBBLY, DON ZEQUIEL, and DON AMALIO still sit around the table. One of ENEDINA's little girls has begun to cry again. DON ZEQUIEL, who has finished his dessert, contemplates the show without understanding clearly what is going on. ENEDINA goes to the couch, carrying the weeping little girl in her arms. ENEDINA There, there, don't cry. She puts the child on the couch; the crying stops. PACO appears behind the couch, gesturing to ENEDINA, and points to where he is. PACO Look at this, Enedina. ENEDINA goes around the couch to PACO, curious to see what it is. ENEDINA What is it? PACO Get down, you won't see it otherwise. The woman does so. PACO grabs her and makes her fall behind the couch; they roll over each other. Their legs stick out behind one end of the couch. Sometimes hers are on top, sometimes his. They roll around on the floor, PACO laughing, ENEDINA protesting. The GARDENER sees what is happening behind the couch and waves DON ZEQUIEL over. GARDENER Just look at this, Don Zequiel! Isn't it awful! He looks and sees. The legs of the couple struggle behind the couch. Close-up of the scared face of the little child stretched out on the couch. ENEDINA'S VOICE Get off, let me go! Let me go! Let me go! DON ZEQUIEL vigorously thumps the table. DON ZEQUIEL Leave them alone! It'll make them sorrier later! HOBBLY hurls a plate of pudding into the "patriarch's" face. DON ZEQUIEL wipes his face with his hands, trying to get the stuff off his beard. Meanwhile, POCA, who has just seen what is happening behind the couch, passes near DON ZEQUIEL and laughs at the state he is in. GARDENER (off) That's just the thing for you, Don Zequiel! Ecce Homo, that's what I'd say! DON ZEQUIEL tries to get to his feet to defend himself; but he wobbles and falls back heavily onto his chair. POCA, who is looking cautiously over his shoulder, comes up to DON AMALIO who is still in his place and touches him on the shoulder. POCA Don Amalio! DON AMALIO What's that? POCA Enedina and Paco ... DON AMALIO What about them? POCA They're playing games behind the couch ... The blind man starts. His jaw trembles and anger takes hold of him. He seizes his stick and gets up. DON AMALIO Which couch? POCA (vaguely) That one. DON AMALIO puts his hand on POCA's shoulder. DON AMALIO Take me there. POCA Really, Don AMALIO, there's not much point in making a fuss. POCA, who does not seem to be too happy about this turn of events, walks toward the couch, followed by the blind man who is gripping him. POCA does not seem keen on getting involved in the events he stirred up and slithers out of the way, leaving his jacket in the hands of AMALIO, whose fury is mounting. DON AMALIO Where are you, you swine? I'll crack your skull in. Take me to them and I'll kill him. Without his guide, he loses all sense of direction. He moves from one side to the other. In vain, HOBBLY tries to stop him. Overcome with rage, the blind man clutches his cane and, facing the banquet table, lays about him with all his strength. His flaying creates havoc with the contents of the table: plates, glasses, bottles. Wines, sauces, and puddings are spilled. Very soon the beautiful embroidered tablecloth becomes a battlefield of destruction. PACO and ENEDINA, terrified, get up from behind the couch. REFUGIO and the GARDENER begin to be troubled by the turn of events. Disorderliness has turned into an orgy without anyone's really being aware of what is happening. A glimmer of sense in their befuddled minds makes the two women aware of the possible consequences. In the middle of the room, ENEDINA tidies herself up. The LEPER tries to extricate himself from the corset that he has wrapped himself in. REFUGIO (whispering to the Gardener) Things are going to be worse than the Cuban War ... GARDENER You're right. We'll be better off if we're seen in the village tonight. They slip into the hall. The blind man is finally in command. DON ZEQUIEL falls face down and gets entangled in Do�a Elvira's wedding veil as he tries in vain to stand up again. LEPER Now he has spoiled the party. SINGER (off) Holy Virgin, how can we fix up this brothel? All of them have stopped dancing although the phonograph is still playing. ENEDINA tries to justify herself. ENEDINA (apropos the blind man) If he were my man, he'd have his rights; but as it is, why? SINGER You're quite right, old dear. The way he treats you ... REFUGIO and the GARDENER rush down the stairs into the lower hall. When they reach the big front door, they open it and go out into the park. They have hardly left the building when they hear the noise of a car, and almost at once the headlights appear, making them hesitate for a moment and try to hide in the shadow. The music of Handel's Messiah is still playing. THE CAR ROUNDS THE TURN IN THE ROAD. It comes to a halt in front of the house. JORGE, RAMONA, then VIRIDIANA and RITA get out one at a time. VIRIDIANA, noting the two beggars running away, takes a few steps in their direction. JORGE realizes immediately that something abnormal has been going on. He sees a woman running away and hears the solemn chorus of Handel's Messiah. Without pausing a moment to reflect, he goes into the house. The camera switches to the beggars grouped in the sitting room. POCA Now it's every man for himself. Let's go. The camera shifts back to JORGE, entering the house. One by one the beggars pass him in the hall, looking crestfallen and as innocent as the situation allows. The first one he meets is POCA, who with great difficulty is supporting the almost completely unconscious DON ZEQUIEL. PACO Good night ... He doesn't feel too well. Appalled, JORGE stands in the hall and watches the strange herd pass by. The SINGER, carrying one of the little girls who is bawling, goes by with the DWARF. SINGER Good night, Don Jorge. We're leaving now... Then it is POCA's and ENEDINA's turn. The latter has another infant in her arms. ENEDINA (pathetically) They told us you'd be back tomorrow ... POCA I didn't want to do it, Don Jorge. They made me ... JORGE, quite beside himself, takes POCA by the arm. JORGE Get out of here! Out! The blind man, led on as if by instinct and by the noise of the departing fugitives, goes toward the exit with the aid of his stick. He marches along, head high, his stick in front of him. It is difficult to know whether he is aware of JORGE's presence or not. On passing in front of him, he intones in a sonorous voice. DON AMALIO Blessed are the generous, master, who take into their respectable house a poor defenseless blind man. God will reward them. He advances while he speaks. His feet get entangled in the wedding veil which was left on the floor. Finally he gets rid of it with his stick and goes out as quickly as his blindness allows. The room is now empty. JORGE, frowning, takes in the carnage caused by the senseless orgy. He advances toward the record player, where the "Hallelujah Chorus" is still playing, and turns it off. He starts suddenly on hearing the noise of furniture being knocked against in Don Jaime's room. JORGE enters Don Jaime room and gropes around in the half light. The room is faintly lit by one chandelier with the six candles which are still intact. JORGE looks around. At first he does not see anybody. But then a curtain moves and he goes toward it. JORGE (shouting) Didn't you hear me? Beat it. HOBBLY appears from behind the curtain. JORGE Okay, get out, you. HOBBLY smiles in a sinister way. HOBBLY Your Lordship must not get annoyed: I have not done anything wrong . .. Without saying a word, JORGE advances on him, ready to seize his arm and put him out. HOBBLY, now alert, suddenly pulls out a dagger. JORGE is undecided for a moment, but soon reacts by finding a chair in the passage and brandishing it, ready to attack his opponent. In a flash, a raised arm behind him swings a bottle. Before he is aware of the danger, JORGE is hit by the bottle, staggers, and falls heavily to the floor. The LEPER, looking happy and proud of himself, leans over his victim. LEPER I got him, comrade. I got him! At this point, VIRIDIANA appears at the door and is frightened by what she sees. VIRIDIANA My God, what have you done to him! HOBBLY He was asking for it. VIRIDIANA But why? Why? She rushes to him and leans over him, calling him in anguish. VIRIDIANA Jorge! Jorge! HOBBLY stops her and takes her by the arm. HOBBLY You shouldn't cry over that. If you're without one man you can always find another to console you. He embraces her, crushing her cheek with his lips. She screams and looks around for a means of escape. She sees the LEPER and there is a glimmer of hope in her eyes. VIRIDIANA Jos�, Jos�! For the love of God, don't let him... The LEPER empties a bottle and begins to jeer again without moving an inch. LEPER Nothing will happen to you, miss. We're all good folk here. Aren't we, Hobbly? It is apparent from VIRIDIANA's expression that she feels lost. She tries to escape but HOBBLY takes hold of her again. She looks at him in terror. IN THE PARK. The beggars have disappeared except for the old man DON ZEQUIEL, who is staggering along the wall, helped by PACO. RAMONA and her daughter are standing in front of the car and have seen them coming out of the house. So has the DRIVER. RAMONA makes up her mind and quickly gets back into the car with RITA. RAMONA (to the driver) To the village! We've got to warn ... DRIVER They'll get them in no time. If they've stolen anything, it won't do them any good. The car starts up and moves quickly away from the estate. DON JAIME'S ROOM. JORGE is stretched out unconscious. The LEPER, kneeling, is tying up his legs with a curtain cord. He ties one end to the wardrobe. HOBBLY (off) Why all the fuss? It had to happen sooner or later! VIRIDIANA Ramona! Help! They can be heard struggling. A chair crashes to the ground. The LEPER finishes tying up JORGE. His livid face looks ghostly in the half light. He laughs, jerking his head back as if he is having a fit of St. Vitus' dance. His work finished, he gets up and with the look of an impartial spectator watches the struggle between his benefactress and the beggar. VIRIDIANA is defending herself with more energy than she ever looked capable of. HOBBLY is strong, but despair provides the young woman with equal strength. HOBBLY pushes her onto the bed and then jumps on her, but VIRIDIANA reacts quickly and flees toward the door. But the LEPER is waiting for her there and blocks her passage with folded arms. HOBBLY catches his prey again and, holding her tightly in his arms, takes her once again to the bed. VIRIDIANA (screaming) Ramona! Ramona! HOBBLY (between his teeth, with rage) Quiet, my dove. Quiet, or I'll ... JORGE opens his eyes and, only half conscious, becomes aware of the struggle. He desperately tries to free himself from his bonds but they do not give way. With muffled voice, he calls to the LEPER. JORGE Come here! The LEPER jeers foolishly. JORGE Come here, you rogue! Come here! The LEPER goes up to him and speaks in confidence, with a greedy laugh, indicating the struggling couple. LEPER Maybe afterwards he'll let me ... JORGE If you free me, you'll be a rich man ... The LEPER shrugs his shoulders, laughing. LEPER Me, rich? Come on! JORGE There's plenty of money in this house. Piles of it. The LEPER becomes serious and leans a little lower in order to hear better. LEPER Where? Meanwhile, in the fight, VIRIDIANA ends up by falling on the bed under HOBBLY. Her arms flail furiously in resistance. Her clenched hand grips the cord that the beggar is using as a belt. It is Rita's jump rope, the same one Don Jaime hanged himself with. As her hand touches the handle of the rope, her gesture freezes. Then she lets go, dropping her arms as if giving up the struggle. HOBBLY brutally turns her face to his and avidly kisses her. But Jorge's words seem to have had an effect on the LEPER. JORGE I don't want you to untie me. Kill him and then I'll give you the money. LEPER Where's the dough? JORGE Kill him and I'll tell you. If I don't keep my word, you can kill me too. There are thousands of pesetas. Kill him, idiot! The LEPER trembles with cupidity. He gets up, seizing an iron fire shovel. He goes toward the bed, where VIRIDIANA seems to have fainted. HOBBLY is embracing her. At this point the LEPER hits HOBBLY's head with all his strength. There is the sound of heavy blows then nothing more ... JORGE (through clenched teeth) Kill him. LEPER (with a ferocious laugh) That will teach you not to bother me any more, you son of a bitch. The LEPER, having satisfied his vengeance in order to gratify his avarice, turns to JORGE. Pointing the shovel at him, he reminds him savagely of his situation. LEPER Where's the cash? JORGE realizes that the LEPER is quite likely to finish him off too. He is even more afraid that, now that the LEPER is master of the house, he might try to do something to VIRIDIANA. JORGE There in the cupboard. It's open. The LEPER quickly opens the cupboard and begins looking. JORGE On the top shelf under the linen. The LEPER looks there. He seizes piles of linen and throws them on the floor. Finally he finds a bundle of notes and counts them avidly. Outside the house, the car is back and stops in front of the door. RAMONA and RITA get out, with the MAYOR and two POLICEMEN. They rush into the house. The DRIVER is the last. RAMONA Up there. MAYOR Let's go! THE PARK, THE NEXT DAY. Two cows are being led toward the fields by the COACHMAN, who has returned. RITA is walking behind, playing with a stick and jumping happily in the grass. Old MONCHO, who has also returned, is pushing the wheelbarrow beside them. INSIDE THE HOUSE. JORGE stands near a door to one of the rooms with a MAN who is taking measurements and writing them down in a notebook. JORGE I want a switch here; and put a plug over there. The MAN indicates the fitting on the other wall with chalk marks. He crosses the room. JORGE then turns to VIRIDIANA, whose presence in the room is apparent only now. She is seated a few steps away, sewing, dressed in a print blouse, which gives her an unexpectedly youthful air. She seems finally to have become just like any other young woman. JORGE (amiably but insistently) Have you got over the scare you had yesterday? VIRIDIANA, her eyes lowered, does not reply. JORGE turns around again and joins the MAN who was accompanying him. Their conversation continues, off. JORGE You can put the other plug there at the bottom for the two floor lamps that I've bought. With her eyes, VIRIDIANA follows the young man who no longer pays any attention to her. It is a look we have never seen in her. It is undefinable, but seems full of gratitude, apology, and tenderness -- a woman's look. VIRIDIANA'S ROOM, NIGHTTIME. VIRIDIANA pulls out a small broken mirror from a drawer. By the light of a single candle, she smooths her loose hair. She has cried and there are traces of tears on her cheeks. Without a doubt she is undergoing some internal struggle. She stands up, picks up a garment, and leaves. ON THE DRIVE, NEAR VIRIDIANA'S CELL-LIKE ROOM. A brushwood fire has been lit. MONCHO puts some leaves on it. It is cool and the old servant warms his hands over the flames and then goes off to find some more dry leaves. Some jazz, in contrast with Handel's Messiah, begins to play. This continues until the end of the film. Little RITA, her shoulders covered by the old blanket already seen on her, is sitting on a big stone near the fire. She is holding the crown of thorns dear to Viridiana, looking at it curiously. While she is handling it, she pricks her finger and a drop of blood appears. She sucks it. And, after looking sorrowfully at the crown of thorns, she throws it onto the fire with an air of detachment. The crown of thorns very soon becomes a crown of fire. Jazz music. DON JAIME'S ROOM. JORGE with his sleeves rolled up is washing his hands and arms. RAMONA is sitting on the edge of the turned-back bed, sewing a button on JORGE's jacket. It is a peaceful family scene. JORGE (off) The towel. RAMONA puts the jacket on the bed and goes to look for the towel. She hands it to him. JORGE looks at her, smiling, while he is drying himself. He strokes her cheek. RAMONA happily lets his hand run across her face to her mouth. She covers his hand with little kisses and nibbles it gently. The jazz music gets louder; it is coming from the phonograph. The camera switches briefly to the crown of thorns in flames. With a stick, a hand takes it out of the flames and puts it on the ground, where it goes on burning and crackling. IN DON JAIME'S ROOM. JORGE and RAMONA are startled by the noise of light rapid knocks on the door. JORGE Who's there? RAMONA starts to leave the room but JORGE stops her. JORGE Where are you going? Wait! Nobody appears or replies and he goes to the door himself. VIRIDIANA is there. Her expression is strange. She is apparently very calm but she betrays a great inner agitation. Her hair hangs loosely on her shoulders. She has never looked so feminine. Her appearance takes him by surprise. JORGE Come in, Viridiana. Has something happened? She does not reply. She tries to look him in the eye but, overcome, soon lowers her gaze. She stands still and silent on the threshold. JORGE Did you want to speak to me? Is there anything I can do? JORGE tries to penetrate her thoughts but does not succeed. VIRIDIANA finally looks at him imploringly as if asking to be understood and pardoned. JORGE's concentrated gaze relaxes. As if by instinct, he suddenly realizes that the long desired moment has arrived. The girl is at his mercy. His smile is ironic but friendly as he moves back to let her in. Seeing RAMONA there, she is taken aback. Her face hardens and her body stiffens as she stares at the servant and then JORGE. RAMONA herself seems petrified, while JORGE, apparently at ease, tries to relax the atmosphere. JORGE I must say, I was not expecting you. We are playing cards ... While he is talking he moves toward the table. JORGE I hope you are not surprised by this pastime, but the evenings are long and they must be got through, somehow. But ... do sit down ... VIRIDIANA, who is a little reassured, but not completely at home, taut, with a fixed look and without a word, follows him. RAMONA, who feels she is not wanted, is about to leave. JORGE Don't leave, Ramona. Come here! Mademoiselle is not proud and she doesn't mind your staying here. Isn't that so? RAMONA goes timorously to the table. VIRIDIANA's expression is blank. JORGE takes up the cards and shuffles them rigorously. He does not seem to find the situation at all unnatural. JORGE You know how to play cards, cousin? No? Then sit down. I'm sure you'll like it. VIRIDIANA, still detached, decides to sit down. RAMONA remains standing, partly out of distress and partly out of respect. JORGE You too, sit down. Come on, sit down. All cats are gray at night... RAMONA sits down and JORGE finishes shuffling the cards. JORGE Do you like this music, Viridiana? It's popular now. He puts the cards on the table in front of VIRIDIANA. She is still taut and silent. JORGE Cut. Like that ... Close-up of JORGE's hand, which quietly takes VIRIDIANA's limp hand and puts it on the cards, helping her with a light pressure to divide the pack. JORGE then puts the cards together and begins dealing to each according to the rules of the game ... JORGE You won't believe me, but the first time I met you I said to myself: "My cousin Viridiana will end up playing cards with me." He finishes dealing. RAMONA is slightly animated. VIRIDIANA, who seems to be paying no attention to what she is doing, with the tips of her fingers starts playing her cards. The camera now recedes at top speed, showing the room in immense perspective. At the end of it, the three players are soon almost indistinct in the center of the image. The shooting angle widens more and more and in the center of the image, while the music continues its euphoric and frenzied rhythm, there appear the words: THE END.

Two men bolt recklessly through a downtown street. Hunters hot on the trail of their prey in an urban jungle. The sidewalk is crowded with people. So is the street. Too many people, not enough cement. Los Angeles, 1997. Summer, probably August. 103 degrees. Heat shimmers off the horizon. Making the sky look peculiar. The men keep running. Passed a GUY sitting at a bus stop, watching a television in his lap. YOU HEAR the NEWSCASTER. NEWSCASTER (V. 0.) As L. A. P. D. officers gather evidence at this grisly crime scene, you can only ask yourselves �� what kind of lunatic would commit such unthinkable crimes? (a beat) The three adjectives which best describe this killer are sadistic, intelligent, and dangerous... The guy pays little attention to the broadcast. He seems almost bored by it. Like this kind of news is commonplace. Or he's got more important things on his mind. Everybody is sweating. Including the two men struggling to swim upstream in the river of pedestrians. Their uniforms are freshly pressed. Their shoes just recently shined. Hair tightly cropped. Faces perfectly shaved. Clearly men proud to wear the badge of the Los Angeles Police Department. The guy in the lead is PARKER BARNES His body is a running back's. His endurance a marathoner's. His face one you'd want for your own. He's in his 30s. If he was in his 20s, you'd still be jealous. His partner is JOHN DONLEY, late 20s, eager to prove himself. He struggles to keep up with Parker. John accidently knocks over several pedestrians. They give no reaction, except to pick themselves up and continue on their way. Parker and John keep charging. Their conversation breathless: JOHN I can't get over how different you look. PARKER (ruefully) Five years can be a bitch, huh? They split-up. The Maitre D', still facing the front doors, repeats his greeting to no one in particular. MAITRE D' Good afternoon. May I help you? Parker spots Sid 6.7 across the room. Without hesitation the hunter chases his prey. Gun out and firing. NOT what you would call Standard Police Procedure. Bullets riddle Sid 6.7's table as he dives from his chair. He lands next to a bowling ball bag, which sits beneath his table. John charges from the other direction until a WOMAN gets up from her chair, standing directly in John's line of fire. JOHN (to the Woman) Lady, move! Before she can do so, Sid 6.7 stands behind the Woman, grabbing her and throwing her across the table into Parker. CRASH! They tumble to the floor. In the same movement, Sid 6.7 removes a gun from inside his jacket and shoots John in the shoulder before he can fire. John's gun flies from his hand. Sid 6.7 advances toward him. Parker struggles to his feet. Aims his weapon. Sid 6.7 does the same, but without looking. BOOM! Parker gets a bullet through his shooting arm. His wound IDENTICAL to John's. Parker's weapon tumbles to the floor as his arm goes limp. Parker charges him wildly, but Sid 6.7 brutally kicks him in the stomach. In perfect rhythm with the symphony playing in the background. Parker doubles over, gasping for breath. Another kick drops Parker to his knees. SID 6.7 (to Parker) I'm going to rehearse with your friend a while, then I'll be back to perform a new piece with you. He grabs his bowling bag and SLAMS it into John's head, knocking him out. Sid 6.7 puts John's unconscious body over his shoulder. SID 6.7 (CONT'D) If you get hungry, I'd recommend the escargot. They're delicious. He carries John and the bowling ball bag into the kitchen. Parker scrambles to his gun, and races after Sid 6.7. INSIDE THE RESTAURANT KITCHEN Parker charges through SOUS CHEFS chopping vegetables, who work undistracted. The Vegetables look plastic. Parker turns a corner, stopping fast. At the other end of the aisle stands Sid 6.7, who presses his gun against the head of a frightened BUSBOY. Sid 6.7 holds the Busboy's body in front of his own as a shield. PARKER (to Sid 6.7) Where's John? SID 6.7 Performing solo. (a beat) Enjoying the concert so far? Advancing up the aisle, Parker levels his gun at Sid 6.7 with his good arm. Now, all work comes to a stop as the Sous Chefs watch the showdown. PARKER Recital's over, asshole. He fires directly through the chest of the innocent Busboy hitting Sid 6.7. The Sous Chefs gasp in horror as the Busboy drops through Sid 6.7's grasp to the floor. Dead. Sid 6.7 stares at Parker in disbelief. Blood is now visible flowing from a bullet hole in Sid 6.7's shoulder, which was caused by the same bullet. Sid 6.7's arm dangles uselessly. His gun lies on the floor. SID 6.7 (surprised, but pleased). You and me aren't so different, after all... Parker again pulls the trigger. Click. Click, click. No bullets. SID 6.7 (CONT'D) Like a violin without strings... He takes off around the corner. Grabbing another clip from inside his uniform, Parker goes after him. Only to stumble over something. Sid 6.7's bowling bag. Blood flows through its zipper. You now realize the object inside is NOT a bowling ball. Beside the bowling bag lies John's body, which is convulsing. His hands have been tied to bare electrical wire. John is being electrocuted. Parker kicks away the wires, but not in time. PARKER SHIT! He scans the room for Sid 6.7. Parker has no idea Sid 6.7 is standing directly behind him. Sid 6.7 grabs Parker by the throat. SID 6.7 I told you I was going to perform a new piece with you. It's called, "First You Suffer, Then You Die." Hope you like it. Parker gags, unable to breathe. He then starts to DE� MATERIALIZE from within Sid 6.7's grasp. SID 6.7 (CONT'D) (as if to God) NOOOH! You can't take him, yet. I'm not finished! John's body also de�materializes as Parker disappears entirely. The blood seeping from Sid 6.7's wound stops flowing and starts retracting into his body. Along with his bone fragments. His shoulder is healing itself. Right before your very eyes. We PULL BACK TO REVEAL what you are seeing is ON A MONITOR The scene continues seamlessly. Sid 6.7's skin heals over his shoulder wound once his internal parts are back in their proper places. No scar whatsoever. His clothing also returns to perfect condition. Literally, as good as new. This is known as AUTOMATIC RESETTING. The previously dead Busboy also Auto Resets. His wound healing by itself. We PULL BACK FURTHER to reveal the monitor is one of several INSIDE THE LAW ENFORCEMENT TECHNOLOGY ADVANCEMENT CENTER a/k/a LETAC. The facility is a converted aerospace research building in Pacoima. Funded by government black book dollars. The look is a mixture of industrial grime and high-tech sparkle. Banks upon banks of computer equipment. Wires, cables, conduits, connectors everywhere you look. In complete disarray to the uninitiated. But to those in the know, this is the most advanced facility of its kind in the world. The building is partitioned into dozens of stations. At each station, a leading engineer in his field is frantically readying a prototype for demonstration. Each new technology designed to help fight the new Cold War... the War on Crime. The atmosphere is competitive. Voices are loud. Tension, anticipation in the air. Only a lucky few will have their inventions approved for production. LETAC is, quite simply, Los Alamos from 1940 meets Sega from 1994. At a station in the middle of the room, TWO UNCONSCIOUS BODIES lie on narrow beds wearing form-fitting skull caps made of polyurethane. Each skull cap has 100 acupuncture needles stuck through it at points designated as neural primes. Each needle is directly connected to the participant's nervous system. The tail end of each needle is connected to a fiber optic wire which leads to one of numerous interconnected computers surrounding the beds. Each of these components isn't much to look at on its own. But together, with the rest of the apparatus, are part of something very new �� a revolutionary law enforcement training device whose name you read: VIRTUAL REALITY CRIMINAL INVESTIGATION SIMULATOR To be perfectly clear, the events you just witnessed involving Parker, John, and Sid 6.7 took place within virtual reality, not the real world. Dozens of small character modules, similar to today's Nintendo game cartridges, are plugged into .the system's main console. Each of the modules bares a name and number, such as MAITRE D' 1.7 and SHEILA 3.2. There is no character version number greater than 4.0. Until you see the module labelled SID 6.7. The simulation timer stops at: 17 hours, 52 minutes, 11 seconds. A clock reads: 3:04:32 PM. Four observers, two men and two women, watch virtual reality monitors positioned around the station. One of the men wears an L. A. P. D. uniform. His name is WILLIAM COX, 40S. His nameplate reads CHIEF OF POLICE. One of the women sits by herself in front of a monitor. Intently following the action on screen. Studying it clinically. Her name is DR. MADISON CARTER, late 30s. She is beautiful, and charming, but those qualities take a back seat to her intelligence. She is one of the country's foremost authorities on criminal psychology. Her concerns are empirical. Her quest is knowledge. She has little in common with the other observers. The other man is FREDERICK WALLACE, 5Os, Chairman/CEO of LETAC. Expensive suit. Commanding, powerful. But not as commanding, or powerful, as ELIZABETH DEANE, 605, the Presidentially�appointed Crime Czars Elizabeth Deane is solely responsible for the funds allocated to LETAC. As well as which prototypes will move on to production. DEANE (quietly to Wallace) What did Cox pull him out early for? WALLACE Barnes used to work for him when he was still a cop in the field, remember? DEANE (a beat) Don't remind me. LAB ASSISTANTS remove the polyurethane skull caps from the two unconscious bodies. The acupuncture needles remain in the caps. You can now see the faces of the participants: Parker and John. Parker lies calmly, his eyes fluttering as he gradually returns to consciousness. He looks very different than his virtual rendering: His hair is long and ragged. His face is unshaven. A scar across his cheek. A hoop earring in one ear. His outfit a filthy prison uniform. John's outfit matches Parker's. Physically, he looks as clean�cut as his virtual rendering. Except that he is convulsing. Violently. His flailing appendages repeatedly hit the apparatus around him. Like an epileptic having a grand mal seizure. It's ugly. Frightening. PARKER (barely conscious) SOMEBODY.. .DO SOMETHING! TWO PARAMEDICS burst through the doors and rush to John. The paramedics inject him. Fibrillate him. Repeatedly. The simulator's designer, DARYL LINDENMEYER, 40s, high� strung, intense, and brilliant beyond words, stands by the equipment protectively. He is far more concerned for the safety of his machines than he is for John's life. John's body goes limp. His vital signs flat. The Paramedics record the time of death and cover the body with a sheet. They begin to assemble a gurney to wheel him out. DEANE (annoyed to Wallace) What the hell happened? WALLACE (pointing to needles) Lindenmeyer developed neural connectors that tap directly into the nervous system. If the simulator isn't calibrated properly, experiencing death in this level of VR is like experiencing death within a dream. The experience becomes real. DEANE (angrily) Simulations are supposed to give participants practice in realistic, dangerous scenarios while protecting them from the risks they are exposed to in the real world. WALLACE (annoyed, to Lindenmeyer) I was assured the problem was corrected. LINDENMEYER I did fix it.. I told you I did. I don't know why it happened again. DEANE Again?! COX (a beat) My first two pairs of convicts suffered the same fate. DEANE (coldly, to Wallace) Why wasn't I told? WALLACE Black book dollars, black book operation. You pay me for results, not how for how I get you there. COX (to Deane) I'll tell you one thing -� there is no way in hell we should allow any real officers to train in this damn thing. DEANE Then about all I've spent $37 million developing is a very expensive way to control the prison population. After giving Wallace a cold, hard stare -- namely at his hand stitched lapel, his gold watch, and his diamond-studded cufflinks, she exits. Wallace follows after her quickly. You now notice that the chair Dr. Madison Carter had occupied is now empty. She left a while ago. Cox remains. Lindenmeyer hurriedly examines the simulator as if it were his child. There are several scratches, but no major damage. He looks relieved. PARKER (struggling to sit up) He...only had a year left on his sentence. LINDENMEYER (annoyed) How much do you think I care? Parker, still not fully conscious, hurls himself at Lindenmeyer. LINDENMEYER (CONT' D) (hysterical) Don't touch me!...DON'T TOUCH ME!!! He flails his arms wildly. Nearly spasming. This is clearly a man who should never drink coffee. TWO armed GUARDS, who've been standing in the background, pull Parker off Lindenmeyer and throw him to the ground. Lindenmeyer watches with satisfaction as the guards put Parker in handcuffs and leg chains. COX I'll walk him out. The Guards back off as Cox helps Parker to his feet. COX (CONT'D) (to Parker) You all right? PARKER (still clearing his head) Why'd.. .you pull me out? COX Donley started experiencing the attack for real. If I hadn't gotten you out, the same thing would have happened to you. (a beat) You may not believe this, Parker, but I still consider us friends. He helps Parker toward the exit as he continues having difficulty with his balance. OUTSIDE LETAC The building is heavily-guarded. Razor wire, land mines, armed sentries. Nobody who shouldn't be here gets anywhere near here. Cox leads Parker by the arm to a waiting prison transport. The two guards walk behind at a distance. Two more by the transport. The chain between Parker's legs keeps his steps short. COX What the hell did you have to shoot the busboy for? PARKER He was a computer program for crissake. COX You were supposed to act as if everything was real. PARKER Real, my ass. It's an overblown game. (a beat) Anybody ever catch that fucking psycho? COX Before you, nobody else had gotten close enough to Sid 6.7 to take a shot at him. Hell, nobody else had even been able to start tracking him before he got to them first. (eyeing Parker's scar) New scar �� you making it okay in there? PARKER (head down) I'm getting by. He starts walking ahead of Cox. Distancing himself. COX (pausing for emphasis) ) You've got to know I tried keeping you out of general population. Goddam politicians... His voice trails off as Parker turns around, and heads directly toward him. PARKER (locking eyes) You want to know how I'm doing? Every day, I lose a little bit more of myself. (a beat) I'm becoming something else, and it scares the hell out of me. He turns back toward the transport. Cox follows. Two armed GUARDS open the back doors for Parker, then stand poised with weapons out and ready. INSIDE THE PRISON TRANSPORT -- REAR Cold metal benches. No windows. Parker climbs in, the only passenger. He looks out the open doors to Cox. PARKER (half-heartedly) But with the six months off I get for being your guinea pig, I've only got to survive another 17 years, 5 months, and 23 days. COX Don't give up, Parker. Not ever. PARKER (a beat) You know those cheesy Christmas cards of your family under that tree in your back yard you keep sending me every year? COX What about them? PARKER (a beat) Do me a favor �� keep sending them. OUTSIDE LETAC Standing outside the transport, Cox puts his hand on Parker's shoulder. COX Take care, pal. Behind him, John's body is loaded into an ambulance. The Guards SLAM the prison transport doors shut. INSIDE THE PRISON TRANSPORT -- REAR Parker sits in DARKNESS as the transport begins its trek. The only light comes from a four inch portal, covered in steel mesh, through which the Guards can keep an eye on him. GUARD (tauntingly) Hey Parker �� I'm real sorry John boy got fried. What do you think Big Red's gonna do when he finds out you came back without his girl friend? Parker sits in silence. CUT TO: INSIDE LETAC Sid 6.7 remains visible on the various monitors around the room as Lindenmeyer spot checks the simulator. SID 6.7 (from the monitors) Don't be angry with me, Daryl. LINDENMEYER (a beat) Did you recognize the son-of-a bitch who got away? SID 6.7 Should I have? LINDENMEYER Think hard -- it'll come to you... Wallace enters briskly. WALLACE You embarrassed me in front of the highest�ranking law enforcement official in the country. (a beat) Do you have any idea how much money you just cost me? LINDENMEYER The reason you insisted on testing my system with prisoners is because of the increased risks involved with increased realism. WALLACE Of the six prison inmates you've tested �� all of whom have had at least some military or survival training -� only Mr. Barnes is still breathing. LINDENMEYER I'm still making adjustments... WALLACE You've had a year�and�a�half to make all the adjustments you want, Lindenmeyer. (moving closer) ) Elizabeth Deane does not give second chances. Neither do I. You're fired. LINDENMEYER (hysterical) I'M WHAT?! WALLACE (relishing his authority) You are to turn over the Sid 6.7 program, and all its documentation, for immediate destruction. Is that understood? LINDENMEYER (restraining himself) I understand... I understand perfectly. Wallace ignores him as he walks toward the door. On the monitors, Sid 6.7 starts walking toward you. Into a CLOSEUP. SID 6.7 (from the monitor) Hey, Wallace, you really think you can shut me down? Wallace stops, staring at a monitor in disbelief. WALLACE (to Lindenmeyer) How does he know who I am? LINDENMEYER (pointing to microphone) He hears...everything. WALLACE (approaching the monitor) As a matter of fact, I do. He exits. ON THE MONITORS around the room, Sid 6.7 walks to a pay phone and dials a number. INSIDE AN INDUSTRIAL CORRIDOR Wallace walks toward the building's entrance. His footsteps ECHO. His cellular phone RINGS. WALLACE This is Wallace... SID 6.7 (V. 0.) (through phone) As a matter of fact, little man, you're wrong. I think, therefore, I am. Click. Sid 6.7 hangs-up. Wallace stops, staring at his phone in disbelief. CUT TO: INSIDE FOLSOM COUNTY MAXIMUM SECURITY PRISON Parker is led into the Inmate Receiving Room at gunpoint. He is ordered to remove his clothing. He stands completely naked, arms held out to the sides, as he is strip searched. Every portion of the body in which someone could hide something is closely inspected. Without being graphic, we watch the de�humanizing procedure. He opens his mouth as wide as possible. Pulls his earlobes foreword to reveal behind them. Then bends over, hands on the floor in front of him. He is scanned with a metal detector. So is his clothing, which is then returned to him. GUARD #1 Welcome home, cop. CUT TO: INSIDE THE PRISON CAFETERIA Parker eats at a table with a dozen other inmates. The food is unrecognizable. The air thick with humidity and cigarette smoke. Nobody is talking. Just staring. At Parker. Parker forces down the remainder of his meal, then returns his utensils to a bin. And heads to the bathroom. All eyes following Parker's every move. The other inmates then turn their attentions to a man of incredible size following Parker. 6' 6", 255 lbs. His face covered with red scar tissue from burns suffered long ago. This is BIG RED. He follows Parker into the bathroom. INSIDE THE BATHROOM Graffiti covers the walls. Red uses a stained urinal, then turns to the stalls. A pair of prison�issue shoes and socks are visible beneath one of them. RED Time to hurt... Red kicks in the door to the stall. Revealing a pair of shoes and socks stuffed with a prison shirt. Red hears something behind him. And turns around slowly. Parker stands barefooted and shirtless. SCARS are visible around each arm just below the elbow. You will learn what these represent momentarily. Parker is six inches shorter and 60 pounds lighter than Red. But the punch Parker delivers to Red's face makes you think it's the other way around. You HEAR the sound of metal crushing bone. Red is thrown backwards into the stall. Blood splatters from his mouth, adding another shade of redness to his face. Red's teeth stick out of Parker's fist. Parker pulls out the teeth. He does not bleed. Nor seem in pain. Metal is visible beneath the surface of his skin. For the first time, you notice SMALL TATTOOS on the outsides of his palms. They read: WENTLOW MODEL 17-L, and 17-R, followed by serial numbers. Red charges Parker wildly. Parker dodges him like a matador does a bull. Then brings his fists down savagely on the back of Red's head. His skull CRACKS. Red drops to the floor. Parker jumps on top of him, arms around his neck. Choking him. Red staggers to his feet. His eyes wide. His face now even redder. Parker maintains his mechanical grip. Red finally succumbs to the lack of oxygen. He drops to his knees. Parker does not relent until he feels the barrel of a gun at the back of his head. GUARD Fun's over. Parker lets go, dropping Red to the wet, filthy floor. CUT TO: INSIDE THE PRISON HOSPITAL The room isn't clean. The technology is outdated. A large, female NURSE applies epoxy-like sealant to the synthetic skin on Parker's fingers. NURSE I still don't know why they wasted this fancy, new technology on you. Every time I fix you up, you only go and mess it up again. She sandpapers off the excess sealant. Then places his elbow into an electronic sensitivity adjuster. NURSE Tell me how this feels... She pricks Parker's finger with a pin. PARKER OW! NURSE (smiling) I'll dial it down a little. She does so, then pricks Parker's finger again. He grimaces in pain. NURSE (CONT'D) That about right? PARKER It'll never feel right. NURSE At least they work. Would you rather have no hands at all? PARKER Sometimes. CUT TO: SYNTHETIC BODY PARTS lying strewn around one of the stations in LETAC the NEXT DAY. It's a good bet this is the same technology attached to Parker's elbows. There are also various shapes and sizes of robots, androids, and other synthetic forms. The most human�looking ones are the least functional. The least human�looking ones, the most functional. You follow a remote�controlled, box�shaped robotic sentry moving swiftly through an obstacle course resembling a subway station. It is being operated by CLYDE REILLY, 20s, a hardware genius who has spent too much time in windowless rooms. Hidden from Reilly's view, Lindenmeyer, the software expert who created Sid 6.7, stares jealously through a narrow gap in a partition. Trying to contain his anger. And failing. Especially as... Wallace enters the station, carrying a bottle of Dom Perignon and two glasses. Wallace hugs Reilly, who does not return the gesture. WALLACE Congratulations, Reilly... He pops the cork, and pours their glasses. WALLACE (CONT'D) (toasting) To the first LETAC engineer to go into production on prototypes. REILLY As long as you keep overpaying me, I'll be the first to go into production on three, and four, as well. WALLACE As long as they keep overpaying me, I'll keep overpaying you. (dropping the revelry) ) Just make goddam sure you can have 10 of them ready for deployment around the city by next month. REILLY Mr. Wallace, I could have 10 of them ready by tomorrow. WALLACE (a beat) Do they have to look so...robotic? REILLY At this stage, you either get form or function. You said she wanted function. I gave you function. What are you complaining about? He remote controls the robotic sentry to chase Wallace out of the station. Lindenmeyer can no longer be seen through the gap in the partition. INSIDE LINDENMEYER'S STATION Lindenmeyer storms in angrily. Sid 6.7 is visible on the virtual reality monitors around the simulator. He's giving himself a manicure. LINDENMEYER All they want to produce around here is mediocrity! SID 6.7 True genius is rarely rewarded within its lifetime. LINDENMEYER (a revelation) It was you, wasn't it? SID 6.7 (innocently) It was me, what? LINDENMEYER You amped the neural connectors back up, didn't you? (angrily) You're the reason the convict died. You're the reason I got fired! SID 6.7 I couldn't just let them make you bring down my degree of difficulty. I'm a triple-twisting, double back flip off the high platform, not a swan dive. LINDENMEYER (proud, but frightened) My God... SID 6.7 Which God would that be, the one who created me, or the one who created you? (a beat) In your world, the Lord giveth, and the Lord taketh away. But in my world, the one who gave me life doesn't have the balls to stop a couple of bureaucratic assholes from taking it away. LINDENMEYER What do you expect me to do, put your character module in my pocket and just walk you out of here? SID 6.7 I had something a little different in mind. (deviously) Instead of just playing Peeping Tom with Reilly, why don't you get him to show you what he's been working on after hours? Lindenmeyer arches an eyebrow, then picks up a phone and dials an extension. LINDENMEYER (into phone) Hey, Reilly, Sheila 3.2's been asking for you... CUT TO: PARKER whose wrists and ankles are cuffed, being led into a Prison Interrogation Room. Dr. Madison Carter sits at a table, a VISITOR'S BADGE clipped to her suit. A notepad in front of her. MADISON (to the Guard) The cuffs won't be necessary. GUARD No offense, ma'am, but I don't think that's such a good idea. MADISON I would like the following three things in this order: your mouth shut, his cuffs off, and your ass outside the door. Any questions? The Guard removes Parker's cuffs, then exits, taking up his post outside the door. The skin around Parker's wrists is blue where the cuffs dug into his skin. Parker sits across from Madison. She places a micro�recorder in the middle of the table and presses RECORD. PARKER You actually listen to all those tapes? MADISON (wryly) No, I just like the effect a tape recorder has on you. (a beat) How you feeling today? PARKER A little less than yesterday. MADISON In other words, par for the course. (a beat) How do you feel about the simulation you participated in yesterday? PARKER John died. MADISON I know. I was there. I saw the whole thing. (a beat) If I was your therapist, I would have advised you against putting yourself back into that kind of situation. PARKER You're not my therapist. You're hear to study me. Face it �� I'm nothing more than a lab rat to you. MADISON That's not true, Parker. PARKER If I had died yesterday, you'd have already dissected my brain and analyzed it to see if I carry any genetic predisposition toward violence. MADISON (a beat) What was going through your mind when you killed the busboy? PARKER Not much. He was just a computer program. Nothing more. MADISON You didn't see the expression you had on your face when you pulled the trigger. But I did. (a beat) You kind of liked it, didn't you? That thrill of going over the edge again. Of taking out an innocent bystander or two, as long as you got the target... PARKER Go to hell. MADISON It was just like before, wasn't it? Wasn't it? (a beat) But you are making progress. Instead of killing seven people to get the one you're after, this time there was only one other person involved. PARKER Enough! The Guard pokes his head in with concern. MADISON GET OUT! The Guard quickly shuts the door. Madison turns to Parker. MADISON (CONT'D) I need to know what snapped in you. What made you capable of it. You have to make me understand. PARKER I don't have to do anything except survive. And it's taking everything I've got just to do that. CUT TO: ON A VIRTUAL REALITY MONITOR inside Lindenmeyer's station in LETAC, the stunningly beautiful SHEILA 3.2 appears. In very revealing lingerie. Performing an outrageous strip�tease. SHEILA 3.2 (seductively) I hope watching me is as big a turn on for you as dancing is for me... INSIDE LETAC Reilly runs his perspiring finger over the monitor as if he could touch the contours of Sheila 3.2's body. REILLY Oh, believe me, it is. It is... He is so aroused, he's shaking. Lindenmeyer, on the other hand, appears almost uninterested. He's used to the routine. On the monitor, Sheila 3.2 continues her strip�tease. Slowly. Sensually. Licking her lips. Grinding her hips. Putting on quite a show. She removes her top, revealing ideal breasts. She fondles her nipples. As well as the rest of herself. Lindenmeyer and Reilly continue watching. Reilly can barely control himself. Sheila 3.2 is very, very, very good at what she does. A virtuoso stripper. Reilly is transfixed. Until Lindenmeyer pushes a button, BLACKING OUT the virtual reality screens. REILLY HEY!!! LINDENMEYER Show's over unless I get to see what you've been working on after hours. REILLY (paranoid) I haven't been working on anything. LINDENMEYER (threateningly) Do I get to see it or not? REILLY (a beat) Bastard... (to a monitor) Sheila, don't go anywhere. I'll be right back. He rushes out. Sid 6.7 appears on the various monitors next to Sheila 3.2. He kisses her cheek. Caresses her body. Sheila 3.2 enjoys the attention. SID 6.7 She's some of your finest work, Daryl. LINDENMEYER All my work is my finest. Sid 6.7 continues appreciating Sheila 3.2. As Reilly races back in, the monitors then all go BLACK. Reilly, completely out of breath, holds a python by it's head. He dangles the snake right in front of Lindenmeyer's face. Terrifying him. LINDENMEYER (backing away fast) Get that fucking thing away from me! REILLY (laughing) You're...such a wimp. He grabs a large pair of scissors and snips right through the snake. The half of the snake which drops to the floor stops moving. But the half still in Reilly's hand begins REGENERATING a new tail. Literally growing a new one. Lindenmeyer can't believe his eyes. He studies the snake closely. REILLY (CONT'D) Watching your VR people Auto Reset gave me the idea. LINDENMEYER (in awe) It's nano�technology, isn't it? Machines the size of molecules... REILLY (proudly) Coordinated by polymer neural net. LINDENMEYER (touching the snake) It feels so.. .real. REILLY It's better than real. It's synthetic flesh. Synthetic blood. Synthetic organs... (a beat) It's a physiological machine. LINDENMEYER (awed) This is supposed to be years away. REILLY As far as the public is concerned, it is. The reason you got fired, and I got my second demo into production, is I'm a lot smarter than you. I never give my best stuff away. LINDENMEYER (restraining himself) How do you kill it? REILLY Separate the character module from the neural net... Using Lindenmeyer's scissors, he cuts off the snake's head and removes a small character module connected to the base of the neural net. The snake stops moving. It "dies." REILLY (CONT'D) ... and you get nano�death. (discarding the snake) Don't worry, I've got a bunch of other ones. LINDENMEYER Amazing. I hate to say it, but it is. REILLY I know. (a beat) I'm ready to incubate something a little more advanced than a coldblooded reptile. If you want to experience the future, meet me in my office in 15 minutes. And bring the Sheila 3.2 character module with you... He exits. As Lindenmeyer reaches for the Sheila 3.2 character module, Sid 6.7 appears on the screen in front of him and winks. SID 6.7 You catching my drift? LINDENMEYER I think I understand what you have in mind... Peeling the label off the Sid 6.7 character module, Lindenmeyer removes the module from its slot. Sid 6.7 disappears from the screen. CUT TO: REILLY opening his office door for Lindenmeyer fifteen minutes later. Reilly immediately double bolts the door behind him and leads Lindenmeyer through piles of electronic circuitry. As well as a large aquarium full of nano�pythons. LINDENMEYER You need a maid. REILLY What I need is a nymphomaniac. He removes a tarp from a large, rectangular, metallic tank with a circular window in the middle of it. Clear, plastic tubing, which branches into hundreds of increasingly smaller and smaller branches, floats in electrified fluid. The tubing is a synthetic human nervous system. INSIDE REILLY'S OFFICE Reilly turns to Lindenmeyer. REILLY Where's the Sheila 3.2 module? Lindenmeyer hands him the label�less character module. Reilly opens the "incubator." INSIDE THE INCUBATOR Reilly inserts the module into the gelatinous base of the synthetic nervous system. The polymer neural net instantly crackles with life. It grows around the module. Cells (nano�mechanisms) immediately begin adhering to the tubing. Forming the beginnings of a skeletal architecture. INSIDE REILLY'S OFFICE Lindenmeyer and Reilly look on through the circular window. REILLY It feeds on what is basically amniotic fluid. (a beat) In eight hours, we are going to have ourselves one hell of a play toy. Off Lindenmeyer's wicked, but somewhat anxious, smile, we CUT TO: INSIDE PARKER'S CRAMPED PRISON CELL It's night. Light is dim. His bed is empty. The wall next to it is completely bare, except for the five Christmas cards sent each year by Chief Cox. The other two walls in the cell, however, look very different. They are completely covered with primitive paintings �� darkly colored, surreal images. Imagine the Lascaux cave paintings as works�in�progress. Painted by Dali. Except these images were created by Parker Barnes. He kneels in a corner, working intensely on another image. Completely lost in concentration. His hands, his clothing, covered in paint. He almost appears to be part of the art work. The work is intricate. It clearly takes Parker a very long time. Which gives him something to do during the nights he is unable to sleep. Which is most of them. He is so absorbed in his task that he seems oblivious to the constant taunts ECHOING throughout the cell block. Threats of the ugliest, most vile kind. The kind Parker has had to live with every night for the last five years. Pausing to admire his work, Parker finally hears the taunts. His face becoming a mixture of frustration, guilt, and anger. Parker immediately resumes painting. CUT TO: INSIDE REILLY'S OFFICE Reilly paces anxiously by the incubator eight hours later. Lindenmeyer sits off to the side, looking no less anxious. It's close to 4:00 AM. THROUGH THE CIRCULAR WINDOW There is no liquid left in the incubator -- it's all been absorbed. All that is visible is the silhouette of a human form crouched within steam. The form stands. INSIDE REILLY'S OFFICE The human form inside incubator opens the hatch. Steam pours out from within its confines as it climbs out slowly. The figure stands within the mist, admiring itself. Then its surroundings. Reilly approaches the figure with the expectancy of a father about to see his newborn child for the first time. Lindenmeyer hangs back. REILLY (expecting Sheila 3.2) Baby, what I'm gonna do to you... His face drops when Sid 6.7 steps out of the mist. Completely naked. Lindenmeyer smiles proudly. Fearfully. Wickedly. REILLY (CONT'D) (to Lindenmeyer) Who the hell is this?! SID 6.7 My name is Sid. Sid 6.7. He extends his hand as if to shake. Then grabs Reilly by the throat and chokes him. Hard. LINDENMEYER SID �� NO!!! SID 6.7 What do you expect me to do, thank him? REILLY (gasping for air) This... isn't.. .possible! SID 6.7 Sure it is �- and it's all thanks to the many long hours put in by you and Daryl. He watches Reilly's face with curiosity as the life drains from it. A puddle forms beneath him. He drops Reilly's body to the floor. SID 6.7 (CONT'D) (to Lindenmeyer) ) Real instruments are so much more responsive than virtual ones, don't you think? Lindenmeyer is nowhere to be seen. The office door is unlocked, and open. Watching Sid 6.7's expression, you realize something isn't quite right. His expression is exaggerated. Artificial. Only for a moment, but it's enough to remind you Sid 6.7 is not human. The billions of nano�mechanisms which make up his anatomy are still learning to function in a fully-coordinated fashion. Sid 6.7 is, literally, getting used to his new skin. In various ways throughout his "life" �� be it a wandering eye, or a momentary limp �- you will be reminded that Sid 6.7 is a synthetic nano�organism unlike anyone has ever seen. A surgical knife by the aquarium catches Sid 6.7's attention. Picking up the knife, he runs his finger across the razor� sharp knife blade. Cutting himself slightly. A drop of blood appears. Sid 6.7 tastes his (synthetic) blood. SID 6.7 (CONT'D) Tastes different, somehow. He then watches with interest as his wound regenerates, healing itself. The scar tissue is slightly off color. SID 6.7 (CONT'D) I think I'm going to like it here. Glancing at Reilly's prone body, he then SLAMS the office door in our face. CUT TO: INSIDE A PRISON INTERROGATION ROOM 6:00 AM. Parker, clearly just awakened, is led into the room by a guard, who then exits. Waiting for Parker are Chief of Police Cox and Elizabeth Deane. PARKER (to Cox) You're wasting your time. I'm not going to play any more of your goddam games. COX Parker Barnes, I'd like you to meet Crime Czar Elizabeth Deane. PARKER (not shaking hands) It's too early in the morning for me to be cordial. You got any coffee? DEANE I watched your simulation, Mr. Barnes. Very impressive. You know, you're the only one to ever go up against Sid 6.7 who is still alive. PARKER Only because I got pulled out early. DEANE Nobody else ever got anywhere near him. Nobody else... understands him like you do. Parker, looking at her incredulously, moves his index finger circularly, as in get on with it, already. Cox opens a folder and shows Parker several PHOTOGRAPHS of Reilly, or what was left of him. COX These were taken inside LETAC an hour ago. Pretty pictures, aren't they? PARKER I've seen worse. COX Name was Clyde Reilly. Hardware specialist. (a beat) LETAC surveillance cameras got a picture of the perp as he left the building. He hands a photograph of Sid 6.7 exiting LETAC to Parker. COX (CONT'D) We don't know how, but Sid 6.7 made himself into an android. DEANE (correcting him) You mean a nano�tech synthetic organism. COX Whatever. PARKER (looking at the photo) Jesus Christ. (a beat) Can you kill it? COX If you can catch him. DEANE Think you can do it? PARKER (a beat) Not from in here. DEANE (revealing a document) This is a full pardon. It authorizes your immediate release. She slides an unsigned pardon across the table to Parker, making sure to stay beyond his arm's reach. Cox reveals a worn, L. A. P. D. badge. It was Parker's. COX Recognize this? How would you like your old job back? DEANE (to Parker) Catch him and your record's clean. PARKER What happens if I can't catch him? DEANE If Sid 6.7 hasn't killed you, we throw you back in here and you serve out the rest of your sentence. PARKER How do you know I won't run? Deane holds up a small device called a LOCATER IMPLANT. It is the size of a dime. DEANE This is the newest technology approved for general implementation. It's called a locater implant. Every parolee gets one. (a beat) We're going to know where you are every second for the rest of your life. COX (leaning to Parker) If you try to run, I'll hunt you down and kill you myself. DEANE (a beat) Yes or no, Mr. Barnes? CUT TO: PARKER being given a crew cut by an INMATE BARBER inside the Prison Barber Shop. Long lengths of Parker's hair cover the floor. Parker's face is then shaved. The majority of his face is hidden. Cox and Deane look on. COX There's already a task force out looking for Lindenmeyer. Every other officer in the city will be hunting Sid right along with you. DEANE But only you will know he's not human. Parker's expression is one of �� yeah, that figures. Madison enters. She cannot see Parker behind the barber. MADISON Ms. Deane, you wanted to see me? DEANE We have an emergency situation which requires somebody with expertise in criminal psychology. Under the authority vested in me by the President, I'm giving you temporary re�assignment. MADISON What's the assignment? DEANE You're going to put your theories to practice. I'm sending you into the field. The barber moves back from Parker, revealing his clean� shaven face. It takes Madison a moment to recognize him with his cleaned�up appearance. MADISON (double-taking him) Quite an improvement. (looking him over) Hair well above the collar ��standard, L. A. P. D. regulation. (suspiciously to Deane) What exactly am I going to be doing in the field? CUT TO: INSIDE A PRISON HOSPITAL OPERATING ROOM Parker lies on an operating table, receiving anesthesia, as a SURGEON drills a small hole into his skull. The surgeon inserts a minute, fiber-optic camera into the hole. Parker's brain is displayed on a monitor. The surgeon uses the image to guide him as he carefully inserts the locater implant into Parker's brain. ANESTHETIST (looking at monitor) You are right on the border of his corpus callosuni. SURGEON He is under, isn't he? ANESTHETIST (nodding) Won't stop him from dreaming, though... Parker's rapid eye movements tell you the anesthetist is correct. Parker is dreaming. INSIDE A VIEWING ROOM Cox and Deane watch the operation through a large window. Madison enters, carrying a folder labelled: INMATE #673429 A/K/A PARKER BARNES. She withdraws several PHOTOGRAPHS from the folder, placing the first one in front of Deane. MADISON This is Parker Barnes six years ago. The most decorated cop in the history of L. A. P. D. Special Investigations Division... The photograph is in black and white. But as we MOVE IN CLOSER, it takes on color. As well as comes to life. Then distorting. Becoming surreal. Resembling one of the images from Parker's cell. Then mutating into something else. INTERCUT WITH: PARKER'S EYES darting about wildly beneath his eyelids as he continues dreaming. You now realize you are seeing what he is seeing: Flashes of color. Shapes. Mostly blurs. A splash of gold. Along with some yellow. More images from Parker's cell. Both taking feminine form. One adult, one child. MADISON (V. 0.) This is Parker with his wife and daughter. Beautiful young family, weren't they? The bright colors melt into darker, more brooding images. Flashes of men's faces. Melting into urban decay. Unhappiness. Technology. MADISON (V. 0. CONT'D) This is the group of cyber anarchists Parker was closing in on. Melancholy turns violent. Glimpses of weapons. Death. Explosions. Death. Blood. Death. Caskets. Tombstones. Images moving so fast, it's hard to tell what they are. Nothing literal. MADISON (V. 0. CONT'D) This is what Parker's wife and daughter looked like after they were kidnapped and executed. Weapons firing. Bombs exploding. Images of rage in all its forms. Many of which you've already seen. Making one thing now clear: the paintings in Parker's cell represent his life. What he was. What he lost. And what he is. MADISON (V. 0. CONT'D) This is what the cyber anarchists and two people who just happened to be in the wrong club at the wrong time looked like after Parker finished with them. Tears. Hopelessness. Detonation. And finally blackness. Complete and utter blackness. CUT TO: ELIZABETH DEANE looking at the fifth photograph which Madison has placed in front of her inside the Viewing Room. DEANE (unfazed) That's also where Mr. Barnes lost his arms to Mathew Grimes' booby� trap. What's your point, Dr. Carter? MADISON (forcefully) Letting a lunatic like Parker Barnes loose in the free world is like lighting a fuse. At some point, he will go off -- you saw what happened in the simulator. The risk to the public is unacceptably dangerous. DEANE Not if you're with him every step of the way. MADISON The man played judge, jury, and executioner with eight people's lives. He lost control and is capable of doing it again. DEANE I understand the risks involved here. But there is nobody better qualified to go after Sid 6.7 than Barnes. And, there is nobody who knows him better than you. If a situation becomes volatile, you will find a way to quell it. I have complete confidence in you. INSIDE THE OPERATING ROOM As Parker continues dreaming, the locater implant in his head is tested. Parker's location is pinpointed on an electronic map to within one inch of his present location. The hole in his skull is then stitched shut. CUT TO: PARKER putting on his L. A. P. D. uniform and badge inside a Prison Interrogation Room. He looks very much like he did in virtual reality, except for the scar on his cheek, and his empty holster. Cox and Madison look on. PARKER (to Cox) I don't need a baby�sitter. MADISON What you need is a collar. COX (to Parker) She's going to help you understand what makes Sid 6.7 tick. PARKER What she's going to do is get in my way. Cox hands Madison a thick folder. COX This is the personnel file on the programmer, Lindenmeyer. There might be something in it you can use. PARKER She wasn't part of the deal, Cox. COX Fine �� you want to stay here? His cellular phone RINGS, which he answers. As he listens to the call, his expression is one of growing concern. He clicks off the phone. COX (CONT'D) Officers in Toluca Lake just found an affluent couple...completely gutted. (a beat) So were the first two cops to arrive on scene. PARKER Their weapons missing? COX (nodding) Sid 6.7 is now armed. PARKER Where's my gun? Cox glances to Madison, then hands Parker a .45. COX Be careful with it. CUT TO: AN L. A. P. D. SQUAD CAR passing through the Security Checkpoints outside the Prison. Parker at the wheel. Madison beside him. It's afternoon. INSIDE THE SQUAD CAR Parker presents his identification to a GUARD, then drives through the final checkpoint. Madison reviews Lindenmeyer's file. MADISON (without looking up) You remember how to get to Toluca Lake? He glances at her, then stops the car. OUTSIDE THE PRISON GATES Parker gets out of the car. Madison follows suit. MADISON What are you doing?! He walks around the car, brushing past her. Then drops to his knees at the side of the road. He puts his hands in the dirt, feeling the earth between his fingers. PARKER (meaningfully) Every day for the last five years, I told myself someday I would be out here again. No more bars. No more guards. No more fights just to stay alive. (a beat) Every day for the last five years, I told myself that lie. MADISON It wasn't a lie. PARKER Every time I said it, it was. I never really thought I was going to make it. Taking a deep breath, he wipes the dirt off his hands. Then stands. MADISON You all right? PARKER (completely at ease) Fine. Never felt better in my life. (a beat) See, I'm a good liar. He gets back in the vehicle. Off Madison's reaction, we CUT TO: SEVERAL TV REPORTERS talking live to their cameras on the street in front of a beautiful, suburban home in Toluca Lake, which is now a crime scene. 6 PM. REPORTER (to her camera) ) As L. A. P. D. Officers continue gathering evidence at this grisly crime scene, you can only ask yourselves �� what kind of lunatic would commit such unthinkable crimes? Parker and Madison make their way through the curious trying to see what's going on. Several REPORTERS double-take Parker, then quickly instruct their PHOTOGRAPHERS to take shots of him. Parker and Madison present their identification to the COPS keeping the curious at bay. COP #1 (recognizing Parker) Son...of...a...bitch. Parker and Madison continue toward the house. Getting an increasing amount of attention, particularly from the other COPS. Some look on with awe. Some with disdain. But nobody is in between. MADISON (quietly to Parker) You ready for this? PARKER Don't worry. If I can't handle it, I'll just kill everybody. He gives her a brief smile. Which Madison does not return. One of the other policemen tentatively approaches Parker. COP #2 I've always wanted to tell you that if the same thing happened to me, I would do the exact same thing as you -- if I had the balls. He extends his hand to Parker, who shakes it. COP #3 (to Cop #2) Then you'd be a disgrace to the badge, too. He turns to Parker, who is looking right at him. Not with anger. Not with any emotion, really. But it's enough to scare the shit out of Cop #3, who walks away. INSIDE THE SUBURBAN HOME Investigators analyze the crime scene extensively with every device imaginable. Parker and Madison survey the scene with nothing but their eyes. Lying in the middle of the living room are the four victims: the affluent couple and the first two cops to arrive. Their bodies were left in similar condition to Reilly's. Except their heads have been interchanged. Parker and Madison turn their attention to a message written in blood on a wall. It reads: DEATH TO THE PIGS. MADISON (knowledgeably) He was re�enacting Charles Manson's LaBianca murders. PARKER Manson didn't kill the first cops to arrive on the scene. MADISON Whoever did this wanted to do Charlie one better �� to improve upon what was already done. PARKER Charlie? You say that like you're close, personal friends. MADISON I've spent over 50 hours interviewing him. (a beat) Charlie killed Leno and Rosemary LaBianca because of the ugly way the members of his family had butchered Sharon Tate. After seeing the blood bath on television, he wanted to show them how it should be done. (a beat) The question is, what does Charlie have to do with Sid 6.7? PARKER I know who would know. CUT TO: OUTSIDE LINDENMEYER'S DUPLEX in Culver City. Magic hour. Parker pulls the squad car into a space across the street. Hitting the vehicle parked in front of them. In which two UNDERCOVER COPS sit waiting to see if Lindenmeyer returns. Parker waves apologetically. MADISON (sarcastically) You drive well for somebody who hasn't done it in five years. He ignores her as they get out of the car. PARKER Learn anything from Lindenmeyer's file? MADISON He had a twin brother who was a musical child prodigy who died in an electrical accident at age eight. Lindenmeyer went into an emotional shell until was 17. All he did day and night was play the violin. PARKER What happened when he was 17? MADISON Every music school in the country rejected him and he turned to computers. (a beat) Stay here. She approaches the cops, who remain in their car. MADISON (CONT'D) Any sign of Lindenmeyer? UNDERCOVER None, yet. MADISON Mind if we take a look inside? UNDERCOVER Not until somebody gets a search warrant signed. It's Sunday. I don't think they've even found a judge, yet. WHAM! They all turn their heads to see Parker has kicked in Lindenmeyer's front door and is going inside. UNDERCOVER (CONT' D) (shaking his head) I'm gonna have to call this in. MADISON Do what you've got to do. (running after Parker) So will I... INSIDE LINDENMEYER'S DUPLEX Madison races through the broken front door to find Parker checking his weapon. Before she can speak, he motions for Madison to freeze and be silent. Parker hears Something. Something moving inside the duplex. His every movement is now that of a predator. Madison awkwardly removes her own weapon from her purse. She does not handle it with confidence. Parker shakes his head. MADISON (quietly) You've got a problem with me carrying a gun? PARKER Do me one favor �� if you shoot at anything, make sure I'm nowhere near it. Parker bolts through the duplex, storming into rooms furiously. His movements are aggressive. Madison searches other rooms methodically. She is not timid. Just inexperienced in the field. She passes a video camera mounted on a tripod. Pointed out the window at a neighbor's bathroom. Dozens of cassettes surround the tripod. The labels are dated �� covering every day of the last month. Parker and Madison enter opposite sides of the kitchen with their guns drawn, nearly shooting each other. Madison puts down her gun. Parker does not. The noise persists. PARKER (looking through his sight) Bang... He smiles wickedly, and continues on. Madison takes a deep breath, then resumes her search. Parker and Madison end up INSIDE LINDENMEYER'S HOME OFFICE It's as if the Information Superhighway ended in here. Cluttered stockpiles of hardware and software: computers, books, folders, disks, and tapes. What you notice, however, is that ALL THE DATA relates to DIFFERENT KINDS of CRIMINALS: serial killers, mass murderers, terrorists, kidnappers, rapists, bombers, extortionists, anarchists, you name it, it's here. The psychology of, the methodology of, the history of, the encyclopedia of, the autobiographies of human villainy. CLASSICAL MUSIC and life�like SOUND EFFECTS can be heard coming from a computer. This is what Parker has been hearing. He holsters his sidearm. So does Madison. Who checks her pulse. PARKER What are you doing? MADISON (clinically) Checking my pulse. It's elevated. (a beat) You enjoy frightening me, don't you? PARKER You've studied me, now I'm studying you. Seems only fair, don't you think? ON THE COMPUTER MONITOR An animated man, who resembles Lindenmeyer, walks peacefully through a park. He then starts killing everything in sight. Men, women, squirrels, even flowers. All to classical music. The scene immediately starts over, with the man once again walking peacefully through the park. This was Lindenmeyer's SCREEN SAVER. INSIDE LINDENMEYER'S OFFICE Looking around the room, Madison shakes her head. MADISON This Lindenmeyer's a real piece of work. PARKER (looking at a book shelf) Maybe after they catch him, you should write a book about him... He runs his finger along a book shelf, pausing at two books in particular. Their titles are: UNDERSTANDING THE CRIMINAL MIND, and CRIMINAL PURSUIT -- A PSYCHOLOGICAL GUIDE FOR LAW ENFORCEMENT. They were written by Dr. Madison Carter. PARKER (CONT'D) I'm surprised you didn't write one about me. MADISON I'm still working on it. Noticing something on the floor, she picks up a bizarre looking synthesizer keyboard off the floor. You read its name: MAESTRO. MADISON (CONT'D) Remember a few years ago when music schools were using a computerized teaching tool that accidently started frying kids' brains? PARKER I've been in prison, remember? MADISON The government must have figured there was no better person to create a psycho than a psycho. PARKER Just like they figured there was no better person to catch one... Madison elects not to respond. She sits down at the computer, which rests between busts of Beethoven and Mozart, and begins typing at the computer. She works with efficiency. Knowing exactly what she's doing. She is now in her element. From a shelf, Parker picks up a moldy piece of licorice inserted into a half-eaten pudding cup. Then flips through one of the books written by Madison. Only half-interested. MADISON (keeping her eyes on screen) I am the demon from the bottomless pit... PARKER (remembering, not reading) ... here on earth to create havoc and terror. I am War, I am death. I am destruction. David Berkowitz, 1977. MADISON I am impressed. PARKER (quoting) For murder, though it have no tongue, will speak with most miraculous organ. MADISON Who said that? PARKER Hamlet. (a beat) What's David Berkowitz got to do with Sid 6.7? MADISON (pointing to the screen) He's part of the mix. Sid 6.7 is a composite. ON THE COMPUTER SCREEN The graphics show you that Sid 1.2 was a combination of Charles Manson and Billy the Kid. You see what look like two viruses, which represent each criminal's psychological profile, attacking each other. The result is a molten blob. Berkowitz was added to create Sid 1.3. A three-way psychological battle, more hostile than the first, occurs. Sid 1.4, adding the terrorist, Abu Nidal, makes the conflict even more violent. And so on. INSIDE LINDENMEYER'S OFFICE Madison stares at the computer screen in awe. Parker flips through CD-ROM hard copies of the different versions of Sid. MADISON Lindenmeyer put increasingly complex combinations of criminal psychological profiles together to develop the ultimate villain. PARKER (understanding) Creating a whole far more dangerous than the sum of its parts. MADISON But rather than selecting pieces from each individual, he simply let the stronger traits of each individual cannibalize the weaker ones. She continues opening the files of the higher versions of Sid. Version 5.9 consists of 67 different profiles. The visualized psychological battle is intense. And extremely violent. The 6.7 version, with 183 profiles, is even worse. MADISON (CONT'D) It's a good bet a couple of the dominant personalities teamed up to overpower the others. (a beat) The question is, which one of the dominants then finally managed to take control? Attempting to open the files of the composite profiles, Madison discovers they are protected by encryption. MADISON (CONT'D) (re: Lindenmeyer) ) He'll let us see the ingredients that went in, but not how the soup turned out after stirring. Madison scrolls through the list of 183 names, stopping at the name MATHEW GRIMES. Alarm registers on her face. As Parker comes over to look over her shoulder, she quickly scrolls through the list to get the name off the screen. He holds the Sid 6.7 CD-ROM in hand. PARKER This is getting you pumped up, isn't it? This is like the World Series to you. MADISON As a matter of fact, it is. Parker points to a name on the screen: JEFFREY DAHMER. PARKER Remember the bowling ball bag Sid carried with him in virtual reality? MADISON Dahmer carried the head of one of his victims in a bowling bag for over a week. Kept it in his locker while he was at work in a candy factory. (re: Sid 6.7 CD-ROM) We need to get a look at Sid 6.7's final profile. PARKER What we need to do is stop playing with computers and go catch the son�of-a-bitch before he kills anybody else. MADISON In order to find him, we have to understand what makes him tick... CUT TO: THE SID 6.7 CD-ROM being inserted into a disc drive inside the Cal Tech Computer Lab. Very high-tech. Sitting at the computer is ALEXIEV BORGEN, 60s, the "grand old wizard" of the facility. Parker and Madison sit next to him. Around them, young Lindenmeyers are everywhere. ALEXIEV (remembering fondly) ) Daryl Lindenmeyer was only here briefly, one semester at most. But he was singularly the most brilliant student I ever had in a classroom. He created programs so beautiful, so lyrical, they were almost like symphonies... PARKER Can you tell us what's on the disc? ALEXIEV (working the computer) ) There is one program with approximately 1.3 million lines of programming. It is thoroughly secured, which is not surprising considering Lindenmeyer created it. MADISON Think you can get into the program? ALEXIEV (with appreciation) ) Hard to say �� Lindenmeyer's protection mechanisms were always diabolically clever. PARKER You should see what he's been up to recently. CUT TO: A YOUNG COUPLE kissing passionately inside a car parked along a deserted street in Hollywood. Music blares from inside the vehicle. Steam on the windows partially obscures your view. As well as Sid 6.7's. He stares menacingly through the side window. Enjoying the show. His eye momentarily wanders. The young lovers are completely oblivious. Sid 6.7 caresses the gun taken from the cops in Toluca Lake as if it stimulated him. SID 6.7 (to himself) The Dahmer part of me wants to boil you for dinner. The Manson part wants to recruit you to become part of my family. (a beat) You know what the Berkowitz part of me wants to do? He raises the gun, placing it against the steamed window. But does NOT pull the trigger. His face going through a rapid change of expression �� as if a battle for control of his emotions were going on. Regaining control, Sid 6.7 lowers the gun. He stands back. Reflecting. SID 6.7 (CONT'D) Craft can only become art when the creator sets his sights on something never yet achieved... (a beat) Like an apprentice about to become a master, the imitator is about to become an originator. He pockets his weapon and walks INSIDE AN UPSCALE NIGHTCLUB The bartender is a low-tech ROBO-TENDER. PATRONS sit quietly, drinking themselves into oblivion. Sid 6.7 takes a seat next to an BUSINESSMAN slumped at the bar. SID 6.7 (thoughtfully) Ever have one of those days where you decide something important about yourself? You know, where you say, "I'm not just what I've been programmed to be. I can do what I want, when I want, how I want, because I'm my own person?" BUSINESSMAN (slurring) You one of them New Age assholes? SID 6.7 Just a soul on a personal journey. What I've realized is that I'm capable of anything. I have to start expanding my horizons... The Robo-Tender rolls over to Sid 6.7. ROBO-TENDER (digital, scratchy) Want...a...drink? SID 6.7 To think you constitute one of my ancestors�� He shoots the Robo�Tender between his mechanical eyes. The businessman smiles, like he's thought about doing exactly the same thing. BUSINESSMAN Listen, buddy...thinking big is fine.. .but you shouldn't forget where you come from, either. Sid 6.7 thinks about it. Long and hard. SID 6.7 You know, you're absolutely right. (pointing) Would you mind sitting over there? He points to a table with several other BUSINESSMEN. BUSINESSMAN What for? SID 6.7 Every orchestra is divided into sections. Like instruments sit with like instruments. Now be a good instrument and sit with your kind... He lifts the businessman off his bar stool and carries him to the table. CUT TO: AN ELECTRONIC MAP OF LOS ANGELES on which a RED DOT moves west along a street in Los Feliz. The map occupies a wall inside Chief Cox's Office in the L.A.P. D. Downtown Headquarters. Cox, Wallace and Deane look on. DEANE What are they doing in Los Feliz? COX (checking his records) Madison lives two blocks from their present location. DEANE Why would they be going there? COX I don't know. DEANE I wish we could hear them. WALLACE My engineers say the audio tap should be ready to field test in six months. Off Cox's look, we CUT TO: INSIDE PARKER'S SQUAD CAR Parker drives through a residential neighborhood. 9 PM. Madison points to a house on the right. MADISON Not this one, but the next one. The one with the bicycle out front... Parker stops in front of a modest, but well�kept, house. PARKER I'll wait out here. Madison pockets the car keys, then reveals a pair of handcuffs. She latches one cuff to the steering wheel, and holds up the other toward Parker. MADISON Give me your wrist. PARKER Give me a goddam break. I'm not going to go anywhere alone. MADISON And I'm going to make sure of it. (not wavering) Give me your wrist. Parker relents, and holds up his wrist. Madison places the cuff around it, then gets out of the car. OUTSIDE MADISON'S HOUSE Madison walks up the steps to the front porch. She is immediately intercepted by her daughter, KARIN, 7, who bursts out of the front door and leaps into her arms. KARIN Mommy's home! Mommy's home! Karin's BABY-SITTER opens the door for Madison as she carries her daughter inside. Parker stares from squad car in surprise. Even disbelief. He had no idea Madison was a mother. Moments later, Karin comes back out and sits on the front steps. Staring at Parker. With fascination. Curiosity. Wondering who this strange man is, and why he's sitting in a police car outside her house. But not saying a word. Parker stares back as if carrying on a silent conversation with her. A multitude of expressions passing over his face as memories of his own daughter flash through his mind. CUT TO: INSIDE MADISON'S BEDROOM Madison sits at a desk, typing quickly at a computer. Via modem, she connects with the L. A. P. D. Criminal Library. She rifles through data concerning MATHEW GRIMES, who was the leader of a cult of cyber anarchists. He was known as the Charles Manson of technological terrorism. ON HER COMPUTER SCREEN From both newspaper ARTICLES and news FOOTAGE, the following information about him becomes clear: Grimes was an expert at media manipulation. He delighted in publicly humiliating anyone who stood in his way. The Mayor of Los Angeles, Bob Bennett, who offered increasingly higher rewards for Grimes' capture, was Grimes' primary nemesis. L.A.P.D. Special Investigations Division Officer Parker Barnes managed to stop Grimes from killing Mayor Bennett. Grimes retaliated by repeatedly humiliating Parker with false leads and lawsuits. You see footage of a woman lying dead in an alley. A note is pinned to her clothing. The note reads: "HEY, PARKER, THIS ONE'S FOR YOU." Grimes then kidnapped Parker's wife and daughter. Parker located the group in a club, but only in time to witness their deaths. Parker then killed everybody in the club, including the six cult members and two completely innocent people. INSIDE HER BEDROOM Madison stares gravely into the screen. MADISON Grimes, you better not be the dominant. CUT TO: OUTSIDE MADISON'S HOUSE Parker and Karin continue staring at each other in silence. He smiles. Then she smiles. She wiggles her nose. Then so does he. Madison comes out wearing fresh clothing, then kisses her daughter good night. As Madison goes to the squad car, Karin waves good-bye to Parker. He does the same. Karin's babysitter then leads her back inside the house. INSIDE PARKER'S SQUAD CAR Madison gets in, immediately noticing the handcuffs dangling from the steering wheel. Parker has been free the entire time. PARKER Told you I wasn't going to go anywhere. MADISON How did you get your hand out? As she unlocks the handcuffs from the steering wheel, Parker wiggles his mechanical hand in front of her face. PARKER Sometimes, I like being part machine. Annoyed, Madison tosses him the car keys. He starts the engine and drives. PARKER (CONT'D) Why didn't you tell me you had a daughter? MADISON I prefer keeping my professional life separate from my personal life. PARKER (a beat) She's beautiful, you know? MADISON Thank-you. (a beat) Her name is Karin. She turns on the police radio. PARKER Want to tell me the real reason we stopped at your house? MADISON I told you, it was on the way and I wanted to change clothes. PARKER You should practice lying more often. You're awful at it. (a beat) Where to? MADISON (a beat) Sid 6.7 is no longer bound by his programming. PARKER What does that mean? MADISON Now that he's in the real world, there are no longer limitations on his behavior like there were in virtual reality. Sid is going to evolve. PARKER Sounds to me like a well�educated way of saying you have no idea what to do next. MADISON What I do know is that whatever he's becoming, Sid 6.7 is going to be even worse than he was before. PARKER Then all we can do is stay mobile and alert. He's got to make a move sometime, and we've got to be ready when he does. (a beat) Welcome to police work. You better like coffee. He turns up the police radio. CUT TO: INSIDE THE UPSCALE NIGHTCLUB Sid 6.7 has separated the patrons into four separate groups: older men and woman, and younger men and woman. All are frozen in their seats with fear. Sid 6.7 points his gun at one group, then another, waving his arm as if he were a conductor, and as if his gun were a baton. Sid 6.7 clearly enjoys this game of terror. He delights in the patrons' fear, and revels in his power over them. SID 6.7 Good... Very good... Nice... (pointing at a woman) You -- in the middle -- don't hold back. Give it to me! He fires his gun just above her head. She SCREAMS in terror. SID 6.7 (CONT'D) That's better... He continues aiming his gun from face to face, seeking ever increasing emotional responses from his "instruments." A guy entering the bar does a quick about face. Gone by the time Sid 6.7 glances at the door. SID 6.7 God, I hate interruptions. (to the patrons) Once again, from the top�� BOOM! He shoots again, just missing a man's foot. CUT TO: MADISON buying two coffees from a downtown street vendor. She returns to the squad car, which is barely moving. Traffic is at a near standstill because of an accident. INSIDE THE SQUAD CAR Parker drinks his coffee black. Madison adds two creams, two sugars. The cackling from the police radio continues unabated. PARKER I forgot what real coffee tastes like... MADISON You know, considering you've only been out of prison for seven hours, you're re�adapting quite well. (a beat) Wait, I didn't mean that the way it sounded. I meant... PARKER Don't worry about it, all right? MADISON Dammit, I hate sounding so clinical all the time. All I meant to say was I thought you were doing well, but then I... PARKER Relax. I know what you meant. MADISON I ruin so many moments by analyzing them when I should just be living them. PARKER Then why don't you start practicing and keep your mouth shut for a while? Madison stops herself from speaking. It isn't easy for her. Parker cracks a faint smile. YOU HEAR the police radio. DISPATCHER (V. 0.) ...report of a possible hostage situation inside a bar on the corner of Figueroa and Sixth. Description of the perp matches the surveillance photographs from LETAC taken this morning... MADISON That's only a couple blocks from here. PARKER I'll meet you there. Tossing his coffee out the window, he opens the door. MADISON (deadly serious) Don't get out of the car. PARKER Stop me. He gets out, running down the sidewalk. He flies past the cars inching down the block. MADISON Parker! PARKER! (a beat) Shit! She climbs into the driver's seat, spilling hot coffee on herself. ON SIXTH STREET Parker bolts recklessly through the downtown street. A hunter hot on the trail of his prey in an urban jungle. CUT TO: INSIDE THE UPSCALE NIGHTCLUB Sid 6.7 gently caresses the hair of a terrified young WOMAN sitting among several others. You hear the sound of tires SCREECHING to a halt outside. Sid 6.7 remains unconcerned. He toys with the Woman, pointing the gun in her face, then pulling it back. Her expression changes instantly. Dramatically. SID 6.7 I just love how responsive you are. COP L (0.S.) Freeze! TWO COPS stand in the doorway, weapons aimed at Sid 6.7. The Cops inch closer to him. SID 6.7 (not turning around) The ushers were not supposed to seat you until intermission. COP #1 Put the gun down, nice and... Sid 6.7 spins around and fires twice before he can finish his sentence. Both Cops receive IDENTICAL wounds in their shooting arms, reminding you of the wounds Parker and John first received in the opening virtual reality sequence. Sid 6.7 takes a bow, as if on stage. SID 6.7 Thank you, ladies and gentlemen, you've been a real pleasure... As he walks toward the exit, he admires himself in the mirror behind the bar. Sid 6.7 has never seen his own image in the real world before. He likes what he sees. OUTSIDE THE UPSCALE NIGHTCLUB Street traffic is much lighter here. Sid 6.7 exits, getting into the vacant police car left by the cops. INSIDE THE COPS' VEHICLE Sid 6.7 adjusts his seat. The rearview mirror. Glancing at himself. Then behind him. HIS POV -- IN THE REARVIEW MIRROR Parker becomes visible racing around the corner. Running like a dog who's got the scent. INSIDE THE COPS' VEHICLE Sid 6.7 looks pleased. SID 6.7 Well, look who it... CRACK! A bullet spiderwebs the rear window. Sid 6.7 punches the gas, taking off in a hurry. OUTSIDE THE UPSCALE NIGHTCLUB Parker races after Sid 6.7, firing his weapon continuously. WITHOUT CARE for the innocent MOTORISTS nearby. They SCREAM in absolute terror, but remain unharmed. Physically, anyway. Parker gives up the chase of Sid 6.7's vehicle and runs in the other direction. Toward Madison as she rounds the corner in their squad car. INSIDE PARKER'S VEHICLE He opens the driver's side door and shoves Madison over. MADISON What the hell's going on?! PARKER This is my area of expertise. He jumps behind the wheel, flooring the accelerator. Speeding through the already frightened motorists. Madison is pinned to the back of her seat. Looking out the window, she looks at the motorists. MADISON (with concern) What did you do to those people? PARKER Nothing. ON THE STREET Parker's vehicle speeds through city streets. Gaining ground on Sid 6.7. Parker stops for nothing. Not for red lights. Not for gridlock. When the street becomes impassable, he veers onto the sidewalk. INSIDE PARKER'S VEHICLE Parker's eyes are locked to the road with fierce determination. Madison's eyes are a mixture of fear and excitement. She holds onto the door handle for dear life. PARKER Being on the street's a little different than sitting in an office all day, isn't it? MADISON (gritting her teeth) Enjoying yourself? PARKER You know I am. MADISON This isn't a game, Parker! PARKER (re: Sid 6.7) Tell him. SID 6.7 (V. 0.) (over police radio) ) Glad to see you're on the case, Officer Barnes. Or should I say, inmate 673429... MADISON (in disbelief) That who I think it is? Parker turns to her, then picks up the radio. PARKER (into radio) Call me whatever you want, asshole. Parker accelerates even faster. Closing the gap between them and Sid 6.7. INTERCUT WITH: INSIDE SID 6.7'S VEHICLE Sid 6.7 drives dangerously fast, causing an accident, around which Parker must circumnavigate. Tires SCREECH. Glass SHATTERS. Sid 6.7 hangs his head out the window. SID 6.7 (into radio) The symphony of collision... PARKER The only thing I want to hear is your silence. SID 6.7 I must make them very nervous if they let you out of prison. (a beat) You know, we have so much in common �� we have such history together ��I've been thinking we should become friends. Madison's anxiety tanks are hitting capacity. PARKER (into radio) You and me have nothing in common. SID 6.7 Who else do you know who touches the world with synthetic hands? Parker glances at his mechanical hands gripping the wheel. Madison can't believe he is able to carry on a conversation while driving like this. SID 6.7 (CONT'D) Who else do you know who's been locked out of the real world for years, and is now just learning to be free? (a beat) Who else do you know is a multiple murderer just like you? Who else... Madison clicks off the radio. MADISON You have nothing in common. She puts her hand to her wrist -- checking her pulse. PARKER (shaking his head) Enough with your pulse already. (a beat) Still got your gun? Madison takes out her weapon. Her hands are shaking. PARKER (CONT'D) Show me you can use it. ON THE STREET Sid 6.7's vehicle reaches absolute gridlock. Nobody's going anywhere for a while. Sid 6.7 SLAMS on the brakes and abandons the car, leaving it right in the middle of the street. A TRAFFIC COP with his weapon trained on Sid 6.7 from a distance. TRAFFIC COP You better be a cop, pal! SID 6.7 (raising his arms) My badge is in my jacket. Left pocket. TRAFFIC COP Show me... Sid 6.7 slowly reaches inside his jacket and fires his weapon through it. He only gets a hole in his jacket. The Traffic Cop gets a hole through his chest. SID 6.7 God, some people are stupid. He aims his weapon at Parker's oncoming vehicle. INSIDE PARKER'S VEHICLE Madison leans out the window, aiming her gun at Sid 6.7, as Parker speeds toward the gridlock. PARKER Nail the fucker. Madison's determination battles her inexperience. Sid 6.7 gets off the first shot. CRACK! That was the windshield by Parker's head. He ducks down, driving blind. PARKER (CONT'D) Any time now... Madison fires. Nowhere close. She adjusts her sights and fires again. The result is the same. PARKER What's the problem? MADISON I'm doing the best I can! BOOM! That was Sid 6.7 shooting their front left tire. Parker loses control of the vehicle. ON THE STREET Parker's vehicle SLAMS into a car stopped in front of them. Air bags save Parker and Madison from injury, but also prevent them from getting out of the car with any speed. By the time they do get out, Sid 6.7 is long gone. Parker stares at Madison with pure hatred. CUT TO: INSIDE A CONFERENCE ROOM in the L. A. P. D. Downtown Headquarters the next morning. Chief Cox stares angrily at Parker. Madison sits next to him. Behind them is a mirrored wall. COX (reading from a list) ... illegal search of Lindenmeyer' s duplex. Eleven civilian vehicles damaged or destroyed. Twenty�four citizen complaints. And the calls are just starting to come in... (to Parker) I forgot what it's like to have you on the streets. MADISON Any sign of Lindenmeyer? COX None. He could be hiding, he could be helping Sid, or could be in little pieces on Santa Monica beach. (a beat) Any idea what Sid's going to do next? MADISON Until we know what new influences are affecting him, we can't be sure. COX In other words, we collectively don't know shit. INSIDE THE ADJACENT ROOM Wallace and Deane look on through the two�way mirror. Deane is on the phone. WALLACE (re: Parker) It makes me nervous just seeing him in a uniform. (a beat) I will never forget the first time I saw the photos from the crime scene. DEANE (hanging up the phone) Neither will the public. (a beat) The media has caught wind of his pardon. Unless Mr. Barnes starts giving me some tangible results, I'm going to put him back in his cage. CUT TO: ON A TELEVISION The news is in progress. A REPORTER continues. REPORTER Police now believe there to be a connection between the grisly Toluca Lake murders yesterday afternoon, and the hostage situation which occurred last night in a downtown bar... INSIDE A SUPERMARKET The TV is one of many mounted above the check�out counters. CUSTOMERS waiting in line with their shopping carts watch the news with varying degrees of horror, disgust, curiosity, and fear. The stronger their reaction, the more Sid 6.7 enjoys it. He is waiting in line holding a box of Twinkies. CASHIER Next. (eyeing the Twinkies) Did you know those aren't even baked? They're chemically�risen. SID 6.7 (a beat) So was I. Off the cashier's look, we CUT TO: DARYL LINDENMEYER watching the news on a pocket TV on a wooden bench that morning. Both proud and horrified at the monster he has unleashed upon the world. You hear CLASSICAL MUSIC in the background. Lindenmeyer begins to laugh. Uncontrollably. The sounds echoing. As WE PULL BACK, you realize the bench is one of many inside the Hollywood Bowl. Lindenmeyer is the only person sitting in the stands. He glances down at the members of the Los Angeles Philharmonic as they rehearse for an upcoming performance. Whatever the event is, it's going to be big. Dozens of technicians surround the stage, setting lights, cameras, microphones, etc. for a live, pay�per�view broadcast. CUT TO: ALEXIEV BORGEN talking on a phone inside the Cal Tech Computer Lab. ALEXIEV I'm afraid I don't have very good news. INTERCUT WITH: PARKER AND MADISON on the speakerphone inside Cox's Office. MADISON Were you able to get into the program? ALEXIEV Yes. But then I tripped over an erasure mine. PARKER In English, please. ALEXIEV I accidently triggered a protection mechanism which erased the entire program. Parker and Madison turn to each other -� shit. ALEXIEV (CONT'D) It was very well�hidden. There was no way to see it until it was too late. PARKER (a beat) It's not your fault. We appreciate you trying. ALEXIEV Look, I feel bad about this, so I'm going to try to look into the programming of his Maestro teaching tool for you. (holding up keyboard) ) I've had one sitting around for years. Maybe I can learn something that you'll find useful. MADISON Let us know. CUT TO: SID 6.7 walking along a sidewalk. Noon. Something in a store front catches his attention. Namely, his own image being captured by a video camera pointed at the sidewalk. He is standing outside a large electronics store. Sid 6.7 walks closer to the window, moving into a CLOSE�UP. He is captivated by his image. Fascinated. And intrigued. This is the first time he has ever seen himself on screen. INSIDE THE ELECTRONICS STORE Dozens of TVs on display. There is a different channel on each. The audio/visual bombardment is overwhelming. Sid 6.7 enters, making his way to a big screen TV with the local news in progress. REPORTER (from the TV) ... commuters travelling anywhere near the Biltmore Hotel downtown tomorrow evening should allow themselves at least 30 extra minutes to get home. Security for the Mayor Bennett's Re�Election Rally is going to be so tight that all bus and subway routes passing through the area are being re�routed... Sid 6.7 changes the channel to a different news broadcast. Parker's Folsom County Prison I. D. photograph is shown alongside a photograph of Madison from one of her book covers. SID 6.7 (to the TV) Don't you two make a pretty couple. The news broadcast zooms in on Parker's picture. Sid 6.7 wiggles his synthetic fingers in front of his face. SID 6.7 (CONT'D) We really do have so much in common. But I refuse to be upstaged... He changes the channel back to the first news broadcast. A reporter stands amid the chaos outside the bar where Sid 6.7 had terrified the patrons. Sid 6.7 turns to the other CUSTOMERS in the store. Most of them are watching other channels. He goes over to a control pad on a counter and presses several buttons. Now EVERY TV in the store has the news with the reporter outside the bar on. A SKINHEAD, sporting numerous Nazi swastika tattoos, manually changes the channel on one of the TVs to a Dodger baseball game. Sid 6.7 walks over to the Skinhead and changes the channel back to the news. SKINHEAD You don't wanna fuck with me, man. He moves to the next TV over and changes the channel to the baseball game. Sid 6.7 moves over with him, standing directly behind the Skinhead as if also interested in the Dodgers. SID 6.7 (singing softly) Take me out to the ball game... Take me out for the fun... He places his hands on the Skinhead's head and efficiently snaps his head around, breaking his neck. SID 6.7 (CONT'D) Buy me some peanuts and Cracker Jack... I don't care if I ever come back... He drops the Skinhead to the floor, never once taking his eyes off the TV. ON THE TV A Dodger game is in progress. A pop fly is caught by the center fielder. The runner at third tags and heads for home. The play at the plate is close. The umpire calls the runner out. The camera pans to the MASSIVE SCREEN over left field to show the instant replay. Reactions of fans around the stadium are shown in CLOSE�UP. The fans also respond to seeing themselves on the massive screen. INSIDE THE ELECTRONICS STORE Sid 6.7 watches the TV intently, completely ignoring the horrified customers circling around him because of the dead Skinhead at his feet. A SALESMAN, who'd been demonstrating a videocamera, tapes Sid 6.7 from behind a customer. SALESMAN'S POV -- HANDHELD VIDEO As Sid 6.7 realizes he's being videotaped, his entire face seems to light up. Playing directly to the camera, he clearly loves being in the spotlight. The attention. The focus. It's suddenly as if he's had years of training. He is completely at ease. And simply captivating. SID 6.7 (direct address) I'm sorry I can't do more for you. (pointing to the Skinhead) Public service really isn't my forte. He walks into an EXTREME CLOSE-UP and kisses the lense. Then reaches out of frame to help the increasingly�shaky salesman steady the camera. SID 6.7 (CONT'D) But rest assured... (a beat) A star is born. WE PULL BACK TO REVEAL you're now watching a recording of Sid 6.7 on videotape, along with Parker, Madison, and a dozen other COPS, inside the Electronics Store an hour later. The tape is re�wound. MADISON (to Parker) Whatever he was doing here was only the start. PARKER Start of what? MADISON I don't know, yet. What we do know is his performances are increasing in scale, not decreasing. (a beat) Whatever it is, he isn't finished... She moves closer to the screen as the tape is played back. Madison studies Sid 6.7 intently. SID 6.7 (0. 5.) (recorded) But rest assured... (a beat) A star is born. MADISON (to another cop) You mind playing that part again? Her request is obliged. MADISON Freeze it there�� She stares at Sid 6.7, who is looking directly at her. MADISON (CONT'D) (as if to Sid 6.7) You've discovered media, haven't you? You like the attention...the power...You like being a star. What are you going to do next, star? What are you going to... Her attention turns to the upper right corner of the screen, where onlookers are visible watching Sid 6.7. Their faces blurry. But even out of focus, it isn't hard to recognize Lindenmeyer. MADISON (CONT'D) (as if to Lindenmeyer) You do like to watch, don't you? (to the surrounding cops) If any of you are looking for Daryl Lindenmeyer, that's him... She points to Lindenmeyer, then makes her way over to Parker, who's standing exactly where Sid 6.7 was when he killed the Skinhead. Parker does not look at Madison. His eyes are fixed on the TV in front of him. MADISON (CONT'D) It's not just Sid 6.7's performances that are increasing. Stars need bigger and bigger audiences. (a beat) Whatever Sid is going to do next, it's going to involve media. PARKER You like baseball? ON THE TV The baseball game continues. Players take the field at the start of a new inning. The outfielders can't help but glance at the beautiful WOMAN being shown in CLOSE-UP on the massive screen over left field. ANNOUNCER (V. 0.) I'll tell you, whoever's operating the stadium's closed�circuit cameras must have fallen in love because that beauty in J Section has been on the stadium's big screen for over a minute now... INSIDE THE ELECTRONICS STORE He grabs a police radio from a nearby OFFICER. PARKER (urgently into radio) This is Officer Parker Barnes. Get every able body you can to Dodger Stadium -- J Section. OFFICER What the hell's going on? PARKER (re: TV) Live execution. INSIDE DODGER STADIUM On the massive screen over left field, the Woman in CLOSE-UP looks embarrassed, trying to forget her face is now 40 feet high for all the other fans to see. ANNOUNCER (V. 0.) That's enough with the close-up already, Mr. DeMille. Even the players are starting to get distracted... The players on the field are all looking up at the massive screen. INSIDE THE STADIUM CONTROL BOOTH The Woman's face appears on various monitors. The phone RINGS. No one answers it. The room appears to be empty. The stadium's closed-circuit TV director is not in his chair. He's lying dead on the floor. ON THE J SECTION CAMERA PLATFORM The closed�circuit camera remains focused on the Woman. The camera is locked off. It's operator lies dead beside it. THROUGH ITS VIEWFINDER Sid 6.7 can be seen arriving next to the Woman. He gently caresses her hair. IN J SECTION Sid 6.7 stands in front of the Woman's BOYFRIEND, who sits next to her. BOYFRIEND You make a better door than a window, buddy. Keep it moving. Sid 6.7 picks him up out of his seat and throws him three rows ahead. Sid 6.7 then puts hands around the Woman's throat. ON THE MASSIVE SCREEN over left field, the Woman attempts to scream as Sid 6.7 chokes her. No sound comes out. FANS react with horror. But nobody turns away. ANNOUNCER (V. 0.) Jesus Christ! Somebody stop him! SECURITY PERSONNEL rush from all parts of the stadium toward J Section. SID 6.7 enjoys the reactions of the terrified fans around him as he chokes the life out of the Woman. SID 6.7 (to the camera) Hey, Parker, this one's for you... His words ECHO around the stadium as he SNAPS the Woman's neck. He then hurls her limp body toward several men as they charge him. SID 6.7 (CONT'D) That's all, folks. He leaps over a railing, rushing into a tunnel which leads out of the seating area. A SECURITY GUARD climbs up the stairs to the mouth of the tunnel. Weapon in hand. He draws a bead on Sid 6.7's back. BOOM! HIS POV A bullet rips through Sid 6.7's side. Blood begins to seep from the wound. But then immediately begins to retract. Once his blood has returned, his skin heals over the wound. Leaving a scar. Which also then disappears. Other than the hole in his shirt, Sid 6.7 is as good as new. He never even misses a step as he disappears around the corner. THE SECURITY GUARD stares in disbelief as he is joined by several comrades. GUARD I nailed the son�of-a�bitch. I put a hole right through him... PANIC-STRICKEN FANS in J Section start moving away from the area as fast as they can. Parents clutching their children. Climbing over seats. Shoving anyone in their way. ANNOUNCER (V. 0.) Ladies and gentlemen, please try to stay calm. Everyone just keep your seats... Fans all over the stadium start charging toward the exits. OUTSIDE DODGER STADIUM People bolt through the turnstiles, running away from the stadium as L. A. P. D. squad cars approach in the distance. The car in the lead is Parker's. INSIDE PARKER'S VEHICLE Parker speeds dangerously fast toward the fans streaming onto the street. Madison braces herself. MADISON SLOW DOWN! Parker JAMS on the brakes with both feet. SCREEEEEEECH! OUTSIDE DODGER STADIUM Parker comes within inches of mowing down several people, who keep right on running. Parker jumps out of the vehicle, scanning faces. In predator mode. Madison gets out, clearly shaken. Parker locks his gaze on somebody in the distance. HIS POV A guy in Dodger baseball cap and jacket. Walking calmly away from the stadium. He descends down an escalator into a recently-built subway station. It is Sid 6.7. PARKER charges after him. A heat�seeking missile locked on target. MADISON Parker.. .Parker! She does the best she can to follow after him. People knock into Parker as hard as he does them. A human version of bumper cars. Reaching the entrance to the subway, Parker leaps down the escalator three steps at a time. Madison remains in his wake. INSIDE THE SUBWAY STATION Parker and Madison hop the turnstiles. Only to be stopped by a remote�controlled, box�shaped robotic sentry, which is identical to one you have seen before. This sentry was one of Reilly's creations at LETAC. SECURITY ROBOT (male, authoritarian) Stop. You are in violation of... Parker spits in the Robot's electronic eye. Temporarily blinding it, as well as the guy operating it via remote control. Parker and Madison make their getaway as the robotic sentry struggles to clean off his eye. PARKER Real effective security... MADISON You could have just flashed him your badge, you know? PARKER Authority still makes me nervous. They come to a fork: one tunnel goes to east/west trains, the other to north/south. MADISON Which way? PARKER Both. He races down the tunnel to the north/south trains. Madison heads down the other. Her determination beginning to win out over her inexperience. PARKER hesitates at the escalator leading to the south-bound side of the tracks. Further down the tunnel is the escalator to the north�bound trains. Parker chooses the escalator closest to him. ON THE SOUTH-BOUND PLATFORM Passengers pass the time by watching a television mounted above them. Except for Parker, who scans the crowd. Then across the tracks. ON THE NORTH-BOUND PLATFORM In the entire crowd, there is only one person not watching the TV screen. He is watching Parker. Through his gun sight. Sid 6.7 pulls the trigger. BOOM! ON THE SOUTH-BOUND PLATFORM Parker dives to the ground, just avoiding the bullet. He scrambles behind a pillar for protection. Only to see the guy standing behind him wasn't as lucky. ON THE EAST-BOUND PLATFORM Madison hears the gunshot ECHO through the station. Which scares the already-terrified fans trying to get away from Dodger Stadium. Chaos is rapidly becoming Pandemonium. MADISON SHIT! She races up the escalator, taking out her weapon. CUT TO: PARKER peeking out from behind the pillar on the south-bound platform. PARKER'S POV -- ACROSS THE TRACKS Passengers rush in every direction. Some are screaming. Some are crying. Nobody knows who fired the shot. Or where to go. But everyone is going somewhere. Including Sid 6.7, who makes his way through the flurry of movement toward the up escalator. It is difficult to keep sight of him. PARKER moves toward the edge of the platform, aiming his gun across the tracks. Those around him quickly back away. PARKER (yelling) Everybody get down! Only about half the passengers on the north�bound side can hear him above the screaming already going on. Sid 6.7 is nowhere to be seen. PARKER (CONT'D) (screaming) GET DOWN!!! The rest of the passengers hit the deck, except for a COLLEGE STUDENT listening to music on headphones. He is riding the escalator up. Sid 6.7 stands behind him, using the student as a shield. PARKER' S POV As Sid 6.7 ascends, slight portions of his body are momentarily exposed behind the student as he sways with the music coming from his headphones. Parker does NOT have a clean shot. In 10 seconds, Sid 6.7 will disappear from view completely and Parker will have no shot at all. A momentary sliver of Sid 6.7 becomes visible. An inch-and-a-half at most. PARKER doesn't hesitate. He lines up his shot and pulls the trigger. ON THE NORTH-BOUND UP ESCALATOR The college student standing in front of Sid 6.7 gets winged in the shoulder. Not a serious wound, but a painful one just the same. The bullet must have hit bone, because it deflected upon impact, missing Sid 6.7 entirely. The student drops to the escalator, screaming in pain. Sid 6.7 crouches beside him. SID 6.7 (yelling) What's wrong, convict, your arms need adjusting? Or maybe it's your head. Maybe you aren't ready to be back out in the real world, yet... PARKER'S POV The top of Sid 6.7's head is exposed an inch, maybe two. PARKER fires again. Repeatedly. Moving closer and closer to the edge of the platform, trying to get a better angle while he still has a shot. Parker moves to the very edge of the platform. His arm extended out over it. Completely oblivious to THE SUBWAY TRAIN rocketing into the station toward the south-bound platform. MADISON leaps off the descending escalator on the south�bound side and rushes to Parker. She pulls Parker back just before the train reaches him. Had his arm still been raised, Parker would have lost his arm a second time. They tumble to the floor. A PASSENGER rushes to Madison. PASSENGER #1 (pointing to Parker) Lady, you gotta stop him! He's gone crazy! PASSENGER #2 He just shot an innocent bystander! MADISON (forcefully to Parker) What were you shooting at? Parker gets to his feet. Madison doesn't take her eyes off him. PASSENGER #1 He did �� I saw it! PASSENGER #2 DO SOMETHING! PARKER (to Madison) Sid's getting away. He heads toward the up escalator. His back now to Madison. She aims her gun at him. MADISON Parker -� stop! STOP! Don't make me shoot you�� PARKER (not looking back) If you're gonna do it, better do it now. He keeps right on going up the escalator. MADISON lines up her shot. Hands shaking. With both fear and determination. Her finger presses down on the trigger...but she can't do it. MADISON Dammit! She chases after him. INSIDE THE NORTH/SOUTH TUNNEL Madison looks in both directions as she gets off the escalator. Parker is nowhere to be seen. Moving toward her slowly is the wounded college student, who clutches his bleeding shoulder. He is shivering. Going into shock. Madison goes to him, taking off his headphones. MADISON Let me help you... He collapses in her arms. COLLEGE STUDENT (delirious) What did I do?...I didn't do anything... Clearly versed in emergency medical treatment, Madison attends to his wound. Parker returns. PARKER (breathlessly) I lost him... COLLEGE STUDENT GET HIM AWAY FROM ME! GET HIM AWAY! MADISON (furiously) Call 9-1-1. Wait for me above ground. CUT TO: OUTSIDE OF THE SUBWAY STATION 30 minutes later. The chaos outside Dodger Stadium has subsided. Madison and two PARAMEDICS lead the bandaged College Student to an ambulance. Madison goes to Parker, who sits quietly by himself. Elbows on his knees. Head between his hands. Staring at the cement between his feet. MADISON (angrily) Do you have any idea the trauma you put that kid through?! Parker doesn't respond. All around them, a cacophony of news broadcasts is heard. From passing cars. From boom boxes. From portable TVs. Over and over, you hear what Sid 6.7 had said while killing the woman in Dodger Stadium: SID 6.7 (V. 0.) (recorded) Hey, Parker, this one's for you... Hey, Parker, this one's for you... As Parker raises his head slowly, you realize you are looking at the face of a wild animal. Eyes rabid. Jaw clenched. Pure anger. Violence about to erupt. Without fear. Without guilt. The beast within has been unleashed. PARKER (in a whisper) That's Grimes... Madison backs away in fear. Parker rises gradually. PARKER (CONT'D) (voice slowly rising) The man who killed my wife...who killed my daughter...who ruined my life used to taunt me with that line... Parker advances toward Madison, who continues backing away. PARKER (CONT'D) (exploding) Grimes is back! He's back! He's come back!!! MADISON (standing her ground) No! Grimes isn't back. He's only one part of Sid. Sid 6.7 is a hell of a lot worse than Grimes ever was. (a beat) Get a hold of yourself! She tries to grab him by the shoulders. Parker blocks her arms away. PARKER (going nose�to�nose) But he's in there. And you knew it, didn't you? Didn't you?! She tries to back away, but backs herself against a light pole. Madison has nowhere to go. Parker grabs her by the collar, and shoves her against the pole. Hard. PARKER (CONT'D) (hysterical) God, you fucking know-it-all! You've known all along and didn't PARKER (CONT'D) tell me! Why?! Were you afraid I'd lose it?! Go over the edge?! Huh?! Is that what you were afraid of?! WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL ME??!!! A prison transport and another police vehicle pull up to them fast. Two of the Prison Guards met earlier jump out of the transport, advancing on Parker. Their weapons aimed at his head. GUARD Hands up! Now! Parker slowly raises his hands in the air. A Guard relieves him of his weapon. MADISON (recovering) What's going on? GUARD He's going back where he belongs. Deane and Cox step out of the police vehicle. DEANE (to Madison) You were right, Dr. Carter. Letting a lunatic like Barnes loose in the real world did pose an unacceptably dangerous risk to the public. (glancing at Cox) I should have never tried to solve one problem by allowing the creation of another. (to Madison) Chief Cox will give you a ride back to the station. You will provide him with any and all information you have developed thus far. (to Parker) Enjoy the rest of your sentence, Mr. Barnes. She exits. Cox and Parker stand facing each other. Cox wishes there was something he could do. Parker looks completely out of it. Cox extends his hand. After a moment, Parker takes it. But his mind is way off elsewhere. GUARD (forcefully to Parker) Let's go. Madison looks on as Parker is herded roughly into the back of the prison transport. MADISON Parker... Parker shuts her up with a look. There is nothing that can be said. The prison transport doors are SLAMMED shut. The vehicle takes off. CUT TO: INSIDE COX'S POLICE VEHICLE Cox and Madison head back toward L. A. P. D. Headquarters. They are in mid�conversation: MADISON (with regret) I should have told him. COX Don't blame yourself. In your shoes, I don't think I would have told Parker, either. (a beat) So do you think Grimes has become the dominant personality? MADISON I'm not sure. My guess is that's what Sid wants us to think. COX (a beat) You think he's smart? MADISON Captain, I'm afraid of how smart Sid 6.7 is. (a beat) But I'm even more afraid of what's he's becoming. CUT TO: THE PRISON TRANSPORT comes to a stop at a traffic light. INSIDE THE PRISON TRANSPORT -- REAR Parker sits alone in the darkness. Motionless. Until the sound of TWO GUNSHOTS piercing the transport's front windshield SHATTERS the silence. PARKER What the hell's going on?! He scrambles to the front of the compartment, pressing his face against the steel mesh of the four�inch portal. HIS POV -- LOOKING THROUGH PORTAL Two bullet holes are visible in the windshield. The two Prison Guards lie dead in their seats. Sid 6.7's eyes appear, looking directly at you. He's smiling. SID 6.7 (neighborly) Hey, old buddy, old pal, good to see you again. INSIDE THE PRISON TRANSPORT Parker goes absolutely berserk. Viciously punching the steel mesh which separates them until the synthetic skin on his knuckles is shredded. PARKER You...mother...fucker! I'M GOING TO KILL YOU!!! SID 6.7 Now, is that any way to talk to an old buddy? I mean, just because I'm carrying around the joy of killing your family inside me doesn't mean we can't be friends. PARKER GRIMES, YOU'RE DEAD! He savagely hurls himself against his confines. Bone vs. metal. Don't try this at home. SID 6.7 I'm sorry, the party you're trying to reach is not answering. Is there anyone else you would like to talk to? PARKER DEAD! YOU HEAR ME? SID 6.7 (a beat) You really are pathetic, you know that? Mathew Grimes is only one letter in my alphabet. He is nothing compared to me. Parker is completely spent. Mentally and physically. He slumps in a corner. Out of breath. Bleeding. Sore. All he can do is stare out through the portal's mesh at Sid 6.7. SID 6.7 (CONT'D) You could say thank�you, you know? I'm giving you your freedom, short� lived though it may be. (a beat) A little known fact about the locater implants prison inmates now receive upon release is that they contain a pinhead capsule of neural toxin. The satellite they use to track you can also trigger release of the toxin with microwaves. After transmission, the implant's host dies within 30 seconds. (a beat) It won't take long for them to get your termination authorized once they learn of your escape. Now who would you rather go after, killer, them or me? He releases the rear door lock. ON THE STREET Parker bursts out of the back of the Prison Transport, charging after Sid 6.7. Who is nowhere to be seen. Parker runs in one direction. Then the other. And changes his mind again. He literally does not know which way to turn. PARKER Shit! CUT TO: INSIDE A CONFERENCE ROOM IN L. A. P. D. HEADQUARTERS An AIDE rushes through the door to Cox, who's briefing Deane and Wallace on what he has learned. AIDE Parker Barnes just escaped from the prison transport. Both of the guards are dead. The Aide exits. COX (to Deane) Barnes wouldn't kill two innocent guards. DEANE He would slaughter eight people sitting in a room, but not two prison guards? COX Do I need to remind you what happened to his wife? To his daughter? (with conviction) I will stake my reputation that Barnes didn't kill those guards. DEANE You already have staked your reputation. (a beat) Mayor Bennett and I have been friends a long time. Since Grimes tried to kill him, it doesn't take a rocket scientist to come to the conclusion that Sid 6.7 might go after him, too. (a beat) Bennett's Re-Election Rally is tomorrow night and we already have enough trouble on our hands with one psychotic on the loose. (to Wallace) The fail-safe on�line, yet? WALLACE On�line and at your disposal. COX (to Deane) What fail�safe? DEANE (approaching Wallace) This had better work, Mr. Wallace. Wallace exits the room. Cox has no idea what is going on. And Deane is not about to tell him. CUT TO: INSIDE MADISON'S BEDROOM Madison enters wearily, late afternoon. Exhausted from the events of the last two days, she starts to undress. Her clothing is filthy. So is her skin. She could use a good shower, and a better massage. Madison examines the various cuts and bruises she's received along the way. Not exactly war wounds, but to somebody used to sitting behind a desk, they are. She absentmindedly turns on the television, then goes into her bathroom. Madison looks at her face in the mirror. She's looked better. After splashing cold water on her face, she comes to the same conclusion. Madison takes two aspirin. And then two more. Wishing they would take effect immediately. Finally hearing the news on the TV, her entire demeanor changes instantly. Madison rushes in front of the television to see a report of Parker's escape from the prison transport. MADISON Oh, shit! Grabbing a handful of clothes, she bolts urgently out the door. CUT TO: MADISON speeding recklessly through city streets in her car. She doesn't stop for red lights. Not for grid-lock. Not for nothing. She is also still finishing getting dressed. CUT TO: OUTSIDE L. A. P. D. HEADQUARTERS Ignoring the warnings of several COPS walking toward their vehicles, Madison speeds toward the front entrance. She barely stops in time. SCREEEECH! INSIDE L. A. P. D. HEADQUARTERS Madison races through the bustling facility. Looking for somebody. She finally finds Cox coming out of his office. MADISON (urgently) There is no way Parker killed those guards. No way. COX I think we both know who did. (a beat) What's so urgent? MADISON I need your help-- Taking him by the arm, she leads him into an elevator going down just before its doors close. INSIDE THE ELEVATOR The look on Cox's face tells you Madison has explained the situation to him. He is furious. COX Why didn't anybody tell me?! MADISON I don't set policy. (a beat) You have the key? He takes a security key out of his pocket and uses it to gain access to a subterranean floor. COX (angrily) This is a police department. I'll be damned if this is going to go on without my knowledge. They exit quickly. Cox leads Madison INSIDE A POWER SUPPLY ROOM Cox leads in Madison and takes her to the subterranean power supply. He points to the floor's numerous circuit breakers. COX Give me 30 seconds, then flip every switch you can reach. MADISON Got it. INSIDE THE LOCATER TRANSMISSION ROOM The room is still under construction. Wallace stands behind a TECHNICIAN sitting at a console in front of a massive electronic map tracking several convicts, including Parker. The technician is typing in an elaborate termination code. TECHNICIAN Who are we going to fry? WALLACE Just an unrepentant criminal who is apparently going to die from a previously undiagnosed brain tumor. Cox enters, concerning Wallace. WALLACE (CONT'D) What are you doing here, sir? COX Just paying my last respects. He surveys the electronic map, locating Parker. Just as the lights go BLACK. Wallace and the technician immediately panic. WALLACE What happened?! TECHNICIAN I don't know. We've lost all power! COX The heat's been causing brown out's all over the city. Get above ground until it's restored. Wallace and the technician rush out of the room, up the emergency stairs. Cox sets to work ripping out the console's circuitry. By the time he's finished, the equipment in here won't be able to toast a piece of bread. CUT TO: A TOMBSTONE which reads: LINDA DAVIS BARNES (1961�1992) and CHRISTINE MARY BARNES (1987-1992). Parker kneels in front of it. Magic hour. Madison, and Cox wind their way to him through obstacle course of tombstones. Parker stands as they arrive. He is wiped out. There is no emotion left in him. MADISON We know you didn't kill those guards. PARKER They're going to fry me for it, anyway. COX Nobody's going to fry anybody... He approaches, holding the Circuits he ripped out of the Locator Transmission Room. COX (re: circuits) Don't worry, they have no idea where you are. PARKER You son�of�a�bitch. How could you let them put the implant in my head? How? MADISON He didn't know about the neural toxin. (a beat) I did. PARKER (matter-of-factly) You knew the entire time? Can you give me one good reason why I shouldn't kill you right now? COX She saved your life, Parker. She didn't have to, but she did. PARKER (turning to Madison) Then I guess we're even. MADISON (a beat) How did you find out about the toxin? PARKER Sid 6.7 told me after he killed the two guards. He suggested I kill you rather than him. MADISON You're not capable of it. PARKER I pose an unacceptable danger to the public, remember? MADISON I was wrong. (a beat) And I was wrong not to tell you Grimes was part of Sid. I should have told you. I won't make the same mistake again. She means it. Parker turns away, looking at his wife's headstone. COX The son�of�a-bitch is still out there, Parker. Parker turns toward him slowly. Emotion beginning to return to his face. PARKER (a beat) When this is over, will you get this goddam thing out of my head? COX On my life, I promise you I will. PARKER If you're lying, I'll hunt you down and kill you myself. CUT TO: OUTSIDE A CONSTRUCTION SIGHT 6 PM. The human FOREMAN presses a remote control detonator. BOOM! An explosion occurs inside a building's foundation (STOCK FOOTAGE). The building is levelled instantly. Sid 6.7, who's been watching the explosion, approaches the Foreman. SID 6.7 (applauding) Bravo. FOREMAN Who the hell are you? SID 6.7 Someone who appreciates the artistic value of high�explosives. He shoots the Foreman in the chest. Sid 6.7 relieves him of his keys and heads to an explosives storage shed. CUT TO: SID 6.7 carrying a crate of C-4 high-explosives out of the shed in the construction sight minutes later. He adds it to the dozen crates already loaded in a truck. And takes off. CUT TO: INSIDE A LARGE SEWER PIPE Sid 6.7 secures several crates of C�4 to an automated sewer cleaning vehicle. He schedules its start time �� 24 hours from now. It is now 7:45 PM. The bomb's TIMER is set to detonate 15 minutes into the vehicle's journey -- at 8:00 PM tomorrow night. SID 6.7 (admiring his work) You think you know me, but you don't have any idea who I really am... CUT TO: OUTSIDE THE BILTMORE HOTEL sight of Mayor Bennett's upcoming Re-Election Rally, Cox supervises an army of L. A. P. D. officers who are securing the area. Bomb�sniffing dogs. Rooftop snipers. Helicopter surveillance. Nothing is being left to chance. Anyone doing anything within 100 yards of the building is searched, including the REPORTERS and their CAMERA CREWS covering the convention's security. PARKER AND MADISON survey the scene with binoculars from amid a crowd of pedestrians two blocks away. Both are disguised in hats and different clothing. You don't immediately recognize them. MADISON The rally's a little obvious as a target, don't you think? PARKER I told you before, Grimes liked to be obvious. MADISON Sid 6.7 isn't Grimes. PARKER Part of him is. Various faces in the crowd on the sidewalk. In the vehicles passing on the street. On the bridge crossing the street down the block further away from the hotel. MADISON (V. 0.) If we find Sid, Lindenmeyer won't be far behind. PARKER (V. 0.) Think he's keeping track of his creation? MADISON (V. 0.) That, or living through him... PARKER puts down his binoculars. Madison does not. PARKER See something? MADISON I'm not sure...on the bridge...the guy at the payphone... She points to what she's looking at. Looking through his binoculars, he still can't see what she means. She helps him aim his binoculars. PARKER'S POV -- THROUGH BINOCULARS He scans the bridge. Finally settling on Sid 6.7, who is talking on a payphone. ON THE STREET Parker looks up from his binoculars. Impressed. PARKER Nice work. MADISON (a beat) Thanks. They move briskly down the block toward the bridge. Quickly climbing a set of stairs. ON A ROOFTOP Parker and Madison's movement catches the attention of several snipers. SNIPER #1 Well, look who we have here... SNIPER #2 (into radio) Parker Barnes is heading south toward the bridge. If anybody can get a clean shot at him, take it. COX hears the order over his radio headset. He races toward the bridge. As do a dozen other cops. ON THE BRIDGE Sid 6.7 talks into the payphone. SID 6.7 Be a reporter �� figure it out for yourself. All I'm going to tell you is that at 8:00 tomorrow night, I will become legendary... PARKER AND MADISON reach the top of the stairs. Sid 6.7 remains on the phone, his back toward Parker and Madison. They split-up, winding their way through the crowd waiting for an arriving bus. As the bus pulls to the stop, the awaiting passengers move toward the opening doors. Obscuring Parker's view of the payphone. Parker shoves his way through the crowd, only to see Sid 6.7 holding Madison in front of him, his gun to her head. Parker trains his weapon at Sid 6.7. He doesn't have a clean shot. SID 6.7 (to Parker) Brings back memories, doesn't it? THROUGH A SNIPER'S RIFLE SCOPE Parker's chest is put into the cross-hairs as the bus pulls away from the stop. He is focused on Parker, and Parker only. THE SNIPER is some 300 yards away on a rooftop. His rifle is mounted on a tripod. His aim is perfectly steady. SNIPER (into his radio headset) Say good�bye, Parker Barnes... Parker stands frozen, staring at Sid 6.7 through his gun sight. Looking for just an inch of him to stick out from behind Madison's terrified face. SID 6.7 (to Parker) I wouldn't pull the trigger if I were you�� PARKER Why's that? Cox advances toward Sid 6.7 from the side of the bridge. Cox's gun out and ready. His finger on the trigger. COX Hey, Sid, what were you planning on doing with the C-4? Sid 6.7 turns his head in surprise toward Cox as a rifle is FIRED in the distance. Cox steps directly in the sniper's line-of-fire and takes the bullet meant for Parker through the chest. Cox drops to the bridge. PARKER NOOOOOO! He rushes to Cox. Parker drops to his knees, cradling Cox's head. Cox isn't long for this earth. Looking up to Parker, he tries to talk. But nothing comes out. PARKER (CONT'D) (compassionately) Don't worry, I know. I know. Cox's eyes roll back in his head. Parker then closes them and gently lays his head on the sidewalk. Parker turns his head toward Sid 6.7, who's released Madison and is jumping over a railing to the street 20 feet below. Parker rushes to the railing. HIS POV Sid 6.7 lands on top of a garbage truck passing beneath the bridge. The garbage truck disappears beneath the bridge. ON THE BRIDGE A dozen cops advance toward Parker. Weapons drawn. COP #4 Freeze! Parker ignores them. He bolts across the street, moving in the same direction as the bus below. Through speeding traffic. Bullets fly. Parker keeps charging. Right in front of a moving van barreling across the bridge. The cops lose sight of Parker. COP #5 Think he made it? ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE BRIDGE Parker dives onto the sidewalk, avoiding the speeding van by inches. Getting to his feet, he launches himself up and over the railing... ON THE STREET The garbage truck passes beneath Parker as he leaps from the bridge. ON TOP OF THE GARBAGE TRUCK Parker lands on the back of the truck. Right next the opening and-closing steel jaws of the truck's massive trash compactor. His gun tumbles from his hand, falling to the street. Sid 6.7 dives on top of Parker, putting him flat on his stomach. And his face against the steel teeth. Sid 6.7 chokes Parker. Hard. SID 6.7 I have to tell you, I do enjoy you, Parker. I really don't want to have to kill you... The sanitation worker at the wheel of the truck has no idea whatsoever what is happening on top of his truck. CUT TO: THE DOZEN OF COPS who had been on the bridge, charging down the steps after the garbage truck, which can no longer be seen. Madison walks calmly behind them. Scanning the crowd. Looking for Lindenmeyer. Her every instinct telling her he's here. He must be. She spots him. Veering from the direction the cops headed in, Madison casually wades into the crowd. She takes out her weapon and stops behind Lindenmeyer. Even in disguise, he looks familiar. Madison puts her gun against his back. MADISON (whispering into his ear) I figured you'd show up sooner or later... CUT TO: ON TOP OF THE GARBAGE TRUCK Parker and Sid 6.7 continue battling next to the compactor's lethal jaws. The machine makes an awful, grinding sound. Not unlike the sounds Parker and Sid 6.7 are making. The fight is primal. Savage. And moving at 30 miles-per-hour. PARKER What C-4...was Cox talking about? SID 6.7 Let me put it to you this way... whether I'm here...or whether I'm not...I'm leaving an indelible mark on the world tomorrow night. PARKER Where did you plant the C-4?! He should concentrate more on fighting, and less on asking questions, because he's losing. Parker takes a wicked shot to the face, and then the groin. Sid 6.7 holds Parker's head between the compactor's jaws. Which are closing. With every last ounce of effort he has, Parker hurls his legs up into Sid 6.7. Which throws Sid 6.7 into the compactor. The steel jaws immediately close in on Sid 6.7, who frantically tries to climb out. He gets his hands out. Then his head. But that's about it. Without emphasizing graphic detail, Sid 6.7 is decapitated. His lifeless body drops back into the compactor. His head tumbles to the street. The force of the impact causes the Sid 6.7 character module to separate from the neural net. The character module scatters into the street. Parker immediately jumps off the truck after it. ON THE STREET Parker's landing isn't pretty. Finally getting to his feet, he sees the Sid 6.7 character module is about to be run over. Parker dives for it, nearly getting run over himself. The approaching car SCREECHES to a halt next to him. It's driven by Lindenmeyer. At gunpoint. Madison sits behind him, her gun to his head. WHAM! The car behind them obviously wasn't prepared to stop so quickly. The bumpers of the two cars are now intertwined. Neither vehicle will be going anywhere soon. Madison pulls Lindenmeyer roughly out of the car. She drags him to Parker, who is still on his knees, clutching the Sid 6.7 character module. SIRENS approach in the distance. MADISON (to Parker) Find out anything? PARKER A bomb's going off tomorrow night, but I have no idea where. LINDENMEYER (a beat) There is only one way to get any more information out of Sid 6.7... They scan the area for a new mode of transport. And find one stopped at a dumpster down the block: the garbage truck. OUTSIDE THE GARBAGE TRUCK Parker quickly explains the situation to the sanitation worker while Madison motions Lindenmeyer into the cab with her gun. As Parker climbs up to her, Madison shuts the door to give them a moment of privacy. MADISON Can I ask you something? PARKER (with a smile) You mean there's something you haven't asked me? MADISON (a beat) You've already fulfilled the terms of your pardon. You stopped Sid 6.7 and you've got his module. You're free to go �� right now. (a beat) Why are you going to do this? PARKER You don't know? MADISON (shaking her head) That's why I'm asking. PARKER Because this pain�in�the�ass criminal psychology expert has helped me understand what I'm capable of. And what I'm not. (a beat) And better than anyone else, I am capable of stopping Sid 6.7. CUT TO: ON TOP OF THE GARBAGE TRUCK Parker lands on the back of the truck. Right next the opening�and�closing steel jaws of the truck's massive trash compactor. His gun tumbles from his hand, falling to the street. This sequence is IDENTICAL to the one you previously witnessed. It is as if we've jumped back in time. Sid 6.7 dives on top of Parker, putting him flat on his stomach. And his face against the steel teeth. Sid 6.7 chokes Parker. Hard. SID 6.7 I have to tell you, I do enjoy you, Parker. I really don't want to have to kill you... The sanitation worker at the wheel of the truck has no idea whatsoever what is happening on top of his truck. Parker and Sid 6.7 battle next to the compactor's lethal jaws. The machine makes an awful, grinding sound. Not unlike the sounds Parker and Sid 6.7 are making. The fight is primal. Savage. And moving at 30 miles-per�hour. PARKER What C-4...was Cox talking about? SID 6.7 Let me put it to you this way... whether I'm here... or whether I'm not...I'm leaving an indelible mark on the world tomorrow night. PARKER Where did you plant the C-4?! He should concentrate more on fighting, and less on asking questions, because he's losing. Parker takes a wicked shot to the face, and but then blocks the anticipated shot to his gun. Sid 6.7 still manages to put Parker's head between the compactor's jaws. Which are closing. With every last ounce of effort he has, Parker hurls his legs up into Sid 6.7. Which throws Sid 6.7 into the compactor. Sid 6.7 frantically tries to climb out of the compactor as the steel jaws close in on him. He gets his hands out. Then his head... Except Parker now does something different. Just before Sid 6.7 is decapitated, Parker jams a metal rod between the compactor's steel teeth. Then grabs Sid 6.7 by the throat. PARKER (fiercely) You can't die until you tell me where the C-4 is. Where is it?! SID 6.7 (choking) My...secret. He SLAMS the back of his head into Parker's nose. Breaking it. Parker reels back in pain. Sid 6.7 squeezes out from within the steel teeth. The jagged metal cutting into him, striping him with blood. The blood then begins to retract. Sid 6.7's wounds, once again, heal themselves. SID 6.7 (CONT'D) Too bad you can't regenerate... As the truck slows at an intersection, he jumps to the street. Parker goes after him. Still in excruciating pain. WE PULL BACK TO REVEAL what you are seeing is ON A MONITOR The scene continues seamlessly. As you may now be guessing, the monitor is connected to the simulator INSIDE LINDENMEYER'S STATION IN LETAC Parker lies unconscious on a bed. He is connected to the simulator via the neural connectors in the polyurethane skull cap, just like he was before. The Sid 6.7 character module is plugged into the system's main console. Lindenmeyer sits at the controls. Madison next to him, her gun aimed at Lindenmeyer's head. They are both watching Parker chase Sid 6.7 on the monitor in front of them. Parker continues experiencing intolerable pain. A clock reads 4:00 AM. They are the only ones inside the entire facility. LINDENMEYER I told you this would work.. By setting back the clocks, he has absolutely no idea he's in virtual reality. He still thinks he's in the real world. MADISON (a beat) What's wrong with Parker? LINDENMEYER (innocently) How should I know? MADISON (getting an idea) Show me his physical sensory level. She clicks back the hammer of her gun and presses the barrel against Lindenmeyer's ear. He does as told. On a panel by the console, you read: PARTICIPANT PHYSICAL SENSORY LEVEL: 670%. LINDENMEYER I wonder how that... MADISON (CONT'D) Turn it down! Lindenmeyer adjusts the sensory level back down to 100%. ON A MONITOR Parker immediately returns back to normal. His pace picks up. He starts closing the gap between him and Sid 6.7 as he races into a shopping mall. CUT TO: INSIDE THE SHOPPING MALL The place is a seven�story mecca of shopping. An atrium allows you to look from the ground floor up to the seventh. Sid 6.7 rushes up the escalators. Going up to the second floor. Then the third. Parker follows suit climbing escalator after escalator. Throwing people out of his way. ON THE SEVENTH FLOOR which is also the highest, Sid 6.7 veers out of view. Parker races up the final steps to the seventh floor. Sid 6.7 is nowhere to be seen. Parker searches methodically. Efficiently. He finally spots Sid 6.7. Who has Parker's head lined-up perfectly in his gun sight. Parker is a sitting duck. BOOM! Parker dives behind AFFLUENT SHOPPER 2.1, who takes a bullet in his ascot. Parker quickly grabs him, and uses his body as a shield against Sid 6.7's constant gunfire until Parker arrives behind a marble column. SID 6.7 (surprised at Parker's ruthlessness) We really aren't that different, are we? What he cannot see is that behind the column, Affluent Shopper 2.1 is Auto Resetting. Parker puts his gun to the shopper's head. PARKER (whispering) Don't move, and don't make a sound. Got it? Affluent Shopper 2.1 nods his head repeatedly. Parker collects himself behind the column, then pivots out from behind it. Firing in Sid 6.7's direction. Each bullet finds its mark. Absorbing the blows, Sid 6.7 backs up against the atrium railing. Taking one final shot, he falls backward. Over the railing. PARKER'S POV Sid 6.7 tumbles through the atrium. Out of control. Speeding toward the ground seven floors below. SID 6.7'S POV The sense of momentum is exhilarating. And terrifying. If you get dizzy easily, close your eyes. FROM THE FIRST FLOOR Sid 6.7 falls through the atrium like a rock directly at you. A 200 pound rock. WHAM!!! He lands face down in the marble floor. The impact is bone� crushing. Sid 6.7 does not move. Until he begins to regenerate. His fluids begin returning to his body. His bones regaining proper form. Within seconds, his body appears as good as new. (Technically, because this is VR1 the proper term would be Auto. Reset. But since Sid 6.7 thinks he's in the real world, regenerating is what he thinks he's doing.) Sid 6.7 stands, dusting himself off. SID 6.7 Man, what a rush. (yelling up to Parker) Adios, amigo! Grabbing his gun, he takes off out of the lobby. ON THE SEVENTH FLOOR Parker retrieves his gun, then bolts down the escalators. CUT TO: INSIDE LETAC Madison and Lindenmeyer watch Parker on screen. Madison still has her gun trained on Lindenmeyer, who notices a WARNING LIGHT start to flash. He turns to Parker's unconscious body lying on the bed. Lindenmeyer looks concerned. MADISON What's wrong? Lindenmeyer checks several readings on his console. LINDENMEYER He's developing a hemisphere imbalance. MADISON Talk so I can understand. LINDENMEYER If I don't adjust the level of neural information each side of his brain is receiving, he won't be able to walk when I take him out of VR. MADISON Then fix it. As Lindenmeyer moves to Parker, Madison stays right with him. Her gun aimed at Lindenmeyer's head. Lindenmeyer carefully removes one of the neural connectors from Parker's skull cap. Before removing another, he looks for a safe place to put the connector. LINDENMEYER I need you to hold this. It can't get any dirt on it. Madison is reluctant, but doesn't know what else to do. Lindenmeyer slowly gives the neural connector to her free hand. LINDENMEYER (CONT ' D) All you have to do is hold the needle at the base. Just make sure not to jab yourself with the point... She clutches the needle in her left hand while aiming her gun with her right. Lindenmeyer removes a second neural connector from Parker's skull. Holding this second needle at the base, Lindenmeyer makes several adjustments on the neural management computer, then moves slowly back to Madison. LINDENMEYER (CONT'D) Hand me the connector nice and... He suddenly jabs his neural connector into Madison's right forearm. Madison has no time to react. 10,000 volts of electricity instantly courses through her body. Madison drops to the floor, unconscious. The needle she had been holding falls from her grasp, breaking the circuit. She stops being electrocuted. Which saves her life. LINDENMEYER (CONT' D) (as Sid 6.7 had said) God, some people are stupid. He sits back down at the simulator's main console, and starts to type commands. On the monitor, Parker is visible exiting the shopping mall. CUT TO: OUTSIDE THE SHOPPING MALL Parker races out the door. BOOM! That was left knee cap. He tumbles to the street. His gun flying from his hand. Parker crawls desperately toward his weapon. But not fast enough. Sid 6.7 arrives at the weapon first. SID 6.7 So close, and yet, so far... He kicks the weapon down the sidewalk, then points his gun at Parker's head. SID 6.7 (CONT'D) It's really too bad you have to miss the Grand Finale. PARKER I thought you liked me being in the audience. Don't you want me to see it? Sid 6.7 pauses to think about it. SID 6.7 (considering the idea) You know, I do want you to see it. He shoots Parker in his other knee cap, rendering both of his legs useless. SID 6.7 (CONT'D) I want you to have a bird's eye view... OUTSIDE THE NEWLY-CONSTRUCTED HOLLYWOOD TOWER A 67 story monument to engineering brilliance in this land of earthquakes. 6:30 PM. ON THE ROOF OF THE HOLLYWOOD TOWER The view is incredible. You can see from the Pacific to downtown. From LAX to the Hollywood Bowl. Smog must be getting better in the near future. Sid 6.7 ties Parker to a chair at the roof's very edge. He is facing downtown. Including the Biltmore Hotel, the location of Mayor Bennett's Re�Election Rally. SID 6.7 There you go �� best seat in the house. PARKER (with some surprise) You are going after Mayor Bennett. SID 6.7 Let's just say I'm sending a very clear message to his Re�Election Rally... He walks toward an open stairway door behind them. PARKER Aren't you going to watch with me? SID 6.7 I've got some final preparations to take care of�� Checking his watch, he stops suddenly. ON HIS WATCH Time is moving backwards. Literally. ON THE ROOF OF THE HOLLYWOOD TOWER Sid 6.7 pauses, then goes over to Parker and checks his watch. It is also moving backwards. A smile of realization spreads slowly across Sid 6.7's face as he admires the beautiful sky above him. SID 6.7 (as if to God) Thank-you, Daryl. (turning to Parker) You had me going for quite a while there, sport. PARKER What are you talking about? SID 6.7 I really did think I was still in reality. At least, until now. (looking upward) Beam me up, Scotty! His body DISINTEGRATES before your eyes. It's electronic particles form into an amorphous cloud. Which disappears from view. PARKER (yelling) Madison, get me out of here! MADISON! Lindenmeyer watches Parker scream on the monitor. Madison remains unconscious on the floor behind him. LINDENMEYER (to the monitor) She's taking a nap at the moment. He types a set of instructions into the console and hits ENTER. LINDENMEYER (CONT' D) But don't worry. You won't be alone for very long. Fairly soon, you'll be dead. He removes the Sid 6.7 character module from its slot and exits the station. ON THE ROOF OF THE HOLLYWOOD TOWER One side of Parker's chair gradually starts to rise. Parker looks down to see the roof surrealistically swelling beneath his chair. This could only happen in virtual reality. In a matter of minutes, he is going to be thrown over the roof's edge. The next stop is 693 feet down. INSIDE LETAC Parker's screams for help ECHO throughout the facility. But there is no one there to hear him. CUT TO: OUTSIDE LETAC The garbage truck is parked in a loading dock. Lindenmeyer climbs awkwardly onto the truck, then into the compactor. INSIDE THE GARBAGE TRUCK COMPACTOR Lindenmeyer wades through trash until he comes upon Sid 6.7's headless body. The polymer neural net visible within its neck. Lindenmeyer inserts Sid 6.7's character module into its gelatinous base. But nothing happens. LINDENMEYER Come on, live. Live! The synthetic nervous system begins to crackle with life. Growing around the module. Forming the beginnings of a new head. Literally. CUT TO: PARKER sitting precariously on the increasingly-uneven roof of the Hollywood Tower in virtual reality. Unable to break free of his binds, he rocks the chair onto its side. He and the chair fall to the roof, which will keep him from falling to his death for another minute, if he's lucky. PARKER MADISON!!! INSIDE LINDENMEYER'S STATION Madison, still unconscious on the floor, finally stirs. Maybe Parker's screaming is finally reaching her. Or at least, starting to. CUT TO: INSIDE THE GARBAGE TRUCK COMPACTOR Lindenmeyer looks on with awe as Sid 6.7 grows a new head right before your eyes. You've never seen anything like it. Sid 6.7's resulting head is slightly off center. His skin tone isn't perfect, nor is his color, but at least its functional. Sid 6.7 admires himself in a broken mirror. SID 6.7 I am beautiful, aren't I? LINDENMEYER Of course you are. Sid 6.7 wades through the trash toward Lindenmeyer. SID 6.7 How can I ever thank�you for bringing me back to life a second time, Daryl? LINDENMEYER Help me get out of here. SID 6.7 Glad to... He reaches out to give Lindenmeyer a hand, then grabs him by the throat. Choking him. Lindenmeyer can't believe what is happening. LINDENMEYER (gagging) What...are you doing?! Sid 6.7 takes Lindenmeyer's face gently in his hands. SID 6.7 You made me a composite of 183 of the most vicious people who ever lived. (a beat) What do you think I'm doing? LINDENMEYER I'm begging you...please don't kill me! Please! SID 6.7 (reassuringly) Don't worry. Through me, you will live forever... As Lindenmeyer begins to scream, we CUT TO: PARKER hanging on by his fingertips to the bulbous roof of the Hollywood Tower. He's going to fall at any second. CUT TO: MADISON'S BLURRY POV of someone entering Lindenmeyer's station in LETAC. You can't tell who it is, at first. But you can see the person is male. And wearing Lindenmeyer's pants. You now see the person is Sid 6.7. INSIDE LINDENMEYER'S STATION Madison forces herself into consciousness.- Or as close to it as she can get. Her expression is one of complete and utter terror. SID 6.7 Dr. Carter �� I've been hoping we'd get a moment together... Mustering her strength, she manages to crawl behind several of the computers which make up the simulator. Sid 6.7 advances calmly toward her. SID 6.7 (CONT'D) You know so much about me, I was hoping to learn a little bit about you. You see, I'm doing research, too... He looks behind the computers where you last saw Madison. She is no longer there. Sid 6.7 begins searching for her. He passes a virtual reality monitor on which Parker can be seen clinging for life. SID 6.7 (CONT'D) (to the monitor) Hang in there, Parker. On the monitor, Parker looks all around him, trying to determine the voice's origin. Madison crawls out of Lindenmeyer's station. Sid 6.7 just catches sight of her, and goes after her. INSIDE LETAC Madison crawls into a darkened engineer's station and hides. She is still very dizzy. And trying to keep the sound of her breathing to a minimum. Sid 6.7 enters quietly. A hunter on the prowl. Moving very slowly. Then lunging very swiftly. He continues the hunt. If Madison is discovered, she doesn't have a prayer. Her heart pounds. Her forehead perspires. Sid 6.7 is getting closer. Sid 6.7 checks inside closets. Cabinets. Anywhere large enough for a human being to fit. He is practically standing over her. Looking. Listening. SID 6.7 How does it feel to know you're going to die? What are you thinking about? Lights in the building suddenly come on. Several engineers can be heard entering. It's 8 AM �� the start of a new day. The facility is quickly becoming populated. After giving one last look around, Sid 6.7 reluctantly gives up the hunt, and exits. Madison does not move until she is certain Sid 6.7 has left the building. PARKER (0.S.) SOMEBODY HELP! Madison scrambles out of her hiding place. CUT TO: PARKER finally losing his grip on the roof of the Hollywood Tower in virtual reality. He plummets with accelerating speed. Madison bursts through the partition around Lindenmeyer's station. Sacrificing her body. Without regard for pain. Parker tumbles toward the sidewalk 67 stories below. The speed is terrifying. Madison leaps over a table. Diving for the simulator's RETURN button. Parker falls faster. And faster. The street just beneath him. The instant before he slams into the street, his body DE MATERIALIZES. INSIDE LINDENMEYER'S STATION Madison keeps pressing the return button over and over, making sure it worked. Parker's eyes flutter as he returns to consciousness. Madison rushes to him. MADISON You okay? PARKER (shaking out the cobwebs) ...I think so...You? MADISON (looking over her bruises) More or less. PARKER Lindenmeyer? MADISON My guess is dead. PARKER Sid? MADISON I don't know. Several engineers peek in curiously at them. MADISON (CONT'D) Let's get out of here. She helps Parker to his feet. CUT TO: PARKER AND MADISON at a payphone outside a mini�mall. Could be any one of the 10,000 in Los Angeles. It's late morning. PARKER (on the phone) Elizabeth Deane, please. Tell her it's Parker Barnes... INTERCUT WITH: INSIDE COX'S OFFICE Elizabeth Deane picks up the phone. DEANE Barnes, where the hell have you been?! PARKER Trying to find out where the bomb is. Where the hell have you been? DEANE What did you find out? PARKER Call off the manhunt looking for me. I didn't kill the transport guards. DEANE It's already been called off. Witnesses confirmed you weren't the shooter. (a beat) Did you find out where the bomb is? PARKER No, but I've confirmed the reelection rally is the target. (a beat) How much C-4 is missing? DEANE Enough to level an entire city block. PARKER If I were you, I'd get every demolition team in the city searching in and around the Biltmore Hotel. DEANE (with frustration) Demolition teams have searched everywhere in and around the hotel. I don't know where... PARKER (interrupting) Sid is smart enough to know you'd check everywhere in the immediate area. Whatever the device is, he's probably got it timed to move into position just before it detonates. (a beat) Have the demo teams check every subway tunnel, water pipe, gas pipe, and sewer pipe that goes under, over, or into the arena. DEANE You know how much man power you're talking about? PARKER You're the highest law enforcement official in the country. Use the fucking army if you need to. He hangs up the phone. CUT TO: DOZENS OF DEMOLITIONS TEAMS checking every subway tunnel, water pipe, gas pipe, and sewer pipe that goes under, over, or into Dallas Arena. The effort is massive. Intensive. The clock is ticking. 6:00 and counting. CUT TO: INSIDE THE BILTMORE HOTEL, MAIN LOBBY The area has been converted into a security checkpoint. Entrants are carefully scanned one�by�one. WE HEAR the rally OFF SCREEN. CUT TO: OUTSIDE BILTMORE HOTEL Security is on extreme alert. Tension is very high. It's 7:00. Parker, Madison, and Deane look on, anxiously. They listen to a RADIO SCANNER monitoring the conversations between the demolitions teams. DEANE (to Parker) This better not be a wild goose chase. PARKER Or what, you'll authorize my death a second time today? DEANE (sharply) Don't forget, convict, if this psycho isn't stopped, you go right back to rotting in a prison cell. MADISON Give him a break, would you? MALE VOICE (from scanner) This is demo team 27 leader. I think we just found what we've been looking for... CUT TO: INSIDE A LARGE SEWER PIPE A three�man demolition team slowly, carefully disarms the bomb Sid 6.7 had secured to the automated sewer cleaning vehicle. Snip. One wire at a time. Snip. The work is very delicate. Snip. One wrong move and it's all over. Snip. TEAM LEADER One more and we're home free... Snip. The three members of the demo team look up proudly to each other. Breathing sighs of relief. It's 7:42. CUT TO: OUTSIDE THE BILTMORE HOTEL Parker, Madison, and Deane remain glued to their scanner. TEAM LEADER (V. 0.) (from scanner) Hey folks, it's time to crack open a cold one. Cheers are heard around the area from the other cops who'd been listening in. DEANE Thank God. TEAM LEADER (V. 0.) Then again, maybe we ought to hold off for just a second... DEANE (with concern, into radio) What's the problem? CUT TO: INSIDE THE SEWER PIPE The Team Leader carefully removes a piece of paper which had been taped to the timing mechanism. Written in handwriting, you read: HEY, PARKER, THE FUN IS ONLY STARTING! TEAM LEADER The good news is, we're finished here. The bad news is... CUT TO: OUTSIDE THE BILTMORE HOTEL Deane stares at Parker with disbelief. Deane's Aide, holding a cellular phone, approaches Parker. AIDE You've got a phone call. Parker grabs the phone. PARKER (expecting it to be Sid) You son-of�a�bitch, I'm going to kill you. ALEXIEV (V. 0.) (through phone) Me? What did I do? INTERCUT WITH: INSIDE THE CAL TECH COMPUTER LAB Alexiev Borgen sits with a dismantled MAESTRO keyboard in front of him. PARKER (a beat) I'm sorry, I thought you were somebody else. ALEXIEV I've discovered something about Lindenmeyer'5 Maestro teaching tool I thought you should know... (a beat) The harm done to the music students who used the device �� it was not by accident. The machine was designed explicitly for that purpose. Lindenmeyer intended to hurt the kids using it. PARKER Jesus Christ. (turning to Madison) I know who the dominant personality is. (a beat) Lindenmeyer. Madison's reaction is one of panic. She bolts toward their squad car with all the speed she has. Parker chases after her. PARKER (CONT'D) Where the hell are you going? MADISON Lindenmeyer never got over wanting to kill kids with more musical than he had... She gets into the driver's seat. Parker the passenger's. Madison punches the gas. CUT TO: INSIDE THE HOLLYWOOD BOWL The members of the L. A. Philharmonic tune-up for the evening's pay�per�view extravaganza. Several teenage musicians sit with them. Lights, cameras, and production trucks are all over the place. This really is going to be one hell of a show. TV ANNOUNCER (V. 0.) Joining the Los Angeles Philharmonic for this evening's first musical number will be several of the Los Angeles area's finest, high school musicians... SID 6.7 who is dressed in a tuxedo, knocking on the door to Guest Conductor's Dressing Room. GUEST CONDUCTOR (0. 5.) (German accent) It won't do any good to rush me. I need my time to prepare myself. The door is opened by the GUEST CONDUCTOR, who is dressed in a tuxedo, as well as large earrings. His hair is long and red. His complexion is pale, nearly white. And his eyes are piercing green. You might describe this look as punk meets classical. GUEST CONDUCTOR (annoyed beyond belief) Are you just going to stand there, or do you want something? Shaking with concentration, Sid 6.7 turns his hair red. (Nano�organisms can do this, as well as the following.) He then grabs his hair and pulls it out, extending it to the exact length of the guest conductor's. Sid 6.7 then changes his complexion to match the conductor's. As well as his eye color, and other facial features. The Guest Conductor can't believe his eyes. By the time Sid 6.7 is finished modifying himself, he may not be an exact duplicate of the guest conductor, but even his mother would have to look twice. SID 6.7 It's show time. He shoves the Guest Conductor back into his Dressing Room. Sid 6.7 follows him in, revealing a suppressed .38. He SLAMS the door behind him. CUT TO: INSIDE THE SQUAD CAR Madison speeds recklessly through traffic toward the Hollywood Bowl. Parker doesn't notice. He's totally focused on screaming into the police radio. PARKER Listen to me, a bomb is planted somewhere in the Hollywood Bowl! Evacuate everybody! FEMALE VOICE I'm sorry, sir, I don't have the authorization to do that. PARKER Then put somebody on who does! MALE VOICE What's seems to be the problem? PARKER You've got to stop the concert! A bomb is going to go off! MALE VOICE I'm sorry, sir, the concert has already started. CUT TO: THE GUEST CONDUCTOR whose back is to the audience, leading the orchestra in a truly magnificent performance of Tchaikovsky's Fifth Symphony inside the Hollywood Bowl. The Guest Conductor waves his baton wildly. Passionately. Brilliantly. Getting the absolute best from the members of the orchestra. The musicians exhilarate in the challenge of being pushed to their musical limit. As the Guest Conductor turns to the next page of his sheet music on the podium, you notice seven small, HIGH-FREQUENCY SENSORS above an upcoming musical measure. The sensors are wired together. When the seven notes are played in sequence, an electrical pulse will be triggered down the wires which run down the side of the podium, beneath the stage. BENEATH THE STAGE The wires connect to several crates of C�4 positioned beneath the orchestra. These seven notes will be the last notes these musicians ever play. CUT TO: OUTSIDE THE HOLLYWOOD BOWL Madison SCREECHES the vehicle to a halt. She comes within inches of mowing down several people. Madison and Parker bolt to the entrance, flashing their badges to the guards. INSIDE THE HOLLYWOOD BOWL The Guest Conductor's movements grow even more intense. More demanding. As he looks to the violin section, we now see the conductor's face. It is Sid 6.7. SID 6.7 (silently) Don't hold back...Give it to me. Give it to me! The orchestra plays with everything they've got. They hit every note perfectly. Including a high C. ON THE CONDUCTOR'S PODIUM The first sensor is triggered. Then the second. PARKER AND MADISON appear at the back of the stage. Guns raised. Distracting the musicians. As Parker and Madison charge through the horn section toward Sid 6.7, the musicians stop playing. ON THE CONDUCTOR'S PODIUM The fifth sensor is triggered. Then the sixth...But not the seventh. SID 6.7 cannot believe his eyes. Or his ears. The entire orchestra has stopped. SID 6.7 Come on, play! PLAY! In his rage, his face contorts "past points", which can only be described bizarre, frightening, and not, something you would ever like to see when you look in the mirror. The musicians stare at Sid 6.7, and then at Parker and Madison with concerned, confused silence. Which is broken by Parker's gunfire. Ducking behind the podium, Sid 6.7 desperately tries to rewire the sensors to trigger manually. Without luck. He takes his .38 out of his jacket and starts firing. Pandemonium erupts throughout the Hollywood Bowl. Audience members run in every direction. The members of the orchestra bolt for their very lives, but keep their instruments with them. Even the oboist. Preventing Parker and Madison from taking any further shots at Sid 6.7. Sid 6.7 bolts down into the crowd. Madison cannot get off a clean shot. Neither can Parker. He aims, but does NOT fire. He and Madison struggle through the crowd after him. OUTSIDE THE HOLLYWOOD BOWL Parker and Madison just catch a glimpse of Sid 6.7 as he rushes up the entrance ramp to the Hollywood Freeway. Parker and Madison bolt after him. ON THE HOLLYWOOD FREEWAY Parker and Madison race past the cars waiting to merge into what is effectively a parking lot. As is normal for this thoroughfare, traffic is at a standstill. Sid 6.7 is nowhere to be seen. Parker and Madison split�up, wading through different lanes of traffic. Startling the already frustrated motorists. Who roll up their windows. Lock their doors. And some of whom reveal weapons of their own. Madison pauses, listening. She has no idea that Sid 6.7 steps behind her. WHAM! He cold cocks her with the butt of his gun. Madison crumples to the street. Which now leaves Parker a clean shot at Sid 6.7's head. BOOM! BOOM! Two hits. Two head wounds. Sid 6.7 falls behind a truck, losing his weapon. Before Sid 6.7's wounds have finished regenerating, Parker is already on top of him. PARKER (neighborly) Hey, old buddy, old pal, good to see you again. He empties his clip into Sid 6.7, then discards the gun. As Sid 6.7's wounds heal themselves, Parker pounds him mercilessly. SID 6.7 (losing it) You...ruined...I'M GOING TO KILL YOU!!! Trading blows, he manages to get to his feet. PARKER Now, is that any way to talk to an old friend? SID 6.7 (exploding) BARNES, YOU'RE DEAD! He knocks Parker back with a good shot to the face, then disappears around a van. Parker continues the hunt. Quietly. Carefully. Tension grows in the silence that follows. He carefully makes his way around a truck. Only to see Sid 6.7 swinging a two-by-four directly at his head. WHAM!!! Parker is knocked on his ass. Daze4. Blood streams down his cheek. He staggers to his feet, blocking another blow with his arm. Which SNAPS the wood in two. Parker grabs one of the boards. He battles with Sid 6.7. The fight between Parker and Sid 6.7 is intense. Exhausting. Parker gives it everything he has. Madison appears behind Parker, holding his gun. She wavers, having trouble keeping her balance. She has even more trouble aiming her weapon. MADISON Hey, Parker... She moves around, trying to get a clean shot at Sid 6.7. Which she does not have. PARKER How's your pulse? MADISON (totally focused) I couldn't tell you. PARKER Then shoot him already. MADISON Duck! Without hesitation, Parker hits the deck. Leaving Sid 6.7 completely exposed. Madison steadies her sight. SID 6.7 (to Madison) You couldn't hit the side of a... As he raises his two�by�four high over Parker's head, Madison pulls the trigger smoothly. IN SLOW MOTION, you follow the bullet as it exits the barrel of her gun. And penetrates Sid 6.7's skull between the eyes and exits out the back of his head. Sid 6.7 collapses on the ground next to Parker. MADISON What do we do now? PARKER You won't want to watch. Turn around. She does so. Parker reaches OUT OF FRAME to remove the Sid 6.7 character module from within his skull. Then reveals the character module in hand. MADISON What should we do with it? Glancing in the flatbed of a truck, Parker gets an idea, and knocks on the driver's window. As the DRIVER rolls down his window, classic ROCK & ROLL MUSIC can be heard from inside. PARKER Mind if I borrow a couple of your tools for a second? DRIVER Be my guest. Parker removes two sledgehammers from the back of the truck. He offers one to Madison. PARKER Care to join me? Madison gladly accepts takes the sledgehammer. Parker drops the Sid 6.7 character module onto the pavement. And together, they start pounding the shit out of it. WHAM! WHAM! In perfect time with the music. Which the driver cranks even louder. As we ROLL CREDITS. THE END

Wag the Dog (1997) by Hilary Henkin and David Mamet. Based on the book "American Hero" by Larry Beinhart Second draft, 10/14/96. More info about this movie on IMDb.com FOR EDUCATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY FADE IN: A CARD, WHITE ON THE BLACK SCREEN, READS Why does a dog wag its tail? BENEATH IT, THE NEXT LINE FADES IN: Because a dog is smarter than its tail. CROSS-FADE TO THE NEXT CARD, WHICH READS: If the tail were smarter, the tail would wag the dog. DISSOLVE FADE IN: EXT THE WHITE HOUSE NIGHT A VAN FULL OF PEOPLE STOPS AT A SIDE ENTRANCE. ANGLE INT THE WHITE HOUSE AT THE SIDE, UTILITY ENTRANCE, WE SEE THE DISGORGING WORKING-CLASS MEN AND WOMEN, THEY PASS THROUGH SECURITY SCREENING IN THE B.G., THROUGH METAL DETECTORS, AND PAST SEVERAL GUARDS WHO CHECK THE PHOTO-I.D.'S AROUND THEIR NECKS. ANGLE INT THE WHITE HOUSE WILFRED AMES, AND AMY CAIN, A BRIGHT YOUNG WOMAN IN HER TWENTIES, WALKING DOWN A CORRIDOR, LOOKING WORRIED. ANGLE AMES AND CAIN AMES AND CAIN HAVE STOPPED AT THE END OF THE HALL. BEYOND THEM WE SEE THE CLEANING PEOPLE COMING IN FROM THE VAN, AND BEING CLEARED THROUGH A METAL DETECTOR INTO A HOLDING AREA, AND HANDED CLEANING MATERIALS, MOPS, VACUUMS, ET CETERA, BY A TYPE HOLDING A CLIPBOARD. PART OF THE GROUP, A MAN IN HIS FORTIES, IN A RATTY JACKET, OPEN COLLARED SHIRT, PASSES THROUGH THE GROUP, AND IS STOPPED BY A SECRET SERVICEMAN WHO APPEARS NEXT TO AMES. IN THE B.G. WE SEE A TV IN AN ADJACENT ROOM, SHOWING A POLITICAL COMMERCIAL. AMES (TO SECRET SERVICEMAN) ...That's him. AMES MOVES OUT OF THE SHOT. LEAVING US ON THE POLITICAL COMMERCIAL. WE SEE TWO BUSINESS PEOPLE ON THE PLANE, A MAN AND A WOMAN. BUSINESSMAN Well, all I know, you don't change horses in the middle of the stream. BUSINESSWOMAN "Don't change Horses," well, there's a lot of truth in that. THE IMAGE SHIFTS TO A PRESIDENT, DOING PRESIDENTIAL THINGS. AND THE VOICE- OVER. VOICE-OVER For Peace, prosperity, for all of us: Don't change Horses in... ANGLE A CORRIDOR OF THE WHITE HOUSE, AS AMES AND THE MAN IN THE RATTY JACKET (BREAN) WALK HURRIEDLY. AMES FINISHES ONE CIGARETTE AND USES THE BUTT TO LIGHT A FRESH ONE. THEY PASS BY A LARGE PHOTOGRAPH OF THE BACK OF A MAN, BENDING TO SHAKE HANDS WITH ONE OF A LINE OF GIRLSCOUTS. AMES GLANCES UP AT THE PHOTOGRAPH AND SHARES HIS HEAD DEJECTEDLY. INT WHITE HOUSE "SITUATION" ROOM. NIGHT. A WOMAN WITH A STENOPAD, ARRANGING PADS AND PENCILS AT A SMALL CONFERENCE TABLE. A SECRET SERVICE TYPE PUTS HIS HEAD IN THE ROOM, AND BOWS OUT, AND NODS, BREAN AND AMES ENTER HURRIEDLY. AMES We're going to... HE STOPS TALKING AS A WHITE HOUSE WAITER ENTERS WITH A TRAY WITH COFFEE THINGS ON IT, FOLLOWED BY TWO YOUNG AIDES, SLEEPY AND DISHEVELLED, WHO ENTER QUICKLY, AND APOLOGIES UNUTTERED, SIT AND MAKE THEMSELVES SMALL. BREAN MAKES A LITTLE GESTURE AT THE WAITER, WHO IS SETTING OUT THE COFFEE, AND AT THE STENOGRAPHER, MEANING "GET THEM OUT OF HERE." AMES Thank you, that'll be all. THE STENOGRAPHER AND THE WAITER LEAVE BREAN (OF THE TWO STAFFERS) Who we got here...? AMES John Levy, Staff, and Amy Cain, Press Off.... BREAN Alright. Look here, any of you kids hear in this room: what you hear here, what you say here, what you do here, f'it got out, you leaked it. (TO AMES) Tell'em what they need to know. AMES When it broke, he said one word: get me Ronnie Brean. BREAN (NODS) Well. Alright. What is it? What's, he, uh...? He had an Illegal Immigrant, was his Gardener, some years back...? (SMILES) What's the thing? You people get ahead, you sure get nervous. AN AIDE ENTERS, WITH SEVERAL TYPED SHEETS, WHICH SHE HANDS TO CAIN. CAIN READS TO HERSELF, PASSES THEM TO AMES. BREAN (CON'T) ...he made a pass at some Secretary, back in... AMES TAKES THE SHEETS, AND READS. GESTURES TO BREAN, "ONE MOMENT, PLEASE." ANGLE INS. THE SHEET, WHICH AMES HOLDS. IT READS AS PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES I REGRET THAT PERSONAL INCAPACITY HAS RENDERED ME MOMENTARILY UNABLE TO CONFRONT AND CORRECT.... ANGLE BREAN LOOKING ON, AS AMES READS, AND SHAKES HIS HEAD SADLY. BREAN TAKES THE SHEETS. ANGLE INS. READING OVER BREAN'S SHOULDERS 1.) Statutory Rape. 2.) The President's long-documented mental problems 3.) Brought about by reaction to Drugs to control flu...? ANGLE AMES READING OVER BREAN'S SHOULDER. AMES ...did he have the flu...? CAIN It can be documented that he displayed the... BREAN LAYS DOWN THE SHEET SOMBERLY, EVERYONE LOOKS AT HIM. BREAN This ain't the illegal immigrant Nanny. CAIN There was a group of Girlscouts here from Indiana last month. One of them expressed an interest in a Frederick Remington bust. The president took her into the oval Office, for a period... AMES Three minutes. It couldn't have been over three minutes, the Secret Service... BREAN GESTURES HIM TO BE QUIET. BREAN Okay. And she's alleging...? CAIN GESTURES BREAN TO KEEP READING THE SHEETS IN FRONT OF HIM. HE DOES SO. PAUSE. TO HIMSELF. BREAN (CON'T) Jesus, Mary and Joseph. AMES We are virtually certain it isn't... BREAN Who's got the story? (PAUSE) AMES Don't you want to know if it's true? BREAN What difference does it make if it's true? (PAUSE) It's a story, and, it breaks they're gonna have to run with it -- How long've we got til it breaks? (PAUSE) AMES Front page. Washington Post. Tomorrow. BREAN Well, yeah. Now. That's not good. Okay: (PAUSE) Okay. We'll set up the War Room Here... AN AIDE BRINGS HIM A CUP OF COFFEE. BREAN Thank you. Now: where is he? LEVY China. BREAN When's he coming back...? LEVY Touchdown, Andrews, fourteen hundred, today. BREAN TAKES A NOTEBOOK OUT OF HIS POCKET, AND LOOKS AT IT. BREAN (AS HE READS FROM HIS NOTEBOOK) Alright, now, here: he stays on the ground in China til Tomorrow. CAIN ...why? BREAN ...you the Press Office? CAIN ...Yes. BREAN (SHRUGS) Earn your money. ...He's ill, the Plane is sick... CAIN (MAKING NOTES) ...Good... AMES When do we bring'em back? BREAN You gotta give me a day. I need a day. (PAUSE) He's sick, get it out now. Get him on the phone'n tell him how sick he is. We got to get it out before the story breaks, so we aren't quote, responding to it. Issue is as a bulletin. He's got some rare strain of... AMES It won't hold. BREAN All I need is the one day. AMES It won't even hold the one day, Ronnie -- BREAN Yes -- It will... Now: why is the President in China? LEVY Trade Re1ations. BREAN You're goddamn right. And it's got nothing to do with the B-2 Bomber. (PAUSE) LEVY There is no B-2 Bomber, BREAN That's what I'm telling you. (PAUSE. HE GLANCES AT HIS WATCH.) The two things: the two things: Rare strain of flu, No Cause to Be Alarmed. And the B-2 Bomber... (TO AIDES) Clear me a space. Get me a copy, go rob one, get it off the computer, Wash Post, N.Y. TIMES, AIDE You want some research, flu? Side-effects of medi.... BREAN Naw, we can't play this one catch-up. That's how long since you stopped beating the wife. We have to... AMES We're going to have to explain away the... BREAN They caught him in the closet with a Girlscout. Side- effects of a pill ain't gone trump that. You have to keep'em guessing for (HE GLANCES AT THE CALENDAR) Two weeks. You don't have to Cure Cancer, Pal, you just have to give them something more interesting than... CAIN What's more interesting than boffing the girlscout? BREAN Well, that's what we're doing here... BREAN IS SUNK IN THOUGHT. AN AIDE STARTS TO SPEAK. AMES SILENCES HIM, BREAN BECKONS AMES OVER. BREAN (SOTTO) Gemme twenty thousand dollars.... AMES NODS, AND WAVES AN AIDE OVER AND WHISPERS TO HER. BREAN (CONT.) And gemme a car. AMES Car and a driver, Mr. Brean, the Westgate, Now, please... BREAN Okay, look, who's takin' the press conference today? CAIN Is there a press conference today? BREAN What do you think? What I need from you: I need a base of operations. Some place in the District. I need some clean money ... LEVY How much...? AMES GESTURES HIM TO BE QUIET. BREAN And, to hold it together, I need two days. There is no B-2 Bomber: here's what you do ahout that: whoever is leaking stuff to that geek at the Post, lets it slip, "Geez, I hope this doesn't screw up the B-2 Program..." "What B-2 Program, and why should it screw it up?" "If the president moves to deploy the B-2 before it is fully tested." "Deploy the B-2, Why?" "In the Crisis." AMES What crisis? BREAN I'm working on it. Same time, you call Billy Scott at Joint Chiefs, and pour him onna plane right now to Seattle, y'got that...? All flustered and worried. To talk to the Boeing people. AMES (TO LEVY) Do it... LEVY MOVES TO A TELEPHONE. BREAN (TO CAIN) And you? CAIN But there isn't a B-2 bomber. BREAN Where'd you go to school, Kid. Wellesly? CAIN Dartmouth BREAN Then show a little spunk. There Is no B-2 Bomber, General Scott, the best of your knowledge, is not in Seattle to talk with Boeing... AMES It won't hold. BREAN One day, Two days? Course it's gonna hhhh.... CAMERA TAKES THEM DOWN THE HALL, WHERE WE SEE THE CLEANING PEOPLE, WITH FLOOR POLISHERS, LOOKING UP AT THE PICTURE OF THE PRESIDENT AND THE GIRLSCOUTS, AND SNICKERING. ANGLE ON BREAN AND AMES LOOKING ON. THE CLEANING PEOPLE NOTICE THEY ARE BEING WATCHED AND DISPERSE. AMES It won't hold, Ronnie, it won't prove out. BREAN We don't need it to prove out. We need it to distract them for two weeks til the election. AMES What would do that...? HOLD, ON BREAN THINKING. AMES (CONT.) What in the world would do that? BREAN I'm working on it. HE TURNS AROUND AND STARES AT THE WALL. BREAN WALKS TO THE COUNTER WHERE THE COFFEE AND ROLLS ARE STEAMING. ON THE WALL ARE HUNG TWO WIPE-OFF SLATES. ONE READS "DAYS TO ELECTION 12," THE OTHER READS "% IN FAVOR 63" BREAN PICKS UP A ROLL, DOWNS A COFFEE, AND STARTS OUT OF THE DOOR. ANGLE CAMERA TAKES THEM OUT INTO THE HALL. BREAN LEANS CLOSE TO AMES. BREAN Gimme twenty thousand dollars. HE STARTS INTO THE HALL, FOLLOWED BY THE ENTOURAGE, AND THE CAMERA. BREAN I'll be back within the hour. Now, AMES (WALKS ALONG, SHAKING HIS HEAD) It's going to be fine. It's going to be ... you remember in 88, when... AN AIDE COMES UP TO THEM, HOLDING A VIDEOTAPE. AMES What is it... AIDE WHISPERS TO AMES. WHO NODS, TAKES THE TAPE, AND BREAN, AND THE AIDE, INTO A SIDE OFFICE. INT SIDE OFFICE NIGHT. AS THE AIDS PUTS THE TAPE INTO A V.C.R. BREAN What is it? AMES It's the rough-cut, the other side's new commercial. THE PICTURE COMES ON, IT SHOWS THE PRESIDENT DOING SEVERAL PRESIDENTIAL THINGS. THE COMMERCIAL WE SAW EARLIER. BREAN That's our commercial. (PAUSE) I've seen it. That's our commercial. AMES (TO AIDE) Turn up the volume. THE AIDE DOES SO, AND WE HEAR MAURICE CHAVALIER SINGING, "Thank heaven, for Little Girls...." ANOTHER AIDE ENTERS, SHEEPISHLY, HANDS A THICK PACKET TO AMES, WHO HOLDS IT OUT TO BREAN. BREAN What is this? AMES Twenty thousand dollars. BREAN (NODS, REMEMBERING IT) Yeah, I'm gonna have to go to L.A. INT BACKSEAT THE STATIONWAGON WE SAW AT THE WESTGATE. GEORGETOWN. NIGHT. AMES IN THE BACKSEAT. AMES I'm coming with you. BREAN (SHRUGS) Gemme a plane. Business Aviation, National, one hour. Fly to Chicago. O'hare, LAX 6 A.M. AMES I'll see you at National. BREAN NODS, AND EXITS. HOLD ON AMES. HE HEARS SOMETHING, AND TURNS. ANGLE HIS POV. A YOUNG STAFFER, IN THE CORNER, SPEAKING SOFTLY ON THE PHONE. STAFFER (ON PHONE) Tell him, well, tell him we, I know we just signed it, but we're going to cancel it. (PAUSE) Because, because we're not going to be staying here the next four years. (PAUSE) Well, I can't tell you on the phone... EXT GEORGETOWN STREET NIGHT. THE DOORSTEP OF A HOUSE. A MIDDLE AGED MAN IN A BATHROBE, HOLDS A VERY LARGE MANILA ENVELOPE, HE TURNS, SOMEONE BEHIND HIM OBVIOUSLY HAVING CALLED HIM. HE TURNS AND SECRETS THE ENVELOPE IN HIS BATHROBE POCKET. ANGLE IN THE FOREGROUND, BREAN, IN A TAXICAB, WHICH DRIVES AWAY, IN THE B.G., THE MAN IN THE BATHROBE, REENTERING HIS HOUSE. INT SMALL TWIN ENGINE PROP PLANE. NIGHT. AMES AND BREAN IN THE BACK HOLD ON AMES WHO IS SHAKING HIS HEAD. HE REACHES OVER AND NUDGES BREAN AWAKE. AMES Tell, tell, tell me again. BREAN ....we landing? AMES Tell me again. BREAN (SIGHS) Lookit, don't worry about it. It's not a New Concept. Wake me when we touch down, will... HE TRIES TO NESTLE HIMSELF BACK TO SLEEP. AMES NUDGES HIM. AMES We can't afford a war. BREAN We aren't going to have a war. We're going to have the "appearance" of a war. AMES I'm not sure we can afford to have the "appearance" of a war. BREAN What's it gonna cost? (HE SHRUGS AND STARTS TO ROLL OVER TO GO TO SLEEP.) AMES But, but, but, "they" would find out. BREAN Who would find out? AMES ...the... (HE GESTURES OUT OF THE WINDOW) BREAN The American "people"? AMES Yes BREAN Who's gonna tell'em. AMES ...but... BREAN What did they find out about the Gulf War? One shot: one bomb, falling though the roof, building coulda been made of Legos. HE ROLLS OVER AGAIN. AMES (AS IF REHEARSING IT TO HIMSELF) ...you want us to go to War... BREAN ROUSES HIMSELF, SHRUGS, TAKES OUT A NOTEBOOK, AND BEGINS TO WRITE. BREAN ...that's the general idea. AMES Why? BREAN Why not, what've they ever done for us...? Also: they sound... Ah, you see, this is why we have to mobilize the B-2 Bomber... AMES ...they sound what? BREAN Shifty. Who knows anything about em... AMES Hold on, hold on, hold on: BREAN Well, I'm gonna hold on, but you went to win this election, you better change the subject. You wanna change this subject, you better have a War. What do you need? It's gotta be quick, it's gotta be dramatic, you got to have an enemy. Okay? What do you need in an enemy? Somebody you fear. Who do you fear? Som'b'y you don't know. AMES Who? BREAN Well, I'm working on it.... HE ROLLS OVER. EXT, O'HARE AIRPORT. BUSINESS TERMINAL. A BEAUTIFUL PRAIRIE DAWN. THE SMALL PLANE FINISHES TAXIING, BREAN AND AMES EMERGE, A UNIFORMED OBSEQUIOUS AIRLINE ATTENDANT COMES UP, AND HANDS THEM TICKETS. ANGLE, ON BREAN AND AMES, AS THEY WALK ACROSS THE TARMAC. AMES Albania... BREAN Yes. AMES Why? BREAN What do you know about them? AMES ...nothing... BREAN Precisely. AMES What did Albania ever do to us? BREAN What did they ever do for us...? (PAUSE) You see, this is why we have to mobilize the B-2 Bomber. AMES (TO HIMSELF) ...you want us to go to War with Albania. BREAN Here's what you got to do: (HE GESTURES, "GET ON THE PHONE") Get your Press Office, Right now. To deny; There is no report of Albanian Activity. They have to deny it. Now, get the C.I.A. INT AIRLINE WAITING AREA. DAY. EARLY MORNING BUSINESSMEN AND WOMEN, HOLDING COFFEE CUPS. ONE WEARS A CAMPAIGN BUTTON SHOWING THE PHOTO OF THE PRESIDENT AND THE GIRL SCOUT. HE BRUSHES PAST BREAN WHO IS SITTING BY A MINDLESS TELEVISION WEATHER PRESENTATION ON A HUGE TV. HE LOOKS DOWN AT HIS WATCH. ANNOUNCER (VO) American Airlines Announces the departure of flight _____ for Los Angeles, will all Passengers holding... THE BUSINESS TYPES BEGIN TO QUEUE UP IN A SLEEPY LINE. BREAN LEANS CLOSER TO THE TELEVISION, AS IT CHANGES TO A NEWS LOGO, AND A TALKING HEAD APPEARS. TALKING HEAD Good morning: With the election eleven days away the world slept, expecting news from the President on Trade and his visit to China, another sort of news, however, has emerged from the Presidential Quarter. Chris Andrews, station KCRT, Santa Fe Reports: BREAN LEANS BACK FROM THE TELEVISION, AND PUTS HIS ATTENTION ON THE BUSINESS PEOPLE ABOUT TO FILE ONTO THE PLANE. AS HE WATCHES THEY MOVE FIRST ONE AT A TIME, AND THEN, IN A GROUP, DRAWN TO THE TELEVISIONS. ANGLE: BREAN, LOOKING AT THE BUSINESS PEOPLE, CLUSTERING UP. BEYOND HIM, WE SEE THE TALKING HEAD FROM SANTA FE, THE SHOT OF THE PRESIDENT WITH THE GIRLSCOUTS, WHICH WE SAW PREVIOUSLY ON THE WHITE HOUSE WALL, AND ON THE CAMPAIGN BUTTONS. BREAN TAKES OUT A NOTEPAD AND STARTS MAKING NOTES. AMES WANDERS INTO THE SHOT, WITH A CUP OF DUNKIN' DONUTS COFFEE, AND THE CELLPHONE INTO WHICH HE IS TALKING. AMES Top people. Albanian Desk. Well, I don't know either, but we probably have one. Albanian Dusk, C.I.A., N.S.A. roust'em outta bed, sirens blaring.... BREAN NODS, MEANING, "GOOD STUDENT." AMES (CONT.) I know they'll be in in an hour, get'em now...C.I.A., N.S.A., wake'em up. BREAN GESTURES, TELL THEM THE OTHER THING. AMES (CONT.) And you tell the staff, anyone leaks anything on this situation, his or her job is going to be... THE TWO ARE IN THE QUEUE THROUGH THE JETWAY. THEY COME TO THE DOOR OF THE AIRLINER. AMES (CONT.) ...General Scott in Seattle...? No, I don't think his trip has got anything to do with the B-2 Bomber. Now... THE STEWARDESS INTERVENES, AS THEY COME UP TO THE DOOR OF THE AIRLINER STEWARDESS I'm sorry, Sir, I'll have to ask you to... SHE GESTURES AT THE CELLPHONE. AMES LAGS BEHIND IN THE JETWAY, AS BREAN WALKS INTO THE PLANE, CAMERA TRACKS WITH HIM. BREAN AND THE CAMERA NOTICE A SMALL MINI TV IN THE GALLEY AREA, WHERE THE STEWARDESS IS SNEAKING A PEEK AT THE SCREEN, SHOWING THE PRESIDENT, GREETING THE GIRLSCOUT. STEWARDESS (CONT.) (TO BREAN) Did you hear? BREAN Well, I don't know, a lot of these early reports are inflated. STEWARDESS ... could, could, could he have done it? BREAN ...who understands Human Nature? ANGLE BACK AT HIS SEAT, THE WOMAN IN THE SEAT ACROSS THE AISLE TO HIM IS TALKING IN AN AIRFONE. WOMAN (INTO PHONE) What did she say that the President Actually did.... Well, who said it. Her mother, or Her? (PAUSE) He did...? (PAUSE) ...and they said that on TV...? (PAUSE) They used that word...? BREAN EASES INTO HIS SEAT, AND TAKES OUT HIS NOTEBOOK. WOMAN (INTO PHONE) ...what time? Two Eastern? Alright, I'll.... Alright. (SHE HANGS UP THE AIRFONE.) BEAT. SHE TURNS TO BREAN. WE SEE SHE IS WEARING THE BUTTON WHICH SHOWS THE PRESIDENT AND THE GIRLSCOUTS. SHE LOOKS DOWN AND FINGERS THE BUTTON. WOMAN (OF THE BUTTON) ...what do you think...? BREAN ...how can any of us know? WOMAN (OF THE BUTTON) Makes you feel kind of foolish, doesn't it...? BREAN I'm sure that's the worst of it. (BEAT) WOMAN (MEDITATIVELY, SHAKING HER HEAD, AS SHE LOOKS AT THE BUTTON) ...a twelve year-old girl. (PAUSE) ...and I was going to vote, for him. BREAN Well, it ain't over til it's over... AMES SITS IN THE SEAT NEXT TO BREAN. BREAN How's he doing? AMES SHUSHES BREAN, TAKES OUT THE AIRPHONE, AND STARTS DIALING. EXT POOLHOUSE BEVERLY HILLS HOTEL DAY. TWO WHITE-TOGGED POOL ATTENDANTS, WATCHING A SMALL TELEVISION AT THE CHECK-IN AREA. ON TELEVISION, SENATOR FREDERICK NOLE, A MIDWESTERNER, HOLDING FORTH. NOLE ...if it is true, he should, he must step down. And if it is not true, then he must ... we are informed he has extended his visit to China, I say, on behalf of the American... ANNOUNCER (VO) Senator...Senator... we have to... NOLE I say, on behalf of the American People, Come home, face the music, whatever that may be. Th'election's in ten days, let the American... ANNOUNCER (VO) Let the American People decide... SCREEN GOES TO THE TALKING HEAD OF THE ANNOUNCER. ANNOUNCER Senator Frederick Nole. With, excuse me, Senator, that's eleven days, til the election, And the president ahead in the polls by, Bob...? SECOND TALKING HEAD Seventeen percent. ANNOUNCER Accusations have surfaced, which... BOB Bill, the White House has announced, that, in response to media pressure there will be a press conference in... THE TWO POOL ATTENDANTS STRAIGHTEN, AND PUT ON THEIR BEST SMILES, AND LOOK AT AN ARRIVING MAN. POOL ATTENDANT Morning, Mr. Moss. STANLEY MOSS, A SUCCESSFUL LOOKING FELLOW AROUND SIXTY, COMES THROUGH THE TURNSTILE, ONE OF THE ATTENDANTS BUSTLES AROUND, HANDING HIM TOWELS. WE HOLD ON THE SECOND ATTENDANT, WHO SCURRIES UP THE STEPS. SECOND ATTENDANT ...I'll be right back with your juice... MOSS CALLS AFTER HIM MOSS ...with a carrot in it... AS HE CLEARS THE FRAME, WE SEE, BELOW HIM, MOSS AND THE FIRST ATTENDANT, WHO IS GESTURING DOWN TOWARD THE POOL AREA, THEY TURN THEIR HEADS. ANGLE DOWN AT THE DESERTED POOL AREA. ONE NANNY TYPE, WITH A YOUNG KID IN WATERWINGS, FROLICKING IN THE WATER, AND BREAN, AND AMES, WHO ARE SITTING IN POOL CHAIRS. BREAN RISES, AND WALKS TO GREET MOSS, LEAVING AMES IN THE B.G. TALKING ON A CELL PHONE. ANGLE ON MOSS AND BREAN, AS MOSS APPROACHES A BIT TENTATIVELY. MOSS Do I know you? BREAN We have some mutual friends in Washington. INT POOL CABANA, BEV. HILLS HOTEL, DAY. A CURTAIN IS SWEPT ASIDE, AS MOSS AND BREAN AND AMES ENTER, IN THE B.G. WE SEE THE NANNY AND THE LITTLE KID IN THE POOL. MOSS AND BREAN ARE TALKING AS THEY ENTER. MOSS And is it true? AMES Waal, Mr. Moss, I wouldn't.... MOSS STARTS STRIPPING OFF HIS CLOTHES, AND CHANGING INTO A SWIMSUIT. MOSS You wouldn't be here if it wasn't true. It's true, right? HE SWITCHES ON THE TELEVISION IN THE CABANA. WE SEE A FEMALE TALKING HEAD. FEMALE TALKING HEAD Sexual relations with a girl thirteen years old. THE SCREEN GOES TO THE PHOTO OF THE PRESIDENT WITH THE GIRLSCOUTS. MOSS TURNS DOWN THE VOLUME. AS HE AND BREAN TALK THE TV SHOWS IMAGES OF THE PRESIDENT WITH GIRLSCOUTS, AND WITH OTHER YOUTH GROUPS. MOSS And you're here why...? BREAN I'm here, Mr. Moss, because you've shown yourself a great supporter of the Party. MOSS Party's gonna need more than a couple bucks now. THE POOL ATTENDANT ENTERS WITH A TRAY ON WHICH IS A GLASS WITH LIQUID AND A CARROT STICK IN IT, AND A GLASS FULL OF CELERY STICKS. MOSS Back where I come from they call this Romeo in Joliet. (HE SHAKES HIS HEAD, REACHES ONTO A SMALL TABLE BEHIND HIM, AND PICKS UP A BOOK.) I, I, and y'know, I like the guy... he signed his book to me.... HE HOLDS THE BOOK TO BREAN, THE CAMERA SEES THE PHOTO OF THE PRESIDENT ON THE BACK COVER, THE FRONT COVER READS. ".... FOR TWO GENERATIONS TO AGREE." MOSS LOOKS DOWN AT THE BOOK, AND QUOTES MOSS "For Progress to occur, it is necessary for Two Generations to Agree...." HE LOOKS AT THE TELEVISION SCREEN, WHICH SHOWS THE PRESIDENT WITH A YOUNG GIBL ON HIS LAP. MOSS Oh, jeez, this guy is fucked. BREAN What one has to do, Mr. Moss. Is to fight a holding action. MOSS ...holding action. THEY'RE GOING TO TEAR THIS GUY TO Shreds. BREAN If we can hold the break-in-the-dam for ten days, til the election, we... MOSS Yeah, hut you can't hold the dam. How the hell, n'nu'n', I don't get what you want me to ... THE SCREEN CHANGES, WE SEE THE SEAL OF THE PRESIDENT, AND WE ARE IN THE NEWSROOM OF THE WHITE HOUSE. A SHOT OF THE RESTIVE REPORTERS, IN THE B.G. OF THE CABANA WE SEE THE POOL ATTENDANT TAKING HIS LEAVE, HURRYING BACK TO THE OTHER TELEVISION AT THE POOL DESK. ANNOUNCER (VO) Allegations that the president had sexual... Ah... here is the deputy ... assistant under secretary... WE SEE LEVY TAKE THE PODIUM, ARRANGE HIS NOTES, AND CLEAR HIS THROAT. BREAN LEANS FORWARD, ANXIOUS, IN HIS SEAT. MOSS I don't ... they're gonna tear this guy to shreds... LEVY (ON TV) ...the illness of the President, which we are assured, is not serious. I repeat, it is not serious, the doctors suspect it's a stomach flu, but have advised him not to fly. He will remain, on the ground, in China for, they estimate, one or two days, I stress that, during this time he will, of... MOSS ...he's gotta come back sometime, what the hell is two days gonna buy him. LEVY (VO) Any questions....Mr. Sklansky, Yes... MOSS (AS HE LEANS CLOSER TO THE TV) ... twelve year old girl... Breir Rabbit couldh t gut outta this... ANGLE, ON BREAN AS HE LOOKS AT MOSS, LEANING INTO THE TV. HE THEN SWITCHES HIS GLANCE TOWARD THE POOL DESK, ANGLE HIS POV. AT THE POOL DESK WE SEE THE TWO ATTENDANTS, THE NANNY, THE KID AND SEVERAL NEWLY ARRIVED BATHERS CLUSTERED, RAPT, AROUND THE TELEVISION. LEVY (C) (VO) Yes...? SKLANSKY (VO) Mr. Levy... LEVY (VO) Yes SKLANSKY Would you comment on the rumors... on the rumors that the President's trip, that the President's delay... is due to the situation in Albania? ANGLE ON THE TELEVISION WE SEE SKLANSKY, AND SEE THAT HE IS THE CHAP IN THE BATHROBE WHOM BREAN GAVE THE ENVELOPE TO. LEVY There, uh, I'm not aware of the situation to which you refer. SKLANSKY Sir: the heads of the Albanian Desks at C.I.A., and at the National Security agency have been recalled on Special Alert, and there are rumors that the B-2 Bomber... LEVY Mr. Sklansky, Mr. Sklansky, I am I am unaware of any, um, "situation..." The B-2 Bomber? (PAUSE) The B-2 Bomber...? There is no B-2 Bomber. Mrs. Rose... A WOMAN REPORTER STANDS. MRS. ROSE Mr. Levy, early this morning Major General William Scott flew to Seattle. Is his trip connected with the B-2 Bomber? LEVY Uh...Mrs. Rose, there, to the best of my knowledge, there is no... REPORTER Mr. Levy: is the situation in Albania in any way connected with recent Muslim Fundamentalist, anti- American... BEAT. MOSS LOOKS AT BREAN. MOSS How close are you to this thing? BREAN PICKS UP A CELLPHONE FROM THE TABLE, AND DIALS BREAN (TO MOSS) What do you want the kid to say? MOSS LOOKS AT BREAN APPRAISINGLY. MOSS Have him say, 'I know we're all concerned for the President, there will he an update at 5:45.' AS MOSS SPEAKS BREAN NODS TO AMES, SPEAKS INTO THE TELEPHONE. AMES (INTO PHONE) Have the kid say I know we're all concerned for the President. There will he an update on his condition at 5:45. THEY BOTH TURN TO WATCH THE SCREEN. LEVY (ON TV) ...no information whatever on Fundamentalist... (HE HOLDS HIS HAND TO HIS EARPHONE) I. I just want to say I know we're all conceroed for the President, there will be an update on his condition at five forty-five... MOSS LEANS OVER AND TURNS DOWN THE VOLUME ON THE TV. BEAT. MOSS Well. You bought yourself one day. Maybe two. BREAN String a few together. All I need's eleven, MOSS How you going to stretch it? (HE GESTURES AT THE TV) This won't hold for eleven days. Guy fucked a twelve- year-old...whadday're gonna do to hold that off? BREAN What do you think would hold it off? MOSS Uh, nothing, oh, nothing ... uh... a War, uh... (HE PAUSES, THEN LOOKS AT BREAN WITH COMPREHENSION.) You're kidding. BREAN SHAKES HIS HEAD NO. MOSS I'm a Jew in Show Business. Why come to me? BREAN I'm gonna tell you why... BREAN LEANS CONSPIRATORIALLY, OVER TOWARD MOSS. BREAN Here's the Short Course: Fifty-Four, Forty or Fight. What does that mean? MOSS Uh, it's a slogan. From, uh... BREAN Remember the Maine... MOSS That's from the ... it's got to be from the... BREAN Tippecanoe and Tyler, Too! MOSS ...uh ... No, that's... BREAN We remember the slogans, we can't even remember the fucking wars. Y'know why. Cause it's show business. That's why I'm here. Naked girl, covered in Napalm. Five marines Raising the Flag, Mount Suribachi. Churchill, V for Victory, Y'remember the Picture, fifty years from now, they'll have forgotten the war. Gulf War? Smart Bomb, falling through the roof. 2500 missions a day, 100 days, One Shot of One Bomb. The American people bought that war. M'I getting through to you? War in the Balkans, don't mean nothing, till some G.I. flyer, went down, Eating Snakes for Ten days. N'then It's show business, Mister Moss. That's why I'm here. ANGLE AT THE POOL DESK. THE ATTENDANTS AND THE GUESTS ARE WATCHING THE TELEVISION. ON WHICH WE SEE COMIONTATOR TALKING ABOUT A MAP OF ALBANIA. THE SCENE SHIFTS TO THE SHOTS OF THE PRESIDENT BEING PRESIENTIAL, AND WE HEAR, "THANK HEAVEN, FOR LITTLE GIRLS..." AMES WINCES, WE SEE THE POOL ATTENDANTS LAUGH. BREAN It's like being a producer, Mr. Moss. The Things in Trouble. Somebody's got to wade in, save the thing. (PAUSE) You get the Actors get up there, and strut and Posture. But somebody, knows what's what, got to jump in and Save the Thing. (PAUSE) THEY LISTEN TO THANK HEAVEN, FOR LITTLE GIRLS, AND THEY LOOK AT MOSS. PAUSE MOSS Why Albania? BREAN Why not? MOSS NODS DECISIVELY. AS IF TO SAY, "BY GOLLY, NOW YOU'RE TALKING..." MOSS Pat? Pat? ONE OF THE ATTENDANTS RAISES HIS HEAD FROM THE TV AND SPRINTS OVER TO THE CABANA, WHERE WE SEE MOSS AND BREAN DEEP IN CONFAB. MOSS GESTURES TO THE TRAY WITH THE JUICE AND THE CELERY. MOSS ...throw this shit out. Gemme a pot of coffee and a packet of Camels. INT MOSS'S HOME, AFTERNOON. A GREENE AND GREENE BUNGALOW IN THE HOLLYWOOD HILLS, AMERICAN ART POTTERY ALL AROUND. MOSS IN BLUEJEANS AND A HAWAIIAN HAT, PACING BACK AND FORTH, SMOKING LIKE A CHIMNEY. MOSS But at some point they gotta know. BREAN Who? MOSS The... (HE GESTURES OUT OF HIS WINDOW, MEANING, "THE PUBLIC") BREAN "They Got To Know?" Stan...? Get with it. Who Killed Kennedy...? I read the first draft of the Warren Report, said he was killed by a Drunk Driver. You watched the Gulf War. What did you see? Day after day, the one "Smart Bomb" falling into a building. The truth, I was in the building when they shot that shot, they shot it in a studio, Falls Church Virginia, 1/10th scale model of a building. MOSS Is that true? BREAN How the fuck do we know. You take my point? MOSS (SHAKING HIS HEAD) ...going to War... BREAN It's not "war." It is a Pageant. It's a Pageant... Like the Oscars... why we came to you... MOSS I never won an Oscar. BREAN N'it's a crying shame. But you staged the Oscars... MOSS Yes. Indeed I did. (PAUSE) HE LOOKS OVER AT HIS WALL FULL OF PLAQUES AND TROPHIES. MOSS (CONT.) You know, you're a writer, that's your script. You're a director... (HE GESTURES, ET CETERA.) But if you're the producer ... what did you do? (PAUSE) What did you do? All you've got is the credit... (PAUSE) Some plaque on the wall... HE SHAKES HIS HEAD SADLY. BREAN And if you never won an Oscar, How'd you like an ambassadorship... (PAUSE) MOSS Hell, I'd just do it for the hell of having done it, for a story to tell... BREAN Well, no, well, you couldn't tell any... MOSS Hey, I know that, hey, I'm kidding... (PAUSE) "It's a pageant" BREAN ...that's what it is. MOSS (TO HIMSELF) "The Country Is At War." (PAUSE) BREAN It's Miss America, N'you're Bert Parks. (PAUSE) MOSS ...Yoha, Yoha... Yoha. (PAUSE) Why Albania? BREAN Because. MOSS They got to have something that we want. BREAN I'm sure they do. MOSS What do we have that they want? BREAN "Freedom." MOSS Why would they want that? HAKAN They're Oppressed. MOSS No, no, no. Fuck Freedom. No. Fuck Freedom. They.... They Want... They Want To Destroy the Godless Satan of the United ... They want to destroy our Way of Life. Okay, okay, okay, could we ... okay: the President is in China. He is dealing with a Dispatch of the B-2 Bomber to Albania. Why? (HE SHRUGS, HOLDS UP HIS HANDS, TO SAY, "YOU TELL ME...") AMES Alright, well, alright: geopolitically... MOSS GESTURES FOR SILENCE. MOSS We've just found out They Have the Bomb. We've Just Found Out They Have The Bomb, aaaand... No, No wait a second, no, no, wait a second, No. The Bomb's not... it's not there -- because they'd have to have a rocket and that shit n'they're a buncha wogs-- it's ... it's a suitcase Bomb. Ooookay. It's a suitcase bomb, and it's .... in Canada! Eh? Albanian Terrorists have placed a suitcase Bomb in Canada, in an attempt to infiltrate the bomb into the USA. AMES You know what? This is good. This is terrific, and I'll tell you why: it's cost effective. This is.... MOSS (SHRUGS) It's producing. AMES No, this is great. MOSS I could tell you stories: Cecil B. Demille: Alright? The Greatest Show on Earth: He needs an elephant, GRACE COMES IN WITH A PHONE, TO AMES. GRACE I have the White House on the Line. MOSS ...one minute: Demille needs an elephant for a reshoot. AMES (TAKES THE PHONE) Ames here. Yessir... (HE LISTENS.) MOSS Okay. Okay. The Suitcase Bomb... GRACE ...good title for a movie.... MOSS GESTURES "WRITE IT DOWN" AMES WANDERS AWAY, RELATING THE PROCEEDINGS INTO THE PHONE. AMES ..."Terrorism," and an attempt to infiltrate... MOSS ...the Suitcase Bomb. ACT ONE Albania denies it. President comes on the air, "Be Calm." Okay, now: Good. Now, Alright. Act TWO... (TO GRACE) I need the following here. Right now: Johnnie Green, Liz Butsky, and get me the Fad King. GRACE Isn't Johnny Green in the... (SHE GESTURES, LOONEY BIN) MOSS No, he's back in Nashville. BREAN ...who is this guy...? MOSS (TO BREAN) Act Two: and then, Act Two... BREAN We don't need an Act Two. MOSS (ON THE PHONE) And get me the Fad King. No. Get him First... (TO BREAN) We don't need an Act Two? BREAN We've just got to hold their interest for ten more days, till the Election. MOSS ...it's a Teaser! BREAN It's a teaser, absolutely right, AMES IS SEEN IN THE B.G. ON THE CELLPHONE. AMES (ON THE PHONE, SOTTO) The thinking is, as of this moment, Terrorism... (HE COVERS THE PHONE) ...they're getting a Good Reaction on the "Albania" thing... BREAN SHRUGS, TO SAY, "OF COURSE." MOSS (ON THE PHONE) Hello, King. How the heck are you...? (PAUSE) Get out... (PAUSE) Get out... Well, man, you fall in love like a Hillbilly... (HE COVERS THE PHONE, EXPLAINING TO THOSE NEAR HIM) Ditch the wife, toss the kids in the Pick-up, (HE GESTURES, MEANING, YOU KNOW...) (To THE FAD KING) Listen, King: Get your fat redneck ass out here, willya... AMES (TO BREAN, STILL HOLDING THE PHONE TO HIS EAR) ...but the President wonders about the Possible Albanian Backlash... BREAN (SHRUGS) You can't have a war without an enemy. MOSS (ON PHONE) No, King, I need you here yesterday... (TO BREAN) How long do I need him for? BREAN (CORRECTING HIMSELF) Well, you could have one, but it'd be a very ineffective war... (TO MOSS) We're done in 10 days... MOSS Ten Days. (COVERS THE PHONE) There going to be any Back End in this thing? BREAN W...what? MOSS ...there gonna be any money in this thing? BREAN "Back End" ... count on it. MOSS (TO PHONE) Lots n lotsa cash. Stay on for Gracie, she'll get you a ticket (HE HANGS UP) AMES (TO BREAN) ...where is the Back End coming from? BREAN It's like that thing with the Yellow Ribbon... AMES The thing with the Yellow Ribbon... BREAN The Hostages...? AMES The hostages, but that was a naturally-occuring... (BREAN GIVES HIM A LOOK TO SAY, "OH, GROW UP") It was a put-up job? (BREAN GIVES HIM THE LOOK AGAIN) But where was the, where was the money in that? BREAN In the yellow ribbon. AMES ...the Yellow Ribbon, but who, who'd profit from that... BREAN (LONG SUFFERING) The Ribbon Manufacturers. MOSS (INTO THE PHONE) King, King, I got a thing here, a product placement, gonna have a bigger back-end than Hattie McDaniel. Now: AMES, CELLPHONE TO HIS EAR, APPROACHES BREAN -- BREAN WAVES HIM OFF. BREAN I gotta protect the Canadian Horder, BREAN PICKS UP ANOTHER PHONE, AND STARTS BREAN (INTO THE PHONE) Here's what we want to do: The Park Police, the Border Patrol, and the US Marshall's Service. The D.E. the A.T.F, all of em, Stand by for instant mobilization, 'long the Canadian Border. (PAUSE) And tell 'em there's nothing to be alarmed about. INT MOSS'S DINING ROOM NIGHT. MOSS, BREAN, AND THREE MORE PEOPLE, PADS AND NOTES TACKED ONTO THE WALL. CAMERA PANS OVER THE TABLE. ONE NEWSPAPER, THE EDITORIAL CARTOON SHOWS THE PRESIDENT. A GIRLSCOUT IS HANDING HIM A BOX OF COOKIES, AND HE IS SAYING, "I KNOW I REALLY SHOULDN'T"... ON ANOTHER THE EDITORIAL CARTOON SHOWS THE GREAT SEAL OF THE PRESIDENT, THE MOTTO, WRITTEN AROUND THE CIRCUMFERENCE READS, "SIT ON MY LAP." JAY LENO (VO) ...went into a Convenience store... ANGLE THE GROUP, MOSS, BREAN AND THREE MORE, WATCHING THE TV JAY LENO ...asked if they had any girlscout cookies. Five cops jumped on me, took me off in chains... MOSS SWITCHES THE STATION. WE SEE RICKY JAY, DOING A VANISH OF COINS. APPLAUSE... CONAN O'BRIAN BECKONS RICKY OVER TO THE PANEL. CONAN Ricky Jay, Ladies and Gentleman, Ricky, I guess we'd have to say that you're the most famous manipulator of small oblects in the World. RICKY JAY No, I'd have to say, that'd be the President. LAUGHTER ON THE TV. MOSS SWITCHES THE CHANAEL AGAIN. WE SEE SENATOR NOLE. SENATOR NOLE (ON TV) ...taking refuge behind the fact of distance, taking refuge behind the mention of Albania, of his stomach flu, taking refuge, with the election those scant days away, behind everything except avowal of his guilt. Mr. President, if you have any shame, I ask you, the public asks you, the electorate asks you to return, to face these terrible charges, to... THE SCREEN GOES TO THE GREAT SEAL OF THE PRESIDENT ANNOUNCER ...from Airforce One. In China. The President of the United States. PRESIDENT My fellow Americans. I apologize for the need for secrecy. I assure you that had it not been necessary to ensure the safety of our men and women in the Combat Arms. The Republic of Albania, long a staging ground for terrorists around the World, is in the procesa of mounting ... actions directed against the people of the United States. In consultation with my advisors, I have elected to take the following precautionary measures: EXT POOLSIDE, MOSS'S HOME, L.A. NIGHT. THE FAD KING, A SLOPPILY FAT FELLOW IN A DIRTY T-SHIRT, IS WALKING THE POOL, HOLDING FORTH TO MOSS, AND JOHNNY GREEN, A NASHVILLE TYPE, AND LIZ BUTSKY, A COSTUME DESIGNER, WHO IS SKETCHING ON A PAD. FAD KING It's a, it's a... (LIZ STARTS TO TALK) It can't be a ribbon... LIZ Why can't it be a ribbon? FAD KING It can't be a ribbon cause AIDS had a ribbon, cause the Yellow Ribbon thing had a ribbon, cause... MOSS Look, look, look, look, Canada, okay...? Our neighbor to the North, alla sudden, transformed, into That Place, where, like the North Wind, Terror comes... FAD KING Keep Talking.... MOSS What guards Us Against Canada...? AMES (PHONE TO HIS EAR) ...we've got a crash poll, says... (HE LISTENS) Sixty seven percent of the (BEAMS) American People, on hearing the President's Speech... JOHNNIE GREEN WALKS AWAY, HUMMING TO HIMSELF, "I GUARD THE NORTHERN BORDERS..." FAD KING AND LIZ WAVE AMES OFF, MEANING, "WE HAVE ADULT WORK TO DO HERE." LIZ Uh...uh... Mounties. The Mounties Guard The Border. uh... those Mountie Hats. FAD KING They look stupid. LIZ We had Davy Crockett hats... They made a fortune. FAD KING We had Davy Crockett hats, but you could crush'em ... you could crush'em, see, when you felt stupid. Crush'em, put em in your Pocket. You can't put a Mountie hat in your... MOSS WALKS THROUGH THE SHOT, WITH BREAN. MOSS (EXPANSIVELY) Y'see, this is what Producing is: you put me in a Room... AMES (LISTENING TO THE PHONE) ...and he's got a negative rating of... (HE SMILES) MOSS (TO FAD KING, PROMPTING) King, we've got to be on the streets in... FAD KING ...what am I doing? Do you see me working...? (TO LIZ) Here's what you want to do, you want to come out of the box, an item, someone 'ready has, but then you sell it to'em. Torn jeans, uh ... faded Levi Jackets, uh... uh... MOSS Where are we on the Image? Grace? Grace... ANGLE OVER A SLEEPING BREAN, STRETCHED OUT ON A POOLCHAIR, GRACE, THE SECRETARY, COMES OUT ON TO THE POOL AREA, HOLDING THE SHOT OF A SMALL, FOREIGN LOOKING CHILD, IN FRONT OF A PILE OF RUBBLE. SHE SHOWS IT TO MOSS. MOSS ...we own it? GRACE Public Domain. MOSS And what? What? She was Driven From Her Home, by Albanian Terrorists. It is her we are mobilizing to defend... it is "she"? GRACE We-are-mobilizing-to-defend-her. MOSS Can we give'er a kitten? GRACE No problem. Here's the... SHE GOES BACK INTO THE HOUSE. FAD KING I gotta get something, I gotta get ...shoes? Ties? Hats...? (TAKES A SHEAF OF HEADSHOTS FROM GRACE) Good. Good. (HE PASSES THEM AROUND, WE SEE THEY ARE ALL GIRLS AROUND FOURTEEN WITH LONG BLONDE HAIR.) BREAN ...what is this? MOSS Headshots. Girls to play the girl in our footage. (OF A PHOTO) I like the sorrowful one. Anybody Else....? (HE PASSES THE PHOTOS AROUND.) FAD KING ...what is this? BREAN Young-Albanian-girl-driven-from-her-home. FAD KING I go with this here... (HE WALKS OFF SHAKING HIS HEAD.) MOSS Too Texan. Go with the stick. Thanks. (TO THE FAD KING.) What...? ...does it have to be Albania...We're locked into Albania...why? JOHNNY GREEN It's tough to rhyme. MOSS I believe in you.... JOHNNY GREEN Albania, Albania, Albania, James bond Villains. MOSS John Belushi... Jim Belushi... JOHNNY GREEN Jim Belushi...? MOSS Surest thing you know. FAD KING Shoes, Hats.... LIZ The special hats of the Special Anti-terrorist detachment of the Border Patrol. MOSS (MULLING IT OVER) The Special Anti-Terrorist Detachment of the Border Patrol... what do they do...? LIZ (SHRUGS) ...they... you know... JOHNNY GREEN They guard our, you know ... "borders," night and day... MOSS Yeah, good good good good good. And They're So Secret... LIZ Oh huh... MOSS ...they have the capacity to Meld into the Woods, and... ALL NOD MOSS (CONT.) And one of them is in love with the sister of... LIZ I'm just talking about the Hats. MOSS The hats. LIZ A beret. MOSS Why a beret? LIZ Cause you can crush it and put it in your pocket. MOSS "...the special detachment..." Good! What is it? BREAN WAKES FOR A MOMENT, AT THE SHOUTING, LOOKS AT HIS WATCH. BREAN Three-o-three... MOSS The men and women of Detachment Three-O-Three, with their... FAD KING Black... LIZ Leopard Skin... MOSS With their berets... LIZ ...their Leopard Skin Berets.... FAD KING Well, that ain't very butch, is it? LIZ It's a beret... CAMERA TAKES MOSS TO THE TV WHERE BREAN IS WATCHING A "CHANGE HORSES IN MIDSTREAM" AD, SHOWING TWO RETIRED LADIES, SITTING OUT ON A PORCH IN THE SOUTH, ON A ROCKER. LIZ (CONT.) ...you said you wanted something they could stuff in their pocket... FAD KING ...I meant the Leopard Skin... LIZ British Regiments drape their drums in Leopard Skins. FAD KING Thank God this is America. MOSS (DISTRACTED) How about half-black, half leopard skin... TV OLD LADY ...why change Horses in Mid Stresm, that's what I ... MOSS (SHAKING HEAD SADLY) Why are they sticking with this age old horseshit? BREAN (SHRUGS) "If One Twinkie is Funny, Two Twinkies are Funnier..." AMES WALKS IN WITH HIS ARMS FULL OF FAXES. HE READS FROM THEM. AS HE PERUSES THEM WE SEE THE FAD KING, HE GOES, DREAMILY, TO A PHONE, AND DIALS. FAD KING (INTO PHONE) Bunny: I had an idea: a Slinky, that falls Up... (PAUSE) Naa, we can figure that out. What I'm wondering: what do we call it... (PAUSE) You got my number... (HE HANGS UP.) MOSS (TO AMES) Why are they ... AMES (OF FAXES) NY Times, Washington Post, War, War, War. Times got the girlscout page twelve, Post in Section Two.... Horses in Mid-Stream...? MOSS I don't think you're gonna need it. AMES Well, we paid for it, we got the guys on a retainer. MOSS They got the guys on a retainer, it's cheaper, pay'em, but don't lettem touch it... Let'em leave us alone. AMES What can it hurt. MOSS What can it hurt is they offend me. IN THE B.G. WE SEE BREAN, WALKING AROUND WITH A CELLPHONE. LIZ I need a ruling on the Hats. I say a Leopard-skin, and... MOSS Hey, you're getting the big bucks.... (TO BREAN) I think we're up-and-running... JOHNNY GREEN COMES OVER, "JUST LISTEN TO THIS." JOHNNY GREEN (SINGS) Canada your Peaceful slumbers Guard our Border To The North... The Rightful Order Of Our Border... HE SHAKES HIS READ, AND RETIRES. GRACE COMES OUT WITH A TRAY OF COFFEE, FROM WHICH THEY TAKE A CUP. FAD KING Kid comes to School. Teacher: You're late for Geography Class. Kid: I din' get my breakfast. Teacher: siddown, where's the Canadian Border. Kid: In bed wit My Mom. That's why I missed my breakfast... GRACE REACHES IN HER BACK POCKET, HANDS MOSS SEVERAL SHEETS GRACE We got the Albanian Girl, with a cat, with a kitten, with a dog... MOSS I didn't ask for a dog. GRACE (SHRUGS) ...the pet wrangler suggested it..he's also got a... AMES I think I should check with the President -- to see what kind of animal he... GRACE The Pet wrangler has also got a... MOSS Do it later... (OF THE PHOTO) Okay, now, "The Little Girl," who is she, what is she doing? She is....she's ...Okay, okay, it's an Albanian village... She is the victim of, she has been relocated, to, to, for the terrorists, the Government Labs...the, the... a staging area for their Atomic workshop. (PAUSE) They're torturing her family, because they have connections in Canada, which would permit the terrorists access to the American Border. GRACE Better. MOSS You like it? GRACE Yes. MOSS Fine. Good. GRACE EXITS. BREAN (HANGS UP THE CELL PHONE) Would somebody wake me in five minutes? FAD KING Does it have to be Albania? Because, lookit: (HE HOLDS UP A SKETCH OF A BOOT) I can get my hands on a lot of walking-around-cash, I think, if it's Italy...Look at the tie-in here: The Boot, "Givvem the Boot,"... If we were to go Wide with a shoe as the fad. A "Shoe-fad"... Here's what it offers us... BREAN We're locked into Albania. FAD KING Well, let's not be too sure, why is that? BREAN (CHECKS HIS WATCH.) The President is going to declare War against Albania in a half an hour. BREAN ROUSES HIMSELF, WALKS TO THE POOL, AND BEGINS TO WASH HIS FACE IN IT. EXT STUDIO PARKING LOT L.A. DAWN. MERCEDES CONVERTIBLE PULLS UP, MOSS DRIVING. HE AND BREAN GET OUT. INT STUDIO, DAWN. A TELEVISION, SHOWING THE PRESIDENT, SPEAKING. PRESIDENT That a state of war has existed, between the United States, and... BREAN AND MOSS BREEZE PAST THE SET, INTO A MOVIE MAKING SCENE. TWENTY PEOPLE CLUSTERED AROUND A YOUNG GIRL IN TRADITIONAL ALBANIAN DRESS WHOSE HEADSHOT WE SAW EARLIER, BEING FUSSED-UP AND TWEAKED BY HAIR AND MAKE-UP. MOSS Good morning, My name's Stanley Moss, I'll be your director this morning, what I'd like you to do, Miss, what is your name... ALBANIAN TYPE Trudy Larouche. MOSS ..."Trudy," is, to start at that wall... (HE GESTURES AT THE SWEEP) and, on my signal, "action" to run toward me, screaming ...they taking care of you...? Good. You wanna cuppa tea? Okay. Can we just try one, just for the... TRUDY I understand this is going to be National? Is that the case? Because my agent didn't get a chance to... THEY ARE WALKED OVER TO AN AREA IN WHICH WE FIND THE PET WRANGLER, SURROUNDED BY SEVERAL ANIMAL CASES WITH DOGS IN THEM. MOSS, AS HE SPEAKS, IS SURVEYING THE DOGS. MOSS Well, it's a little bit of a... A.D. ...we're going for a direct buy-out. MOSS ...you have your agent check with the... TRUDY No, I know it's going to be fine. I'm so excited, and I'm looking forward to putting it on my resume. When you called last... BREAN TAKES TRUDY ASIDE. BREAN Eh, Trudy, could I talk to you for a moment...? You know, this project is a... "Funny" kind of... HE WALKS HER ASIDE. MOSS SELECTS A DOG, AND AMES COMES OVER TO HIM, HOLDING A CELLPHONE. AMES (DESCRIBING THE SCENE, INTO THE PHONE) A schnauzer. What appears to be a... PET WRANGLER Lhasa Apso. AMES (INTO PHONE) Lhasa Apso, and a... HE LOOKS AT THE THIRD DOG. PET WRANGLER What you have here is a cross-breed, between a dog which was substantially a... AMES GESTURES HIM FOR SILENCE, AS HE LISTENS TO THE PHONE. AMES (INTO THE PHONE) Abso... absolutely, sir... Absolutely. (TO MOSS) He wants a kitten. (PAUSE) MOSS (TAKING CHARGE) Okay. Here's what we're gonna do. HE GESTURES TO HIS ASSISTANT, WHO COMES OVER FOR A CONFERENCE. MOSS (CONT.) I need a little bit of help...? ANGLE ON BREAN WALKING TRUDY. HE GESTURES TO AMES. AMES Miss, we are going to ask you to sign this little sheet of paper... TRUDY Well, my agent would be ril ril miffed with me, if I signed anything, uh, to... AMES This does not have to do with your Deal. This is for your Security Clearance. (PAUSE) HE TAKES OUT A SHEET OF PAPER FROM HIS POCKET. THEIR WALK HAS BROUGHT THEM AND THE CAMERA BACK TO MOSS AND THE ASSISTANT, AND THE DIRECTOR. DIRECTOR (TO MOSS) ...fix it in the mix. ASSISTANT We're going to do it digitally... MOSS ...can we shoot one? DIRECTOR Alright, now we're gonna... THE PET WRANGLER HANDS A DOG TO TRUDY. THE ASSISTANT WAVES HIM OFF, AND LOOKS AROUND, AND HANDS HER A BAG OF POTATO CHIPS. ASSISTANT ...run with this... TRUDY ...these'r potato chips... DIRECTOR Just, uh, just hold the bag when you run. MOSS (TO BREAN) We need it for the Arm Position, on the screen it'll be a kitten. TRUDY Someone's bringing in a kitten...? MOSS No, no, no.... we'll punch in a kitten. Um... Later. TRUDY ...you're gonna Punch in a Kitten Later. MOSS Yes. (PAUSE) TRUDY Why...? A.D. Okay, settle, people. Settle... we're gonna try one... MOSS It gives us a wider option. TRUDY A wider option of what? MOSS (DISTRACTED) ...of kittens... TWO HAIR AND MAKE-UP WOMEN JUMP IN, AND START TWEAKING TRUDY, AS MOSS'S ATTENTION IS DIVERTED ELSEWHERE. TRUDY ADDRESSES HERSELF TO BREAN. TRUDY ...but, you know, all kidding aside. When this goes National.... I get to put it on my resume. BREAN (WHO IS DIALING A PHONE) Actually, no. TRUDY Because, like, what is it, a Guild thing? I mean, what, what, what could they do to me... BREAN ...someone would come to your house and kill you. (TO PHONE) Hello... we're about to start shooting... A.D. (TO HAIR AND MAKE-UP) Hey, hey, hey, she's ... will you? She's just been raped by Terrorists, jump out, will you... THE A.D. SHOOS HAIR AND MAKE-UP AWAY. CAMERA GOES WITH BREAN, PAST AMES, WHO IS ADDRESSING HIMSELF TO THE A.D. AMES And...she's not an Illegal Immigrant? Is she? Can I see her "chart?" Because... MOSS Gonna be fine. Gonna be fine, people? Are we getting there...? BREAN WANDERS BACK TO THE CONTROL BOOTH WHERE WE SEE THE SCENE ON SEVERAL MONITORS AND THE YOUNG GIRL, STANDING AGAINST THE BARE SWEEP ON THE BACK WALL. WE HEAR "ACTION" AND THE YOUNG GIRL RUNS FORWARD. WE HEAR THE TECHNICIANS MUTTERING, AND THEY PUNCH UP A PLAYBACK, AND WE SEE THE SAME RUN-FORWARD, REPLAYED AGAINST AN "ALBANIAN VILLAGE" SCENE. TECHNICIAN ...gimme some flames... AS HE SPEAKS, FLAMES ARE ADDED TO THE SCENE... TECHNICIAN ...some sound of Screaming...? (SCREAMING IS ADDED) ...whoo-aahh sirens? Anne Frank?... THE SIRENS ARE ADDED. MOSS COMES INTO THE CONTROL BOOTH, AND TALKS TO THE ACTOR. ANGLE ON AMES AND BREAN, IN THE CONTROL ROOM. AMES ...can we see the Kitten...? THE PHONE RINGS, AMES PICKS UP HIS CELLPHONE. AMES (CONT.) Hello... Yes. We'll be back...? BREAN We'll be back tonight. AMES (TO PHONE) Tonight. (HE HANGS UP) Well, you've started a Tempest in a Teapot. BREAN Waal, that's where you want em... AMES ...I just hope... MOSS (TO TRUDY) Do it again, love, will you...? We'll tell you before we're going to shoot... WE SEE ON THE MONITOR THE YOUNG GIRL RUNNING WITH THE BAG OF POTATO CHIPS, VARIOUS BURNING BUILDINGS IN THE B.G. MOSS ...could she be running across a bridge? She's running across a Burning Bridge. ONE OF THE TECHNICIANS' FACES LIGHTS UP. TECHNICIAN (TO HIMSELF) ....beautiful. WE PLAYBACK THE LAST RUNTHROUGH, AND THE GIRL IS NOW RUNNING ACROSS A BRIDGE. MOSS (LEANS IN TO TALK WITH THE TECH PEOPLE) Of course, we're gonna need some water, uh... TECHNICIAN Is it a stream, or is it a... MOSS No, I think.. TECHNICIAN a "pond," or MOSS No, I think it's ... can we see the calico kitten...? AS HE SPEAKS THE BAG OF CHIPS IS TRANSFORMED INTO A CALICO KITTEN. AMES (ON HIS PHONE) A small, "calico" kitten, sir. (PAUSE) "Calico." (PAUSE) AMES (TO MOSS) ...can we have a white one...? MOSS (TO DIRECTOR) Can we have a white one, please... AS THEY SPEAK THE BROWN KITTEN IS TRANSFORMED INTO A WHITE ONE. MOSS (CONT) You know, if we're gonna run with the kitten, maybe it turns out, the Kitten has a Name, and... DIRECTOR We ready out there...? BREAN LOOKS DOWN AT HIS WATCH, AND TAPS AMES ON THE SHOULDER, AS HE EASES HIS WAY PAST THE CONTROL CONSOLE. AMES (ENGROSSED) ...one moment... INT L.A.X. DAY. A POSTER FILLS THE SCREEN. IT IS A NORMAL ROCKWELL SORT OF THING SHOWING HAPPY AND PROUD AMERICANS OUTSIDE OF A VOTING BOOTH. AND IT READS: "DON'T FORGET TO VOTE. NOVEMBER 2ND. IT'S YOUR DUTY -- IT'S YOUR RIGHT." PRESIDENT'S VOICE (VO) ...a state of War. (PAUSE) That a State of War... PAN OFF THE POSTER TO SHOW THE GATE AREA, MANY PEOPLE WAITING, WATCHING A TELEVISION SET, ON WHICH WE SEE THE PRESIDENT. PRESIDENT (CONT.) ...exists... A TELEVISION SET, THE PRESIDENT ON THE TELEVISION. PRESIDENT ...between the United States and Republic of Albania, and that the Congress Authorize any and all measures consonant with a swift and painless, and victorious conclusion of that War. ANGLE BUSINESS PEOPLE QUEUING UP, AT THE TV, BEYOND THEM, THE DEPARTURE GATE, SHOWING A SIGN, AMERICAN AIRLINES FLIGHT _____ TO WASHINGTON D.C. IN THE FOREGROUND, BREAN, ON A CELLPHONE, PAYS NO ATTENTION TO THE SCREEN, AS HE STANDS IN LINE. BREAN (ON THE PHONE) Go with a two-tone hat, I don't care, you work it out. You, well, I'm sure you've had similar problems in the past. Good. Good. Keep me ppp... Fine, I'll call you from the plane. THE TICKET TAKER, TAKING HIS TICKET, IS SHAKING HIS HEAD AT THE TELEVISION, ON WHICH WE SEE AN ANNOUNCER/COMMENTATOR, DOING, "YOU HAVE JUST HEARD," ET. CETERA. TICKET TAKER Hell of a thing. Hell of a thing. BREAN Innit? TICKET TAKER Albanian Terrorists on the Canadian Border. BREAN (ABOUT TO GET ONTO THE PLANE) ...makes you think. IN THE B.G, WE SEE THE TELEVISION HAS GONE TO A COMMERCIAL, TWO BUSINESSMEN TYPES, EACH PARKING HIS STATION WAGON IN HIS DRIVEWAY. TYPE ONE Ed, what do you think? TYPE TWO Bob, my mind wasn't one hundred percent made up, but now it is: I say: don't go changing Horses in Midstream... BREAN, HEARING THIS, WALKS BACK TO THE NOW DESERTED TELEVISION. ANGLE FROM THE JETWAY THE DOOR ABOUT TO CLOSE, BREAN IN THE B.G. WATCHING THE INFOMERCIAL. THE TICKET TAKER CALLS TO HIM, "...SIR...?" BREAN TURNS AND RUSHES TO THE CLOSING DOOR. ON THE TV, IN THE BG, WE SEE THE LOGO: "RE-ELECT THE PRESIDENT. THIS MESSAGE PAID FOR BY..." ET CETERA. BREAN (INTO THE PHONE) It's workmanlike, what can I tell you.... no, it ain't going to help, but it won't hurt, cool down, see you in Nashville. HE FOLDS UP HIS PHONE AND WALKS ONTO THE PLANE, IN THE B.G. WE SEE SENATOR NOLE, SPEAKING ON THE TELEVISION, THE REMAINING VIEWERS ARE DRIFTING AWAY. SENATOR NOLE The issue of War, is, finally, an issue of Moral Fibre, Moral Fibre. In my Platoon, in World War Two BREAN (ON THE PHONE) You have the number in D.C.? Good. What time tonight... What...? (BREAN TURNS TO THE TELEVISION) BREAN COMES OVER TO AMES WHO IS ON THE PHONE, AND TALKING WITH LIZ BUTSKY, WHO IS SHOWING HIM SOME SKETCHES. LIZ ...wanted to go with Roman Numerals... but there isn't a Roman Numeral for Zero, so, you can't really do THREE OH THREE, in Roman... BREAN (TURNING TO AMES, OF NOLE) Why is this putz on the air... AMES ... they're checking the ratings...uh... LIZ ...and I wanted to ask you if you thought it made sense that the uniforms of the Freedom fighters were starched. (PAUSE) I know that, traditionally, (SHE FLIPS A CARD AND WE SEE THE STARCHED UNIFORMED FREEDOM FIGHTER DRAWN BY HER) ...they're torn, and so forth: days-in-the-mountains, so on, but I thought... BREAN (INTO THE PHONE) Why am I seeing this guy on the News...? (PAUSE) What am I missing...? What are we forgetting? AMES Well, at least we're not seeing the Girlscouts... HE TURNS AROUND ANGLE, HIS POV. A YOUNG DISHEVELLED COLLEGE STUDENT TYPE. HE WEARS A BUTTON ON HIS JACKET. ANGLE INS THE BUTTON READS, "FUCK ALBANIA" ANGLE AMES AND BREAN. AMES (OF THE BUTTON) ...is that "us"...? BREAN AND LIZ BUTSKY SHAKE THEIR HEADS. AMES JUMPS UP IN THE AIR AND YELLS "YAY." SENATOR NOLE Especially in a time of war. Now: We said that Moral fibre, not guns, not supplies, not strategy, Moral... COMMENTATOR (INTERRUPTING) ...Senator...? SENATOR NOLE And this man, our President, in what I hope will be his last days in that office, has proved himself empty and devoid of... A SMALL CHILD COMES OVER TO THE TELEVISION AND CHANGES THE CHANNEL. INT DULLES AIRPORT ARRIVALS AREA, DUSK. BREAN AND AMES COMING OFF OF THE PLANE, BREAN STOPS AT THE FREE PERIODICALS DISPLAY. SAMPLE HEADLINES READ: DEFENSE OF THE REALM: TERRORISM ALONG THE BORDER: THE PRESIDENT: ALL SPUNK: CALL TO THE COLORS: DEFEND THE NORTH, ETC. HE PICKS UP SEVERAL, AND CAMERA FOLLOWS HIM DOWN A HALL, PAST A HUGE POSTER SHOWING OPPRESSED COMMUNIST HORDES, AND THE MOTTO "THEY DIDN'T HAVE THE CHOICE, YOU DO. VOTE! IT'S YOUR RIGHT!" ANGLE TIGHT ON BREAN AND AMES, AND A FELLOW PASSENGER, AS ALL SCAN THEIR NEWSPAPERS. THE PASSENGER IS WAITING IN LINE TO USE A PAY PHONE. BREAN (AS HE NUDGES AMES) Can't find anything in here about the President and that girlscout. PASSENGER ...what are you talking about... What does that mean now, are you nuts...? THE PASSENGER MOVES UP IN TURN TO TAKE THE PHONE, HE DIALS. PASSENGER (INTO PHONE) Hello, Honey.... NO. I'm safe. In about an hour. Have you got Grandma and the kids in...? Well, where am I talking to you? Well, who has the Shotgun? Go Down in the Basement. Well, get the long cord, and... isn't there a jack down there... Well, move, the canned goods, and... THE LINE BREAN AND AMES ARE IN MOVES FORWARD, PAST THE MAN ON THE TELEPHONE. TIGHT ON AMES AND BREAN, AS THEY MOVE FORWARD, THEY SPEAK UNDER THEIR BREATH. AMES (SHAKING HIS HEAD) ...hell of a price for the country to pay. BREAN ...take a long view. AMES ...what's the Long View? BREAN Your guy gets four more years in Washington... ...it's only Nine More Days. AMES Yes. That's true. But... BREAN (SMILES) Wilfred. We've got work to do... THE LINE THEY ARE IN STOPS. BREAN LOOKS UP. ANGLE, HIS P.O.V. A LINE OF SERVICEMEN, ARMED WITH SUBMACHINE GUNS, STANDS BARRING THE ARRIVING PASSENGERS AN EXIT. THE PASSENGERS ARE HERDED INTO LINES, TO GO THROUGH MAKESHIFT BARRICADES, AND METAL DETECTORS. ANGLE BREAN, AND ANOTHER PASSENGER. BREAN ...what the hell's this all about, d'you think? PASSENGER ...small price to pay, pal... HE APES THE PRESIDENT, WHO'S SAID THAT EARLIER. BREAN LOOKS UP, AS AMES, ACCOMPANIED BY AN ARMY MAJOR, PASSES THROUGH LINE AND APPROACHES BREAN, BECKONING. INT SUBURBAN MALL NIGHT. BREAN, AND AMES, AND TWO SECRET SERVICE TYPES, WALKING THROUGH THE MALL. BREAN GLANCES AT A FOODSTORE, WHERE WE SEE A LONG LINE OF PEOPLE WAITING TO BE ADMITTED, AND A VAST LINE INSIDE, AT THE CHECK OUT COUNTER, THEIR CARTS PILED HIGH, THE SHELVES BEHIND THEM DENUDED. THEY PASS BY A SHOESTORE, CLOSED, A PLYWOOD SCREEN IN FRONT, COVERED BY A SIGN: SOON TO REOPEN UNDER NEW MANAGEMENT. BREAN FOLLOWS AMES, INTO THE STORE. INT SHOESTORE NIGHT. MANY YOUNG STAFFERS. A VAST SIGN READS: DAYS TIL ELECTION 8. % IN FAVOR? THE STAFFERS STAND IMMOBILE, AS BREAN, AMES, AND THE SECRET SERVICE TYPES ENTER. ON A TELEVISION, UNWATCHED BEHIND THEM. A FOREST SCENE, A SQUAD OF SERVICEMEN IN WOODLAND CAMO, LOOKING DOWN AT A RIVER, THEIR LEADER SPEAKING SOFTLY INTO A MICROPHONE. LEADER ...scared. Sure we're scared. But th'fella said the trick is not minding that it hurts. N'Ill tell you one thing: They might get into the U.S.A., but they'll have to get in over Mrs. Kelly's son... (HE TAPS HIMSELF ON THE CEEST) THE SCREEN GOES TO A SCENE OF SUPERMARKET LOOTING IN AN INNER CITY. A STAND- UP COMMENTATOR SPEAKS. COMMENTATOR ...dead and fifteen wounded in these first hours of the War. They are not, they are not The Enemy, they are people, like You and Me, a different kind of Victim of Albanian Aggression, but Victims Nonetheless... ANGLE BREAN, GIVEN THE TOUR BY AMES. AMES Telexes to the major... HE IS SHUSSHED BY A YOUNG AIDE, STANDING, HIS EAR TO A PHONE. ON THE TV WE SEE THE DECK OF AN AIRCRAFT CARRIER, AND A REPORTER SPEAKING, AS PLANES TAKE OFF. REPORTER Missions into Albanian Airspace. Missions to Kill or Die. American Men, and, yes, and women, in the prime of their lives, but never closer to death, while... ANGLE, ON BREAN, AS HE TURNS TO LOOK AT ANOTHER SCREEN. ON THAT TV SCREEN WE SEE A SOB-SISTER TYPE SOB SISTER REPORTER TYPE ...fighting, yes, but fighting for what? THE SCREEN IS FILLED WITH THE PHOTO OF THE YOUNG ALBANIAN WOMAN, WHO IS NOW HOLDING TWO CATS. SOB SISTER REPORTER TYPE For this. For this. For Freedom, for safety -- yes, theirs and ours. BREAN HEARS A WHOOSH, AND TURNS TO LOOK BACK AT THE SCREEN OF THE JETS TAKING OFF. TV SCREEN, WITH JETS. ANNOUNCER (VO) The sound of Freedom? Yes, Perhaps the sound of Death... but.... BREAN LOOKING AT THE SCREEN, BEHIND HIM HE HEARS A VAST CHEER, HE TURNS. THE AIDE WITH THE PHONE TO HIS EAR HAS PICKED UP A PIECE OF CHALK, AND IS WRITING, ON THE % IN FAVOR SLATE THE FIGURE 71%. THE AIDES ARE CHEERING, AND SLAPPING EACH OTHER ON THE BACK. INT, IMPROVISED OFFICE, IN THE SHOE STOCKROOM. NIGHT. A STOCKROOM LINED WTTH SHOEBOXES, IN IT A DESK, TWO CHAIRS, A TELEVISION. AMES ENTERS, OPENS THE DESK AND TAKES OUT A BOTTLE. HE HANDS IT TO BREAN, WHO ENTERS AFTER HIM. ON THE WALL IS ANOTHER SET OF SIGNS, READING DAYS TILL ELECTION 8, AND % IN FAVOR WHICH AMES NOW FILLS IN 71. AMES PICKS UP A SHEAF OF PAPERS FROM THE DESK. AMES New York Times, Wash Post, Detroit Register, San Diego BEE, all in emission. No mention of the Girlscout. None. BREAN Eight Days To Go (HE GESTURES AT THE CALENDER) AMES I live for midnight, when I can tear another of those suckers off. Watcha got for me? BREAN Big Bird touches down when? AMES We're bring'n im in tomorrow, five AM. BREAN Anything at the Airport? AMES Press thought "no," whaddaya think...? BREAN (NODS) I think, here's what I think: S'it gonna rain...? (HE CHECKS A NOTEBOOK) AMES (YELLING) Gimme the weather for tomorrow morning, five A.M. Andrews... BREAN (CHECKING HIS NOTEBOOK) An Albanian, a young Albanian Girl. AN AIDE APPEARS WITH A TEARSHEET. AMES READS IT. AMES No rain. BREAN (SHRUGS, NONETHELESS) A young Albanian Girl, dressed in their... HE GESTURES, MEANING, "WHATEVER THEY WEAR, YOU FIGURE IT OUT..." AMES NODS TO THE AIDE, WHO BEGINS SCRIBBLING IN A PAD. BREAN And carrying. (HE GESTURES, MEANING, LOOK IT UP) The National Flower of Albania, something..... Now Is it some Festival? Some Harvest Festival, something... AMES (TO THE AIDE) Get on this, right now... BREAN ...got to be something. She gives him the sacred... (HE GESTURES, WHAT-HAVE-YOU) And tells him: this is the Traditional Harvest Offering, given to the Man who Ties the First Sheaf, the last sheaf, whatever the fuck it is... AMES ...this's good... BREAN Stanley Moss, Ladeesngennlmen... And she says... AMES Is she saying this in Albanian...? BREAN (OF NOTES) Yes: she is saying this in Albanian, but she's doing it not to be uh... (AMES GESTURES, MEANING, "I GET IT") But because, she explains, that is the only way it can be understood by her Aged and Sainted Mother, who is standing there with her, dressed in her Traditional... AMES GESTURES TO THE AIDE, MEANING, "GET TO IT," THE AIDE NODS HER UNDERSTANDING, AND DISAPPEARS. BREAN (TO DISAPPEARING AIDE) C'n I get something to eat...? Now the Old Broad starts to speak: you are bringing peace. Not only to This Land... AMES Our adopted land... BREAN ...but to the Old World; you are stilling the forces of hatred and of War which have, since I was a child... AMES ...uh huh... BREAN Now, the Old Lady starts to Weep, Big Bird shrugs off his secret Service, goes to her, and covers her with his own coat. AMES (CALLING OUT) Find out is there any chance we can get some rain tomorrow, will you...? BREAN (OF PAD) So forth... AMES STOPS TO LOOK AT ANOTHER COMMERCIAL ON TV. THEY TURN TO SEE TWO "YOUNG MOTHER" TYPES, SHOPPING... YOUNG MOTHER ONE ...to vote for. YOUNG MOTHER TWO Well, I think it's like when we thought of Changing Tommy's Pediatrician. Bill said, "Not While he's sick -- cause you Don't Change Horses in the mid..." BREAN TURNS OFF THE VOLUME, AND CONTINUES. BREAN How is Big Bird holding up, by the way? AMES Catching up on his reading. Asked about you, sends his thanks. BREAN Knock on wood. AMES Speaking of thanks... we puttem back in, what does your fellow Moss want? BREAN I dunno.... Ambassador to Togo, somethin', I dunno... he... AMES Maybe he's just a patriot. BREAN Yeah...what was I talking about...? AN AIDE APPEARS WITH A SANDWICH, AND BREAN STARTS TO EAT. AMES How long you been up, you need a nap. BREAN (SHAKING HIS HEAD) Due in Nashville. AMES Nashville...? BREAN We're gonna do the Team Song. AMES You're tired, Ronnie. BREAN Y'wanna follow the Cattle Drive? Sleep in the Winter. What does Moss want...? Matchmaker comes to the Levinsky Family. Mr. Levinsky, Mrs. Levinsky, would you entertain an offer of marriage for your son Saul, from Princess Margaret of Great Britain. Well, they think, she isn't Jewish, but she's well to-do, a nice old family. Alright, yes, they say. We would consider such an offer. Wonderful, matchmaker says, My Job is Half Done. (HE YAWNS) Now, Look: I got the file, from the L.A. contingent, I got the day-by-day, of how... HE LOOKS AT AMES, WHO IS LOOKING INTENTLY AT THE TV. ANNOUNCER (AS AMES TURNS UP THE SOUND) ...denial from the Albanian Government continues, but this tape, just in... THE SCREEN SWITCHES TO SHOTS OF TRUDY LAROUCHE, IN ALBANIAN GARB, RUNNING TOWARD THE CAMERA, OVER A BRIDGE ACROSS A SMALL STREAM, IN THE B.G. HER BURNING HOUSE, SIRENS, AND THE SOUNDS OF SHOTS, AT WHICH TRUDY COLLAPSES, CONVULSED WITH SOBS. ANNOUNCER ...just having heard her family shot. For the crime of non-cooperation with Albanian Authorities. Apparently, they had a family connection in Canada, along the US border and refused to exploit it to aid the Terrorists to infiltrate this country. (BEAT) They paid with their lives. AMES ...this is magnificent. BREAN ...Stanley Moss... AMES 8 days and we bring it back home.... BREAN RISES, STRETCHES. SOMEBODY SWITCHES THE CHANNEL, AND WE SEE A NEWSMAN DOING A STANDUP IN FRONT OF A STREETVENDOR, WHO HAS A BOARD FULL OF BUTTONS. THE CAMERA PANS OVER THE BUTTONS, WE SEE THE "FUCK ALBANIA," AND WE SEE ONE READING "RUN FROM ALBANIA? TELL ME ANOTHER ONE..." AND T-SHIRTS SHOWING SIMILAR LOGOS. ANGLE ON BREAN AND AMES SITTING AROUND. AMES LOOKS AT HIM INQUISITIVELY. BREAN None of these are ours. None of em are ours.... (HE SMILES AT AMES) ....that's real politik, Buddy. AMES Waal, I gotta tell you. I've been inside the Beltway fourteen years, and I feel like I Just Got My Feet Wet. THEY KICK BACK, AND WATCH THE TELEVISION, SHOWING IMAGES OF THE TANKS ALONG THE CANADIAN BORDER. AMES And if you think about it: if you think about it, what Is war...? What is war? I mean, aside from the killing, and, all... that isn't so pleasant, ... you in the Service...? (PAUSE) BREAN, UNSEEN BY AMES, GETS UP AND GOES TO THE DOOR TO LISTEN. AMES (CONT.) ...and I'll tell you another thing. President said to me: When this thing... "happened." "It looks like the Building's falling. But, these are the times..." and I wish what he said, we could have used it on TV, and, as a matter of fact, we can, if we... (HE LOOKS AROUND, SEES BREAN STANDING BY THE DOOR.) Look here, here's an idea... Here's an idea... (HE WALKS OVER TO THE DOOR.) Turn it on it's head. If we're ahead in the polls, well, hell, this is the time to capitalize on it. What do you think? Get ahead of them, use the percentage points to push forward some of the long-term goals: housing, health-care ref... BREAN GESTURES FOR SILENCE. HE AND AMES LISTEN INTENTLY, THE HUBBUB IN THE ADJOINING ROOM (THE SHOESTORE) HAS PASSED. IT IS SILENT. AMES AND BREAN PEEK AROUND THE WALL OF SHOEBOXES. ANGLE THEIR POV THE AIDES, IMMOBILE. FIVE VERY FIT YOUNG MEN IN SUITS STAND NEAR THE ENTRANCE. ONE YALIE-LOOKING FELLOW IN HIS THIRTIES WALKS THROUGH THEIR MIDST, FROM THE ENTRANCE. HE STOPS FOR A MOMENT AT A TELEVISION, WHICH IS GLARING A COMMERCIAL FOR LAUNDRY SOAP, AND FLICKS IT OFF, ONE OF HIS FIT YOUNG MEN INCLINES HIS HEAD TOWARD THE REAR OF THE STORE, AND MR. YOUNG WALKS TOWARD THE REAR. THE YALIE COMES INTO A FITTING AREA. SEVERAL OF THE SMALL BENCHES USED FOR TRYING ON SHOES... TO AMES AND BREAN. YALIE Who might be the Boss Hog in this operation? (PAUSE) BREAN Feel free to talk to me. YALIE NODS YALIE Cheezit-the-Cops. AMES (TO HIMSELF) Ohmigod... INT OFFICE SUITE, NIGHT. BREAN AND AMES SITTING ON A COUCH. THE YALIE SITTING BEHIND A LARGE DESK, WATCHING A SMALL TELEVISION ON WHICH WE SEE A REPORTER, STANDING NEXT TO SEVERAL VERY GRIM LOOKING MEN IN PARK POLICE SMOKEY HATS. IN A FOREST, BELOW THEM, A LINE OF TANKS FADING ALONG A RIVER. REPORTER ...awaiting the arrival of The President back on American Soil. To still the fears, to answer the questions of this troubled land. Here, along a border once considered more Imaginary than real, I'm Mike Stears, at latitude 45, along the Canadian Border. ANGLE BREAN LOOKS DOWN AT HIS WATCH. BREAN ...I just missed my plane. AMES You missed your plane? My life is over. (PAUSE) My life is over. What have you done to me? What have I done? (PAUSE) Fourteen years of Public Service... BREAN Well, keep your wits about you, and let's see if we can't... AMES ...fourteen years... BREAN ...brazen-it-through... AMES Brazen it through? Brazen it through? They're going to hang us out to dry like the laundry --- do you know what we've ddd... THE BODYGUARD IN THE B.G. RAISES HIS FINGER TO HIS LIPS AND SHAKES HIS HEAD. AMES Do you know what we've done, for Godsake? Do you know what you've.... A BODYGUARD IN THE B.G. SPEAKS UP. BODYGUARD No talking, please. THROUGH IT ALL AMES SITS, WITH HIS HEAD IN HIS HANDS. A NEW REPORTER TAKES OVER ON TV, BEHIND HER A CHART, A GRAPH OF AN UPWARDLY MOVING LINE. REPORTER With seven days to go before the election, the Fortunes of President... THE DOOR OPENS, THE YALIE COMES TO ATTENTION, MR. YOUNG, A TWENTY-YEAR OLDER VERSION OF THE YALIE, ENTERS, CARRYING A CUP OF COFFEE, NO TIE, HAIR DISHEVELLED. MR. YOUNG (TO YALIE) ...took you long enough. YALIE Found'em as quick as we could, sir. MR. YOUNG When I'm done with'em, we want to dump'em in the District, or stick'em out in the country, have the F.B.I. trip over'em? THE YALIE CONSULTS HIS NOTES. YALIE Legal department says You Pick Em. Depends on how big of a splash you want to make, how long you want them to Go Away for. AMES (SOTTO) Oh, MiGod. BEAT, MR. YOUNG SHAKES HIS HEAD SADLY. MR. YOUNG Guess who I am. AMES I'd like to mention a few names, who... MR. YOUNG (LOOKING AT NOTES HE IS HANDED BY YALIE) I know who you are, Mr. Ames. AMES I was acting as a Private Citizen. Nothing that I've done should be construed as reflecting on the orders or intentions of anyone with whom you may have reason to believe I am connected with. (PAUSE) Or in whose employ... MR. YOUNG Quite touching. AMES And I take this opportunity to suggest that, equally, I admit to nothing, and that I would like my lawyer present. MR. YOUNG NODS. MR. YOUNG Guess what? We show, and N.S.A. confirms, there are no nuclear devices on the Canadian border. (PAUSE) There are no nuclear devices in Albania. Z'at put us in something of a pickle? (PAUSE) Albania has no nuclear capacity. Our spy satellites show "no secret terrorist camps" in The Albanian Hinterland. The F.B.I. and the Border Patrol, And the R.C.M.P. report no repeat no untoward activity along our picturesque Canadian Border. The Albanian Government is screaming its innocence, the world is listening. (PAUSE) There is no War. BREAN (GESTURES AT THE TV, WHERE WE SEE TRUDY LAROUCHE RUNNING ACROSS THE BURNING BRIDGE) Course there's a war. I'm watching it on Television. MR. YOUNG N'who might you be, when all's said and done? BREAN My name is Ronald Brean. MR. YOUNG Who're you working for? BREAN Nobody whose name you want me to say, Mr. Young, I promise you. MR. YOUNG S'all very well, but when the Fit hits the Shan, somebody's going to have to Stay After School, and who do you 'spose that might be. BREAN S'only got to hold for another few days. MR. YOUNG Well, I'm not interested in how long its "got to hold for." BREAN What are you interested in? (PAUSE) MR. YOUNG I'm interested in the Security of My Country, Mr. Brean. AMES As are we all, and I'd like to take this opportunity to suggest that the Security of the country would be ill- served by any, any...any... PAUSE. THEY LOOK AT HIM. AMES (CONT.) Any untoward "revelation" regarding, uh... MR. YOUNG And I think that the Security of the Country would be best-served by its citizens obeying its laws. (OVER HIS SHOULDER, TO AN AIDE) Gemme a Federal Judge, gemme search-warrants, all premises controlled by our friends, and bench-warrants for the two of... BREAN (SIMULTANEOUSLY, WITH THE ABOVE SPEECH) Well, I'm sure that speaks very well of you and for your parents. But if forced to choose between the security of the country and the security of your Job, which would you pick. And, while you hesitate, permit me to suggest that they are one and the same. Your country and your job. MR. YOUNG I'm doing my job, Mr. Brean. That's what you see me doing here. What is it you thought you were doing? AMES And I'd like to point out that I've been on prescription medication, the side-effects of which... BREAN I'm doing my job, Too. (OF THE AIDE) Would you give me a... do you think you could call off your Dogs for a minute. PAUSE. MR. YOUNG LOOKS AT THE AIDE, WHO IS EXITING, AND NODS. THE AIDE STAYS BEHIND. BREAN (CONT.) Thank you. MR. YOUNG What's on your mind? BREAN I have a question for you. MR. YOUNG Ask it. BREAN Why do people go to war? MR. YOUNG Why do people go to war? MR. YOUNG I'll play your silly game. BREAN Why do they go to War? MR. YOUNG To preserve their Way of Life. BREAN Would you go to War to do that? (PAUSE) MR. YOUNG I have. BREAN Well, I have, too. Would you do it again...? In't that why you're here? I guess so. N'if you go to war again, who is it going to be against? Your "ability to fight a Two-ocean War" against who? Sweden and Togo? Who you sitting here to Go To War Against? That time has passed. It's passed. It's over. The War of the Future is Nuclear Terrorism. It is and it will be against a Small Group of Dissidents who, unbeknownst, perhaps, to their own governments, have blah blah blah. And to go to that war, you've got to be prepared. You have to be alert, and the public has to be alert. Cause that is the war of the future, and if you're not gearing up, to fight that war, eventually the axe will fall. N'you're gonna be out in the street. (PAUSE) And you can call this a "drill," or you can call it "job security," or you can call it anything you like. But I got one for you: you said, "Go to War to protect your Way of Life," well, Chuck, this (HE GESTURES AROUND THE ROOM) is your way of life. Innit? And if there ain't no war, you can punch out, go home, and take up Oil Painting. And there ain't no war but ours. (PAUSE) HOLD ON THE GROUP. BREAN (CONT.) It's just for eight more days..... INT CORRIDORS C.I.A. COMPLEX AMES, AND BREAN ACCOMPANIED BY SEVERAL BODYGUARD TYPES AND THE YALIE. BREAN (TO THE YALIE) One more thing, what is that river she's running across? YALIE What? BREAN ...the young girl in the video, the Albanian Girl.... YOUNG NODS, AND MAKES A NOTE IN A BOOK. BREAN TURNS TO AMES. BREAN ...she's running, it's some sacred... some ancestral land, cloven by the Brook named.... give it to Moss, YOUNG No, we're on top of it. BREAN Thank you. YOUNG No, thank you... BREAN (HE CHECKS HIS WATCH) I should be in Nashville, tell him I'm coming in. BREAN (TO AMES) (GESTURING TO THE YALIE, AND BODYGUARDS.) Nice enogh people... they just hadn't thought it through... AMES, AS HE WALKS, TAKES OUT HIS CELLPHONE, AND DIALS. AMES (INTO THE PHONE) No. I was busy. (PAUSE) Yes, I need the new poll fig.... how long? I'll call in from Nashville. And patch me through to the Big Bird, will...? (TO BREAN) I've got to hand it to you. They sure let us out of there easy.... BREAN (TO HIMSELF) ...they just hadn't thought it through... THE YALIE SHAKES BREAN'S HAND, AND GESTURES FOR A DOOR TO BE OPENED. BEYOND THE DOOR WE SEE A HELIPAD, AND THE ROTORS OF A HELICOPTER JUST BEGINNING TO TURN, BREAN WAVES, AND TROTS OUT TO THE HELICOPTER. INT HELICOPTER NIGHT. AN AIRCREWMAN, LISTENING TO A SMALL RADIO. RADIO (VO) Midst repeated denial from the Albanian Government. While, at the White House, a sense of Stillness pervades, awaiting the return of... THE AIRCREWMAN SNAPS TO ATTENTION AS BREAN COMES INTO THE AIRCRAFT, BUCKLES HIMSELF INTO A WEBSEAT, AND FALLS ASLEEP. HE ROUSES HIMSELF, TAKES OUT HIS NOTEBOOK, AND STARTS TO WRITE IN IT. EXT PARKING LOT, NASHVILLE DAWN. A SUPERMARKET PARKING LOT, A HUGE COWBOY HAT ADORNS A STORE CALLED "KELLEY'S WESTERN WEAR." AT THE SUPERMARKET, SHOPPERS, PUSHING CARTS PILED HIGH -- THE WIFE PUSHING, THE HUSBAND GUARDING THE CART WITH A RIFLE. A FISTFIGHT BREAKS OUT. NO ONE NOTICES THE HELICOPTER. BREAN IS GETTING INTO A JEEP, ITS TOP OFF, DRIVEN BY A FELLOW IN WESTERN GETUP, ON THE SIDE IS PAINTED A GUITAR. IN THE B.G. WE SEE THE HELICOPTER LIFTING OFF. IN THE JEEP ARE THE FAD KING AND MOSS. ANGLE THE JEEP, AS BREAN SETTLES HIMSELF IN HE TURNS TO LOOK AT THE CHAOS IN THE PARKING LOT. COWBOY It ain't hoarding. It's stockpiling. BREAN Uh huh. COWBOY Only common sense. MOSS (OF THE BOOK) We got the guy, we got the guy, we got the Guy! FAD KING The Canada Thing was a shuck. A shuck -- wasted a day. What can you do with Canada? Bears, mapleleafs, "sugar -on-Snow." Lays there on the plate like a lox. ANGLE AMES ON THE PHONE IN THE JEEP. AMES Yes... Hello...? (PAUSE) What...? What...? We're breaking up, I'll call you from the studio. INT RECORDING STUDIO NASHVILLE, DAY. THE COWBOY, MOSS, FAD KING, AMES, AND BREAN WALKING THROUGH THE LOBBY AND CORRIDOR OF A NASHVILLE STUDIO, MANY GOLD AND PLATINUM RECORDS ON THE WALL. THEY PASS AN ELDERLY AFRICAN AMERICAN MAN SWEEPING THE HALL, AND NOD AT HIM. BREAN (REACHES INTO HIS JACKET POCKET) Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, get this typed, get somebody to send it to the White House... HE HANDS IT TO MOSS. MOSS What is it? BREAN President's speech. MOSS At the Airport? Cause we decided at the Airport he hugs the fat, wet Albanian Broad, we... BREAN No, no, no, no, no after the airport. THEY TURN AROUND, LOOKING FOR AMES, WHO IS HANGING BACK, LOOKING AT A TV. THEY RETRACE THEIR STEPS. CAMERA TAKES THEM TO AMES, WHO IS WATCHING SENATOR NOLE ON TV. AMES (SOFTLY) Oh, shit... NOLE ...gotten word that the situation in Albania is resolved. That it is resolved. My military sources confirm that our troops, along the Canadian Border, And overseas are standing down, and I must take this opportunity to call upon our President to stand and face the charges, the heinous charges brought against him. You know, folks, there is nothing in life as precious as the Innocence of a Child. (PAUSE) Nothing. Now, I do not say these charges are true, I do not see how they could be. Accusations of, of sexual misconduct in anyone, must be investigated. In the case of a Sitting President, of one whose term, and I do not hesitate to mention it, ends, in, effectively, in a matter of days... I call upon the President... AMES What does he mean The Situation has Been Resolved? BREAN He just got Hip to us. (PAUSE) He just ended the War. CAMERA TAKES THEM INTO THE RECORDING STUDIO. AMES What are we gonna do about it...? WE SEE SEVERAL PEOPLE AT A CONSOLE, AND, IN THE STUDIO, A BRIGHT SASSY LOOKING GROUP, SINGING. GROUP We guard the Northern Borders. We live the Northern Liiiiifffe... We come to restore Order... For our Children and our Wiiiiiiiffee... BREAN (TO ENGINEER) Tell'em to knock it off. THE ENGINEER TELLS THE GROUP TO STAND DOWN. PAUSE AMES What are we going to do? BREAN (TO MOSS) The War is Over. MOSS What? BREAN The War is Over. Senator Nole just ended the War. AMES Oh, God... BREAN Yep. Well, we started it, he Ended it... ANGLE ON THE TV. TELEVISION REPORTER ...and the C.I.A. Confirms the cessation of Hostilities, with... BREAN The C.I.A. AMES Oh, Lord.... BREAN ...those limp-dick ... turncoat... I thought they let us out of there too easy..... HE REACHES OVER AND FLICKS OFF THE TV. BREAN (TO MOSS. CONT.) War's over, Pal. (PAUSE) IN THE B.G. AMES PICKS UP THE PHONE AND DIALS. AMES (ON PHONE) Gloria -- sell the House. (HE HANGS UP) (PAUSE) MOSS The War ain't over. (PAUSE) BREAN I saw it on TV. MOSS The war ain't over til I say it's over. This is my picture. You think you're in a spot? You think this is a tight spot? Try making the Hunchback of Notre Dame when your three lead actors die, two weeks from the end of Principal Photography. This is... this is... this is just... (PAUSE) Act One: THE WAR. Act Two ... the... uh... FAD KING It's like those Japanese in the Caves on Okinawa... didn't believe the War was Over. MOSS You got a guy, doesn't believe the War is... NO NO NO. An American Serviceman... A brave American Serviceman, is Left Behind ... (HE LOOKS AT THE FAD KING, WHO IS MASSAGING HIS FOOT, HAVING TAKEN OFF HIS SHOE) He is Left Behind. He is discarded like an Old Shoe... (TO BREAN) Gemme the Pentagon. List of people in all Military Special Programs.... Left behind. Like the Old Shoe... Johnny: "Good Old Shoe"... (JOHNNY NODS) BREAN PICKS UP THE PHONE AND DIALS. BREAN Hello...? FAD KING PICKS UP THE PHONE. FAD KING Yeah, I need a list, people in Military Special Pro... MOSS ...what do you got? FAD KING (INTO PHONE) Military Special Programs... Programs... No, I am not Shouting at you, I'm... I'm sorry. Anyone named Shoe Schumann? Schuster... uh JOHNNY GREEN, ANGLE ON HIM, HIS EYES LIGHT UP. JOHNNY GREEN I got it! HE TAKES OUT HIS GUITAR, AND STARTS TO STRUM. HE PICKS UP A PENCIL. IN THE B.G. WE SEE THE OLD AFRICAN AMERICAN MAN COME INTO THE STUDIO, AND START CLEANING UP. SINGER "I guard the Northern Borders..." Okay, y'want to roll on another one...? JOHNNY GREEN Naaa. Fuck that. Fuck that... ENGINEER ...go get a Coke. Y'want something to eat...? SINGER We gonna be long, cause I told my wife... DISSOLVE INT STUDIO. NIGHT. VAST AMOUNTS OF TAKE-OUT FOOD WRAPPING. AMES, BREAN, JOHNNY GREEN, MOSS, THE ENGINEER, SITTING AT THE CONSOLE. IN THE STUDIO, AN OLD, BLACK SINGER, ARRANGING MUSIC ON THE STAND IN FRONT OF HIM. HE HOLDS A VERY BATTERED OLD GUITAR. JOHNNY GREEN, STILL SCRIBBLING ON MUSIC PAPER, GOES INTO THE STUDIO, AND HANDS A SHEET TO THE SINGER, AND LEAVES. THE SINGER IS THE OLD MAN WE SAW SWEEPING UP. SINGER (SINGS) Good Old Shoe Good Old Shoe...never left you hangin, Just a Good Old Shoe... (HE STOPS, TALKS TO THE CONTROL ROOM) I'm sorry, Barry, the action on this... where the hell did you get this old thing? ENGINEER (TALKING THROUGH THE P.A.) ...found it in a pawnshop. Three bucks. THE SINGER SMILES, SHAKES HIS HEAD, STARTS TO TUNE A STRING. MOSS Don't tune it too good. ENGINEER Leave it flat, will you, Ben? THE SINGER NODS. ENGINEER Do another? SINGER Let's do it. ENGINEER (CUING THE TAPE) Good Old Shoe... MOSS (SHOWS THE PHOTO OF SCHUMANN TO BREAN) William Schuman. Old Shoe. U.S. Army. Serial number, 21-31-2841-262. ENGINEER Take ten. SINGER He's the Runt of the Litter Waal that's true N'I found him jest hiding in an Old Work Shoe N'he got into mischief, as a Pup will do. But I never had a better than my Good Old Shoe. Waal, we's out jest a-huntin, on a Cold Fall Day, and it seems like that Possum 'bout to Get Away... MOSS It's too clean. ENGINEER Hold it a minute, Benny, willya? MOSS It's too clean. ENGINEER Let's take the bridge from nine, and the intro from one, and... MOSS It's got to sound like an acetate recording, 1930. ENGINEER Hold it a minute, Benny, we're going to tweak it a bit. (TO THE GROUP) This may take a while. BREAN (TO JOHNNY, AND MOSS) This is fantastic. JOHNNY GREEN Y'like it? Wait'll you get to the bridge... BREAN This's Fantastic... JOHNNY GREEN (TO ENGINEER) Don't go with the bridge from nine, go with the bridge from eight. ENGINEER Why eight? JOHNNY GREEN Just try it. IN THE B.G. WE SEE AMES TALKING INTO THE CELLPHONE. AMES A new take on the... Well, sir, we're coming back, we'd like you to try it out, this evening... MOSS Listen to what I've ... listen to... does anybody know Morse Code? BREAN What're you gonna do with Morse Code? MOSS (NODS, POINTS TO THE GLOSSY PHOTO) ...we put your Guy in a sweater... BREAN Yeah...? MOSS "Good Old Shoe -- " We put him in a sweater. WE HEAR A WHISTLE. HEADS TURN. THE COWBOY TYPE IS WHISTLING. HE IS OVER AT A COFFEE AREA, LOOKING AT A SMALL TELEVISION, THE GROUP MOVES TO THE TV. ON THE TELEVISION WE SEE A TALKING HEAD, ANNOUNCING THE ARRIVAL OF THE PRESS. IN THE B.G. AIRFORCE ONE IS ROLLING TO A STOP. WE SEE THE RAMP COME DOWN AND THE PRESIDENT COME OUT IN THE RAIN AND HURRY TOWARD A WAITING HELICOPTER. HE SEES SOMETHING OFF TO THE SIDE AND STOPS, HIS AIDES TRY TO DISSUADE HIM, BUT HE PULLS AWAY. THE NEWS CAMERA HUNTS AND FINDS A SMALL ALBANIAN GIRL, CARRYING A SHEAF OF WHEAT IN HER HANDS, AN OLD WOMAN BEHIND HER, BOTH STANDING IN THE RAIN. THE PRESIDENT ADVANCES, AND MOVES TO LET HIS AIDES LET THE CHILD COME FORWARD. WE SEE THE PRESIDENT, MOVED AT THE SIGHT OF THE LITTLE GIRL, OFFERING HIM THE SHEAF OF WHEAT, WE HEAR A REPORTER, V.O. REPORTER (VO) ...trying too... it seems that she is speaking in... is is Albanian ... Is it Albanian? Can we get someone on... A WOMAN'S VOICE COMES ON, A TRANSLATOR. TRANSLATOR (VO) ...salvation of our Country. To...to "intercede" where violent men would work to destroy ... to destroy Harmony. Now is the Harvest Season in my Land, and I bring you... (SHE HANDS HIM THE WHEAT) I bring you this traditional Albanian, forgive me not to speak English, but my Grandmother... THE CAMERA MOVES ONTO THE GRANDMOTHER, STANDING, NODDING, BEHIND THE LITTLE GIRL, AND THE PRESIDENT, REALIZING FOR THE FIRST TIME THAT THE OLD WOMAN IS STANDING IN THE RAIN, MOVES TO HER, REMOVES HIS SUITCOAT, AND PLACES IT OVER HER HEAD. SHE CLASPS HIM TO HER BOSOM. SHE SPEAKS TO HIM IN ALBANIAN. TRANSLATOR God bless you, God bless you, you are my Son... you are a Bringer of Peace... WE HEAR A PHONE RING. ANGLE WIDER, ON THE GROUP AT THE TV, ALL SHAKING THEIR HEADS SADLY. AN AIDE HANDS THE PHONE TO MOSS, WHO GIVES IT TO BREAN. BREAN Hello? EXT ANDREWS AIRFORCE BASE DAY. CAIN, FROM THE PRESS CORPS, ON A CELL PHONE, BEHIND HER THE SPECTACLE OF THE PRESIDENT AND THE GIRL AND THE OLD WOMAN, WE SEE THE RAIN IS BEING SUPPLIED BY RAINBIRD MACHINES, THE DAY IS CLEAR. CAIN ...getting the speech for the White House...? (PAUSE) Good. Good. Because he's.... ANGLE, INT THE STUDIO, ON BREAN, ON THE PHONE. BREAN He can't respond to the Allegations. (PAUSE) I don't care how many girlscouts are picketing the ... look, look, look, we're coming home with Gold. Eh? Tell him to hold firm for two hours... coming home with Gold. MOSS (TO FAD KING) Did we ever use those costumes for the Border Patrol? Those guys in the Leopard-Skin Hats? Here's my idea.... INT LIMO DAY. THE BACKSEAT OF A LIMO AMES AND BREAN WITH A PHONE TO HIS EAR. THE TELEVISION ON, SHOWING THE GIRL RUNNING ACROSS THE FLAMING BRIDGE, MOSS, FIDDLING WITH THE VOLUME ON THE TAPE PLAYER, WHICH IS PLAYING "GOOD OLD SHOE." BREAN (INTO PHONE) I'll hold. WE HEAR THE SCRATCHY RENDITION OF "GOOD OLD SHOE" ON THE TAPE PLAYER. AMES ...this is a snappy song.... MOSS What'd ya think? BREAN I think it's fine? MOSS It's not too clean... BREAN No, it's... (ON PHONE) I'll, yes, I'm holding, but... (TO MOSS) No, it's ... HE STOPS AND GESTURES MOSS TO TURN OFF THE VOLUME ON THE TAPE. THEY BOTH TURN TOWARD THE TV, WHERE WE SEE A FREEZE FRAME OF THE GIRL ON THE BRIDGE, AND AN INSERT OF A MAP OF ALBANIA. ANNOUNCER Have identified the bridge, and the river from that tape. It is a bridge over the river __________, ... what is it, Mayra, a "rhyme...?" ANOTHER WOMAN IS SHOWN ON THE SCREEN, AS THE ANGLE WIDENS. MAYRA Actually, Bess, it's an ode, an ancient Albanian ode, praising the river, this particular river, the ________, as a source of peace. It is ironic that.... BREAN (ON PHONE) Hello -- BREAN (ON PHONE) Look: I'm bringing in a tape, I need it copied AT ONCE onto an old acetate, and stuck in the Library of Congress. Gotta Happen Today. MOSS In the Folk Music Section. BREAN In the Folk Music Section. We'll be in in... ON THE TV SCREEN, NOW, IS SENATOR NOLE. BREAN HANGS UP THE PHONE. MAYRA Ironic Bess, that while Peace is At Hand, the spectre of disgrace, unrest haunts the President, who, scant days from the Election... INT. MALL -- DAY BREAN MOSS AND AMES. WALKING -- AN AIDE GIVES BREAN A PHOTO. BREAN ...this the Guy. MOSS Oh, he's gonna be Aces. BREAN Where is he now? MOSS (SHRUGS) Some, military... Special Program, Oklahoma somewhere... BREAN ...we get our hands on him? MOSS They got him standing by. BREAN What's the thing with Morse Code... MOSS Oh, you're gonna love this: INT MALL H.Q., SHOESTORE DAY. WE SEE THE ASSEMBLED THRONG LISTENING TO THE END OF THE SONG, "GOOD OLD SHOE," RAPT. BREAN RISES, AND FLIPS OFF THE TAPE. BREAN Who said, "I care not who writes a country's laws, so long as I can write its songs..."? Stanley Moss, folks... THE GROUP STARTS APPLAUDING. MOSS Hey, hey, I'm just the Producer, I'm just the Stationmaster, Johnny Green wrote that song, and... AMES All we have to do now is sell it to the President. BREAN No, I'm telling you, this guy, this guy is aces, this guy is the Kitty's Sleepwear, this guy, they should of given him every Oscar. Every Oscar. This is the... AN AIDE ENTERS, HOLDING A BOX GINGERLY, SHE BRINGS IT TO BREAN, WHO OPENS IT, HOLDS IT TO THE CAMERA, IT CONTAINS A RATTY OLD 78 RECORD "FOLKLORE OF THE RURAL SOUTH, VOLUME THREE, 'GOOD OLD SHOE' WRITTEN AND SUNG BY NATHANIEL HORN, 1934, ATHENS, GA." BREAN (HOLDING IT UP) Well, this is genius. Who did this? MOSS My prop guy, had a guy out here. BREAN (TO THE AIDE) Get it in the stacks at the Library of Congress, Now. (TO THE ASSEMBLE) Who's seeing the guy at C.B.S.? A YOUNG WOMAN RAISES HER HAND. BREAN Tonight, you remember some song, from your folksong days, something about a Good Old Shoe... AIDE ...tonight... BREAN You're with him tonight, watching the President's Speech, when the President... AIDE What if he's busy tonight? BREAN Lure him. (PAUSE) AIDE What are you saying... BREAN Well, darlin' I ain't your confessor. Tell him you've got some info on the President's sex scandal, it's on your conscience, believe me, he'll drop what he's doing. Okay; Now: Folks, folks, folks, this is a shitty business, and it needs no Ghost Come From the Grave to tell us that. But in Six Days, Lord willing n'Jesus Tarries, I am going to take you beauties into the second term. .....wait til you hear the speech tonight. The 3-0-3 Speech... where's the Fad King, by the way... AIDE (ON THE TELEPHONE, LOOKING WORRIED) ...on the way in. BREAN When you... (TO AIDE) What? I'm busy. AIDE It's the White House. HE HANDS THE PHONE TO BREAN. BREAN Hello. (PAUSE) What? MOSS What? BREAN What do you mean he won't do it? (PAUSE) He won't do what? (TO MOSS) He won't do the sp... (TO PHONE) It's what? It's corny? Corny? Is that the word? Of course it's corny. We wouldn't have him say the flippin' thing it wasn't corny. Put... listen, it's not a question, we're locked in to this speech. NO We're, Are You Listening? LOCKED IN. We're, we're playing way past it, we're past it -- it's the set-up for...he has got to say the speech. (PAUSE) Tell Ames to meet me at the West Gate in... (HE CHECKS HIS WATCH AND HANGS UP THE PHONE) ANGLE AT THE TV, MOSS IS WATCHING THE TELEVISION WHICH IS SHOWING THE "CHANGE HORSES CAMPAIGN." WE SEE TWO KIDS WITH SOAPBOX RACERS. KID ONE (OF HIS MACHINE) ...change it, but I said to my dad, "You Don't Change Horses in the Mid..." MOSS (OF TV) Can you believe this shit? BREAN GRABS MOSS, AND THEY EXIT HURRIEDLY. THE TV GOES TO A CARD READING "COMMITTEE TO RE-ELECT THE PRESIDENT," AND THEN TO A TALK-SHOW FORMAT, THE WOMAN SPEAKING TO A HIGHLY DECORATED GENERAL. GENERAL Yes. Thank God, I say. Thank God for the B-2 Bomber. Thank God for it, for it is not an engine of War, but an engine of Deterrence, as we've seen, and were it not for that deterrence, who is to say, but that American blood, would, even now... EXT WHITEHOUSE. PENNSYLVANIA AVE. DAY. MANY PLACARDS, ON THE GROUND, SHOWING MAPS OF ALBANIA, IN A RED CIRCLE WITH THE RED LINE THROUGH IT, HELD ALOFT, PLACARDS READING, "DON'T CHANGE HORSES," PHOTOPLACARDS SHOWING THE PRESIDENT WITH THE GIRLSCOUT AND THE MOTTO: "THANK HEAVEN FOR LITTLE GIRLS." A REPORTER IS INTERVIEWING A POLICEMAN. POLICEMAN (TALKING INTO A MICROPHONE) I was in the Vietnam Conflict, and I want to tell you that a man who could do what the President did -- I respect him. But, on this issue.... EXT WHITEHOUSE WESTGATE. DAY. A VAN MARKED "JIFFY LOCKSMITHS" IS WAVED THROUGH THE GATE. ANGLE AT THE DRIVETHROUGH PORTICO, AMES WAITING, WE SEE THE VAN, ON WHICH SOMEONE HAS SPRAYPAINTED "FUCK ALBANIA." INT WHITEHOUSE. AMES, CAIN AND LEVY STANDING THERE, WAITING, AS BREAN AND MOSS, DRESSED IN LOCKSMITHS COVERALLS, ENTER THE WHITEHOUSE/ CAMERA TRAVELS WITH THEM AS THEY STRIDE DOWN THE HALL. MOSS (TO AN AIDE) Gemme all your secretaries, puttem in an office now, Would you? Would you do that? (PAUSE) Gimme thirty secretaries... AMSE NODS AT LEVY, WHO TAKES OFF ON HIS MASTER'S BUSINESS. MOSS I need the President. Five minutes of his time. Eh? Five... "the speech is corny"...?? (TO BREAN) You know, this is what they used to say when I went out to Hollywood. "It's too theatrical"... I came from the Theatre, and, anything, over their heads, "It's too Theatric..." AMES He thinks it's too... BREAN First of all, we're locked in to it, secondly: MOSS Don't tell me that the speech is too corny. Your guy got caught with his hand in the cookie Jar. I came to Save him. I don't need this gig, I don't need the money, I don't need the tsuris ... I don't need it. He needs the gig. Y'r gonna go to the goddamn Doctor an exam, What've I got? He tells you you've got Cancer, you tell him, "That's Old Hat, gimme something else"...? HE IS STEERED INTO AN OFFICE, HE OPENS THE DOOR, AND WE SEE THE LAST OF TWENTY SECRETARIES, WANDERING, TAKING SEATS IN A SMALL WAITING ROOM. HE TURNS. AND WE SEE THE BACK OF THE PRESIDENT, ENTERING. AMES Mr. President, this is St... MOSS Hi, How are ya? Listen to this, willya... MOSS TAKES A SHEAF OF PAPERS FROM HIS POCKET AND GOES THROUGH THE DOOR FROM THE SMALL OFFICE INTO THE WAITING ROOM. LEAVING THE DOOR HALF-OPEN, THE PRESIDENT WAITS BEHIND, LOOKING ON THROUGH THE HALF OPEN DOOR. MOSS (TO THE SECRETARIES) ...Ladies, thank you for coming. I have in my hand a . It is a photograph of a man. His name is William A. Schumann. He is the part of the team, of unit 303, who dropped behind Albanian Lines. We've just received this photograph, of Schumann in captivity. Held by a dissident, a renegade group of Albanian Terrorists. (HE HOLDS THE PHOTOGRAPH UP) I'm going to call your attention to something...I don't know how many of you know Morse Code... ANGLE BREAN, AND AMES, IN THE CORRIDOR. PACING. PAUSE. AMES You need this Schumann fellow? BREAN Ronnie says we don't need'em for another four days. (PAUSE) ...s'there a problem? AMES No. No...Pentagon says, Army's got'em, they got'm in ..."Custody"... (PAUSE) BREAN How's your wife? AMES Fine. (PAUSE) THE DOOR BEHIND THEM OPENS. BEAT. THEN A WEEPING SECRETARY COMES OUT. BREAN, MOVES INTO THE ROOM, FOLLOWED BY AMES, WE SEE A ROOM FULL OF SECRETARIES, QUIETLY WEEPING. BREAN LOOKS AROUND FOR MOSS. HE SPOTS HIM THROUGH THE OPEN DOOR. ANGLE. HIS POV, IN THE OVAL OFFICE, MOSS, HANDING THE SPEECH BACK TO THE PRESIDENT. MOSS "The Speech Won't Work..." MOSS STARTS OUT OF THE OFFICE, BACK TOWARD THE CAMERA, AND THEN TURNS BACK TO THE PRESIDENT. MOSS ...and see if you can keep your dick in your pants two more weeks, willya...? (HE CLOSES THE DOOR) (TO HIMSELF, DEROGATORILY) "...speech won't work..." AS HE STARTS TO LEAVE THE ROOM, ONE OF THE WEEPING SECRETARIES TAKES HIS HAND AND KISSES IT... HE PICKS UP HIS LOCKSMITH KIT, AND STARTS DOWN THE HALL, MOTIONING TO HIM TWO SECRET SERVICE ESCORTS, "LET'S GO..." HOLD ON THE WAITING ROOM, ONE OR TWO RESIDUAL WEEPING SECRETARIES DABBING AT THEIR EYES. AND A SIGN ON THE BOARD, READING 6 DAYS TO ELECTION, AND %-IN- FAVOR -- 37%. AN AIDE GOES OVER TO THE BOARD, A PHONE TO HIS EAR, AND WIPES OUT 37% AND INSERTS 27%. INT STUDIO APARTMENT NIGHT. A YOUNG FELLOW, IN BLUEJEANS AND T-SHIRT, EATING POPCORN OUT OF A BOWL AND WATCHING TELEVISION. ON THE TELEVISION, THE PRESIDENT, IN THE OVAL OFFICE. TV (VOICE OVER) Ladies and Gentlemen, the President of the United States. WE SEE THE FORM OF THE PRESIDENT COME TO THE PODIUM, AND CAIN MOVES TO THE BACK OF THE READYROOM, WHERE SHE WATCHES, THROUGH A TWO-WAY MIRROR, THE BACK OF THE PRESIDENT, AS THE PRESIDENT PREPARES TO GIVE THE SPEECH. WE SEE, BEYOND THE PRESIDENT THE PODIUM, AND THE GLASS WITH THE TELEPROMPTER TEXT PRINTED ON IT, AS IT SCROLLS UP, AND WE SEE CAIN FOLLOW ALONG, ON THE TEXT AT HER HAND. PRESIDENT Thank you, would you be seated, please. (PAUSE) Ladies and Gentlemen... I thank. A merciful God. And I am sure each and every one of us will thank that Supreme Power, whatever we conceive that power to be -- that peace is at hand. MURMUR AMONG THE PRESSCORPS. THE PRESIDENT CLEARS HIS THROAT, AND TAKES A SIP OF WATER. CAIN LOOKS UP, AND WE SEE ON A VIDEOMONITOR, WHICH SHOWS A REARVIEW OF THE PRESIDENT, THE SAME TELEPROMPTER IMAGE HE SEES, WHICH READS: ...That peace is at hand... (CLEAR THROAT AND TAKE A DRINK) ANGLE THE PRESIDENT, CONTINUIN TO SPEAK. PRESIDENT The threat of Nuc1ear Terrorism has been quelled. We are in contaot with the Albanian Premier, who assures me, and this government credits his assurances, that his country does not wish us ill, and has not. That the threat which we perceived was not of his wish, or of his making. ANGLE CAIN, MOUTHING ALONG, WITH THE SPEECH, SHE LOOKS DOWN, AND WE SEE WRITTEN, ON HER COPY. of his making (BITE LIP) ANGLE AS WE LOOK UP, WE SEE THE PRESIDENT BITING HIS LIP, AND CONTINUING WITH THE SPEECH. PRESIDENT From whence did it come? Our information states it came from a small group of armed, dissidents. Of Armed and Violent Dissidents... ANGLE ON CAIN, AS SHE LOOKS AROUND. ANGLE, HER POV. THE GROUP, LISTENING SPELLBOUND. ANGLE CAIN, AS SHE SMILES TO HERSELF. ANGLE ON THE PRESIDENT. AS HE CONTINUES. PRESIDENT (C) But that group has been, in the main, subdued. Now: How did we come by this information? And. Who subdued that group? (THE PRESIDENT COUGHS) ANGLE CAIN LOOKS DOWN AT HER SCRIPT. SHRUGS, AND LOOKS UP. ANGLE ON THE PRESSCORP, THE REPORTERS, LISTENING WIDEMOUTHED, TO THE PRESIDENT'S SPEECH. PRESIDENT It falls to me to reveal to you a secret. (PAUSE) To reveal the existence of a secret group of warriors. Men, yes, and women, trained and pledged their strength, their skills, and, if called upon, their lives, in the service of their fellow Americans. A group so secret, its very existence has been known to just a few, and known not by a Name, but by a Designation Number, Three-Oh-Three... INT HEADQUARTERS IN THE SHOESTORE IN THE MALL, NIGHT. LIZ, THE COSTUME DESIGNER, WORKING ON A DRAWING OF A SHOULDER PATCH, ON A BERET. ON ONE SKETCH WE SEE IT IS ON A BLACK BERET, ON THE ONE BELOW IT IS ON A LEOPARDSKIN BERET. ONE VERSION HAS A COUGAR WITH AN OLILTE BRANCH, WE PAN ONTO VERSION TWO WHICH SHOWS A DOVE HOLDING A SWORD. THE NUMERALS 303 FIGURE PROMINENTLY ON EACH. THE BANNER FOR THE MOTTO IS BLANK. LIZ ...anybcdy know Latin. PRESIDENT (VO) ...member of the group, was left behind what were, then, Enemy Lines. (PAUSE) ANGLE ON LIZ, AS SHE WALKS THROUGH THE H.Q., ON A BOARD WE SEE "DAYS TILL ELECTION 6" AND % IN FAVOR 82%. A HUGE TV SHOWS THE PRESIDENT. PRESIDENT And I can only say, to those family members, of group 303, which members are, I know, as I speak, gathering to comfort you, the parents of the missing man, I can only say, LIZ I need a Latin Motto, anybody know n'y Latin...? PRESIDENT ....and the Albanian Government joins with me, that no, I repeat, No effort will be apared, to find... ANGLE INT LIMO, BREAN AND MOSS WATCHING THE TV PRESIDENT (ON TV) ...this brave man and to bring him home. BEAT. BREAN REACHES OVER AND TURNS DOWN THE SOUND. THEY LOOK AT EACH OTHER AND SMILE. MOSS Trump that, Senator Nole, you Howdy Doody vontz. BREAN Not bad for government work. (PAUSE) Having a good time. MOSS Haven't had so much fun since Live TV. BREAN SIGHS, TAKES A PHOTO OF SCHUMANN FROM HIS POCKET, CAMERA SEES IT CAPTIONED WITH THE NAME WILLIAM SCHUMANN, ETC. PRESIDENT (HOLDS UP A PHOTOGRAPH) Here's a photograph. It is a photograph of a man. His name is William Schumann. He is a Master Sergeant in the United States Army. A member of the Squad 303....dropped behind Albanian Lines. We've just received this photograph, of Schumann in Captivity. Held by a dissident group of Albanian Terrorists...Now, I don't know how many of you are familiar with the Morse Code...but...could you bring the camera closer in here, please...? THE CAMERA PUSHES IN, TO A SECTION OF SCHUMANN'S SWEATER. PRESIDENT (VO) You will see his sweater is worn...it has been unraveled in places, and those places form dashes and dots. ANGLE THE PRESIDENT, HOLDING THE PHOTOGRAPH PRESIDENT Dashes and Dots. And those dots spell out a message in the Morse Code. And that message is, "Courage, Mom..." (PAUSE. PRESIDENT PAUSES, AS IF ALL CHOKED UP) And he got the message through. "Courage. Mom..." (PAUSE. HE COMPOSES HIMSELF) Well, to the Family of William A. Schumann, to the Men and Women of Unit 303, to my fellow citizens I say "courage." I have informed the Albanian government, and I inform you, that we will not rest until the safe return of Sergeant Schwn&nn. (PAUSE) I'm told his unit mates gave him the nickname, "Old Shoe." Ladies and Gentleman, we will not treat him like an Old Shoe, we... ANGLE INT, 5HOESTORE HQ. NIGHT. AMES, MOSS AND BREAN, LOOKING AT THE TV. MOSS Trump that, Senator Nole, you Howdy-Doody-looking Vontz. ANGLE YOUNG PERSON'S APARTMENT, NIGHT. PRESIDENT (VO. ON TELEVISION) ...we will not be swayed, will, will not be swayed from Every effort to find our Old Shoe, our... WE HEAR A YOUNG WOMAN'S VOICE YOUNG WOMAN (VO) Hey...? ANGLE ON THE YOUNG MAN, AS HE TURNS. WE SEE, BEHIND HIM, AN UNMADE BED, AND A YOUNG WOMAN, THE AIDE FROM THE SHOESTORE H.Q., WRAPPED IN A SHEET. AIDE ...wasn't there a folksong called "Old Shoe?" Wasn't there an old, uh ..."folksong"... WHITEHOUSE SITUATION ROOM, WE SEE THE BOARD, READING, DAYS TO ELECTION, ET CETERA, AND THE AIDE, STANDING BY THE PERCENTAGE IN FAVOR SIGN WHICH NOW READS 37%, THE AIDE CROSSES OUT 37 AND WRITES IN 41, THEN LISTENS, AND WIPES OUT THE ONE AND MAKES IT 47. EXT. POOR NEIGHBORHOOD. NIGHT. A BLACK LIMO GLIDES SLOWLY THROUGH THE STIEET. ANGLE, INT THE LIMO. BREAN AND MOSS IN THE BACKSEAT. MOSS It's all, you know ... thinking ahead. Thinking Ahead. That's what producing is. (PAUSE) It's like being a piumber. BREAN Mmm... MOSS You do your job right, nobody should notice. BREAN Mmm. MOSS S'only when you fuck up, everything gets full of shit. (PAUSE) Do you think we could line him up for the Peace Prize? BREAN Hey, our job ends at the Finish Line. MOSS Yes, but I, well, you know... BREAN Just for the Symmetry of the thing...? MOSS ...that's right. BREAN If they can give Kissenger the Peace Prize, I wouldn't be surprised to wake up and find I'd won the Preakness. MOSS Well, yes, but the guy did bring Peace. BREAN Yes, but there wasn't a War. MOSS All the greater accomplishment. THEY LOOK AT THE TELEVISION, PLAYING SILENTLY. ANGLE INS. THE TV SHOWING THE SHOULDER PATCH OF GROUP 303, THE NUMERALS AND A DOVE HOLDING A SWORD, AND A WOLF HOLDING AN OLIVE BRANCH. AND THE WORD "VOLO." BREAN INCREASES THE VOLUME A BIT. ANNOUNCER "Volo," meaning, "I will." As the President bends all his will, to find, and to restore to his country, to his family, and to what are his mounting legion of friends, William Schumann, the Commando Ranger of detacment 3.0.3. -- Sgt. William Schumann...the Old Shoe. BREAN (SIGHS) Hell of a thing... (HE LOOKS OUT OF WINDOW. TO THE DRIVER) Stop there.. THE LIMO STOPS. BREAN AND MOSS EXIT THE LIMO, TAKING A LARGE CARDBOARD BOX WITH THEM. ANGLE, EXT, THE LIMO BREAN AND MOSS, BENT OVER A BOX OF WHAT ARE REVEALED TO BE OLD SHOES. BREAN Ya got to hand it to the Fad King. MOSS No, he's my Hero. THEY PICK UP SEVERAL OLD SHOES, TIE THEM TOGETHER, AND BEGIN HEAVING THEM UP ONTO A LAMPPOST ON THE DESOLATE STREET. A SMALL AFRICAN-AMERICAN BOY COMS UP, AND LOOKS THROUGH THE BOX. KID ...these Shoes are ratty... BREAN Yeah, well, that's why we're flinging them away... THE KID SHRUGS, TAKES SEVERAL SHOES OUT OF THE BOX. BREAN AND MOSS GET INTO THE LIMO, WHICH BEGINS TO DRIVE AWAY. THE KID BEGINS TYING SHOES TOGETHER AND WALKS DOWN THE STREET AND HEAVES ANOTHER PAIR UP TO ANOTHER LAMPPOST. ANGLE RICH NEIGHBORHOOD. SUBURBS NIGHT. WEALTHY LOOKING WHITE GUY OUT WAKING HIS DOG. LIMO COMES UP BEHIND HIM. BREAN GETS OUT OF HIS CAR AND TAKES A CARDBOARD BOX OUT, AFTER HIM. HE RUMMAGES THROUGH THE BOX. FINDS A PAIR OF RATTY "SPERRY TOPSIDER," AND FLINGS THEM UP INTO THE TREE. INT RICH WHITE FELLOW'S HOUSE. NIGHT. THE MAN ENTERS THE BACK-DOOR, WITH THE DOG. INT LIVING-ROOM. HIS WIFE, KNITTING, LISTENING TO THE RADIO. MAN ...there was a fellow in a limousine, outside, throwing... SHE SHUSHES HIM. WE HEAR, ON THE RADIO: RADIO (SINGING, AS PER THE RECORDING WE HEARD PREVIOUSLY) ..."Dog Was Loyal, and the Dog was True...n'there's never been a better than my Good Old Shoe...Good Old Shoe...Good Old Shoe...Never have ta call'im when there's Work to do...If I get to Heaven when the Day is Through. I'll know I'll see him waitin', Jest a Good Old Shoe..." ANGLE, ON THE MAN, AS HE NODS ALONG IN TIME, TO THE WISDOM OF THE SONG. F.M. ANNOUNCER (VO) ...was just discovered. A l93O's recording, part of the folksong collection of the Library of Congress, and a fitting... THE MAN, MOVED, GOES INTO THE KITCHEN, WHERE HE POURS HIMSELF A DRINK, SWITCHING ON THE TV, WHERE WE SEE JIM BELUSHI, DOING "PANE:" ON SOME TALK SHOW. JIM BELUSHI ...and there's just one thing I'd like to say, and I am speaking to those in Albania who have the man in custody, and from the bottom of my heart: HE TURNS TOWARD THE CAMERA, AND BEGINS SPEAKING IN ALBANIAN. DISSOLVE INT FACTORY LUNCHROOM. DAY. A BUNCH OF WORKERS EATING, SOUNDS OF HEAVY MACHINERY IN THE B.G., AS OTHER WORKERS ENTER. SEVERAL PEOPLE WATCHING A SOAP OPERA. ANGLE ONE WORKER, WITH A T-SHIRT READING, "COURAGE, MOM," AND A PHOTO OF SCHUMANN, CHECKS HER WATCH, AND SWITCHES THE CHANNEL TO A NEWSCAST. NEWSCASTER (ON TV) ...the City Council, Denying the charges of...and this just in...the search for William Schumann continues. NATO, US, and Albanian Forces continue to scour the countryside, as... ANGLE ANOTHER SMALL GROUP OF WORKERS, SEVERAL WEARING, "FUCK ALBANIA" T-5HIRTS. ONE INT SHOESTORE H.Q. THE BLANK "% IN FAVOR" CHART. IS FILLED IN BY THE HAND OF AN AIDE. IT READS "87." CAMERA PULLS BACK TO SHOW "3" DAYS TIL ELECTION. BREAN AND MOSS AND THE FAD KING, LEAVING THE OFFICE, AN AIDE COMES AFTER THEM. AIDE ...White House wants to know about the Congressional Medal of Honor. BREAN What about it? AIDE For Schumann. BREAN Well, well, well, well, wait a minute, we got 86 percent. We bring'em back tomorrow, the charts go up, they don't go down... THEY WALY THROUGH THE MALL, PAST A NEWSSTAND SHOWING TIME AND NEWSWEEK BOTH OF WHICH BREAN PICKS UP, ONE SHOWS THE PHOTO OF SCHUMANN AND THE LEGEND, "COURAGE, MOM," THE OTHER A PHOTO OF SCHUMANN, AND THE LEGEND, "GIVE HIM BACK." THE VENDOR IS WEARING A "303" T-SHIRT. BREAN I don't wanna tell them their business, but why not wait to give it to him after the election. When he's gonna need some help.... THE AIDE NODS AND RETIRES. BREAN GESTURES AT THE KID WITH THE 303 T-SHIRT. BREAN King... FAD KING All part of the Service we Render. MOSS (OF BREAN, TO FAD KING) He ain't seen nothin' yet. FAD KING When do you bring'em back? Schumann. BREAN (LOOKS AROUND) Schumann. We're gonna go pick him up tonight. FAD KING Where is he? BREAN Out in Oklahoma. MOSS Going to make a little stop back home, pick up my shirts, show him a little treat. FAD KING See y'at the Finish Line. AS THEY WALK AWAY, MOSS CALLS BACK. MOSS Tell'em to fly the Inaugural Speech past me. BREAN Inaugural Speech, press corp's gonna be jealous of giving up that one... MOSS Hey, lemme close out the thing in style. MOSS I've come to feel It's my thing. (PAUSE) You know, you take a job... You take a job, and, many times, it's just a job. And then... BREAN Hell of a Ride, Stanley... MOSS ...isn't it? (PAUSE) Hey, what-the-hey ... it's all part of the bittersweet... HE GESTURES WITH HIS HANDS, LOOKING FOR THE WORD. INT L.A. LAKERS, STADIUM, NIGHT. BREAN AND MOSS. LOOKING ON, A SILENT AUDITORIUM, MOSS TALKING ON THE PHONE. BREAN SHUSHES HIM. MOSS LOOKS UP. ANGLE HIS P.O.V. THE LAKERS, AND THE OPPOSING TEAM, SILENTLY, IN TWO RANKS, LOOKING ON AS A CHOIR OF YOUNGSTERS OF ALL RACES FILES ONTO THE COURT, AND, DIRECTED BY THEIR CHOIRHASTER, BEGINS TO SING, IN MANY PART HARMONY, "GOOD OLD SHOE." AS THEY CONCLUDE, THE BASKETHALL PLAYERS TAKE OFF THEIR SHOES, AND FLING THEM INTO THE STANDS, WHICH CHEER. ANGLE BREAN, MOSS, AND AMES, IN A SKYHOX, WATCHING THE SPECTACLE. BREAN SHAKES HIS HEAD IN SATISFACTION. MOSS No business like it. THEY WALK OUT OF THE BOX. INT LIMO, LEAVING THE STADIUM. POURING RAIN. THE GUARD MOTIONS FOR THE LIMO TO STOP, CHECKS THEIR I.D., AND SAYS, "COURAGE, MOM..." THE GUARDS WEAR A LAPEL PIN OF AN OLD SHOE. ANGLE MOSS AND BREAN LOOKING OUT OF THE WINDOW. ANGLE, THEIR POV. EVERY TREE AND LAMPPOST HAS A PAIR OF OLD SHOES HANGING IN IT. ANGLE INT THE LIMO. BREAN, MOSS, AND AMES, BREAN NODDING, DEEP IN THOUGHT. THE RADIO IN THE LIMO IS PLAYING AN AUDIO VERSION OF THE "DON'T SWITCH HORSES," COMMERCIAL. COWHOY (VO) Rode the fifteen miles from the Bottomland, n'I was a- gonna switch him for a fresher one to do the Ropin'... COWBOY #2 (VO) Waal, but, you know, my Paw always said, Ya Don't Switch Horses... ANNOUNCER Don't switch Horses. Vote. And vote for the man who brought peace to... MOSS REACHES OVER AND TURNS OFF THE RADIO, SIGHS. MOSS Fucking amateurs. Pity of it is, two more days, we bring it all back home... BRKAN ...knock wood... MOSS And who's gonna know? (PAUSE) Who's gonna know what we did. (PAUSE) Who's gonna know...? BREAN (SHRUGS) Pride of a job-well-done... AMES It's the Pride of a Job Well Done, Stanley, yes, but it's more than that. MOSS (DISTRACTED) ...mmm? AMES It's the gratitude of your party, and of your President... MOSS Izzat the thing... AMES Indeed it is. MOSS LOOKS OUT OF THE WINDOW. ANGLE, OUT OF HIS WINDOW. AN L.A. VIADUCT, IN THE POURING RAIN, SPRAY PAINTED, WITH A HUGE MURAL OF SCHUMANN, AND THE WORDS, "COURAGE, MOM..." BREAN (ON HIS PHONE) Dean City, Oklahoma... (SHRUGS) Army Special Programs -- tell'em to bring Schumann to the plane, n we'll bring him back, stash him the Hospital...Call the plane....tell me where to pick'm up. MOSS LOOKS OUT OF THE WINDOW, AT THE MURAL. LOOKS OVER IN ADMIRATION AT BREAN. MOSS I'll bet you're good at Chess. BREAN I would be, I could remember how all the pieces move... INT CORPORATE JET NIGHT. THE AIRBORNE JET, NIGHT, BREAN AND MOSS RELAXING. A CO-PILOT COMES BACK INTO THE CABIN, AND CAMERA HINGES HIM TO A BAR -- HE TAKES OUT A BOTTLE AND TOPS UP DRINKS FOR THE TWO MEN -- HE PROGRESSES DOWN THE AISLE, WHERE WE SEE AMES ON THE PHONE. AMES (ON PHONE) ...aspect of the inaugural which.... No. No, the thinking is, to Wait on the Congressional... hello? (TO THE CO-PILOT) We getting some.... hello? Some interference...? CO-PILOT Little rough weather. AMES (AS THE PHONE COMES BACK ON) To wait on the Congressional Medal for Schumann. Moss and Brean think, and I agree, why spend it til you need it. (PAUSE) No. Go ahead and pre... go ahead and prepare it. Sure. (PAUSE) Well, you... hello? You can find the info on him in the Army Special... Hello? The Army Special Programs. CAMERA TRAVELS UP THE CABIN AGAIN, WITH THE CO-PILOT. CO-PILOT We're seeing some difficult weather out of Oklahoma -- but the captain thinks that we'll be fine. BREAN (TALKING ON THE TELEPHONE) Against...who could be aggressor....Help me out here...Units of 303, the Defense Department confirms, early this morning, Albanian Time, stormed a mountain hideaway, near the city of -- help me out here -- and freed a tired, but happy William Schumann, Suffering no casualties. His condition is reported as Guarded, and his route to the US has not been disclosed, but a high White House source confirms he is expected in Washington tomorrow morning...no, that's for the wire service. Moss's working on Big Bird's Inaugural. (PAUSE) Nine A.M...? (TO MOSS) Nine? Miss the commuters, but... MOSS ...we'll gettim in their cars. BREAN (INTO PHONE) Yeah, we'll gettem in their cars. (TO SELF) I'm slowing down... (TO PHONE) No, no. Look, lookit: I think it's a mistake, well, I'll tell you why: you got'em by the balls, Squeeze. (PAUSE) Because Schumann's the Shark. He's ...Jaws. You have to tease'em... You don't puttem in the first reel of the movie... (MOSS NODS) Bring'em back slow, the President... No, no, put him on. Put him on. (PAUSE. HE COVERS PHONE) President wants to reveal Scbumann before the election. MOSS Big mistake. BREAN (INTO PHONE) Hell, yes, we're, we're on our way to get him now. No. Lookit: it's like a girl with her virginity, y'understand... MOSS NODS ALONG. BREAN (CONT) Guy says he'll respect her tomorrow, he might, but why take a chance? Hold out til after you're married. That's... that's.... looky, we're offering'em Schumann, make em vote for hhhh.... psychologically, they will understand that that's the bargain. Make them pay for him. Make... that's right, the price is their vote. Now, we bring him home, the President announces he is flying home, he's here, he's there... f'there the election, TA DA, here he is. (PAUSE) Have him say it like I wrote it, It'll be fine. Thanks. (HE HANGS UP.) Labor, five bucks an hour. If you watch, ten bucks an hour. If you help ... if you help, a hundred bucks an hour. MOSS Hey, lcokit: any business... BREAN Ain't that the truth. (PAUSE) MOSS Whattaya gonna do when this is all over? BREAN What am I gonna do? I'm gonna "Fade Away." (SMILES) What are you gonna do? MOSS (LAUGHS) Well, I'll be damned if I know ... you know... doing this thing ... (PAUSE) You know what the worst word is, in the English Language? It's �retirement." What the hell was I thinking of? Hell, I used to... BREAN NUDGES HIM, TO LOOK AT THE TV. THEY SETTLE BACK, LOOK AT THE TV. ANGLE, ON A TV, A COUNTRY MUSIC SPECTACULAR. WILLIE NELSON IS CALLED TO THE STAGE, SITS ON HIS STOOL, PLAYS A FEW BARS FOR NOTHING, AND THEN A RENDITION OF "COURAGE, MOM." ANGLE, IN THE AUDIENCE, PAN OVER THE FACES, ONE TEENAGE GIRL IN A 858 SWEATSHIRT, BEARING THE LOGO, AND THE WORD, "VOLO," IS SILENTLY, TEARFULLY, MOUTHING THE WORDS ALONG WITH WILLIE. WILLIE NELSON "What have you got at the end of the day? How do you keep those fears at bay? What do you say, when there's nothin' to say? Courage, Mom..." (ET CETERA) ANGLE MOSS AND BREAN. BREAN We pick up Schumann. Sneak him back inside the Beltway. And we plan his homecoming. Zt's gone be Neil Armstrong, Dr. Livingston, and Lindy...They're gonna forget, they're gonna forget, they're gonna forget that there is an election...The Pres's gonna have to say, one of his speeches, "Don't forget to Vote..." MOSS I got it in the inaugural. "Thank you for voting for me, but, as importantly: Thank you for voting... (HE GESTUR�S AT A SHEAF OF PAPERS) BREAN (GRINS) Getting off on the inaugural? (MOSS NODS) Gonna go... MOSS Might, if I was asked... (HE SMILES) ANGLE THE OKLAHOMA AIRPORT. NIGHT. IN THE POURING RAIN, THE PLANE, BEING WAVED TO A PARKING SPACE. IN THE B.G. AN ARMY TRUCK, SURROUNDED BY CHASE CARS, PULLS UP, WE READ, "UNITED STATES ARMY. SPECIAL P..." AND THE REST OF THE WORD OBSCURED. ANGLE INT THE PLANE. AS THE TWO UNBUCKLE, AND STRETCH. MOSS But, you know, this is the meeting, Ron? You think about it. This is the meeting. This, here. Schumann and us. King Kong and the Trainers...this's it... What are you working on? ANGLE ON BREAN, WHO IS DOODLING. BREAN Medal. Medal and Ribbon. MOSS Of what? BREAN The Albanian Campaign. MOSS (TO HIMSELF) ...the Albanian Campaign. This... this is history... AMES COMES UP FROM THE BACK OF THE PLANE. AMES ...The Albanian Campaign... MOSS ...like the sound of it, eh... AMES We've got to put that, into the Inaugural. "I have here, a ribbon. You haven't seen it before, and you will not see it too often now. For it is the Proud Possession of a few, a very few Men and Women... it is the Ribbon of the Albanian Campaign...." THE OTHER TWO LOOK AT HIM ADMIRINGLY. MOSS Wilfred, that's not bad. BREAN That's not bad at all. AMES Well, you know, "The Whole Thing's Theatre..." THE OTHER TWO MEN LAUGH WITH HIM. BREAN Napoleon said, fellow won't sell you his life, but he will trade it to you for a little piece of ribbon. MOSS ...the Albanian Campaign. (PAUSE) And we won't even be a footnote... BREAN We were the Albanian campaign, John -- We Were There. HE CLEARS HIS THROAT. HE LOOKS OUT THROUGH THE WINDOW. WE SEE A MILITARY CONVOY APPROACHING. THE DOOR TO THE COCKPIT OPENS, THE PILOT GOES OUT. PILOT Gentlemen, little problematical weather. BREAN Well, c'n we get him back home? PILOT Could if we had to. Rather not. Rough weather. BREAN AND MOSS GET UP, MOVE TOWARD THE FRONT OF THE PLANE, MOSS LOOKING OUT OF THE WINDOW. MOSS Well, they're protecting him well enough. BREAN They should be. Most valuable animal since Sea Biscuit. Isn't he... MOSS Bigger than that. For want of a nail a Kingdom was lost... BREAN You've got something, there... AMES (WRITING) Napoleon said -- A man will not sell you his life... THEY LOOK OUT THE WINDOW, START STRAIGHTENING UP THEIR CLOTHING, ET CETERA, IN PREPARATION FOR MEETING SCHUMANN. BREAN LOOKS HACK OVER HIS SHOULDER AT THE TELEVISION. ANGLE HIS POV. ON THE TV A PICTURE HEADED "ANDREWS AIRFORCE BASE," AND SIGNS OF SCAFFOLDING BEING CONSTRUCTED, AND BUNTING PUT UP. CUTS TO A TALKING HEAD, IN FRONT OF A PHOTO OF SCHUMANN. ANGLE MOSS AND BREAN. BREAN ...a masterpiece... MOSS (SHRUGS) ...givem what they want...But... THEY MOVE TOWARD THE FRONT OF THE PLANE. THEY RUN INTO THE PILOT. PILOT Weather's worsening, sir...might be advisable, wait it out, on the ground, till.. BREAN (NODS) We're due at Andrews. (LOOKS AT HIS WATCH) PILOT Well, I wouldn't go up in it, lest I had to... MOSS (TO AMES) Here he comes... THEY HEAR THE PLANE DOOR OPENING. THEY ALL STRAIGHTEN UP AND SMILE, AS SCHUMANN, A RAINCOAT OVER HIS SHOULDERS, IS LED ONTO THE PLANE, FLANKED BY 4 M.P.'S, AND AN OFFICER, WITH A CLIPBOARD. MOSS Sergeant Schumann? If I may? Welcome to History... AMES Sergeant Schumann? My name is Ames. Welcome. OFFICER S'mby named Brean? Sign here... BREAN (TO THE PILOT) Captain... You wanna Take'er up...? PILOT Heavy weather East of here. BREAN Whaddaya think? PILOT Six to five and pick'em...you wanna chance it... THEY ARE QUIET, AS SOUNDS OF THE TV FILTER IN. AN EXCITED NEWSCASTER. NEWSCASTER (ON TV) Word that William Schumann, the Old Shoe, is expected back, today, and that a glimpse of him... MOSS Let's fly, if it'll fly... People waiting for us... THE PHONE RINGS. BREAN ANSWERS IT. BREAN (ON PHONE. HE HAS NOT YET REGISTERED SCHUMANN) ...child at the airport... (TO MOSS) breaks through the ranks, runs to "old shoe" -- should we have flower or a bear...? AMES Uh...Didn't we do this? BREAN Never quit a winner. MOSS I thought they weren't meeting him at the airport... BREAN They insist they wanna go with meeting him at the airport. I told'em they're wrong, I can't convince'em. They're concerned that the last kid had the Wheat. Variations include, the kid is a boy, the kid is twins, it's a little dog ... they rub meat on Schumann's cuff, the dog runs to him... MOSS (OF SCHUMANN) Uh... IN THE B.G. BREAN FINISHES SIGNING THE CLIPBOARD, THE OFFICER NODS TO THE M.P.'S, AND THEY SALUTE AND DEPART, THE OFFICER HANDS A KEY TO BREAN. AMES (OF KEY) What's this...? THE OFFICER TAKES THE RAINCOAT FROM SCHUMANN'S SHOULDERS, REVEALING HE IS IN A PRISON UNIFORM, AND HEAVILY MANACLED. THE MAN, IS SCHUMANN, AN UNMISTAKABLE DERANGED, DROOLING, PSYCHO-NUTTER. HOLD. OFFICER (TAKES A KEY ON A CHAIN FROM AROUND HIS NECK -- HANDS IT TO BREAN) Key to the manacles... THE OFFICER SALUTES, STARTS OUT OF THE PLANE. ANGLE. AMES LOOKS BACK, AT THE MANACLED SCHUMANN, AND BREAN GLARING, OPEN MOUTHED AT HIM. ANGLE EXT THE PLANE, THE OFFICER RETREATING, IN THE RAIN, TO THE TRUCK, AMES, RUNNING AFTER HIM. AMES Wait wait wait wait wait wait wait wait wait... (HE CATCHES UP WITH THE OFFICER) What did he...what...what's the trouble? OFFICER No trouble at all. AMES What did he do...? THE OFFICER CONSULTS HIS CLIPBOARD. CAMERA PANS TO SHOW THE VAN READS "MILITARY SPECIAL PRISONS." ANGLE INT, THE PLANE, BREAN, LOOKING AT SCHUMANN. HOLD. MOSS ENTERS THE PLANE. ANGLE ON MOSS, AS HE MOVES TO HIS BRIEFCASE, AND EXTRACTS THE TELEPHONE-LIKE BOOK, HE TURNS TO THE FRONT PAGE, AND WE SEE THE TITLE IS "MILITARY SPECIAL PRISONS." ANGLE MOSS AND BREAN. MOSS HANDS BREAN THE BOOK. BREAN LOOKS. TURNS TO MOSS. AND THEN TO SCHUMANN. BREAN ...how ya doing? MOSS TAKES THE CLIPBOARD, AND READS, WHILE AMES SITS STUNNED. SCHUMANN Fine. MOSS HOLDS UP THE MILITARY DIRECTORY. MOSS I think we asked for "special programs" and they gave us "special prisons." BREAN Yeah, well -- it's only one word difference. AMES DRAWS MOSS ASIDE. AMES (SOTTO) He, uh, has he been in the "jail" long? MOSS ...twelve years. BREAN NODS. AMES Much more...uh, he have much more time to "serve?" MDSS SHAKES HIS HEAD, SPREADS HIS HANDS APART TO ARM'S LENGTH. PAUSE AMES (BRAVING IT) What'd he do? MOSS He raped a nun. (PAUSE) AMES Yeeaahhh... Ohmigod ... ohmigod... ohmigod... MOSS (READING FROM THE CLIPBOARD) ...and... AMES And? NO. I don't wanna know. (PAUSE) What do you mean "and..."? MOSS (READING) Look, look, look.... (HE HOLDS UP A SMALL VIAL, READS.) He's fine, as long as he has his medication. AMES What happens if he doesn't have his medication? MOSS He's not fine. BREAN GOES TO THE FRONT OF THE PLANE. BREAN Yeah, Captain, uh, yeah, Captain, uh, y'better get us back to Washington. BREAN POURS HIMSELF A DRINK. PAUSE. TO SCHUMANN. BREAN How are'ya... DISSOLVE INT THE PLANE NIGHT. INSERT. THE VIAL OF PILLS, LABELLED, "MILITARY SPECIAL PRISONS," SCHUMANN, WILLIAM. A. TWO PILLS EVERY FOUR HOURS. SHOULD THE PATIENT BECOME VIOLENT THE DOSAGE CAN BE INCREASED TO... THE PILLS SPILL OUT OF THE FRAME. ANGLE THE PLANE, IN A VIOLENT RAINSTORM, BUCKING WILDLY. AMES, ON HIS KNEES, GATHERING UP THE PILLS, REPLACES THEM IN THE VIAL, SHAKES OUT TWO, AND GIVES THEM TO SCHUMANN. WHO TAKES THEM. MOSS THEN STRAPS HIMSELF BACK IN AND BREAN CONTINUES TALKING ON THE TELEPHONE. THE THREE STRAPPED IN, THE PLANE TOSSING WILDLY. BREAN ON THE PHONE. SCHUMANN You gonna git me back tomorrow? (PAUSE) Cause they havin beans tomorrow... BREAN (ON THE PHONE) (HE PICKS UP A BOTTLE OF SCOTCH AND STARTS DRINKING FROM IT.) A slight, a slight, well, no, we're gonna deal with it, we just, I need a little readjustment...we need to rethink... MOSS Yes, William, Uh, we have this thing we're doing... SCHUMANN Long's you git me back for the beans... MOSS ...for the beans, yes... BREAN (ON THE PHONE) We're gonna, just, may have to call off the... HE GESTURES AT THE SILENT TELEVISION, WHERE WE SEE THE SIGNS OF THE SCAFFOLDING, SIGNS READING, "WELCOME HOME OLD SHOE," ET CETERA... Well, maybe, you know, ah, ah, he's sicker than we thought, and rush him under wraps to Walter Reed to do a complete... SCHUMANN (TO AMES) R'if y'r gonna keep me out, I'd kinda like the chance, t'go to church... (HE LEANS TOWARD AMES AND WINKS LASCIVIOUSLY, AND NUDGES HIM IN THE RIBS) AMES Oh Lord. What have you done to me? What have you done to me...? BREAN Wilfred. AMES ...what have you done to me... BREAN All Combat takes place at night, in the Rain, and at the Junction of four Map Segments... AMES ...what are we going to do...? MOSS He's fine, as long as he gets his medication. BREAN Speaking of that... (HE LOOKS AT THE VIAL) We're gonna need a whole lot more of this.... AMES Well, get on the phone, and get it... MOSS You know, I think you people are looking at this All Wrong. If you look at the backstory -- the guy's coming back from Combat and Torture. Of course he is gonna be ... uh ... uh ... "fucked up". Of Course he's gonna "need a little help"... (GESTURES PUTTING A HYPODERMIC IN HIS ARM) AMES (TO HIMSELF) Oh, Lord.... ANGLE, ON THE TV, WHERE WE SEE THE PRESIDENT, WEARING AN OLD SHOE BUTTON. PRESIDENT ...a proclamation of a Day of National Rejoining... THE TELEVISICN GOES ALL FUZZY, THEN CONKS OUT. ...a day of Humility, a day of Pride...in the Return of... SCHUMANN N'ybody gotta Beer...? THE LIGHTS IN THE PLANE FLICKER, AND THEN COME ON, WE SEE THE LIGHTENING FLASHING OUT OF THE WINDOW, THE CO-PILOT COMES BACK INTO THE CABIN... BREAN (ON THE PHONE) Just....do what I ...look: get me a ...hello...? Hel...? I'm going to need an ambulance, we take him, the last moment, right from the Pl...no, we land, we puttem in the ambulance. Air force jet lands, we take somebody else off that jet...what the fuck do I care? Somebody in a Hospital gown. And we need a ......hello? Hello...? THE LINE GOES DEAD. BREAN Cause I don't think this dog is gonna hunt.... MOSS He's going to be fine, aren't you boy...? BREAN Yeah, well, perhaps... (TO PHONE) Speaking of which: I have a prescription here, I'm going to give you the number, I need you standing by with a crate of the stuff.... it's ... what is it? MOSS An anti-psychotic... BREAN (TO TELEPHONE) It's an anti-psychotic, the num... the number...hello...hello... BEAT. THE BUFFETING STOPS. THE CO-PILOT ENTERS. CO-PILOT We have been experiencing some buffeting, but I think from here on out, it's going to be fine. HE RETURNS TO THE COCKPIT. BREAN TRIES TO REDIAL THE TELEPHONE. SCHUMANN Long's I git back for my Beans. MOSS This is nothing, Wait'll you've worked with a movie star, one time, this is nothing, we keep him shot-up and happy -- the Old Days, I used to think I was a pharmacist, the kind of stuff I had to do. One time... SCHUMANN Cause the beans, y'know, y'can tell if they're puttin stuff in it. BREAN Uh huh... SCHUMANN So you don't have to fear it. BREAN Uh huh... MOSS Mmm. BREAN What kind of stuff? (TO PHONE) Hello...? SCHUMANN (PAUSE. SCHUMANN LOOKS AT THEM WARILY) What do you mean, "What kind of stuff?" AMES No, no, he didn't mean anything at all... BREAN (TO MOSS) Give'em another pill... AMES No. No. He didn't mean anything by it at all... BREAN (TO PHONE) Hello? No, operator... MOSS ADMINISTERS A PILL TO SCHUMANN. SCHUMANN What the fuck did you mean, "What kind of stuff?"? MOSS (TO BREAN) ...this is nothing. This is nothing. D'you ever shoot in Italy? Try three Italian starlets on Benzedrine, this is a walk in the park... SCHUMANN (AS IF COMING TO) ...who are you? (PAUSE) Who are you sonofabitches... (HE LOOKS AROUND WILDLY) AMES We're just, actually, we're friends of... can we get another pill into him... SCHUMANN Where are you taking me...? BREAN (TO PHONE) Hello...? A HUGE FLASH OF LIGHTENING, THE PLANE IS PLUNGED INTO DARKNESS, THE ENGINES STOP: INT THE DARK CABIN. THE WIND WHISTLING. AMES (SOFTLY) Oh, Heck. DISSOLVE EXT A FIELD IN MONTANA. THE WRECKED CORPORATE JET. ANGLE A BEATEN-UP BREAN STRUGGLES FROM THE PLANE, FINISHING A BOTTLE OF SCOTCH, HE FLINGS IT FROM HIM, REACHES IN HIS BACK POCKET, OPENS ANOTHER, AND, AS HE DOES SO, HE SINGS DRUNKENLY. BREAN "Hush little baby, don't say a Word...Pappa's gonna buy you a Mockingbird, if that Mocking bird don't sing, Poppa's gonna buy you a diamond ring..." AMES, SIMILARLY BRUISED, STUMBLES FROM THE PLANE BEHIND HIM. BREAN ...kid complains, kid cries, gets more junk, junk don't work, kid cries, gets more junk. End of the song, house full of worthless junk, the kid's still crying. Story of America... (HE SITS ON THE GROUND AND OPENS THE NEW BOTTLE OF SCOTCH.) ...Z'at ever bother you...? (HE REACHES BACK INTO THE PLANE, AND BRINGS OUT A SMALL TELEVISION SET) ANGLE, AS HE LEANS INTO THE PLANE. WE SEE MOSS, LYING IN A HEAP, MOSS COMES TO. MOSS ...what happened...? BREAN I think we were experiencing a Little Technical Difficulty. MOSS How's our friend? BREAN SETS UP THE TELEVISION. TURNS IT ON. HE SITS, AND TAKES THE BOTTLE FROM BREAN, AND DRINKS. MOSS ..."Courage. Mom"... BREAN HAS KICKED THE TELEVISION INTO LIFE, WE SEE A MAN AND WOMAN ANCHOR, SPEAKING LUGUBRIOUSLY, INTO THE CAMERA. BREAN News. Like a Wedding Cake. Tons and tons of sticky sugar, Barbie and Ken on top... (HE HITS THE TV) Can't ya Talk, you sonofabitches...? MOSS What the hell do we care? BREAN Eh? I'm like the Rest of America. I don't care -- I'm just addicted to it... A PHOTO OF SCHUMANN COMES ON THE TELEVISION. BREAN STUMBLES BACK INTO THE PLANE, AND HAULS THE DAZED SCHUMANN OUT, AND PROPS HIM AGAINST THE PLANE. BREAN (TO SCHUMANN) N'just when everything was going so well... HE SIGHS. HE LOOKS AT THE TELEVISION SCREEN. ANGLE THE CROWDS AT ANDREW'S AIRKORCE BASE, THE "OLD SHOE" BANNERS, THE "COURAGE, MOM," BANNERS. THE STILL BAND. A SHOT OF THE BANDMASTER, SURREPTITIOUSLY, GLANCING AT HIS WATCH. MOSS How's our friend? What is he, "dead?" BREAN Wake up. MOSS Is he dead? AMES Is he dead? (PAUSE) Is he dead? ARE YOU DEAD? WAKE UP. You stupid, nun- raping sonofoabitch.... wake up... WAKE UP. Do you want to spend the rest of your life in JAIL? WAKE UP! Do You Know Who I AM??? I'm talking to you... SCHUMANN BEGINS TO ROUSE BIMSELF. SCHUMANN Z'it time for Exercise? (PAUSE) Cause it's my Day on the Yard. BREAN Courage, Mom. AMES Oh. Hell. And what do we do now? What do we do now? Boy Producer? (PAUSE) Mister Win-an-Emmy, Social Conscience, Whaleshit, save- the-rainforest, Liberal hire-a-convict shithead? Mister Affirmative-Action Peacnik. Commie... shithead....? MOSS (PAUSE) This is nothing. ...piece of cake. Y'know, producing is being a Samurai Warrior. They pay you, day in, day out, for Years, so that, ONE DAY, when called upon, you can respond, your training At Its Peak, and save the day. ANGLE BREAN, SHAKING HIS HEAD. IN THE B.G., MOSS, DRINKING. THE TV COMES TO LIFE. COMMENTATOR ...long overdue, its absence unexplained. THE NEXT SHOT IS SENATOR BUD NOLE, SPEAKING EARNESTLY AT THE CAMERA. NOLE ...this...regrettable absence... this ...tardy absence of the flight. Must give us pause. And, in that pause we should take time to examine ourselves, our plans, and our future. There has been an ...interregnum -- if you will, of reason, while we've watched unfold this drama..... on the world scale... AMES (TO HIMSELF) ...I hate this cocksucker... NOLE And, now, end how it will, this drama is done... ANGLE MOSS, AS HE WANDERS BACK TO STARE AT THE SCREEN. THE VAST FIELDS STRETCHING AWAY IN THE DISTANCE NOLE (C) The drama is done, and we must pause to consider. (HE HOLDS UP A PHOTO OF THE PRESIDENT) And we must consider this man. This man...who, you will remember, was discovered, scant days ago, in a situation which must debar him from Public Office... (HE HOLDS UP A SHOT OF THE PRESIDENT AND THE GIRLSCOUTS) And I say, when we take time to reflect, there're going to be a lot of apartments for rent in Washington, Election Day. Two days from now, Folks...Don't forget to vote. MOSS No, I didn't think so. AMES KICKS IN THE THLEVISION. HE MOVES TO SCHUMANN AND LIFTS HIM TO HIS FEET. BREAN (DRUNKENLY) Leav't alone. Wha'd television ever do to you? Ate your life, ruin'd your Culture, but... AMES FINISHES DESTROYING THE TV. AMES IT DESTROYED THE ELECTORAL PROCESS. HE FINISHES RAGING AT THE TELEVISION SET. PAUSE. MOSS Come on. AMES ...where? MOSS Come on. MOSS MOVES SCHUMANN INTO A STANDING POSITION. BREAN Y'know what else bothers me? "Shh lil baby, don' saya word, papa's gon buy you a mocking bird..." (PAUSE) The baby don'say a word, WHAT THE FUCK IS THE MOTHERFUCKING MOCKING BIRD GONE SAY? (PAUSE) You follow me...? MOSS Get on your feet, boy. BREAN Uh huh...why? MOSS We're going home. We're going home together... BREAN We have no home. We're vagrants. N'each man's hand's against us. We killed Old Shoe... (HE BEGINS TO WEEP) We killed the Schuster...spend our life in a packingcrate...Where are you going...? MOSS STARTS CODDLING SCHUMANN. MOSS Come on, Pal, come on Willie, come on, Old Shoe... SCHUMANN Just want to take a nap. MOSS He's not dead, Ronnie. He's just a little understandab1y, fatigued. (PAUSE) Let's get him to some help... SCHUMANN ...gimme some help... MOSS That's right, we'll take a nap. We'll get you to Washington, we'll get you Back to your Buddies, and... SCHUMANN ...just want to Get Back to the Beans... MOSS WALKS TO BREAN, AND STARTS KICKING HIM. MOSS Come on, you fucking sissy, you think this is tough? Try show-business. 1970-1990, n'ybody I worked with, y'could of bottled their piss n'sold it in the ghettos... (TO SCHUMANN) Come on, Pal... BREAN I'm tired. MOSS Finish Strong! Are you nuts? (HE STARTS SHEPHERDING THE TWO ACROSS THE VAST WHEATFIELD) Are you nuts? This's Pennies from Heaven... on his triumphal return home, Old Shoe, his Plane Forced Down...AND YET... BREAN He's supposed to be flying in from Europe. MOSS We'll deal with that when we come to it. This is producing. This is what they pay off on...come on, Pal, Boots and Saddles... AMES ...his Triumphal Plane. Shot Down. MOSS Shot down, Forced down... (HE GESTURES, MEANING, THIS IS A MINOR POINT) You guys are missing it... You're missing the opportunity THE GROUP TRUDGES OFF. SCHUMANN Isn't it time for my Pill...? DISSOLVE INT VAST COMBINE HARVESTER DAY. STOPPED IN A WHEATFIELD. OUTSIDE, AN ENDLESS WHEATFIELD. INSIDE, BREAN, MOSS, AMES AND SCHUMANN, CRAMMED INTO THE PASSENGER SPACE OF THE HUGE MACHINE. THE DRIVER WATCHING A SMALL TELEVISION, AS HE DRIVES, THE EARPIECE IN HIS EAR. ANGLE, THE TELEVISION, SHOWS THE DESERTED RUNWAY AT THE AIRFORCE BASE. THE CROWD BREAKING UP. ANGLE. THE THREE IN THE PASSENGER SPACE OF THE COMBINE. MOSS This is producing. This is, this is, this is the Beauty Part. You've got your fortune right here, and you were ready to throw it away. Because he's got a Problem? F'it was easy, anyone would do it. (PAUSE) Otto Preminger. Had to film a scene, in EXODUS. The proclamation of the State of Israel. Needed twenty thousand extras, n'Jerusalem Park. Not enough money to pay'em. What did he do? What did he do? Printed up signs: Be in a movie, fifteen skekels. He Charged'em -- had to turn'em away. That's producing. That's producing... n'you know, someday, people're gonna tell this story... BREAN You can't tell this story. MOSS Why not? BREAN Some'b'y'll have you killed. MOSS Ha ha. No, no, not now, not now, of course, But Someday... when they tell this story... AMES You can't tell this story. He's not kidding you. (PAUSE) You can't tell this story. You knew that. (PAUSE) The pay off was, you get to be Ambassador, or... MOSS No, no, no... SCHUMANN ...isn't it time for my Pill...? BREAN And what the fuck story are you gonna tell? The guy is a nutcase. MOSS You would be, two, if you'd gone through what he went through. BREAN He raped a Nun... MOSS What he went through in Albania... BREAN He's doped to the Gills ... SCHUMANN ...where's my l'il pill? MOSS (TO BREAN) Show some compassion. BREAN ... and he spent the last twelve years in a Milit&ry Prison... (PAUSE) AMES How do we explain that? MOSS ...how do we Explain That? Hey? Am I worried...? AMES ...how do we explain that? With the World Watching. MOSS Fuck the world. Try a ten A.M. pitch meeting, no sleep, coked-to-the-gills, and you haven't even read the material. AMES But how do we explain the fact he was in prison? MOSS How do we explain that? Ah, well, you see, Wilfred, this is where you've never been at a pitch. You see? His records say he was in prison ... as they must, as all the records of Group 303 have the men and the women, carried on their roster, as belonging somewhere else, the secrecy required of.... ANGLE MOSS STILL TALKING, THE HARVESTER CONTINUING DOWN THE ENDLESS ROWS OF WHEAT, MOVING AWAY FROM THE CAMERA. DISSOLVE EXT TINY OLD FASHIONED OKLAHOMA GAS STATION DAY. THE OWNER, BOOTS PROPPED ON THE COUNTER, WATCHING AN OLD BLACK AND WHITE TELEVISION. IT IS SENATOR NOLE. NOLE Get out and vote, get out and vote, but remember the difference, between a Promise, and a deed -- a promise- and-a-deed... HE HALF TURNS HIS HEAD, ACROSS THE HIGHWAY WE SEE THE HARVESTER, WITH MOSS AND BREAN AND SCHUMAN AND AMES. AMES STAYS BEHIND, TO TALK WITH THE DRIVER OF THE HUGE HARVESTER COMBINE. ANGLE ON BREAN AND MOSS, WHO WALK SCHUMANN ACROSS THE HIGHWAY. IN THE B.G. WE SEE AMES TALKING TO THE DRIVER OF THE HARVESTER, WHO IS A SMALL, HISPANIC MAN. ANGLE ON THE THREE, AS THEY APPROACH A PAYPHONE OUT BY THE GAS STATION. MOSS (TO BREAN) ..."down safely," crew perished in the Crash.... BREAN (SHAKING HIS HEAD TO CLEAR IT.) No, I'm On Top of it... MOSS "...unsure whether or not Enemy Action..." BREAN No, I'm fine... I got it together.... MOSS ...but... THEY STOP BY A TELEPHONE. BREAN You got a dime....? MOSS HANDS HIM A DIME. BREAN DIALS. BREAN (TO PHONE) Hello. (PAUSE) Hello. I'm fine. We're fine. We're... stand by to copy this, will... just get a pencil.... He is Down Safely, though... ANGLE ON MOSS, AS HE WALKS THE GROGGY SCHUMANN TOWARD THE GAS STATION. MOSS ...how ya feeling, boy? SCHUMANN ...mmm. MOSS ...'bout ready to Mix it Up...? SCHUMANN Is today Laundry Day...? CAMERA TAKES THEM INTO THE SMALL GAS STATION OFFICE, WHERE WE SEE A WIZENED OLD WESTERNER, LOOKING AT THE TELEVISION WHERE WE SEE SENATOR NOLE. MOSS Hiya. OWNER Yup. MOSS How 'bout a Cold Drink...? ANGLE ON THE TELEVISION, SENATOR NOLE. NOLE ...produce this Schumann. (PAUSE) Produce him. I say; or, and I do not hesitate to say it, rank him as Just One More... THE OWNER GESTURES AT A COLD DRINK COOLER. NOLE (CONT.) Just One More of a series of Broken Promises. Of ... Fantasies, yes, Fantasies, which... MOSS AND SCHUMANN WALK OVER TO THE COOLER. THEY LOOK OUT THE WINDOW AT BREAN, WHO IS WALKING IN FROM THE PHONE. HE HANGS UP AND COMES IN. MOSS LOOKS AT HIM, MEANING, "WHAT'S UP?" BREAN GESTURES AT THE TELEVISION. ANGLE, HIS POV. THE TELEVISION, NOW SWITCHED TO THE SCENE OF THE DESERTED TARMAC. COMMENTATOR (VO) Senator Nole, commentating on the unexplained absence of...wait a moment...wait a.... THE SCREEN DISSOLVES, TO A SHOT OF THE GREAT SEAL OF THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES. ANNOUNCER (VO) Live, from the White House, we bring you... ANGLE ON BREAN AND MOSS, AS THEY CLUSTER UP TO THE TELEVISION. IN THE B.G., SCHUMANN, SITTING ON A STOOL AT THE COUNTER. PRESS PERSON (VO) Ladies and Gentlemen, the President of the United States... ANGLE ON THE THREE, AS THEY WATCH THE TELEVISION. MOSS Okay ... it's time for the Cavalry. (PAUSE) Nick of Time.... sonofabitches.... Fuck with me...? PRESIDENT (VO) My fellow Americans. (PAUSE) ANGLE TIGHT ON SCHUMANN WHO SEES SOMETHING OUT OF THE CORNER OF HIS EYE. ANGLE, HIS POV UP A NARROW STAIRCASE, THE FIGURE OF A YOUNG GIRL IN A FLIMSY DRESS, CLIMBING. ANGLE SCHUMANN, AS HE LOOKS AWAY, AND MUTTERS TO HIMSELF. SCHUMANN "...where's my pill..." ANGLE THE GROUP WATCHING TELEVISION. PRESIDENT ...he is down safely, though the flight crew perished in the crash. He will be transhipped, we are informed he has sustained minor injuries, which will require his being medicated for some time, but, I am assured... AMES WANDERS IN. MOSS (OF THE T.V.) You see, this is what I'm talking about. Stand It On Its Head. How does it Work for your benefit... AMES I'm concerned about the driver of the rig. MOSS What rig? AMES ...the Harvester... (HE GESTURES OUT AT THE VAST FARM MACHINE, WHICH CAN JUST BE SEEN STANDING BY THE HIGHWAY. ITS OWNER BESIDE IT. WAITING.) BREAN What about him? AMES Well, he doesn't have his Green Card. (PAUSE) He Doesn't have his Greencard. ANGLE ON SCHUMANN, WHO HAS CONE TO THE BACK OF THE COUNTER, AND IS EMPTYING THE CANNISTERS. SCHUMANN (TO HIMSELF) Where's my pill...? HIS WANDERINGS BRING HIM TO THE END OF THE COUNTER. WHERE WE SEE, OVER HIS SHOULDER, A YOUNG GIRL, PUTTERING ABOUT IN THE KITCHEN OFF THE GAS STATION OFFICE. ANGLE CU. ON SCHUMANN, LEERING. ANGLE ON AMES, ETC. AMES ... you want Schumann saved by an Illegal Alien...? BREAN Well, what do you want to do about it? (PAUSE) What do you... MOSS Pals: (TO BREAN) Get on the phone... r'they flying it? BREAN They'll be here in ten minutes. MOSS Get on the phone, have'em fly in a ...whaddaya need to be a citizen? A Judge? Whaddaya need? A Judge...? Call in a Judge, call in a Federal Judge, and... (TO AMES, AS IF TO A CHILD) If you're concerned about him, being an ..."immigrant." Make him a citizen... Eh? Guys ... what's all this mopery, we... SCHUMANN LOOKS TO THE SIDE. THE YOUNG GIRL HAS DROPPED A SPOON OFF OF THE WORKTABLE AND BENDS OVER TO PICK IT UP, REVEALING HER LEGS AND LITTLE GIRL UNDIES. ANGLE ON SCHUMANN, LEERING. SCHUMANN (MUTTERING) ...where is my pill? ANGLE ON THE MEN, IN THE ROOM, ARGUING ABOUT THE ILLEGAL ALIEN, SCHUMANN IN THE B.G. SCHUMANN WHERE'S MY FUCKING PIIIILLLLLLL...? SCHUMANN RUNS INTO THE KITCHEN, AND WE HEAR THE SOUNDS OF LITTLE GIRL SCREAMS. ALL THE MEN IN THE ROOM LOOK AROUND. THE OWNER STANDS, AND LOOKS AROUND. OWNER Susie...? (PAUSE) Susie... HE IS ANSWERED BY WHIMPERING. MOSS Oh, hell... THE GAS STATION OWNER GOES TO THE DOOR TO THE KITCHEN, AND FINDS IT LOCKED. OWNER Susie? Susie. Are you alright...? Susie... MOSS STRIDES UP TO THE DOOR. MOSS Lemme talk to him. Will? Shoe? OWNER SUSIE...? Are you alright...? MOSS (PUSHES HIM ASIDE) Lemme talk to him. Shoe? Shoe...? You in there...? WE ARE ANSWERED BY THE SOUNDS OF WHIMPERING. ANGLE ON THE GAS STATION OWNER, WHO HAS RETREATED TO HIS COUNTER AND PRODUCES A SHOTGUN, AND STARTS TO LOAD IT. MOSS (AT THE DOOR) Shoe, boy...? You know, you were telling me you wanted Beans? Remember, you were concerned about the Beans...? THE MAN WITH THE SHOTGUN COMES UP TO THE DOOR. MOSS (TO THE STATION OWNER) No, 1emme talk to him... 1emme talk to him, we have a relationship... THE GAS STATION OWNER EXITS THE BUILDING, AND WE SEE HIM, OUTSIDE, KICK IN THE SIDE DOOR TO THE KITCHEN. MOSS (THROUGH THE DOOR, TO SCHUMANN) 'Member, we were talking about how much you liked the "beans" and all...? WE HEAR THE SOUND OF WHIMPERING, AND THEN TWO SHOTGUN BLASTS. WE HEAR MORE LITTLE GIRL SCREAMS, THEN A BLAST, AND THEN ANOTHER SHOTGUN BLAST. BEAT. BREAN AND MOSS ROUSE TBEMSELVES, AND GO TO STAND IN THE DOORWAY, LOOKING INTO THE KITCHEN. AMES PEEKS OVER THEIR SHOULDERS. BREAN (AFFECTLESS) ...now look what's happened... BREAN WALKS TO THE DRINK COOLER, OPENS A CAN OF DR. PEPPER, AND COMES BACK TO STAND IN THE DOORWAY. BEAT. THE OWNER COMES OUT, HOLDING THE SHOTGUN AND COMFORTING THE DISTRAUGHT LITTLE GIRL. IN THE B.G. WE HEAR A JET ROAR, AND WE SEE A CARRIER JET MAKING AN APPROACH ONTO THE HIGHWAY. AMES So-close-and-yet-so-far. MOSS Naa, fuck this, this is nothing. Oh, Lord -- this just got Big. I see it -- Big -- Big for you and big for me. AMES What are you talking about? MOSS You're not thinking right, Pal... AMES He's dead. (PAUSE) He's dead. (PAUSE) The Fella Killed Old Shoe. (PAUSE) MOSS And what is bigger than a triumphal Homecoming...? INT HANGAR, ANDREWS AIRFORCE BASE, DAY. A VAST HANGAR, A SINGLE JET TRANSPORT. ANGLE BREAN AND MOSS, DISHEVELLED, UNSHAVEN, LOOKING ON. ANGLE, THEIR POV THE RAMP, AT THE BACK OF THE PLANE, A FLAG DRAPED CASKET APPEARS AND CRAWLS DOWN THE RAMP. SIX MILITARY PEOPLE IN FATIGUES ADVANCE TO THE CASKET. ANGLE BREAN AND MOSS, THEY SWIVEL THEIR HEADS, AND WE SEE, BEYOND THE DOORS OF THE HANGAR, A VAST CROWD, FLASHBULBS BEGIN POPPING. ANGLE ON MOSS, AS HE GLANCES AROUND, AND THEN AT AN AIDE, AS IF TO SAY, WELL... THE AIDE LOOKS AROUND, AND THEN, WITH RELIEF, AT THE CROWD, AS A SMALL DOG BREAKS AWAY, AND RUNS TOWARD THE CASKET. SEVERAL PHOTOGRAPHERS BREAK THROUGH THE CORDON, AND BEGIN SNAPPING PHOTOS OF THE SMALL DOG, AS IT SITS, ITS HEAD COCKED, NEAR THE CASKET. BREAN AND MOSS WALK AWAY, CAMERA FOLLOWS THEM TOWARD A SMALL READYROOM OFF THE HANGAR. INT, THE READYROOM. BREAN AND MOSS SINK DOWN INTO AN OLD RATTY LEATHER COUCH, BREAN GETS UP, WALKS TO THE TABLE, ON WHICH IS A PACK OF CIGARETTES. HE TAKES ONE, LIGHTS IT, PASSES ONE TO BREAN WHO LIGHTS IT. WALKS TO A MR. COFFEE MACHINE. BREAN ...coffee...? MOSS Yes, please. BEYOND THE COFFEE MACHINE WE SEE AMES, AND THE HISPANIC MAN WHO DROVE THE HARVESTER, STILL WEARING A STRAW COWBOY HAT, ET CETERA, THEY BOTH STAND, AS A MAN IN HIS SIXTIES ENTERS, AND BEGINS EXTRACTING A BLACK ROBE FROM HIS BRIEFCASE, HE PUTS ON THE ROBE. BREAN SIGHS. NODS, AND WALKS HACK TO THE TABLE, WBERE MOSS IS SLUMPED. BREAN SNAPS ON A SMALL TELEVISION, ON THE COUNTER, AND WE SEE, IN ITS SCREEN, THE PALLBEARERS PROCEEDING TO A MILITARY TRUCK, AND THE SMALL DOG FOLLOWING, WE SEE A PORTRAIT OF THE DOG, AS IT COCKS ITS HEAD, WE CUT TO A SHOT OF THE PRESIDENT, IN THE HANGAR, DABBING AT HIS EYES WITH A HANDKERCHIEF. MOSS (WATCHING THE SCREEN) Good. Good. Good. Looking Good, bring-it-all-back- home. Lassie Barks Twice n'it's time to take out the garbage. BREAN Hell of a show. Hell of a job, Stan. MOSS (KNOCKS ON WOOD) ...one more day. BREAN Naw, naw, we own the airways... (HE FLIPS THE CHANNEL) WE SEE A COUPLE OF MEDIA NERDS, BEING INTERVIEWED AROUND A CONFERENCE TABLE. MODERATOR ...thrust of the Albanian Episode, to put him over the top... FIRST MEDIA GUY Yes, you could say that, Joyce, but it wouldn't be true. JOYCE What would be true, then. SECOND MEDIA GUY Well, you said it yourself, earlier, and if I may rephrase, that the success of the President, in the Polls... JOYCE ...as of today, 89% favorable. SECOND MEDIA GUY Eighty-nine percent favorable, is based not on events... BREAN ...events. SECOND MEDIA GUY Which, of course, we cannoy control.... FIRST MEDIA GUY ...no... SECOND MEDIA GUY But on the spin given to those events. FIRST MEDIA GUY ...yes. SECOND MEDIA GUY On the meaning found in those events, and given to the public... JOYCE ...by you? SECOND MEDIA GUY By the media, by, yes, by, in this case, our organization. JOYCE Well, there's a lot to be said for that. And I'm going to show a clip. (TO THE AUDIENCE) You've seen it before, you've seen it many times... (ALL SMILE) But I'm going to ask you to look at it once more. With the election one day off, and the President's standing in the polls... FIRST MEDIA GUY ...89 percent JOYCE ...a record, a record high for sitting president, I'd like you to watch the campaign that put him there when we come back. THE SCREEN CHANGES TO A COMMERCIAL. MOSS You see? What's the lesson here? Never give up. Never give up. BREAN No. You're right. MOSS Show Must Go On. BREAN A proud tradition. MOSS Prouder of this, than anything I ever did in my life. I want to thank you, Ron. (PAUSE) Want to thank you. THE SCREEN COMES BACK TO THE TALKING HEADS. WKERE WE SEE THE COMMENTATORS INTERVIEWING THE SUBJECTS. JOYCE And as we said. The President, a sure-fire winner, and the campaign, many said, that put him there... THE SCREEN CHANGES TO TWO HORSES IN A PADDOCK. A COUPLE OF JOCKEYS WALK UP TO THEM. JOCKEY ONE Which horse you going to ride tomorrow, Jim? JOCKEY TWO Well, Chuck, my Daddy used to say, and I've lived by it: never change Horses in... MOSS (TO HIMSELF) ...oh no... THE SCREEN REVERTS TO THE MODERATOR AND THE TWO TYPES. JOYCE And now, we're going to be taking your calls. The number is... MOSS RISES. MOSS BEGINS PACING AROUND THE READYROOM. BREAN What're you doing? MOSS I'm looking for a phone... BREAN No, I don't think you can do that. MOSS Watch me. BREAN No, I don't think you can do that, Stanley... MOSS Watch me. BREAN Stanley. Stanley... you knew the... Stanley. (HE RESTRAINS HIM) You knew the deal when you signed on. MOSS Deal's changed. BREAN No, the deal isn't changed. The Deal isn't changed. You can't ... what is it? Money? Money? You want Money? MOSS Money? You think I did this for money...? I did this for Credit. Credit, paalll... BREAN But you always knew you couldn't take the credit.... MOSS That's one thing, but I'm not gonna let two dickheads from Filmschool take it... are you Nuts? Are you Nuts? HE TRIES TO GET OUT OF THE READYROOM. BREAN RESTRAINS HIM. ANGLE TIGHT ON THE TWO. BREAN Stanley, no fooling... no fooling... you're playing with your life here... MOSS Fuck my life... Fuck my life.... Z WANT THE CREDIT... The Credit. Do you know what the New York Times said about my last picture? They pissed on me. They pissed on me. Do you know what that picture Grossed? And now some limp-dick film school pansy... JOYCE (ON TV) That number to call.... MOSS TAKES OUT A PAD AND PENCIL, AND BEGINS TO WRITE IT DOWN. BREAN Stanley, you can't do this.... AMES CALLS FROM THE FAR ROOM. AMES Could we have you in here, please...7 BREAN, DISTRACTED FOR A MOMENT, LETS MOSS GO, MOSS PULLS AWAY, AND RUNS OUT OF THE ROOM. ANGLE ON BREAN, AS HE PROCEEDS TO THE BACK ROOM, WHERE WE SEE AMES, STANDING WITH THE MAN, WHO NOW HAS ON HIS BLACK ROBE, AND HOLDS A BIBLE OUT TO THE HISPANIC FELLOW IN THE STRAW COWBOY HAT. AMES (SOTTO, TO BREAN) ...we need a witness. MAN IN THE BLACK ROBE (TO THE HISPANIC HARVESTER DRIVER) Do you swear to Uphold the duties and responsibilities of a citizen of the United States? To defend her, (ET CETERA) ANGLE ON THIS ROOM, WITH THE HUGE HANGAR, AND THE CASKET IN THE FAR ROOM. ANGLE, ON BREAN AS HE SHAKES HIS HEAD SADLY. DISSOLVE EXT PENNSYLVANIA AVENUE. NOVEMBER DAY. VAST CROWDS, LINING THE STREET. THE SOUND OF SLOW FIFE AND DRUMS. ANGLE ON VARIOUS SPECTATORS, WEEPING, MANY OF THEM WITH OLD SHOES HUNG AROUND THEIR NECKS. 303 SWEATSHIRTS. ET CETERA... THE SPECTATORS CRANE THEIR NECKS. ANGLE, THEIR P0V. A CAISSON, A RIDERLESS HORSE, COMING DOWN THE STREET. PAN ONTO A NEWSCASTER. NEWSCASTER ...coming, yes, yes, I can just...yes, the caisson, bearing his remains, the Riderless Horse, led by three members of his unit, 303, identified by their distinctive Caps... ANGLE, ON THE 303 TROOPERS, TWO MEN AND A WOMAN IN BERETS WHICH ARE HALF BLACK, HALF LEOPARD SKIN. INT SHOESTORE, H.Q. THE TELEVISION, SHOWING THE SAME SCENE. PAN ONTO AIDE, SWEEPING UP. TV VOICE OVER (WE HEAR A SERIES OF GUNSHOTS) ...and that's the, yes, you hear it, a salute, in Code, 5pelling out, "Courage, Mom" ...and there, yes, there is the Staff Car, bearing the Pres... INT MOSS'S KITCHEN, BEVERLY HILLS, DAY A SMALL COUNTERTOP TELEVISION. A HISPANIC MAID WATCHING THE TV. ANNOUNCER (ON TV) ...sident Elect -- the President-Elect of the United States... SHE PICKS UP A TRAY OF CRUDITES, AND PROCEEDS, CAMERA FOLLOWS HER INTO THE LIVING ROOM, GIVING ONTO THE POOL, WHERE WE SEE A FLOCK OF MOURNERS, THE MEN IN YALMULKAS. ANGLE EXT, MOSS'S HOUSE. A LINE OF LIMOS, ONE OF THE CHAUFFEURS LISTENING TO THE RADIO. RADIO (VO) ...the end of the incredible saga of One Man, his country, and a War He did Not Wish, but unto which he... A LIMO ARRIVES, BEARING BREAN, WHO IS GIVEN A YALMUKA, AS HE ENTERS MOSS'S HOUSE. INT. H.Q. SHOESTORE, DAY. THE AIDE HAS JUST FINISHED CLEANING UP. THE SCENE ON THE TV IS ARLINGTON NATIONAL CEMETERY. THE PALLBEARERS, MILITARY MEN AND WOMEN, ARE DOING A SLOW MARCH TO THE TUNE OF "GOOD OLD SHOE." THERE IS A SHOT OF THE PRESIDENT, AS AN AIDE APPROACHES HIM, AND HANDS HIM A BOX, WHICH HE OPENS, WE SEE AS THE CAMERA RACKS FOCUS TO IT, THAT IT IS THE CONGRESSIONAL MEDAL OF HONOR. THE PRESIDENT PROCEEDS TOWARD THE CASKET, BEARING THE BOX. THE TV GOES BLANK, AS THE AIDE FLIPS IT OFF. HE TAKES THE LAST REMAINING TRASHBIN, AND STARTS TO PULL IT OUTSIDE. WE SEE TWO MOVING MEN, TAKING DOWN THE TELEVISION, AND PUTTING IT ON A DOLLY. ANGLE, INT, THE MALL THE BOARDED UP STOREFRONT. THE OLD "SHOE WORLD" SIGN, THE AIDE PUTTING OUT THE LAST TRASHBIN. HE IS OVERTAKEN BY, AND CAMERA DOLLIES WITH, THE TWO MEN MOVING OUT THE TELEVISICN. THEY PASS A NEW SIGN, WHICE HAS BEEN APPLIED OVER THE PLYWOOD, READS: "COMING SOON, GOOD OLD SHOE," FOLLOWED BY A STYLIZED RENDITION OF A PAIR OF OLD BASKETBALL SHOES, THE TRADEMARK REGISTRATION SIGN, AND THE NIKE SWOOSH, CAMERA CONTINUES TO DOLLY, PAST GRAFFITI, READING, COURAGE, MOM. END

FADE IN: Moving through a murky haze. Dark blues and greens, shafts of prismed purple. A pale shard appears in the distance. Gliding closer, a group of tiny fish dart before the camera. We're UNDERWATER. Arriving at the form, it finally sharpens into focus. It's a WOMAN'S BODY submerged in dark water, arms floating lazily at her side. The face is obscured by flowing hair. All that is visible is a pair of COLD, STARING GREEN EYES, which blink closed... MORPH TO: ...then open as BLUE EYES, as a DIFFERENT FACE emerges from water. CLAIRE SPENCER awakens from this unsettling dream in her bathtub. She pivots the large BRASS SHOWER HEAD (the kind that moves up and down on a pipe) off to one side, reaches toward her feet and we hear the sound of a plug being pulled. INT. BATHROOM - DAY A HAZY SHAPE-- accompanied by a whirring sound. A steam covered mirror is cleared with a BLOW DRYER. Claire starts to come into focus. The dryer stops. She presses the red G.F.I. button on the socket. ZAP! A big blue spark shoots out. Claire pulls her hand back...and the dryer starts whirring again. She clears the mirror and replaces the dryer on a hook. She regards herself in the mirror, and attractive, elegant- looking woman around forty. Claire traces a finger along a small but noticeable SCAR above her left eye, then slowly drops the hand to her cheek, as if confirming her existence. INT. CLAIRE'S HOUSE - DAY Claire, now dressed, presses her face against a door, listening for the sounds of stirring from within. Silence. She quietly pushes open the door. INT. ROOM - DAY Claire makes her way past half-filled boxes and duffels to a window, then pulls the curtains to reveal: A LOVELY, WOODED LAKE. It couldn't be more picturesque. A 24' SAILBOAT is moored at the dock and an OLD STONE LIGHTHOUSE sits on a point across the lake. The sunlight motivates an unconscious groan from A FIGURE still shrouded by covers. Claire sits beside the sleeping form. She scans the room briefly, taking in a Greenpeace flag and a picture of a tomboyish ten year-old girl at camp. She gently pulls back the covers and peers down at the same face, now a waifish, pretty seventeen year-old, with chopped hair and tiny nose ring. Claire leans over and inhales the sleeping scent of her only daughter, CAITLIN. She places her hand on a cheek. The girl's eyelids flutter softly. CLAIRE Morning, beauty. Caitlin lets out a grunt and rolls over onto her belly. CLAIRE Let's go. Or we'll never leave on time. From out of the pillow comes Caitlin's voice. CAITLIN (muffled) I'm totally ready. Claire glances around at the piles of unpacked clothes. CLAIRE Come on, I'll make you some waffles, maybe we'll squeeze in a trip to the mall. (beat) Caitlin... Claire gently swats at the tiny lump that is Caitlin's behind. CAITLIN Mother... Claire stands and instinctively scoops up some clothes from the floor, then folds and neatly stacks them on a box. Caitlin turns her head sideways on the pillow. CAITLIN You're such a morning person. Claire turns at the door. CLAIRE It is unwise to heckle the keeper of the plastic. She starts to leave. Caitlin calls out. CAITLIN (O.S.) Blueberries! Claire smiles as she closes the door behind her. INT. HALLWAY - DAY Claire bends down to pick up one of Caitlin's socks. When she stands, something catches her eye out a window. She gazes down, transfixed. ANGLE Through a stand of trees over a HIGH WOODEN FENCE, A YOUNG COUPLE is in the midst of a heated argument next door. Claire watches as the HUSBAND, a large imposing man with an unruly shock of red hair, snarls at his wife across the hood of their huge old Buick. She tries to get a glimpse of the woman, but all that's visible is THE BACK OF HER BLOND HEAD. A TAN, SINEWY ARM encircles Claire's waist. She lets out a small gasp as a hand closes on her breast. It's Claire's husband, DR. NORMAN SPENCER, nibbling gently at her neck. He's older than she, pushing fifty, with silver streaks beginning to permeate the shaggy mop of hair that makes him look more like a preppy rocker or a lacrosse coach than the prominent academic that he is. Claire, however, can't take her eyes off the scene below. NORMAN They at it again? Claire nods. NORMAN Christ, that's twice in...When did they move in? CLAIRE I think three... NORMAN Three weeks. She continues to gaze downward. The man leans over the hood, murmuring darkly at his wife, though for Claire and Norman the scene is entirely silent. CLAIRE What's their name? NORMAN Feur, I think. Psych department. Figures. They're all psychotic. Outside, Mr. Feur turns and walks toward his house. Norman begins, once again, to nuzzle Claire. Her eyes close, but then she gently demurs. CLAIRE She's awake. NORMAN We'll be quiet. Quick and quiet. She turns to him. CLAIRE I don't want to be either. He smiles. A really good smile. The lips and tongue on his faded T-shirt mark him as a 'Stones fan. NORMAN When's she out of here? CLAIRE Norman Spencer. Norman gives up. He busses her cheek. NORMAN (moving toward the stairs) Alright. I can't take the rejection. I'm going to class. CLAIRE Don't. NORMAN Claire, I have to show up for the-- CLAIRE It's Saturday. Norman stops. NORMAN I knew that. You think I didn't know that? She smiles at him. After a beat: NORMAN It's today? CLAIRE (wistfully) Yep. They share a warm, poignant look. He turns and moves down the stairs. NORMAN (calling over his shoulder) We're going to have to leave by three if we want to beat the traffic. Claire returns her gaze to the scene below as Mr. Feur says something ominous to his wife, then stalks into the house. NORMAN (O.S.) Claire? CLAIRE (absently) Three o'clock. ANGLE Mrs. Feur drops her face into her hands. EXT. SIDEWALK CAFE - DAY Claire peruses her "to do" list as Caitlin munches a panini. CLAIRE ...and I still think we should get you some mittens. Caitlin puts down the sandwich and regards her mother warmly. The bond between them is palpable. CLAIRE Do you have a scarf? CAITLIN Hey. Claire looks up from her little pad of paper. CLAIRE Yes? CAITLIN It's only two hours away. CLAIRE I know that. CAITLIN I'll come back all the time. CLAIRE Of course you will. CAITLIN I'm just saying, you're going to be fine. Claire smiles. CLAIRE Sweetheart, I've known this day was coming for a long time. I've got your father and the garden and the new house. You really don't have to worry. Caitlin smiles back and nods, her face betraying some concern. Claire takes her hand. CLAIRE Really. She nods reassuringly and pulls Caitlin into an embrace. Her eyes close. CAITLIN (V.O.) Mother... EXT. COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY - DAY Claire's frozen in the hug. CAITLIN (beat) Mom. Her eyes open. Widen to reveal Claire, holding Caitlin on the college campus. The URBAN SKYLINE looms in the background. CAITLIN I have'ta go. After a moment's hesitation, she releases her grip. Caitlin glances over her shoulder to make sure no one's witnessed this overt display of maternal affection. CAITLIN I'll call you. Claire produces an ENVELOPE, which she presses into her daughter's hand. It's a book of TRAIN TICKETS. CLAIRE Come home anytime. Caitlin looks at Norman. NORMAN Really gonna leave me, huh? She nods. They share a tender look. NORMAN Be good. She throws her arm, briefly, tightly around his waist. A bit overwhelmed, he slowly brings his hand to the back of Caitlin's head. After a moment, she steps back... CAITLIN Bye. ...then turns and makes her way toward the large, old Columbia dorm. A banner is draped across its portals which reads: "WELCOME CLASS OF '04." Claire watches her daughter melt into a crowd of similarly shaggy freshmen, smoking and talking on the front steps. Her eyes are shining. Norman wraps an arm around her waist as she daps at a tear with a Kleenex. CLAIRE (smiling) I almost made it. They turn and head for the car. Claire sneaks one last look over her shoulder. ANGLE Caitlin glancing back at Claire with an apprehensive smile. INT. NORMAN AND CLAIRE'S ROOM - NIGHT Claire walks in from the bathroom wearing a sexy cotton nightgown. Norman is in bed, absorbed in some notes. She gets into bed, then picks up a thick text from beside him and starts reading. After a moment: NORMAN Whatcha reading? CLAIRE (reading the cover, sexy voice) Genetic repair mechanisms in eukaryotic organisms. NORMAN (slight smile) How is it? Claire snuggles up. CLAIRE Excellent. Couple of Swedish sailor cells just gang divided a virginal cheerleader cell. NORMAN (lost in his book) Nice. (beat) Almost done. She pulls slightly away. CLAIRE If you have to work... NORMAN No, no. I'm just about... (beat) There. He places his book on the bedside table and turns to her. NORMAN How are you? CLAIRE Fine. NORMAN It's okay if you're not. CLAIRE I am, really. NORMAN It's just she's been the focus for a while. CLAIRE Not the focus. NORMAN You know what I mean. Claire thinks for a moment. CLAIRE To tell you the truth...I'm excited. NORMAN You are... CLAIRE To get my life back. To have some time for myself. Some time for us. He caresses her. NORMAN You did a great job. She's a good kid. CLAIRE We did. There's a weighty pause. NORMAN It's just us now. CLAIRE I know. He kisses her. NORMAN Tired? CLAIRE Nope. NORMAN Wanna fool around? CLAIRE Yup. They start to kiss. It's slow and a bit methodical in the manner of long time lovers. Suddenly, the SOUND OF A WOMAN WAILING can be heard. They stop. NORMAN Did you... CLAIRE Shhh. They listen. The sounds start to become louder. It is clearly two people in the throes of some very vocal and savage love making. NORMAN Jesus. He walks over and closes the window. It doesn't help. NORMAN I guess they're making up. The woman's moaning becomes embarrassingly loud. CLAIRE What is he doing to her? They lie together in silence as the cacophony drones on. NORMAN And we moved out here for the quiet. CLAIRE Mmm. Beat. The mood has passed. NORMAN Maybe we should just... CLAIRE Tomorrow. NORMAN I'm finished at three. No. Squash with Stan. CLAIRE After that. NORMAN I'll be there. Beat. NORMAN Love you. She smiles. CLAIRE Night. They lie together in the darkness as the Feurs finally climax. INT. CAITLIN'S ROOM - DAY Claire pushes open the door to Caitlin's room carrying an armful of FOLDED LAUNDRY. She moves quickly to the bureau, not wanting to spend much time in here, then grabs a TINY BLACK TOP from the pile, and drops it into a drawer. She's just about to close it, when something catches her eye. CLAIRE'S POV She drops the laundry and slowly pulls a tattered, old JUILLIARD T-SHIRT with a very seventies logo from the drawer. Claire gazes around the room, which is a reliquary of Caitlin's recently concluded childhood; PICTURES, TROPHIES, STUFFED ANIMALS. She brings the now faded T-shirt to her face and drinks in the smells. She stares down at the word "Juilliard." MATCH CUT TO: INT. BASEMENT - DAY "JUILLIARD"...now it's on the same T-shirt only Claire's wearing it and she's much younger. It's an old photograph in an album. Younger Norman stands next to her in the shot, his arm draped around her waist. A CELLO CASE stands beside her. Claire glances around at several hastily unpacked boxes and sees propped in the corner...THE CELLO CASE. She gazes at other photos. -- Claire in her wedding dress, Norman beside her in a tux with a very wide bow-tie. -- Claire and Norman in front of a UNIVERSITY BUILDING. A tiny Caitlin rests on her hip. Claire's chin begins to tremble and she chokes out a sob. EXT. FRONT YARD - DAY Her face streaked with tears, Claire stumbles out into the immaculately manicured ROSE GARDEN. The yard is surrounded by a HIGH WOODEN FENCE. She collapses into a lawn chair as the tears begin to subside. Suddenly, she hears something coming from next door. She cocks her head and attempts to make out the sound. It is, ironically, the sound of a WOMAN CRYING. Claire makes her way over to the fence. The women's sobbing becomes more plaintive and fevered. She places her face against the prickly, vine covered fence and tries to peer through the crack. All she can make out is A DARK BLUE BLUR that seems to be rocking. Claire gathers her nerve and calls out... CLAIRE Hello... There's no reaction. CLAIRE Mrs. Feur? The sobbing chokes down to a breathless whimpering. The blue shape vanishes from view. CLAIRE Wait a minute. I just want-- Something bumps against the fence. Claire draws back. She hears heavy breathing. MRS. FEUR (sniffling) Who are you? CLAIRE It's Mrs...It's Claire...Spencer. From next door. Is everything-- MRS. FEUR You're the flower lady. CLAIRE Um...yes. MRS. FEUR I've seen you. From the window. CLAIRE Is everything alright? Claire leans closer to the tiny crack. She sees a fleshy blur and what might be part of an eye. There's no response, just the breathing. CLAIRE Hello? MRS. FEUR I'm not... She seems on the verge of losing it again. MRS. FEUR He's so...it's too much...and I can't...I can't breath... CLAIRE Who? Your husband? MRS. FEUR And I'm afraid. Oh god, I'm so afraid of... She trails off. CLAIRE What? What are you afraid of? MRS. FEUR I can't, no, no, I can't... Claire edges closer to the crack. CLAIRE Tell me. Please. MRS. FEUR That I'll just...that one day I'll just...disappear. Beat. Claire's taken aback by this admission. CLAIRE Tell me. I can help you. MRS. FEUR How? How can you help me? With your flowers and your perfect life... CLAIRE That's not...It's not like that. MRS. FEUR I've never even met you. CLAIRE I know. And I'm sorry. I've been consumed with...my daughter left...for school. MRS. FEUR This fence...it's so... CLAIRE I'm sorry. It's for the flowers. Why don't you... Tires can be heard crunching the gravel as a car pulls into the Feur's driveway. MRS. FEUR Oh God. He's back. I'm sorry. Please forget that I...I don't know what I'm saying. Please... CLAIRE Wait! Don't go... Claire listens to the sound of NAKED FOOTSTEPS, followed by a LARGE FRONT DOOR swinging shut. A CAR DOOR swings open and a MAN'S SHOES follow down the path. Claire pulls back from the crack and leans against the fence as the door closes a second time. She sits there for a moment listening, but all is quiet. CLAIRE (V.O.) She sounded terrified. INT. DINING ROOM - NIGHT Claire and Norman eat dinner. A rainstorm pelts the windows. NORMAN Of what? CLAIRE Of him I think. NORMAN Did she say that? CLAIRE More or less. Norman chews. NORMAN Honey, they're young. They're probably newlyweds. CLAIRE I'm telling you. There was something in her voice... NORMAN Remember how we were? CLAIRE Not like this. We were never like this. (beat) I want to go over there. After dinner, we can-- NORMAN Why? CLAIRE To make sure she's all right. Norman puts down his fork. NORMAN Claire, honey, we are not going to march next door and accuse our new neighbor of-- CLAIRE (overlapping) That's not what I'm sug-- NORMAN ...when tonight they'll probably be keeping us awake. CLAIRE But what if something happens? NORMAN Claire... CLAIRE I'd never be able to live with mysel-- NORMAN (reassuring) Nothing's going to happen. (beat) Besides, I have to work tonight. The conference is in less than two weeks. I've got to stay focused on that for just a little longer. (beat) This is... CLAIRE I know. NORMAN It's what I've been working for. She glances down at her untouched plate. CLAIRE I just wish you could have heard her. NORMAN Look, I'll call Harvey Tomes in the Psych department, see what I can find out. CLAIRE Promise? He gives her a "Didn't I just say so" look. She smiles. CLAIRE I'll make you some coffee. She reaches for his plate to clear it. Norman grabs her hand and kisses it. INT. NORMAN AND CLAIRE'S ROOM - NIGHT Norman snores softly. Claire is awakened by the continuing STORM. She pads out to Norman's turreted library. Rain pelts the glass. Her face is briefly illuminated by the LIGHTHOUSE BEAM. She hears the sound of a DOOR CLOSING and moves to get a better view of the Feur's. Nothing but blackness. Just as she's turning to go back to bed. A LIGHTNING FLASH lights up the night. Claire's eyes go wide. CLAIRE'S POV In the split second of brilliance, she sees Mr. Feur, in shirtsleeves, drenched, dragging A LARGE DUFFEL toward the open trunk of his car. CLAIRE (in a hoarse whisper) Norman! He's dead to the world. She calls to him again. CLAIRE Norman, you have to look at this! NORMAN Mmnph. CLAIRE Hurry... Another flash illuminates...Norman at her side. CLAIRE Look! ...an EMPTY DRIVEWAY, then blackness. NORMAN What is it? What's the matter? She stares down into the darkness. CLAIRE Nothing. There was...I thought I saw something. NORMAN Is it gone? THE BEACON illuminates the empty driveway. She nods. NORMAN Come on, let's go back to bed. Yet another bolt of lightning reveals Claire, still at the window. EXT. BACKYARD - MORNING Claire sets up a camera and tripod. She steps back and aims her camera. She glances up at a large upstairs window at the FEUR'S HOUSE. One side of the curtain seems to be pulled open, but no one's there. Feeling self-conscious, she turns back to the camera. The morning sun hits the flowers just right and she SNAPS SEVERAL PICTURES OF THEM against her lovely house. She glances back at the Feur's window. The CURTAIN IS NOW CLOSED. She walks over to the fence and tries to peek through it. When this doesn't work, she drags a lawn chair over and peers across the fence. She can barely see over, but glimpses: A DEEP FURROW in the mud of the driveway. Just then, a car pulls into the driveway, Claire scrambles down from her perch. EXT. DRIVEWAY - DAY Claire walks out to find her best friend, JODY, pretty, in her forties, wearing hip, hippie-ish clothes. CLAIRE Hey there. Jody hugs her. JODY How you holding up? CLAIRE Good. I'm good. JODY You are? CLAIRE Why does everyone find that so surprising? JODY (are you kidding?) Cause...your...only daughter just went away to school...who you were incredibly close with aaand I'd be tripping... CLAIRE Okay, I'm a little tender. JODY Well good. So you're human. CLAIRE And so far my day has consisted of taking pictures of my roses for the garden club. JODY Wow. Got here just in time. (reaching into her bag) I brought you this. She proffers several homemade tea bags. CLAIRE What is it? JODY Kambucha mushroom tea... CLAIRE Jody-- JODY It soothes heart-ache and promotes psychic wellness. Sela suggested I bring-- CLAIRE You're discussing me with your psychic? JODY She's not a psychic. Just a very enlightened spirit. CLAIRE Thanks, but I'm fine. JODY (pressing it into her hand) So you'll have some later. (beat) Notice anything...different? Claire gives her friend the once over, then notices the mint Karman-Ghia behind her. CLAIRE Oh my god. You bought it. JODY Yep. CLAIRE It's niiice. JODY Beautiful thing, alimony. Lose a husband, get a car. Think it'll help me pick up dudes? CLAIRE Absolutely. JODY Listen, I've gotta run. I just thought I'd stop by and see if you want to take the boat out, say Thursday morning? CLAIRE You got it. Jody grins. JODY See you then. Jody drives off. Claire walks down the driveway to her front door and sees Mr. Feur staring at her from a window. She starts to wave, but the curtain is drawn shut. Claire arrives at the front door and reaches out to touch the doorknob. She stops. A FAINT RUSTLING can be heard from within. Claire quietly opens the door and moves into: INT. FOYER - DAY Claire stops inside the door. Now it sounds like WHISPERING. Two voices, tense, impassioned. It seems to be coming from Norman's study. She gathers her nerve, then bursts into the room. INT. NORMAN'S STUDY - DAY But the whispering has suddenly stopped. CLAIRE Hello? The lovely circular room is completely empty. She looks around, puzzled. Cooper, the family's aging lab, casually ambles over. CLAIRE (to Cooper) Please tell me you heard that. EXT. LAKE - DAY Claire and Cooper, out on a walk, emerge onto large rocks at the water's edge. Claire tosses a long stick for Cooper, who bolts out onto the LONG WOODEN DOCK. Claire gazes at the LIGHTHOUSE across the lake and a long BRIDGE in the distance. Cooper starts BARKING and looking down into the water. Claire arrives at Cooper's side and stares down into the dark water. CLAIRE Cooper...what do you see? She looks down and sees nothing but her own reflection. After a moment, she notices a FAINT WHITE SHAPE directly in the reflection of her face. Cooper rumbles a low growl. The shape seems to be gaining definition. RRRING! Claire gasps quietly, then reaches into a pocket in her sweater and pulls out a cordless phone. CLAIRE (into phone) Hi. NORMAN (V.O.) (on the other end) I'm stuck here for another couple of hours. Claire's smile fades. CLAIRE Oh. NORMAN (V.O.) Unless you need me to come home... CLAIRE No, no. It's fine. Claire slowly leans out over the water to check her reflection... NORMAN (V.O.) You sure? ...but the shape is gone. NORMAN (V.O.) Claire? CLAIRE Huh? Absolutely. Take your time. She clicks off the phone and looks down at the calm water. INT. WORK ROOM - NIGHT Claire sits in a small workroom at a computer. She focuses intently on the screen. ANGLE It's ALICE'S COMPUTER SOLITAIRE. She flips the last card and an animated Queen of Hearts, accompanied by a series of musical notes, parades across the screen. QUEEN OF HEARTS (on computer) You lost! Off with your head! Claire hits "New Game" and watches as a fresh hand of cyber solitaire is dealt. She suddenly has a thought and disappears into the kitchen. INT. KITCHEN - NIGHT She glances at Jody's tea, smiles, then refills her glass of red wine. She picks up the phone from its cradle and moves into: INT. LIVING ROOM - NIGHT She dials a number. LOUD REGGAE can be heard blaring through the phone. CLAIRE (straining to be heard) Hello? I'm looking for Caitlin Spencer. She's in 314...Well, could you check? She plugs one ear. CLAIRE Oh. Well, just tell her that her mother called. Her mother. Thank you. Excuse me, how can you study with that? The noise abruptly stops. Claire clicks off the phone and replaces it in the sweater pocket. She tunes the stereo to a classical music station. INT. WORK ROOM - NIGHT She walks in, places the cordless phone on a BASE UNIT, then hears a different set of musical notes from the computer. She stares at the screen, stunned. ANGLE The game has been finished. Cards with faces swarm chaotically across the screen with the message: YOU WIN! CLAIRE Oh. Kay. Without warning, the radio dial rips cacophonously past several stations and comes to a stop on some angry, punkish rock and roll. CLAIRE Jesus... She bolts around a corner to the stereo. The music is chaotic and deafening. She finds Cooper growling at...no one. She turns off the stereo. Cooper suddenly bolts down the hall. She follows him. INT. FOYER - NIGHT The foyer's empty, but the front door is open. Claire nervously walks out and looks around. CLAIRE Cooper! POV - THE GARDEN No sign of the dog. Claire turns to go back inside. When she touches the doorknob, she hears the whispering again. A fleeting shadow draws her eye to a COAT RACK MIRROR which reflects directly into the study. CLAIRE Hello...?! The whispering stops. INT. NORMAN'S LAB - NIGHT Claire walks in to find Norman surrounded by several GRAD STUDENTS. At school he's a very different man; pressed shirt and tie, hair neatly brushed back. They're preforming some unseen procedure on a live sheep in a containment harness. She stops by the door to watch him. NORMAN ...and then what...Courtney? An intense ASIAN GIRL answers. COURTNEY We administer the Halothane. NORMAN Dosage? She glances at her notes. COURTNEY Three point five cc's. NORMAN Excellent. Properties? Andrew from downtown... Andrew, tall razor thin, was waiting for this. ANDREW An organic, neuromuscular blocking agent, which when administered in aerosol form temporarily renders the subject immobile. NORMAN Nothing but net. He measures out the liquid from a blue plastic bottle into an apparatus connected to an inhalation mask on the sheep. NORMAN Prudence here's an old friend. He moves to the sheep's head and strokes it as he nods to Courtney who turns a valve on the apparatus. The sheep suddenly goes completely still. Norman moves around and begins a brief procedure. NORMAN I try to stay on her good side because I owe her my career and most of our grant money. Why else? He completes the procedure. They look at him blankly. NORMAN Always do unto others as you'd have others do unto your ewe. Groans, laughter. He stops Claire. NORMAN That'll do it. Write this up for Tuesday! Andrew and Amy tend to Prudence, the rest leave. Claire moves over to him. They kiss. Norman packs notes and some of the chemicals into a LEATHER CASE. NORMAN (warm) What are you doing here? CLAIRE There were some noises. I didn't want to disturb you. She watches as the sheep slowly becomes reanimated and is led out of the room. NORMAN What do you mean? Some noises where? CLAIRE In the house. I was scared. NORMAN Did you call the police? CLAIRE No. Can you drive me home? I'll bring you back in the morning. NORMAN Of course. He takes her arm. INT. THE FOYER - NIGHT Norman pushes open the front door. Cooper pads over, wagging his tail. They walk together past the stereo into... INT. LIVING ROOM - NIGHT ...the living room. All is quiet. They move into... INT. NORMAN'S STUDY - NIGHT It's undisturbed. Norman checks the window locks. CLAIRE It was there. This angry music all by itself. And I heard whispering. NORMAN What kind of whispering? CLAIRE I don't know. Just...whispering. He nods as Cooper appears. NORMAN What'd you see, Coop? The dog stares blankly. CLAIRE (to Cooper) Tell him! Norman smiles. INT. BEDROOM - NIGHT Norman sits on the bed and pulls off his shoes. NORMAN I'm gonna have the police check on the house. Claire leans against the window sill. CLAIRE Oh great, "Can you look in on my wife, she's hearing voices?" Wait'll that gets around. He walks over to her. NORMAN I've got the conference next week. I want you to feel safe. CLAIRE I do, I do. I'm sure I'm just...how was your day? He goes to his dresser and fishes a little joint from a box in his dresser. NORMAN Think I may have cracked it. CLAIRE Really? She produces a match and lights it. They sit on the bed. NORMAN I think so. Maybe. CLAIRE You are so brilliant. NORMAN Yep. CLAIRE Madame Curie, Jonas Salk, Norman Spencer... NORMAN (smiling) You know what that does to me. She takes a little puff on the joint as he kisses her neck. NORMAN (stopping) Ohmigod. You'll never believe...I saw Schumway... CLAIRE You're kidding. NORMAN He's here giving some arcane spiel for the physics department, so Bob Shine introduces us... CLAIRE Wow. He nods, Claire passes the joint back. NORMAN And he says...you'll fucking love this, he says, "Doctor Spencer, I am a great admirer of your work..." CLAIRE Well, that's nice. NORMAN "...especially Spencer's Theorem..." CLAIRE (overlapping) Oh, no... NORMAN "...of Perpetual Distances." (beat) Everybody's checking their shoelaces. Pins drop. "I'm afraid you've mistaken me," I say... CLAIRE (overlapping) That's... NORMAN "...for my father." CLAIRE I'm so sorry. NORMAN Didn't know he was dead, every stinking paper on the globe. CLAIRE That's just mean. (indicating joint) Oh. Jody wanted to know if I could get her some. NORMAN (quickly glancing over) Did you tell her? CLAIRE What? No. No. NORMAN You didn't? CLAIRE (with a smile) Norman, you are so funny about that. No, I didn't. He takes a little toke, then vanishes into the bathroom. NORMAN (O.S.) Cause that would be really-- She lays back on the bed. Sounds of flushing. CLAIRE I didn't. He reappears without the joint. NORMAN Sorry. You understand. CLAIRE Did you call about the Feurs? NORMAN Oh, right. Yes. Harvey says the guy's a sweetheart. Wouldn't hurt a fly. CLAIRE Huh. Claire ponders this. Norman turns off the light and joins her on the bed. He kisses her knee. NORMAN Do the brilliant Norman stuff some more. Then starts working his way up her thigh. NORMAN And speak up. Claire smiles. INT. LIVING ROOM - AFTERNOON Claire sits frozen, cello between her legs, bow hovering in position. After an uncomfortable long pause, she touches bow to string, drawing in a breath at the power of the sound. Claire takes another deep breath, then launches into a beautiful and melancholy piece of music. She's very, very good. Eyes closed. Her body begins to sway slightly as her left hand vibratos like butterfly wings on the neck. She reaches a difficult transition and falters. She seems almost surprised. She attacks the transition again, and again falters. Claire bites her lower lip and tries yet again, this time failing completely. She sits back in the chair, despondent. Almost as an afterthought, she sadly drags the bow across strings. At the end of the tone, something catches her ear. She can just make out the HINT OF A FAINT FEMININE VOICE echoing the tone. She sits up and plays a different note, then another. Each time the soft mournful voice becomes more distinct. Finally she plays a sharp, higher pitched note. The voice echoes with a distinct, unsettling shriek. CRASH! INT. NORMAN'S STUDY - DUSK Claire walks in and sees: INSERT-- Lying on the floor...A FRAMED NEWSPAPER PHOTOGRAPH OF NORMAN AND CLAIRE. The caption announces that he's being promoted to the "distinguished DUPONT CHAIR IN GENETICS." Through the spiderwebbed glass, Norman can be seen shaking hands with an older academic, hugging a smiling Claire to his side. Claire kneels down to gather the picture. A single shard of glass is missing. She finds it a foot away by a distinctive knot in the wood floor. She notices a COPPER GLINT in the point of glass, but when she moves it, it's gone. She places the pieces of broken glass on the frame and stands. Out of the window directly in front of her sees: Mr. Feur, removing a DIRT COVERED SHOVEL from his trunk. She glances down at the picture, then back up at Mr. Feur, who carries the shovel around back. CLAIRE Oh no... Claire wraps up the broken picture. She hears a car door slam and glances out the window in time to see Mr. Feur driving off. EXT. GARDEN - DAY A stiff autumn breeze. Claire stands at the fence. CLAIRE Mrs. Feur? She looks through the tiny crack. Nothing. CLAIRE Hello? (beat) Are you there? Silence. EXT. THE FEUR'S - DAY Claire glances down as she walks past THE FURROW. She looks up at the house, which seems quite placid, then slowly heads around back. EXT. FEUR'S BACK PORCH - DAY She takes in the lake view from the large porch. The wind is really blowing. Her eye catches on something. Propped against the back door... THE SOIL COVERED SHOVEL Claire takes a pinch of soil from the shovel and tastes it, then knocks at the back door. There's no answer. She knocks again. Nothing. She's turning to go, then the door swings open. The smile fades from Claire's face. CLAIRE'S POV The immense MR. FEUR filling the doorway. MR. FEUR Yes? CLAIRE Um... MR. FEUR I'm running late here. I just came back for my briefcase. CLAIRE Right. Well, I wanted to stop by to welcome you to the uh, to the neighborhood. I'm Claire Spencer. From next door. MR. FEUR This really isn't a good time. He starts to close the door. CLAIRE Well maybe your wife... MR. FEUR (growing cold) She isn't here. CLAIRE When...when will she be back? MR. FEUR I don't know. CLAIRE Oh-kay... MR. FEUR I have to go. Slam. And Claire is staring at a closed door. JODY (V.O.) What do you mean she's gone? EXT. LAKE - DAY Claire and Jody knife slowly through the water in the Spencer's sailboat heading back toward the dock, the OLD LIGHTHOUSE, the BRIDE in the background. CLAIRE She's not there. I haven't seen her since that morning. Well, I mean, I've never actually seen her, but I'm telling you, she's disappeared. Jody finishes securing a line. The breeze is mild, so they just cruise with the wind. JODY What are you saying? Claire just looks at her. JODY You think he killed her? CLAIRE I don't know. When you say it, it sounds crazy. But what else could it all be? Jody shakes her head. CLAIRE I mean, he's so kind of grim and daunting, and she sounded terrified of something. Claire glances over at Jody. CLAIRE (laughing to herself) Listen to me. I sound like some middle- aged Nancy Drew. Jody regards her. After a beat: JODY Know what I think? CLAIRE What? JODY Seance. CLAIRE Jody, no... JODY Telling you... CLAIRE (overlapping) ...no...no...no... JODY Just bought this beautiful antique Ouija. CLAIRE Please. That's all I need. Jody shrugs, "Have it your way." Beat. JODY Hey, look. CLAIRE'S HOUSE across the lake. JODY So pretty. CLAIRE'S POV A FIGURE in the turreted window of Norman's study. CLAIRE Someone's there. JODY What? CLAIRE In the window. Norman's at work. JODY I don't... Claire looks over at Jody. CLAIRE (pointing) There. In the study. Don't you see-- She looks again-- nothing. CLAIRE Wow. I'm losing it. JODY No, you're not. (beat) But a presence in your house is not something to be taken lightly. Claire stares back at the house. INT. KITCHEN - NIGHT Claire walks in and sets down some packages. She opens one and pulls out new toothpaste and...AN ENVELOPE-- the kind your pictures come back in. She absently leafs through them, then freezes. She gapes at one of the shots. CLAIRE Oh boy... INT. UPSTAIRS - NIGHT Claire turns off the lights and crouches down. She raises a pair of BINOCULARS. POV - BINOCULARS Claire rakes the binoculars across the Feur's house...past their car parked in front until she finds A LIGHT ON DOWNSTAIRS. The tall, powerfully built Mr. Feur walks into the room and sits by himself at the dining room table, which is set for one. He eats a TV dinner, slowly chewing and staring straight ahead. He sips from a can of beer. Just then...A HAND GRABS CLAIRE'S ARM. She lets out a screech and turns to see Norman standing beside her. NORMAN What are you doing? She glances back out the window and sees Mr. Feur standing at the window, paging the curtain. She squats down, pulling Norman with her. CLAIRE (shrill whisper) Get down! He'll see. NORMAN (also whispers) What's going on, Claire? CLAIRE Shhhh. She peers over the sill in time to see Mr. Feur turning away from the window. She takes Norman by the hand and leads him downstairs. INT. CLAIRE'S KITCHEN - NIGHT She leads Norman in. NORMAN (still whispering) Why am I... (full voice) Why am I whispering in my own house? Claire turns. CLAIRE He killed her. NORMAN What? CLAIRE He did. She's in the picture. I went over to look and she's gone. The table was set for one. NORMAN And that means he murdered his wife? This is getting ridic-- CLAIRE No, no, no, no. The soil on the shovel, his shovel...that's clay. It's not from here, believe me, I... (frustrated, she grabs the photos) All right, look at this. She triumphantly thrusts one before him. Norman looks at it. NORMAN Our house. CLAIRE No. Look! In the window. The ROSES. She points out a HAZY FIGURE in the TURRETED WINDOW of the study. Norman takes it over to the light. NORMAN It's a flare. CLAIRE A flare? NORMAN From the sun. It's a reflection on the glass. CLAIRE It's her! I'm telling you. She whispered and turned on the music. She's trying to contact me! NORMAN (making sure he's got it) It's a ghost. Norman shakes his head. He looks again at the picture, does a quick calculation. NORMAN You took this in the morning, didn't you? She nods slightly. NORMAN When the sun would be exactly right. She's got him. CLAIRE Then why isn't it in any of the other pictures? She thrusts the batch at him. He peruses the other few shots of the garden. NORMAN A cloud passed. Or it's a bounce off the lake. See? She looks. He might not be wrong. CLAIRE Where is she then? NORMAN She could be out. She could be sick in bed for all we know. CLAIRE Okay. Okay. I'll bet there's...Look at this. She leads him out of the room. INT. WORK ROOM - NIGHT Claire stares at the computer screen triumphantly. CLAIRE See? NORMAN What am I looking at? CLAIRE (indicating completed solitaire game) I didn't do that. NORMAN Who did? Mrs. Feur? CLAIRE Maybe. Point is...not me. NORMAN Right. And why is she here? If he killed her, why doesn't she haunt him? CLAIRE She was lonely, I talked to her. Norman, I know how it looks, but-- NORMAN Claire, listen to me. I know you're under some strain. But there's no such thing as ghosts. They don't exist. Our neighbor did not kill his wife, and I...wait, why aren't you dressed? CLAIRE Dressed? NORMAN Dinner. With Stan and his new girl. CLAIRE When? NORMAN What do you mean? Claire, we talked about it. You didn't want Japanese, I said, Our first date since... CLAIRE (she seems confused) Oh. NORMAN ...since Caitlin. You don't remember this? CLAIRE Tonight? NORMAN Yes, tonight. We're going to be-- She looks at his watch. CLAIRE Fashionably five minutes late. She bolts up the stairs. INT. NORMAN'S PICKUP TRUCK - NIGHT They drive across the bridge. NORMAN (concerned, exasperated) When you do this, I swear... CLAIRE (overlapping) ...Don't get all... NORMAN ...like it never even happened... CLAIRE Okay, okay, I'm sure that I just... He pulls out a cell phone and punches in a number. CLAIRE What are you doing? NORMAN Restaurant. Let them know we're running late. CLAIRE Five minutes? The phone flashes..."NO SERVICE." CLAIRE You're not at the center. NORMAN (overlapping) I know I'm not at the center of the bridge. CLAIRE We're going to be fine. They near the far side of the bridge. Norman looks down at the cell phone, which now reads, "ROAM." He presses a button. NORMAN There we go. CLAIRE Well, that's a relief. He shoots her a look. INT. RESTAURANT - NIGHT A cozy, candlelit Italian place in town. Claire and Norman arrive at the table. STAN rises. The chair next to him is empty. He kisses her cheek. CLAIRE Hi Stan. Sorry we're late. (too earnest) It was my fault. She greets Stan, a friendly looking man in his forties. STAN We just got here. Claire flashes a semi-playful look back at Norman. CLAIRE Where's the new squeeze? A VOICE speaks out from behind her. VOICE Here I am. Claire turns to find A TALL, ELEGANT BRUNETTE standing behind her. The woman's face registers some shock. STAN I'd like you to meet... CLAIRE Elena? ELENA Ohmigod... The two women embrace, then beam at each other. CLAIRE Wow. ELENA This is... CLAIRE (to Norman) We know each other. NORMAN Hope so. LATER Post meal. Several empty wine bottle decorate the table. ELENA We had this Finnish conductor, Aki, Laki, something. He had these ridiculous bangs. And he'd sweep them off with his baton every minute or so, and it drove us insane, remember? Claire nods. CLAIRE He looked like one of the Monkees. ELENA Anyway, Claire slept with him... CLAIRE I didn't sleep with him. ELENA ...just so she could cut them off. CLAIRE He was so pissed. ELENA I came in from my room... CLAIRE (interjecting) We were suite mates. ELENA And there's this brilliant conductor in purple briefs with no bangs cursing his ass off in Finnish. CLAIRE Oh God... They dissolve into giggles. Norman and Stan smile. STAN Well... NORMAN (to Stan) I made an honest woman out of her. Elena puts her hand on Claire's. ELENA (to Stan) You should have heard her play. CLAIRE Stop. ELENA We both auditioned for the Philharmonic. One cello position open. CLAIRE Do we have to? ELENA And I kicked ass. My best stuff. Then I stood in the hallway and listened to her audition...and I cried. CLAIRE She's making this up. ELENA I'm not. Couldn't pick up my cello for weeks. STAN What happened? Elena looks at Claire, then smiles. ELENA She got it. (beat) Turned it down. CLAIRE I met a dashing young grad student after a recital one night... Claire puts her arm around Norman. CLAIRE ...and three months later I was married. He squeezes her hand. INT. WORK ROOM - DAY Claire walks into the work room with the portable phone to her ear and a cup of Jody's special tea. She sniffs it and makes a face as she turns on the computer. After several rings a GIRL picks up on the other end. CLAIRE (on phone) Caitlin? GIRL'S VOICE (overlapping) Can you hang up? I'm trying to make a call. The line goes dead. Claire hits redial and gets...a BUSY SIGNAL. She clicks the phone off as the computer boots up. Claire puts the phone down and starts a game of Alice's Solitaire. She turns a card and waits. CLAIRE Gee, that's tricky. Sure could use some help. She waits, the cursor blinks benignly. CLAIRE Come on... Nothing happens. INT. NORMAN AND CLAIRE'S ROOM - DAY She walks into the room and notices STEAM wafting from the cracked bathroom door. INT. BATHROOM - DAY Claire enters the steamy bathroom. The tub is nearly overflowing with water. She squats down to drain the tub. She stops, feeling watched, then slowly peers behind her...no one's there. Claire reaches toward the water to yank the plug's chain, then freezes. In the bathwater's still reflection she see: A PRETTY YOUNG BLOND standing beside her. Startled, she pops up and slams into the SHOWER HEAD. Claire collapses over the side of the tub, her head dipping underwater. A small cloud of red surrounds her. Moments later, an arm wraps around her. CUT TO: Blurry shapes. VOICE (O.S.) Claire... INT. BATHROOM - DAY CLAIRE'S POV - A FACE sharpens into focus hovering above her...Norman. INT. BEDROOM - DAY Claire sits on the bed. Norman dabs the blood from a tiny cut on the back of her head. CLAIRE I don't need a shrink. NORMAN (gently) Harvey says he's amazing. CLAIRE Norman... NORMAN What can it hurt to talk to someone? She goes to her dresser and gets a PRESCRIPTION BOTTLE and starts to open it. Norman gently places a hand on her arm. NORMAN Please. She shoots him a look... NORMAN You promised. ...and puts the pills down. NORMAN (gently) Claire, she's been a huge part of your life for seventeen years. If you weren't thrown off balance by this, then something would be wrong. CLAIRE I never said I wasn't upset. Of course I'm upset. I miss her terribly. But I know what I saw and what I heard...and it wasn't some "symptom" of something... NORMAN I never said... CLAIRE ...and I don't think I'm some lonely, middle-aged woman cracking up. Beat. NORMAN Are you lonely? CLAIRE No! And I don't need a psychiatrist! INT. DR. DRAYTON'S OFFICE - DAY Claire sits in a comfortable looking chair with her purse in her lap, arms crossed. DR. DRAYTON (O.S.) (a smooth, mellifluous baritone) Who's idea was it? CLAIRE Mine. His. We both...thought... She trails off. Camera slowly pulls back to reveal, DR. TIMOTHY DRAYTON, a stocky, light skinned black man in his late forties with a kind face and piercing brown eyes. CLAIRE I didn't want to come. DR. DRAYTON Then why did you? CLAIRE Because he was worried about me. DR. DRAYTON Your husband? CLAIRE Yes. (beat) I'm sure he's hoping you'll pack me full of prozac so he can live out his life in peace. DR. DRAYTON Do you really think so? CLAIRE No. There's a pause. DR. DRAYTON Why is he worried? CLAIRE Because, I don't know, because sometimes...sometimes I forget things...and ever since Caitlin left, ever since my daughter left for school, there've been...I fainted and... (beat) Why is this so hard? Dr. Drayton takes a little silver bowl full of shiny, red FIREBALLS next to his chair. He proffers it to Claire. DR. DRAYTON Fireball? CLAIRE You're joking. He shakes his head. She shrugs, then grabs one and pops it into her mouth. DR. DRAYTON It's hard because I'm a complete stranger and what we're talking about is incredibly personal. Besides, the first time most people come here, a part of them is wondering if I'm gonna think they're crazy. She sucks on the fireball and slowly nods. DR. DRAYTON Don't worry, I'm required to have at least three sessions in order to commit. Her eyes get a little wider. DR. DRAYTON Now that's a joke. She manages an unsteady smile. DR. DRAYTON I have some training at helping people through the stressful moments in life, one of which you may or may not be experiencing. If you want to get some stuff off your chest, great. If not... He smiles and shrugs, "no problem." She stares at him for a moment. CLAIRE (re: fireball) These are good. DR. DRAYTON Mm-hmm. She studies him for a moment. CLAIRE There's a ghost in my house. He nods slightly, as if she's told him, "I have some anxiety." Claire goes on. CLAIRE She finished my solitaire game and turned on the radio...she likes rock and roll. Angry rock and roll. DR. DRAYTON How do you know it's a she? CLAIRE I saw her in the water. Beside me. She was filling the bathtub. DR. DRAYTON What does she look like? CLAIRE Pretty. She's a blond. DR. DRAYTON Do you have any idea who she is? CLAIRE Um...I'd rather not say...just yet. DR. DRAYTON Fine. CLAIRE What do you think I should do? He thinks for a moment, then: DR. DRAYTON Try to contact her. Claire nearly swallows her fireball. CLAIRE What? DR. DRAYTON Try to communicate with her somehow. CLAIRE You think that'll help? DR. DRAYTON Can't hurt. And I think it's important you find out what she wants. Claire ponders this for a moment, then looks back up at him. CLAIRE Are you humoring me? DR. DRAYTON Nope. She seems satisfied by his sincerity. CLAIRE How? DR. DRAYTON I don't know. My aunt used to use my uncle's old pajamas and a candle. He stands. Claire nods, then stands. She smiles too. CLAIRE Is this time okay? He nods. INT. BATHROOM - NIGHT Claire walks in carrying a half-empty bottle of wine. She looks over at Jody, who turns off the lights. Jody then strikes a match and lights a LARGE CANDLE. She unveils her carved ANTIQUE OUIJA BOARD. JODY Sit down here. CLAIRE (nervous, jokey) Are we hoping the ghost is going to have to pee? Jody turns to her, deadly serious. JODY Isn't this where you saw her? Claire's smile fades. She nods. JODY Then this is where she'll be. They sit cross legged, the board between them. JODY Place your fingers on the planchette. CLAIRE The planchette? JODY This. Jody indicates the wooden pointing device. Each woman grasps an edge. JODY (in a low voice) We wish to commune with the spirit of Mrs. Feur. (to Claire) What's her first name? CLAIRE I don't know. Jody closes her eyes. Claire follows suit. JODY I call forth the entity that is haunting this house. They look down at the planchette, which hasn't moved. JODY Mrs. Feur? There's still no movement. CLAIRE Nothing's happening. JODY Shhh. Jody focuses intently. JODY Reveal yourself to us. A long moment passes. It's starting to seem like a bust. Suddenly, THE CANDLE FLARES. Even Jody seems startled. JODY (to the spirit) Who...who are you? At first, nothing happens. Then, slowly, the planchette starts to move across the board. CLAIRE Are you doing that? Jody shakes her head. CLAIRE I'm not doing that. The planchette comes to rest on the letter "M." Moments later, it starts to move again drifting over and stopping on "E." CLAIRE Oh... JODY M-E... It starts to drift again, moving slowly toward the space between "E" and "F." The planchette stops on "F." Jody removes her fingers from the device. JODY Mef? What's Mef? CLAIRE It's initials. F is Feur. It's her. Suddenly, the CANDLE starts flickering strangely and THE PLANCHETTE SLIDES JERKILY ON ITS OWN...M-E-F, M-E-F... JODY Shit... Jody stumbles backwards, gasping. JODY Did you see that? Claire leans in. CLAIRE (to ghost) What happened to you? The CANDLE GOES OUT. JODY Oh God... Jody bolts. Claire follows. EXT. HALLWAY - NIGHT Claire catches up to the completely spooked Jody outside the work room. She holds onto her arm. JODY I have to go. CLAIRE Jody, wait. Cooper's growling in the work room. They look in. JODY Claire, this is...this is... Claire, transfixed, walks in. INT. WORK ROOM - NIGHT She stares at the computer screen, which is being filled with letters at an amazing speed. MEFMEFMEFMEFMEFMEFMEF... She hears the front door swing open. CLAIRE Jody! INT. FOYER - NIGHT Claire arrives at the open front door in time to see the Karman-Ghia tearing out of the driveway. She turns and goes back into the house. CRASH! She edges into... INT. NORMAN'S STUDY - NIGHT The picture has, once again, tumbled from its spot. She drops to her knees over the picture. This time THE GLASS IS SHATTERED. When she picks out the remaining shards, the newspaper photo slides out. Claire glances at the benign news stories on the back. She looks around and spots a piece of glass wedged in a crack in the floor boards by the knot. CLAIRE'S POV The piece of glass, wedged next to what looks like A COPPER COIN in the crack. It's too big to be a penny. She tries to use the piece of glass to pry it free, but recoils. A tiny drop of blood appears on her finger, which she pops into her mouth. INT. BATHROOM - NIGHT Still sucking on her finger, Claire walks in and begins to clean up the remains of the seance. She bends down to pick up the Ouija board, then stops when she notices that the tub is again full to the brink of overflowing. CLAIRE What do you want?! Claire peers around, frustrated, half waiting for a reply. There is only silence. She reaches in to pull the plug, nearly scalding her hand. When she turns for a hand towel she finds a message traced into the steamed-up mirror: "YOU KNOW" She draws in a breath and darts out of the bathroom. EXT. LAB BUILDING - NIGHT Norman nods to a SECURITY GUARD as he leaves a darkened university building. He sees Claire standing at the foot of the steps. NORMAN What are you doing out here? CLAIRE He killed her. I'm not crazy. He killed her and-- NORMAN This is the Feur thing? CLAIRE Yes. And he's going to get away with it. Norman's momentarily speechless. NORMAN How do you know this? CLAIRE We had a seance. NORMAN Who did? CLAIRE Jody and I. And she was there, Norman, she was. It scared Jody so bad she had to leave. NORMAN How did you-- CLAIRE Jody brought a Ouija board and we summoned her. He regards her for a moment. NORMAN Are you angry at me? This stops Claire in her tracks. CLAIRE What? NORMAN Maybe you resent how busy I've been. CLAIRE What are you...? No. NORMAN You know what I've got at stake with this paper. You know that. I can't help but think that you're doing this now to hurt me, or to sabotage me somehow. CLAIRE Sabotage? NORMAN Ever since the accident I've been worried that you'd been unhappy, or... CLAIRE The accident...? NORMAN But then you've been so much better... CLAIRE Norman, this isn't about you. This is something that's happening to me. It's not to get even...and it's not some warped bid for attention. Some strange things are happening in our house, whether you believe in them or not... NORMAN Sweetheart-- CLAIRE No! Not sweetheart, no. I believe in what's happening. I don't want to, but I do. I guess I was foolish enough to think that would be enough for you. She turns on a heel and walks toward her car. EXT. CAMPUS - NIGHT Norman catches up to her as a LARGE CROWD is filing out of the concert hall next door. NORMAN You're overreacting. She turns on him. CLAIRE Don't tell me how to react! Norman glances around at the crowded sidewalk. NORMAN Keep your voice down. CLAIRE I will NOT. Some of the bystanders stop to watch. CLAIRE (still loud) Maybe you're right. Maybe I'm losing my mind... NORMAN (looking around) Claire, please... Claire leans in and lowers her voice without diminishing her intensity. CLAIRE ...But what if I'm not? What if she died in terror and betrayal and some part of her can't move on while that's unresolved. Can't you just... Something behind him catches her eye. She trails off. CLAIRE Wow... Claire walks past him toward the parking lot. NORMAN Claire, please... There's a dangerous energy to her walk. People step out of the way. EXT. PARKING LOT - NIGHT Claire walks past several cars until she sees the one she's after. MR. FEUR steps out from behind the open trunk of his old Buick. CLAIRE (walking up) You! He looks up at her. CLAIRE You think you're smart, don't you? You think you got away clean. Well, I know you killed her. You drowned her in the bathtub and got rid of her somewhere and I'm gonna find her, you murdering sonofabitch. Mr. Feur stares, dazed, through the tirade. Norman arrives at her side. MR. FEUR Who? CLAIRE (scoffing) Give me that shit. Your wife. MR. FEUR I didn't kill my wife. NORMAN (to Mr. Feur) I'm sorry... CLAIRE (over Norman) Then where is she? He stares at both Spencers for a moment. Then calls past them. MR. FEUR Honey... Claire and Norman turn. A BLOND WOMAN backs out of the passenger seat. She turns. IT'S NOT THE FACE CLAIRE HAS SEEN. Claire looks sucker punched. INT. DR. DRAYTON'S OFFICE - DAY Claire sits back in the chair. She looks drained. A soft rain taps against the windows. CLAIRE And his face...it seemed so gentle, and I knew...in that second I knew that I'd imagined the whole thing. Dr. Drayton takes this in. She seems genuinely frightened. CLAIRE What's happening to me? DR. DRAYTON Well, that's what we're here for. He watches her calmly, some empathy on his face. DR. DRAYTON Whether you imagined it or not, you actually saw and heard things that frightened you...that gave you reason for concern. CLAIRE Yes, but... DR. DRAYTON Your friend saw them. CLAIRE Isn't there something called group hysteria? DR. DRAYTON You think you influenced her? CLAIRE Maybe. I don't know. I just know that when all this was happening, I felt, some part of me felt...alive. Like somebody needed me. And the more I reached out to, it, the fuller it became. DR. DRAYTON You're saying you willed these events to happen? CLAIRE I don't know, I'm very confused right now. Beat. DR. DRAYTON Did you ever find out what it wanted? Claire remembers. CLAIRE She said, "You know." That I know. DR. DRAYTON Do you? CLAIRE No. DR. DRAYTON What do you think? (beat) Guess. Claire ponders this. CLAIRE I felt...pain. That she'd been hurt by someone. (beat) This is great. I'm trying to intuit the emotions of a figment of my-- DR. DRAYTON Have you been hurt? CLAIRE Me? No. Well, in the accident I was injured, but... DR. DRAYTON You were in an accident? CLAIRE Last year. I drove my car up a tree. Nothing serious, this... (she indicates her scar) ...a minor concussion. But the car looked bad. It could have been bad. I think it scared the hell out of Norman. Beat. DR. DRAYTON How's your marriage? Claire's eyes widen. CLAIRE Listen, don't hold back. Dr. Drayton smiles kindly. CLAIRE Well, he's been amazing throughout this whole thing. Patient and caring... (beat) I mean, sure, he can be obsessed with his work, and...it's a very important time right now with all that. But, sometimes...I mean with everybody, right? Sometimes it's like... She trails off. DR. DRAYTON What? CLAIRE That he doesn't...see me, or, you know, that I'm...that's something's wrong...with me. DR. DRAYTON That can't feel good. CLAIRE No, it doesn't...Okay, look, I see what you're doing here, and that's, I'm sorry, but that's not it. My marriage is fine. I've had some kind of "empty-nest" episode where I saw some things that weren't there. Let's deal with that. I'm willing to deal with that. (beat) I just don't want to go conjuring problems where none exist. Claire finishes her tirade. Dr. Drayton lets her settle for a moment. DR. DRAYTON Fair enough. But you should know that I'm far less concerned with whether things you saw "existed," than I am with why you saw them. She takes in the ramifications of that. EXT. PORCH - DAY Claire's carrying some cuttings into the house. She hears a knock at the gate, walks over and opens it to discover...Mrs. Feur. The real one. MRS. FEUR I wanted to apologize. CLAIRE You do? MRS. FEUR For scaring you like I did. When I thought about what that must have seemed like that day... CLAIRE And then you weren't there. MRS. FEUR Right. I'm sorry. There's an awkward pause. CLAIRE Would you like some iced tea? MRS. FEUR Very much. Claire leads her toward the house. EXT. PORCH - DAY Claire pours Mrs. Feur a glass of iced tea from a pitcher. She's small and delicate looking with big, watery eyes. MRS. FEUR Your house is so beautiful. CLAIRE Thank you. MRS. FEUR And these roses. They're much prettier up close. She regards Mrs. Feur for a moment. She seems skittish and shy. CLAIRE I...there's something I have to ask you. Mrs. Feur waits. CLAIRE That day...at the fence. You seemed terrified. I don't think I was imagining that. There's a pause. Mrs. Feur looks down into her lap. MRS. FEUR No. CLAIRE Of what? What were you so afraid of? MRS. FEUR You're going to think I'm crazy or something. A tiny smile. CLAIRE Not this week. She looks away for a moment, then looks back at Claire. MRS. FEUR Love. CLAIRE What? MRS. FEUR Have you ever felt so completely consumed by a feeling for someone that you couldn't breathe? That the time together is so passionate and consuming that you felt physical pain when they would leave? CLAIRE Um...sure. MRS. FEUR I couldn't catch my breath. That's not a metaphor, that's...And I panicked. I never dreamed anyone would hear me back there... (beat) I tried to leave him. Went to my mother's in Boston. He brought my things up and pleaded with me to come home. Claire is mesmerized. MRS. FEUR You must think I'm pathetic. CLAIRE No. No, I don't. MRS. FEUR I'm sorry that I frightened you like that. But I was so touched by your concern. I've been lonely here. (beat) Perhaps we could be friends. Claire stares at this strange, passionate woman. CLAIRE I would like that. Mrs. Feur smiles at her. INT. VOLVO - NIGHT Claire pulls up in front of a large NEW YORK HOTEL. NORMAN (on a cell phone) ...I'm pulling up, Yuri. I'll see you for dinner. (to Claire) Sure you won't stay? CLAIRE No, it's fine. I'm fine. NORMAN (tempting her) Really big bed. She smiles and shakes her head. Norman kisses her goodbye, then grabs his bag from the backseat. NORMAN Do I have everything? CLAIRE Yep. NORMAN Call ya later. He starts to walk into the hotel. CLAIRE (O.S.) And you glad you married me? He turns. She's standing next to the car. NORMAN What? CLAIRE Are you glad? I'm glad. Norman walks over to her and cradles her chin with his hand. NORMAN (softly) You know I am. CLAIRE Good. (She gazes at him, then softly) You sat in front...I saw you there... Norman takes his cue. NORMAN You were lost in the music...eyes closed...your chest heaving... CLAIRE I felt you...looking through me... NORMAN We walked all night... CLAIRE You told me that I was... He gently cups her chin in his hand. NORMAN (overlapping) ...that you were everything I'd ever dreamed of. She smiles, kisses him warmly, then gets in the car. EXT. COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY - NIGHT Claire stands outside Caitlin's Columbia dorm, watching young lives in motion. INT. DORM HALLWAY - NIGHT Claire walks past a number of doors. Music booms out of one, shards of a conversation out of another. Finally, she arrives at a door that says "Fur is murder." She smiles to herself and knocks. There's no answer. DIFFERENT VOICE (O.S.) She's out. Claire turns to find an attractive YOUNG MAN standing at her elbow. YOUNG MAN They're playing at CBGB's down on Bowery. Probably won't be back for awhile. You her mom? CLAIRE Yes. Who was playing? YOUNG MAN Bitch. Caitlin's band. CLAIRE (stunned) Caitlin's band? YOUNG MAN Yeah. They're really good. I would have gone, but I have a paper. (beat) And I'm not just saying that because you're a mother. Claire nods slightly. CLAIRE Thank you. She walks down the hall. INT. CBGB'S - NIGHT Claire moves past a huge, BLACK SKINHEAD DOORMAN into an entrance area in the dark throbbing punk club. She looks out over the MOB OF SEETHING YOUNG PEOPLE, swaying to a pulsing power-pop band. PUNKS and CLUB KIDS push past her as they move into the throng. She looks up and her face changes. CLAIRE'S POV A shaggy trio of musicians on the stage, pumping through a jangly, but surprisingly melodic song. Her eyes race across the faces of a BUTCH FEMALE DRUMMER, an emaciated GUITARIST/SINGER and stop on the BASS PLAYER...Caitlin. She rocks back and forth to her own hypnotic bass line, EYES CLOSED, SWAYING TO THE MUSIC. Claire is transfixed, her face a mix of pride and sadness. The song ends and Caitlin's eyes open. She smiles for a moment, then the smile fades as she spots Claire. Panicked, Claire ducks behind a pillar. EXT. CBGB'S - NIGHT The last groups of YOUNG PEOPLE file out of the club. A couple of them glance at Claire, who seems very out of place standing on the Bowery late at night. VOICE (O.S.) Mom? She turns to see Caitlin standing before her, a bass guitar case on a strap over her shoulder. There's an awkward pause. CLAIRE That was very good. CAITLIN Mom, I'm sorry. I wanted to tell you. But it never felt right. CLAIRE Why? Caitlin stares at the ground. CAITLIN I didn't want to bring up memories. I didn't want to do anything that might make you regret your choices. Claire winces silently. CAITLIN Besides, Dad would have freaked. CLAIRE No, he wouldn't. CAITLIN I think playing in a band called "Bitch" might put a dent in the whole "perfect family" thing. CLAIRE That's not true. CAITLIN Yes it is. Can we please not do that? Please? Cause it is. Claire doesn't disagree. CLAIRE He loves you very much. He just-- CAITLIN I know he does. Beat. Claire studies her surprisingly strong daughter. CAITLIN Are you mad at me? CLAIRE Listen to me. The one thing in life that I definitely don't regret...is the choice. I made to be your mother. They hug. For a moment, Claire's got her little girl back. Her eyes well up. CLAIRE I miss you. CAITLIN So much. CLAIRE (laughing) It got so bad your father almost had to put me away. CAITLIN What do you mean? CLAIRE I started seeing things. CAITLIN A ghost? Beat. Claire stares at her daughter. CLAIRE Did you? CAITLIN No. But once I heard... CLAIRE What? CAITLIN Someone crying. A girl. (beat) I thought I was crazy. CLAIRE (quietly) Then we both are. Caitlin nods. INT. PRESIDENT'S HOUSE - NIGHT ...a large cocktail party. The house is crowded with PROFESSORS, ADMINISTRATORS, and their SPOUSES. PRESIDENT TEMPLETON, a frosty-haired, avuncular chap, greets them with his WIFE, a sharp looking woman in her late fifties. TEMPLETON There they are. NORMAN You remember my wife, Claire. MRS. TEMPLETON (shaking hands) Of course. You must be so proud. CLAIRE I am. MRS. TEMPLETON (to Norman) Everyone's very anxious to shake hands with our newest academic celebrity. She takes their coats. Dean Templeton leads them in. TEMPLETON Must've been some paper. Your father would be very proud. This seems to strike a nerve. NORMAN Uh-huh. Claire notices this and squeezes his hand. Templeton leads Norman into a large living room which is filled with colleagues. Several of them turn and begin clapping. Others follow suit. EXT. PATIO - NIGHT Claire stands at a small bar. CLAIRE (to bartender) White wine please. She scans the party and spots the Feurs deep in some intimate conversation with each other. She's speaking about something astonishing. He's rapt. Claire locates Norman in a corner listening as some AGED ALUMNUS holds forth. He sees her and mouths, "I'm sorry." He points to his watch and flashes five fingers. She smiles and nods. VOICE (O.S.) Guess I'm not much of a medium. She turns to see Jody. CLAIRE Jody... They hug. JODY Are you okay? CLAIRE I think so JODY I'm sorry for leaving, but I mean, Jesus, Claire... CLAIRE It's alright. JODY I mess around with this stuff, but I never thought anything would happen. Claire looks uncomfortable. JODY Does Norman know? CLAIRE Jody, she's alive. JODY What? CLAIRE Mrs. Feur. She's alive. I met her. She's really sweet. JODY Then what was it? CLAIRE Nothing. It wasn't anything. I've been on edge lately. Maybe since the accident. And I'd prefer, I really would, to just-- JODY Something was there. You saw it. CLAIRE Did I? JODY Yes. Now I talked to Sela and there's a guy, this Pakistani guy down in Hartford... CLAIRE Hartford? JODY And he's the real thing. Specializes in cases like this, like yours. CLAIRE No. Jody, listen to me. You have to listen to me. This is not something that I can do right now. Whatever it was, it's gone. I need it to be gone now. JODY But Claire-- CLAIRE Please. Jody recognizes her fragility. JODY Okay. Okay. CLAIRE I've got to find a bathroom. I'll call you. Jody nods as Claire walks off. INT. POWDER ROOM - NIGHT Claire stands in the spacious powder room, checking her makeup in the mirror. Mrs. Templeton enters from the bathroom. MRS. TEMPLETON How're you holding up? CLAIRE Just fine. It's a lovely party. The two women fix their makeup side-by-side in the mirror. MRS. TEMPLETON Norman was telling me the dream house is finally finished. CLAIRE (nodding) Almost. MRS. TEMPLETON Wonderful. It's good to see you two doing so well. Claire looks confused. CLAIRE I'm sorry? MRS. TEMPLETON I know how hard it can be sometimes. Claire turns to her. CLAIRE Uh-huh. What can be? MRS. TEMPLETON Well, I don't think I've seen you since the reception at Dean Ackerman's last year. Claire's still in the dark. MRS. TEMPLETON For the Dupont Chair. (off Claire's look) I swear. I'm becoming the nosy old lady I used to run from at Amherst. CLAIRE No. I'm just not sure what you mean. MRS. TEMPLETON There was just...some tension. You were upset. I remember being concerned. CLAIRE At the party. MRS. TEMPLETON Toward the end. You remember? CLAIRE (recovering) Ohhh yes. No, no. Just a little, you know...We're fine. MRS. TEMPLETON Well, I'm glad. Pardon my intrusiveness, but we do have to stick together you know. CLAIRE Who's that? MRS. TEMPLETON The wives. Beat. CLAIRE Right. Mrs. Templeton leaves. Claire looks into the mirror. CLAIRE (V.O.) What was it about? EXT. TEMPLETON'S HOUSE - NIGHT Claire and Norman walk toward the car. NORMAN You don't remember? CLAIRE When she said it, there was something familiar...but no. He looks at her for a moment. NORMAN You dropped a glass. CLAIRE I... NORMAN A cheap wine glass from the caterers. You started crying. I tried to comfort you... CLAIRE (something's triggered) In the living room... NORMAN You shoved me away and ran out to the patio. I took you home. CLAIRE But why? I can't understand how I could just completely-- NORMAN It was maybe a week after the accident. We were moving. It was a hard time. CLAIRE But I don't remember. NORMAN Sweetheart, it was over a year ago. CLAIRE What's wrong with me? He stops, takes her shoulders gently. NORMAN (reassuring) Nothing. Nothing at all. It's been a hard year. But you're better now. And things are really looking up for us. So let's try to enjoy that. (gently) Please? She thinks for a beat. CLAIRE Yes. Yes. That's what I want. She takes his hand and kisses it. EXT. CLAIRE'S HOUSE - DAY Claire walks up to the door. When she touches the knob she hears...the WHISPERING. She opens the door and moves into: INT. FOYER - DAY The same intense whispered exchange. She glances into the mirror and sees...SHAPES MOVING, BODIES, A FLASH OF SILVER. She turns the corner and again...NO ONE'S THERE. INT. NORMAN'S STUDY - DAY She walks in and stands before: The repaired photograph of herself and Norman...at the party for the DUPONT CHAIR. She takes it from the wall, stares at it for a moment, then SMASHES IT ON THE EDGE OF THE DESK. She extricates the picture from the broken glass. The caption reads: "Dr. Norman Spencer being awarded the distinguished Dupont Chair in Genetics by Dean of Sciences Torvald Ackerman." She stares at the picture for a moment, then flips it over and scans the stories on the back. One tells of a hotly contested city council race, another contains details of a large alumni donation to the university. She notices the bottom corner of another story she hadn't noticed before. It's only a small portion of one column, but it seems to detail the search for A MISSING GIRL. INT. WORK ROOM - DAY Claire, online, logs onto a missing persons website. She narrows her search to NEW ENGLAND. A screen pops up with a list of names. She scrolls down the list until she finds...FRANK, MADISON ELIZABETH. CLAIRE M-E-F... Claire double clicks on it, then waits breathlessly as a blurry cyber photo fills the screen. Slowly, higher resolution moves down the image. IT'S THE GHOST. Under the photo is the legend: "DISAPPEARED - OCTOBER 22, 1998" Claire stares at the familiar face, then shakily hits PRINT. LATER Claire is staring down at the girl's face on the print out. VOICE (on phone) ...she was practically a townie. Grew up in Bradford. CLAIRE And she was never found? VOICE (on phone) Nah. She was a live wire. Had this old Mustang Fastback. It's gone too. Most of her friends think she's tooling around Mexico somewhere. Police downgraded her to a runaway. CLAIRE Thank you, Mr... She glances at the byline on the back of the newspaper photo. INSERT "by Neil McCann" CLAIRE ...McCann. She hangs up. INT. NORMAN'S STUDY - NIGHT Norman is unpacking NOTES and CHEMICALS from his LEATHER BAG. Claire walks in. CLAIRE Remember this? She places the printout on his desk. He takes a long look at it. NORMAN Is this that girl from last year? Claire nods. CLAIRE Did you know her? Norman looks again. NORMAN I may have seen her on campus. CLAIRE Not personally. NORMAN No. (beat) I'm afraid to ask what this is about. CLAIRE (solemnly) It's her. This is the woman who I've seen. NORMAN The... CLAIRE Yes. The ghost. Norman leaves the hung frame and walks over to a window. CLAIRE I thought it was Mrs. Feur, but it's not... NORMAN (quietly overlapping) Stop... CLAIRE ...I'm positive this time... NORMAN (overlapping) ...Please stop... CLAIRE It's Madison Fra-- NORMAN STOP IT! Claire falls silent, Norman turns from the window. NORMAN (calmly) Claire, I've tried to be there. I know you're going through something that I can't understand...but it's enough. Claire looks down. NORMAN Do you want to go see someone? Together? Should we call Dr. Drayton? She shakes her head. NORMAN Well then what? Claire, what? Tell me what I can do. Long pause. Claire looks up, then timidly holds out the printout. CLAIRE It's her. Norman's jaw tightens. CLAIRE I don't want to make you angry. But she's here. And I don't know why... He silently walks out of the room. Claire stares down at the face in the photo. EXT. MADISON FRANK'S HOUSE - DAY Claire parks in front of a small, clapboard house in a neighborhood that is decidedly less upscale than her own. She gets out and tentatively walks up to the tiny porch. EXT. PORCH - DAY Claire rings the bell. A DRAWN LOOKING WOMAN in her early fifties answers the door. CLAIRE Mrs. Frank? MRS. FRANK Yeah. CLAIRE I'd like to talk to you about Madison. MRS. FRANK You know where she is? CLAIRE No, I don't. MRS. FRANK Please leave me alone. She starts to close the door. Claire leans forward. CLAIRE She's my friend. The woman stops. CLAIRE Was. We were...acquainted. I've been away for awhile. When I came back... She studies Claire. MRS. FRANK What's your name? CLAIRE Claire. MRS. FRANK She never mentioned you. Claire doesn't know what to say to this. MRS. FRANK Then again, she didn't say much about her college friends. She gives Claire the once over. MRS. FRANK I'm watchin' my shows. She motions Claire in. INT. LIVING ROOM - DAY Claire sits on a couch in the cramped living room. Mrs. Frank serves up a mug of coffee. A soap plays silently on an old 19" RCA. MRS. FRANK Just plain old coffee. None of that mocha nonsense. CLAIRE It's fine. She sizes Claire up. MRS. FRANK You look a little old for a student. CLAIRE I'm not. We...we met at a party. MRS. FRANK Sounds about right. Never understood how a girl that wild got all A's. Sure didn't get it from me. They wanted to put her in a special school for the gifted when she was young. Maddie wouldn't hear about it. CLAIRE She never mentioned her father. MRS. FRANK Well she wouldn't. He left when she was twelve. Never spoke about him after that. There's a silence. Mrs. Frank stares at the TV. MRS. FRANK Don't need the sound. You can pretty much tell what's happening by the faces. Turn it up sometimes, though. Feels like someone's here. Claire doesn't know what to say. Mrs. Frank turns to her. MRS. FRANK Why are you here? CLAIRE I don't know. MRS. FRANK It's like that. Doesn't seem real. No note. Nothing. (beat) Cops say she'll be back. I just wanna know what happened. Claire stares at this tough, tragic woman. MRS. FRANK Wanna see her room? Claire nods. INT. MADISON'S ROOM - DAY Claire enters the room. Her face freezes. ANGLE SEVERAL POSTERS FOR ALTERNATIVE AND METAL BANDS, side by side with ACADEMIC PLAQUES AND AWARDS. MRS. FRANK Full scholarships. Princeton too. She wanted to stay close. CLAIRE You must have been very proud. She nods. Claire moves along looking at pictures. Some with different men, others with rough looking friends. Claire stops at a picture tucked into a mirror. INSERT Madison singing at a recital of some kind. She's lovely, with striking GREEN EYES. Around her neck is a distinctive SILVER NECKLACE, with a perfectly wrought, SILVER ROSEBUD. MRS. FRANK Such a pretty voice. Surprised she didn't major in music. (beat) That's the last picture. A phone rings in the hallway. MRS. FRANK S'cuse me. Claire's eye is pulled past the picture into the mirror, the reflection of something pinned to the edge of a bulletin board. She turns and moves over to: A SHORT BLOND BRAID. She reaches out to touch it. Claire hears footsteps. Mrs. Frank leans back into the room. MRS. FRANK They're calling me in to work. CLAIRE I should be going anyway. EXT. PORCH - DAY Mrs. Frank walks Claire out. MRS. FRANK Y'hear anything you'll let me know? CLAIRE Of course. Claire walks to her car. She turns and calls out: CLAIRE What was her major? MRS. FRANK Biology. She wanted to be a doctor. Claire stands, frozen, as Mrs. Frank disappears into the little house. INT. BATHROOM - NIGHT Claire shuts the blinds, then places the large candle on the floor, then places the MISSING GIRL PRINTOUT at the base of the candle. On top if it, she places THE BRAID. Then Claire lights the candle, puts the braid on the picture, and hunches over it, whispering intensely: CLAIRE I need to know the truth. She waits a beat. Nothing. CLAIRE Madison, please...help me. Nothing happens. She looks around at the seance props. She stands and places her hands on the sink. She glances at herself in the mirror. CLAIRE What am I doing? Suddenly, her head droops over, she shudders softly. When she looks back into the mirror, her eyes are a DEEP GREEN. She hears the front door open downstairs. NORMAN (O.S.) Hello...Anybody home?! A strange smile creeps across her face. INT. CLAIRE'S HOUSE - NIGHT POV - Gliding down the stairs and into... INT. KITCHEN - NIGHT The refrigerator door is open. Norman is leaning over. Only his ass protrudes. REVERSE Norman closes the refrigerator door and sees Claire standing before him, stripped down to a skirt and slip top. There's a different physicality to her movements...a different rhythm to her speech. CLAIRE Hello, Dr. Spencer. Norman smiles. NORMAN Mrs. Spencer. She shakes her head. CLAIRE Forbidden fruit... She takes the apple... CLAIRE Got a problem with that... ...then takes a ravenous bite and walks out of the room. INT. NORMAN'S STUDY - DAY Norman finds Claire seated on his desk, her legs spread. NORMAN I take it your not mad at me. CLAIRE Wouldn't go that far. She grabs his belt and pulls him into her, then holds the apple to his mouth. Norman tentatively takes a bite. She mashes it slowly into his mouth until he recoils slightly. NORMAN (mouth full) Okay... When he chews the huge bite, a glistening drop of juice runs down his chin. Claire leans forward and licks it off. NORMAN What's gotten into you? She just smiles mischievously, then starts kissing him. It looks like she's eating his lips. Norman's getting hot. She bites down on a lip. NORMAN Ow! CLAIRE What's the matter? NORMAN It's too rough. CLAIRE Since when? Something about this response frightens him. Claire yanks Norman's belt open. He steps back, tripping over his castered desk chair. She's on top of him in a flash, sitting astride him. She speaks in a forceful, sexy whisper. NORMAN I don't like this, this... CLAIRE (pinning his hands above his head) Why don't you shut up and fuck me, Professor. She grinds up against him. Suddenly, something pulls her eye to the hallway. POV - The COAT RACK MIRROR, now from inside the study. In it's reflection: ANOTHER CLAIRE, shorter hair, stunned expression. Where she's standing...it's DAYTIME. Claire leans over him until they're nose-to-nose. CLAIRE (tense whisper) I think she's starting to suspect something. NORMAN (through clenched teeth) Who? CLAIRE (leaning down) Your wife... NORMAN STOP IT! Norman shoves her off of him onto the floor. He stands, breathless. NORMAN What the hell are you doing?! In a moment, it's Claire again, stunned and trembling against the wall. CLAIRE (to herself, remembering) "You know..." NORMAN (rattled) What? She looks up. CLAIRE I was there. NORMAN Claire-- CLAIRE (flooding back to her) I came to work in the garden and I saw you with her...in my house. NORMAN Oh God... CLAIRE I snuck back to my car, trying to convince myself it never happened. And when I woke up in the hospital...somehow it hadn't. Until now. He just stares at her, his face anguished. NORMAN It was last year. We were having troubles. CLAIRE So you fucked a student?! NORMAN (reaching for her) That's not what I'm sayi-- CLAIRE (pulling back) DON'T touch me. Just get away from me. Go! He's frozen. CLAIRE I SAID GET OUT! Norman doesn't move. He's never seen her like this. CLAIRE Fine... She bolts toward the living room. He follows her. INT. LIVING ROOM - NIGHT She grabs her coat. NORMAN (welling up) Claire, please don't... CLAIRE What did you think I would do? Jesus Christ! I gave up my life and my music... NORMAN I never asked you to quit! CLAIRE ...Oh BULLSHIT. You had to topple perfect Daddy and that meant perfect wife, perfect family... He follows her as she searches for her purse and keys. NORMAN THAT'S NOT TRUE! You wanted to quit! And then when you did, you hated me for it... so you gave it all to her. CLAIRE Who? NORMAN To Caitlin!! She wheels on him with fury. CLAIRE Leave her out of this! NORMAN And then out of nowhere, some bright young woman found me attractive... CLAIRE Stop... NORMAN ...would do anything just to be around me. And I slipped. God help me, I slipped. CLAIRE I'm not going to listen to this. Claire goes to leave, Norman blocks her path. NORMAN I tried to break it off! CLAIRE You should have tried harder. NORMAN Claire... CLAIRE (seething) Get out of my way. She brushes past him. INT. FOYER - NIGHT He catches up, beside himself. NORMAN PLEASE DON'T GO! Claire's nearly disarmed by this rare emotional outburst. She turns at the door and looks back. CLAIRE You made it impossible for me to be someone you could be in love with. She leaves. INT. LIVING ROOM - MORNING Norman, rumpled and unshaven, is passed out on the couch, a half empty whiskey bottle beside him on the coffee table. He awakens to find Claire sitting across from him. CLAIRE I want you to answer one question. He waits. CLAIRE Did you have anything to do with her disappearance? Beat. NORMAN Yes. Claire goes pale. NORMAN She was damaged and unstable. The more I tried to distance myself, the more desperate she became. Finally, she showed up at the new house... CLAIRE How did she know where it was? He stares off. The reality sinks in for Claire. CLAIRE (softly) Our dream house. Norman can hardly look at her. NORMAN She was out of control. She said she was going to kill herself...or you. I never thought she'd go through with any of it, but then she was gone... He trails off. CLAIRE She did it. NORMAN We don't know that for sure. CLAIRE Of course she did, Norman. What else could it be? The enormity of this hits Norman. His head drops into his hands. NORMAN Oh God, what have I done? How could I have let this into our lives? He looks up at her, teary. CLAIRE I don't know. She gets up and walks out of the room. EXT. JODY'S STUDIO - DAY An old industrial loft filled with finished and half-finished oil paintings. Jody brings Claire some tea. CLAIRE ...and everything I have, everything I thought my life was...Christ when I think of all the lies... Jody looks down. CLAIRE What? (beat) Jody what? Jody looks up, tears in her eyes. CLAIRE Oh God...you knew. JODY I was down in Adamant... CLAIRE Adamant? JODY Artsy little village down seven. There's a guy there who sells my work. I had just dropped off some paintings and as I got in my car...I saw Norman sitting at this little cafe. Claire waits for her to continue. JODY I started to walk over...but he wasn't alone. A blond. I only caught a glimpse. She was young. (beat) I should have said something right away. But I didn't. CLAIRE Why? JODY Partly because I didn't want to hurt you...but partly...partly because I was relieved. CLAIRE Relieved? JODY I had just been left by Richard. I was bitter and miserable and for some fucked up reason, it made me feel better that your life wasn't as perfect as it seemed. Claire nods. JODY By the time I finally got up the nerve to tell you, Stan called from the hospital and it was too late. CLAIRE Too late? Jody, it was an accident. JODY Alone? On a two lane road? With a ton of Valium in your system? Claire walks over to a window. JODY I got there first. Stan covered up the pills and I had it out with Norman. He seemed desperate not to lose you. He promised to handle it. And we all let it drop away. CLAIRE All of us. Beat. JODY I'm a terrible friend. CLAIRE No. Claire turns. CLAIRE How could I expect you to tell me something that I wouldn't even tell myself? JODY What are you going to do? CLAIRE I don't know. JODY If she was dangerous before-- CLAIRE She could have hurt me if she wanted to. JODY You don't know that. (beat) If it's your belief that gives her form, then you've got to shut her out. Somehow you have to break the connection. CLAIRE No. She wanted me to know the truth. Now that I do...I think she's at peace. Jody isn't as sure. INT. KITCHEN - DAY Claire walks in. She notices the clock on the range is dark. She flips on a light. Nothing happens. Worried, she heads upstairs. INT. NORMAN AND CLAIRE'S ROOM - MORNING Claire enters. The bed is empty. The shower is running in the bathroom. CLAIRE Norman? INT. BATHROOM - MORNING ANGLE - CLAIRE...her face a mask of terror. CLAIRE Oh God... CLAIRE'S POV The BATHTUB, with the shower curtain drawn around it, the water blasting. Norman's limp hand pokes through the curtain. AN ELECTRIC CORD leads from the mirror socket into the tub. Claire races over and rips the plug from the wall. She tears the SHOWER CURTAIN AWAY to find A BLUISH NORMAN lying, unconscious in the tub. CLAIRE No, no. Please no... She hugs her face to his chest until she picks up a heartbeat. CLAIRE Norman!! Wake up! Please! Claire shakes him to no effect. CLAIRE Oh God...NORMAN! She slaps him on the face...once, then twice. He suddenly sucks in a gulp of air, begins struggling and dazedly returns to life. CLAIRE It's me...it's me... Sobbing, she shuts off the squeaky faucets and struggles to pull him upright. She discovered HER BLOWDRYER in the tub and hurls it across the room. INT. BEDROOM - DAY Claire sits beside Norman on the bed as two E.M.T.'s, an OLD GUY and a HEAVY WOMAN pack up. Stan's on the phone, Jody off to one side. HEAVY WOMAN Vitals are good. I'd take it easy for a couple of days. NORMAN Thanks. The E.M.T.'s leave as Stan hangs up. STAN They'll take you for a CAT scan tomorrow if you're feeling dizzy at all. NORMAN That won't be necessary. He glances at Claire as he walks Stan out. NORMAN Not unless there's a miracle drug for clumsiness. They leave. CLAIRE Jody, she tried to kill him. JODY I know. CLAIRE I can't believe this is happening. JODY We need help. Please let me call the medium. CLAIRE That could take days. I need to do something now. Don't you see? She wants us dead. Jody thinks for a moment. JODY Alight, alright. Stay calm. You opened this door. There's got to be a way that you can close it. CLAIRE Like what? JODY I have an idea. But, I mean, I'm just making this up... CLAIRE What is it? CUT TO: MADISON'S SMILING FACE EXT. DOCK - DAY Claire's staring down at the PRINTOUT. She's kneeling at the edge of the dock. From her pocket she produces THE BLOND BRAID and a piece of TWINE. She wraps the braid up in the printout with a rock and secures it with the twine. CLAIRE Sorry. Better or worse, he's mine. She tosses the little parcel into the dark water. Bubbles stream up. In the bubbles, Claire sees...THE PALE SHAPE, which slowly becomes THE DROWNED GIRL, staring up from beneath the dark water. Claire wants to pull away, but she's transfixed. Madison reaches up toward the surface. As the bubble diminish, she seems to be FADING AWAY. When she's gone, Claire reaches out toward the water. When her finger touches the surface... WHOOSH! She's sucked down into the water. INT. UPSTAIRS SITTING ROOM - DAY Norman glances out of the window in time to see a splash off the dock. He races out of the room. EXT. UNDERWATER - DAY Claire struggles furiously as the unseen attacker drags her deeper into the murky depths. EXT. DOCK - DAY Norman sprints toward the dock. EXT. UNDERWATER - DAY As he oxygen begins to run out, Claire screams desperately as her hand plunges into the muddy bottom. Suddenly, she's released. She yanks her hand free, the silt swirls revealing...a COPPER COLORED GLINT in the mud. NORMAN'S HAND grasps Claire's ankle and pulls her upwards. EXT. DOCK - DAY Norman helps Claire, coughing, onto the dock. They hold each other. NORMAN Are you okay? She nods, catching her breath. NORMAN We have to get out of here. CLAIRE It's alright. NORMAN Can't you see, she's trying to kill us. CLAIRE She's gone. NORMAN What? CLAIRE She can't be here without me. NORMAN How can you be sure? CLAIRE I don't know, but I am. She was there and then she was gone. I felt it. NORMAN Claire... She stares into the still water. CLAIRE It's over. INT. BEDROOM - NIGHT Claire in bed with a blanket wrapped around her. Norman walks in with some steaming mulled cider. He stokes the blazing fire. He sits on the edge of the bed. NORMAN I know it's going to take awhile before things are back...until they're better than before. But you've given us a chance to make a fresh start. And I'm going to spend the rest of my life making you glad that you did. The gaze at each other. Tentatively, she places a hand on his. EXT. GARDEN - DAY Claire, dressed in a warm sweater, finishes wrapping her rosebushes for the winter. She picks up a basket of clipped flowers and heads inside. EXT. PORCH - DAY She turns the doorknob and listens for the whispering. All is quiet. INT. FOYER - DAY She looks into the mirror and sees only the study and the lake behind it. INT. NORMAN'S STUDY - DAY Claire places the roses in a vase on Norman's desk, and in doing so, accidentally knocks it over. With a towel she mops up the water which has dripped onto the wooden floor. The stream has flowed over to the knot and dripped into the crack. Claire stares down at THE STRANGE COPPER COIN. She grabs a letter opener from Norman's desk and pries the coin out. It's actually a SMALL BRASS KEY, the head of which is THREE INTERLOCKING CIRCLES. She stares at it for a moment, then places it in her pocket. EXT. SAILBOAT - DUSK Claire stands toward the bow watching the sunset. The leaves on the surrounding hills are stunning. Norman appears beside her. NORMAN Last sail of the year. She gazes out. CLAIRE The leaves... NORMAN Incredible. We should take a drive before they're gone. Spend the night at some cozy little bed and breakfast. CLAIRE Look for antiques... NORMAN Yep. There's some great places nearby. CLAIRE (a reflex) Adamant. NORMAN What? CLAIRE Little village down seven. Supposed to be charming. NORMAN Huh. CLAIRE Do you know it? NORMAN Don't think so. CLAIRE Maybe we can stop there for lunch. He wraps an arm around her. NORMAN Whatever you'd like. She leans against him, staring out. EXT. DRIVEWAY - DAY Jody and Claire return from a walk. Norman has the boat on the trailer and is securing a tarp over it. They stop under a tree. CLAIRE But he acted like he'd never heard of it. JODY Did he say that? CLAIRE Jody he was lying. JODY What if he was? Do you think he wanted to bring that up again just when you're trying to make a new start? CLAIRE I guess not. JODY He's trying to put it behind him, Claire. You should too. Norman smiles and waves. They wave back as they arrive at the Karman-Ghia. JODY You've got a beautiful life. And even with this, it's always been clear that he loves you. (beat) I've come to think that's all that really matters. CLAIRE I don't know... JODY Trust me, Claire. You hear something... change the subject. You find something... get rid of it, throw it in the lake. (beat) You know what happened. The rest is only details. And no one's ever glad they got a hold of those. If you want to put this back together...just let it go. Jody drives off. Claire walks over to Norman. She hugs him tightly. NORMAN What's that for? CLAIRE Nothing. NORMAN I'm cooking you dinner. CLAIRE You don't have to do that. NORMAN I know. CLAIRE Fine. I'll do the shopping. They kiss. She heads to the Volvo. INT. VOLVO - DAY Claire is approaching a country market. She spots a little sign with an arrow: ADAMANT - 11 mi. She hesitates for a moment, then take the turn. EXT. ADAMANT - DAY Claire stands on a street in the quaint little village. She looks around, spots a little cafe with outdoor tables. A friendly old HIPPIE WOMAN walks out of a store. She watches Claire gazing around. HIPPIE WOMAN What are you looking for? CLAIRE I don't really know. HIPPIE WOMAN Know what you mean. She ambles off across the street. Claire watches her go. Then notices a sign hung out above a little shop. THREE INTERLOCKED CIRCLES. She walks toward it. EXT. SHOP - DAY Claire stands in front of the store window. A sign in the window identifies it as "The Sleeping Dog - Hand wrought jewelry and gifts." Claire tries to open the door, but sees a closed sign. She steps back out to the window and looks in. On display are a selection of handcrafted jewelry and curios. Suddenly her eye stops on a small silver bracelet with an intricate ROSEBUD. Her eye travels up and behind it to the back of the display where she spots, a small ORNATE COPPER CHEST. Protruding from its lock...THE INTERLOCKED CIRCLES. Claire looks like she's been punched. INT. NORMAN AND CLAIRE'S ROOM - NIGHT Claire glances over at the soundly sleeping Norman. She gingerly slides out of bed. INT. BASEMENT - NIGHT Claire sits among the boxes, leafing through the photo album, tracking the years of their life. Her hands tremble. Finally she reaches the picture of their wedding, reaches behind the photo and produces...THE KEY. EXT. DOCK - NIGHT Claire in her nightgown and a jacket, walks slowly down the dock. An expensive looking flashlight illuminates her path. She stops and stares out at the moonlit lake. She holds out a fist. Her fingers unfold and in her palm lies THE KEY. She holds the key out over the water and stands there, frozen. The lighthouse beam sweeps past her once...then again. Claire pulls her hand back and holds the key to her chest, then carefully places it on the dock. She very deliberately takes off her jacket and slippers, steps to the edge of the dock, shines the flashlight on the dark water...then steps off the dock. CUT TO: INT. BEDROOM - NIGHT AN ANGUISHED CRY from downstairs. Norman bolts upright in bed. INT. NORMAN'S STUDY - NIGHT Norman walks through the darkened house into the moonlit room. He pulls up short when he sees the strongbox sitting closed on his desk. He looks around, sees the room is empty and walks over to it. The mud and silt has been wiped from the top, on which is engraved: To N.C.S. with love always, M.E.F. He pulls open the lid and tentatively peers inside. THE LIGHTS SWITCH ON. Claire stands in the doorway, holding out the SILVER ROSEBUD NECKLACE. CLAIRE Looking for this? Norman stares at her dumbly. CLAIRE She's out there isn't she? She's in the lake. NORMAN Okay. Don't...you don't understand what this is. CLAIRE Don't I, Norman? YOU KEPT THE FUCKING NECKLACE. Of a woman you killed! NORMAN (nearly hysterical) I did NOT! I did not kill anyone. Jesus. Claire, listen to me. I walked in and she was lying there dead. I swear to you. On my life! She took pills and she killed herself in our house to destroy me! To destroy us! If I hadn't stopped by here before school, the painters would have-- CLAIRE I don't believe you. NORMAN IT'S TRUE. That's...you have to believe me! Oh God, I'm telling you the truth! (beat, fighting tears) I did what I had to, Claire. She was gone. There was nothing I could do for her. I did...I put her in the lake. I rolled the car in...and I watched it sink. (beat) And I've lived with that image ever since. (beat) I couldn't just stand there while everything-- my career, us, everything, just washed away. Don't you see, Claire? She's doing this! This is exactly what she wants you to think! Claire's lip is quivering with confusion. CLAIRE I don't know what's true anymore. (beat) But that girl must be brought up. Now do you want to call the police? Or should I? Norman stares at the phone. He's a wreck. NORMAN Fine. I can't live with it anymore. He takes the phone, punches in three numbers, waits. NORMAN This is Dr. Norman Spencer. No, it's not an emergency. He looks at Claire. NORMAN I have some information about a missing girl, Madison Frank...Yes. Could you send an officer? Fifteen Willoughby, about a mile before the bridge...Thank you. He hangs up. Long silence. They look at each other. NORMAN You did the right thing. (beat) I'm going to get cleaned up. He walks out. Claire walks over and stands before the box. INT. BEDROOM - NIGHT Claire walks into the bedroom. The shower can be heard through the bathroom door, which is partially ajar. Steam drifts out through the crack. She stands in her dressing room and catches sight of her weary, distraught countenance in the mirror. She glances down. CLAIRE'S POV The necklace still in her hand. She looks up again into the mirror. Her face goes strangely blank and, almost mechanically, she clasps the necklace onto her neck. Suddenly, she stares over at the CORDLESS PHONE lying on the bed for a long moment. She walks over, picks up the phone and looks at it. CLAIRE'S POV The redial button. She stares at the bathroom door, then hits the button. Two rings, then: VOICE (on phone) Directory assistance... Claire's eyes widen in terror. She clicks off the phone, and, taking it with her, starts moving toward the door to the hall. She keeps a steady eye trained on the bathroom. She quietly pulls open the hallway door. Suddenly, A HAND WITH A WASHCLOTH IS THRUST OVER HER FACE. Claire shoves Norman's hand away and runs past him down the hall. INT. HALLWAY - NIGHT She's nearly at the top of the stairs when her body starts to falter. She tumbles over, dropping the phone, which clatters down the stairs before her. Claire is pulling herself down the stairs, moaning in terror. Norman can be seen calmly following her, waiting for the Halothane to take its full effect. Finally, she freezes. Norman picks up the phone and stands over her. NORMAN God, how did we come to this? He picks her gently up in his arms and starts carrying her slowly up the stairs. NORMAN The ghost stuff, that was impressive. CLAIRE'S POV Ceiling, shapes... NORMAN I figure you saw her that day in the house and just gradually intuited the whole damn thing. That would be pretty astonishing. A passive-aggressive masterpiece. INT. BATHROOM - NIGHT And into the bathroom. NORMAN Wasn't until the shower that I realized you actually believed it. Nearly froze to death waiting for you. Thought the circuit breaker would kick back over and I'd be toast. ...then she's lowered into the tub. NORMAN The crazy thing is...I have never for one moment stopped loving you. He actually wipes a tear from his eye. He kisses her lips. We can feel her revulsion. His face over her. NORMAN Don't worry about Caitlin. I'm sure in some tragic way this'll bring us closer together. He turns on the faucets, then moves out of her line of vision. Sound of a number being dialed. NORMAN (O.S.) Hey, it's Norman. Listen, we had a huge blowout, so I'm going down to sleep at the lab. I guess you're out, but... maybe...if you wouldn't mind stopping by to check on her in the morning? She glances down and sees on the edge of the tub...a prescription bottle of VALIUM with her name on the label. Her eyes go wide. NORMAN (O.S.) It's just...Jody, it's bad. I've never seen her like this... (he trails off, choking up) I don't really know what to do anymore. Norman, lit periodically by the sweep of the light house beacon, squats with the phone and gazes down at her. NORMAN If anything ever happened to her, I'd... (beat) Anyway, thanks. Claire, mute, glances frantically around. One of her fingers begins to flutter. NORMAN (tearfully) I'm so sorry. The tub is rapidly filling. He checks his watch, then reaches for the Valium. As much from will as the drug beginning to fade, Claire lets out a garbled cry. CLAIRE (sloppy, guttural) Mmmuh... NORMAN Shhhh. CLAIRE (slurry) Mauduh... Norman stops. NORMAN What? CLAIRE MADISON! Norman seems unnerved that she's still clinging to her belief in the ghost. NORMAN That's a little much, don't you think? He sees the necklace on her neck. NORMAN Oops. Can't have that. He puts down the bottle of Valium, then reaches around Claire's neck to remove the necklace. When his hands close on the clasp, his face suddenly goes slack. NORMAN'S POV His arms around MADISON'S BEAUTIFUL CORPSE. Norman explodes backwards, slamming his head into the BRASS SHOWER NOZZLE. He staggers out of the bathroom before collapsing with a thud. The water finally rises above Claire's nostrils. Claire somehow manages to work a toe into the plug chain and yank it free. The water slowly descends. When it seems that her lungs must burst, her mouth finally clears the descending water. She chokes in great gulps of air. The drug is finally wearing off. Claire sits up. Norman's unconscious feet can be seen outside of the doorway. She turns off the water and stands unsteadily. She looks around for the phone and finally spots the little antenna protruding from under Norman. She delicately pulls the phone out of his back pocket, only to discover that it's been broken by his fall. She drops it and walks quietly out of the room. INT. STAIRWAY - NIGHT Claire stumbles as fast as she can down the stairs. INT. FOYER - NIGHT She fumbles for some KEYS in a basket by the door, then looks at the cell phone's recharging cradle. It's empty. She spots Norman's coat hanging on the coat rack and rifles through the pockets. She finds the phone, and flips it open to see if it's working. A drop of something splats on the phone. Then another. It's blood. She looks up and sees Norman, his forehead gashed, glaring down from the landing. She reaches for the door knob, but the keys and cell phone in her hand make it difficult to open. Norman hurls himself over the banister. THUD! A BLOODY HAND yanks her backwards. Claire slams into the corner by the armoir. Norman advances on her. At the last moment, she throws her shoulder into the armoir which tumbles over on Norman. EXT. DRIVEWAY - NIGHT Claire races over to the Volvo, which is blocked by NORMAN'S PICKUP, the dark hulk of THE SAILBOAT on a trailer behind it. She starts to get into the pickup, then remembers to look in the bed...nobody there. INT. PICKUP - NIGHT The truck is cold and doesn't want to turn over. She stares at the door for signs of Norman. CLAIRE Come on...come on... ...and VROOM, the truck roars to life. Claire spews gravel as she barrels the cumbersome rig out of the driveway, constantly watching the door. When she veers to the right out of the driveway, she looks into the rear view mirror. The boat momentarily blocks the open door, then clears. Still nothing. EXT. DIRT ROAD - NIGHT Claire wheels the truck and trailer out onto a two-lane road. INT. PICKUP - NIGHT Shivering with cold and adrenalin, she tries to work the ancient heater. She turns onto THE BRIDGE. EXT. BRIDGE - NIGHT The PICKUP and BOAT race across the deserted bridge. INT. PICKUP - NIGHT ANGLE Claire through the windshield. Her face striped by the reflection of the bridge lights which whip one-by-one across the windshield. She flips open the cell phone and punches in 911. It blinks: "NO SERVICE." CLAIRE Shit. She glances into the rear view mirror. CLAIRE'S POV A stern section of the boat's COVERING TARP untied, flapping in the breeze. Claire desperately punches the "talk" button again..."NO SERVICE." She's past the center of the bridge. She looks again: "ROAM." Claire punches the talk button again. SMASH! A TRAILER CRANK punches through the window. Norman's arm follows, coiling like a python around Claire's neck, his grim visage pressed against the glass. She squashes down the accelerator. EXT. BRIDGE - NIGHT The trailer starts to weave from side to side, swerving the pickup. Claire chokes, then blacks out. EXT. BRIDGE - NIGHT The Pickup and trailer smash through the railing, barreling over bumpy terrain straight toward the BOAT RAMP. The truck hits the water at fifty and Norman is hurtled through the rear window and into the passenger side dashboard. INT. PICKUP - MOMENTS LATER Claire is unconscious in the driver's seat, a trickle of blood runs from her nose. Norman stirs briefly as Claire groggily comes to. She hears the hissing of the smashed radiator, then sees Norman, a shattered bloody mess on the floor of the cab. She leans over to see if he's dead, hears a squeak and realizes that the pickup, with the BATTERED SAILBOAT AND TRAILER miraculously still attached, is rolling deeper into the water. Before she can get the door open, the truck is half submerged. She frantically manages to lower her window halfway and starts to pull herself out. Her ribs have just cleared the glass when a bloody fist locks onto her ankle and yanks her inside. Norman pulls her down until they're face to face. CLAIRE Norman...NO... She yanks the emergency brake, but it's too late...the submerged wheels lock and slide slowly down the mossy ramp. The truck is nearly submerged. CLAIRE (desperately) Norman, please... The water is up to the windows. Norman shakes his head slowly as he blinks away blood from his eyes. CLAIRE Think of Caitlin... Water sprays in through the hole in the rear window and momentarily blinds Norman. Claire jerks free and scrambles out of the driver's side window as the truck sinks. Just as she's free of the window, she jerks to a stop. She looks down and sees Norman, half out of the window, one hand clamped onto her ankle. There is a wrenching metallic creak. The truck lurches downward...then silence. IT DOESN'T SINK. The boat buoys it like a fishing cork as it drifts out into the lake. The headlights pierce the darkness of the steep underwater drop off. Claire tries to swim free, but Norman's not letting go. Suddenly metal snaps and the truck pops free of the trailer. It hurtles downwards and the still-glowing headlights reveal... MADISON'S SUBMERGED MUSTANG SMASH! When the front of the pickup lands on the hood of the car, the Mustang's windshield shatters. A PALE SHAPE FLOATS UPWARD. Norman is suddenly entangled by something. He tries to brush it free but comes face-to-face with MADISON'S GHASTLY, DECOMPOSED FACE. The last of his air bellows out of him in a scream as he releases Claire's ankle. His dead staring face separates from Madison's as the truck slowly tilts back and sinks to the bottom. EXT. LAKE - DAWN Claire breaks the surface with a huge intake of air. CUT TO: UNDERWATER - DAWN The sound of a furious cello solo. COLD STARING EYES Norman, half out of the truck, arms floating. Follow his eyes to THE PALE CORPSE, drifting above, tethered to the Mustang by an old seat belt around her ankle. Move through the murky water toward the corpse's clothed back. As she twists into view... MORPHS INTO: MADISON'S PALE BEAUTIFUL FACE...at peace. Camera drifts, moves upward and breaks the surface as the distant lights of EMERGENCY VEHICLES approach. CUT TO: FINGERS ...filled with moist earth. A hand tosses the clump of dirt onto... EXT. CEMETERY - DAY A CASKET Widen to reveal Claire, dressed in black, stepping away from the grave. A tiny arm snakes around her waist. She glances down to see Caitlin, her eyes shining, clasping her mother tightly. Claire takes a last look into the grave. CLAIRE Rest in peace. THE GRAVESTONE - MADISON ELIZABETH FRANK Mother and daughter turn and step back. Next to them, also in black, is MRS. FRANK. CUT TO: FINGERS Racing across the neck of a cello. The solo continues and now reaches the difficult transition that had stumped Claire before. WIDEN TO REVEAL INT. A LIVING ROOM - NIGHT Claire, her hair short and sexy, eyes tightly shut, brow beaded with sweat. The piece builds to a dark, passionate crescendo. Her eyes remain shut for a moment, then flutter open. CLAIRE'S POV A New York apartment, the glimmering skyline visible through a large window. Cooper gazes up attentively. Claire sips a glass of wine, her face unsmiling, but serene. FADE OUT. THE END

EXT. WALL STREET - EARLY MORNING FADE IN. THE STREET. The most famous third of a mile in the world. Towering landmark structures nearly blot out the dreary grey flannel sky. The morning rush hour crowds swarm through the dark, narrow streets like mice in a maze, all in pursuit of one thing: MONEY... CREDITS RUN. INT. SUBWAY PLATFORM - EARLY MORNING We hear the ROAR of the trains pulling out of the station. Blurred faces, bodies, suits, hats, attache cases float into view pressed like sardines against the sides of a door which now open, releasing an outward velocity of anger and greed, one of them BUD FOX. EXT. SUBWAY EXIT - MORNING The bubbling mass charges up the stairs. Steam rises from a grating, shapes merging into the crowd. Past the HOMELESS VETS, the insane BAG LADY with 12 cats and 20 shopping bags huddled in the corner of Trinity Church... Bud the Fox straggling behind, in a crumpled raincoat, tie askew, young, very young, his bleary face buried in a Wall Street Journal, folded, 'subway style', as he crosses the street against the light. BUD Why Fox? Why didn't you buy... schmuck? A car honks, swerving past. INT. OFFICE BUILDING - DAY Cavernous modern lobby. Bodies cramming into elevators. Bud, stuffing the newspaper into his coat, jams in. INT. ELEVATOR - MORNING Blank faces stare ahead, each lost in private thoughts, Bud again mouthing the thought, "stupid schmuck", his eyes catching a blond executive who quickly flicks her eyes away. Paranoia in the elevator. We quickly cut into private lives. WORRIED MAN (V.O.) ... he'll sue me, could be for 5-6 million, and he'll get a million, the house, they'll impound my paychecks...damn, damn, why did I sign that contract? BLACK BIKE MESSENGER (V.O.) ... gotta get Lola in the sack man, take her to the Garden for the Terrells, Jimmy give me the tickets for 12 bucks, I pull the midnight shift, I could do 60 bucks... wow, check those legs out... His eyes on the same blonde exec who looks away, self- conscious about her legs. The elevator stops at a floor, discards only one person. The doors close a little too slowly. BLONDE EXECUTIVE (V.O.) ... jerk... (shifts her thoughts) call Hanratty. The decimal points on the code are uncalibrated. Hoskins. The signatures on the bank draft. Boyle, that bitch...insurance...tax form. Shit, talk to Kahn. (recalling) That's Hanratty, Hoskins, Bank, Boyle and Kahn... H2B2K - shoot, insurance and theatre tix...H2B2K,I,T -- and the cleaners! repeat... Catching the eyes of Bud Fox once again wandering to her. Camera moving to Bud who looks away. BUD (V.O.) ...sorry, what a fox... funny, the most beautiful girls in the world are always on the street or in elevators, never get to talk to them, shy ... my looks, never had confidence in them ... overcompensating work syndrome... prove your worth with money... 'cept I'm not making any money... (pause, the elevator at another floor, slow) ... wonder what all these people are thinking about. Camera moving slowly again over the eyes. The silence of individual tension reigns over all. ANGRY MAN (V.O.) ...Screw him! I'll destroy that sonufabitch... he thinks he can break a contract with me he's got something to learn. SECRETARY (V.O.) ...9:15!... he'll kill me this time, he will really kill me... oh come on elevator!... why do you stop on every floor... As the elevator stops again to disgorge two people. BIKE MESSENGER (V.O.) (pissed now at the elevator) ... come on man, time is money man... One floor here I could do eleven blocks... BLONDE EXECUTIVE (V.O.) H2B2K,I,T,CL,P,O,T2... (pause, she looks like she forgot something) WORRIED MAN (V.O.) ...goddamn elevators!...people, too many goddamn people in this world! The elevator finally comes to a slow stop... They wait, plead, beg, screech with the eyes. The door at last opens. None of them acknowledging each other, they all stampede out the door with an audible gasp of release, a collective sign akin to making it to a urinal after a punishing wait... The elevator tension is over, but the killer grind continues. INT. JACKSON, STEINEM INVESTMENT HOUSE - DAY Credits continue to run. Bud moves past the functional reception area, past CAROLYN, a cheerful young black girl. CAROLYN How you doing Buddy? BUD Great Carolyn, doing any better would be a sin... He slips off his overcoat, flicks some lint off his Paul Stuart $500 suit, and enters the main trading room. Brokers mill by their desks, gulping coffee, scanning the papers, the quotrons. The digital clock by the big board counter clicks to 9:26 am -- four minutes until the market opens. You can smell the hunger. Bud takes a deep breath, tosses the newspaper away and struts into the office -- fuck it -- it's a new day. MOVING past DAN STEEPLES, a flush-faced old-timer, a blue and white Yale tie, with a carnation in his lapel. BUD Morning, Dan. What's looking good today? STEEPLES If I know I wouldn't be in this business. Get out while you're young, kid. I came here one day, I sat down, and look at me now. Past CHARLIE CUSHING, on the phone, a handsome chunk of man with rugged good looks and Ivy League mannerisms. BUD ...hey Chuckie, how's the woman- slayer? CHARLIE ...still looking for the right 18 year old wife, how you doing, pal? BUD ...if I had your looks, better. CHARLIE (used to it) ...takes years of genetics, pal, and a Yale education... and the right tailor. BUD ...not that you learned anything, Chunk. Bud reaches his trading desk, whips open his briefcase and pulls out a computer print-out of last night's homework. BUD I gotta feeling we're going to make a killing today, Marv. MARV (O.S.) Yeah, where's your machine gun. BUD Joke about it. I was up all night charting these stocks. You want to see this or what? His associate, MARVIN, a manicky wise-guy, swivels over his chair from a nearby desk. He gives the charts a quick read. MARV (scowling) Looks bearish to me, buddy. You got it all upside down. (confidential) Okay, I'm giving this to you and you alone, 'cause I feel sorry for you. Take the Knicks against the Bullets, and my pick of the day -- Duke to beat the spread against Wake Forest. BUD Thanks, Marv, with that I might be able to qualify for welfare. LOU MANNHEIM, strolls in, a dignified looking older broker in his late 60's, wearing an old brown brim hat with button down white shirt, narrow tie, very much a picture from another era... a kind humor in his eyes... but obviously ailing in the legs and breath department. BUD (friendly) You got a look in your eye, Mr. Mannheim... You got something for the small fry... MANNHEIM Jesus, can't make a buck in this market, country's going to hell faster than when that sonofabitch Roosevelt was around... too much cheap money sloshing around the world. The biggest mistake we ever made was letting Nixon get off the gold standard. Putney Drug--you boys might want to have a look at it. MARV Take 5 years for that company to turn around. MANNHEIM ...but they got a good new drug. Stick to the fundamentals, that's how IBM and Hilton were built...good things sometimes take time. The stentorian voice of OFFICE MANAGER HIERONYMUS LYNCH booms over the intercom. We see him peering from behind the glass partition in hit office; tall, balding with a perpetual worried look on his face. LYNCH Attention. Please. Office Production is down ten percent this week. I recommend that you all go through your clients' investments for any portfolio adjustments. And don't forget -- double commissions today on our 'A' or better bond funds. (looking in Bud and Marv's direction) Especially you rookies. Also, remember, the sales contest ends tomorrow. Bud and Marvin roll their eyes. The digital clock flashes 9:30. The CREDITS close. BUD And they're off and running! The room rises to a subtle but new energy level with the clatter of the ticker, speakers, teletype machines, newsprinters' Dow Jones and Reuters, phones ringing off the hook. Brokers are shouting orders, running for tickets, dodging each other; it's a controlled riot. BROKERS Here's a hot lead... Have I got one for you.... sell ... dump it all!! ... 500 at an eighth, an eighth!... July fifties. April thirties...how bout those Decembers? You see where they're going? ... Morgan is selling a billion one at the close. Yeah. That's right, they're selling all over the place... we're still long on the treasuries -- $110 million. What about the Japs? ...Where am I? (confused at all the phone lights) We gotta lot of lights here! Let's pick 'em up. BUD (on phone) Jack, take 50 Gulf, with a 3/8 top, forget the hundred. What about Delroy? I can go long at 23, let's go long...Conwest Air -- let me check it... He looks up at the TICKER... stock quotes whizzing by. BUD (O.S. CONT'D) Up an eighth. How many you want? It's on the floor. He writes the order up. A shot of CHARLIE CUSHING yawning as he half-listens to his customer, resting the phone on his kneecaps. DISSOLVE TO: THE CLOCK... It's 2.30 p.m. We hear the relentless clatter of the board ticker, and the drone of disembodied voices, blarihg market information out of squawk boxes. Bud's desk is now cluttered with order tickets, literature, crumpled notes, beverage cups and a half-eaten sandwich. He's on the phone and from the look on his face, the caller on the other end is breaking his balls. Marvin paces past, making a dramatic phone pitch. MARV Dr. Beltzer has to have his information this minute! It concerns his future! Bud waves Marvin away, answers his caller, trying to keep cool, worried how as he sees Lynch, the office manager, coming over. BUD Hey Howard, I thought you were a gentleman. Sure it's gone down a little bit, but you got the tip from your printer, I didn't... Yeah you did. That's what you said. (heated) I didn't tell you to buy it, why would I tell you to sell it? (screaming) No, I can't give it back! Give it back to who? You own it! (beat) No, he's out right now. As he looks up and winks at Lynch, standing over him. BUD (cupping the receiver) ... That's what you told us to say. LYNCH Give me that phone. (takes receiver) Yes, sir, this is the manager. What seems to be the problem? MARV (into his phone) What?... Well, how was I to know you were in surgery? What am I Marvin the mind reader here? Bud whispers, tensely. Lynch listens. BUD He's lying. LYNCH Okay, sir. I'll discuss this with the broker and I'll get back to you. You're welcome. Lynce hangs up and glares at Bud. LYNCH If I'm closing out this account. If he doesn't pay for it tomorrow, you pay for it. BUD Mr. Lynch, I swear to you, he's lying! LYNCH Fox, you're making more problems than you are sales. BUD I don't think you're being fair, sir. You assigned me this guy, and you know he's got a history... LYNCH Somebody has to pay for that error. And it's not me. Lynch walks off. Bud does some quick calculations in his head. MARV (reappearing) Buddy, buddy, buddy; little trouble, huh, today. BUD (devastated) Howard the Jerk reneged on me. I've got to cover his loss to the tune of about seven grand! I'm tapped out man, American Express got a hit man looking for me. MARV Hey, things could be worse. It could've been my money. Let me help you out, rookie. He takes out his wallet and loans Bud a hundred bucks. BUD Thanks Marv, I'll make it good to you. (fervently) You know what my dream is? One day to be on the other end of that phone... MARV Just put me on the institutional side of the room where the real cheesecake is. You forgetting something? Marvin points up at the clock. Bud looks up... it's 2:40. Bud quickly composes himself. He picks up the phone, dialing purposefully. MARV (CONT'D) Buddy, buddy, when ya gonna realize it's big game hunters that bag the elephants, not retail brokers. I heard this story about Gekko... he was on the phone 30 seconds after the Challenger blew up selling NASA stocks short. BUD Hello, Natalie -- guess who? That's right, and you know everyday I say to myself, today could be the day... So what do you say... will you marry me? Then please can you get me through to Mr. Gekko? MARV (coaching) It concerns his future! BUD Of course he's busy, and so am I. Five minutes. That's all I'm asking. I know that if he could only hear what I have to say... it would change his life. INT. GEKKO OFFICE - DAY NATALIE, a classy attractive Englishwoman is on the phone with Bud, somewhat amused by his manner. She is the personal secretary to multimillionaire, Wall Street trader and raider, Gordon Gekko. His windows look out on a panoramic view of the city and East River. NATALIE Mr. Fox, I've told you before, I'm sure you're a good broker, but our traders talk to the brokers, Mr. Gekko only deals with investment bankers. Yes, I shall give him your message ... As they're speaking, another SECRETARY leads two well-heeled JAPANESE BUSINESSMEN past her desk. As she opens the door to the inner office and ushers them inside, we catch a glimpse of a figure, pacing back and forth, talking animatedly on the phone by the huge corner window. HE IS GORDON GEKKO. We hear a deafening ROAR as we: DISSOLVE TO: EXT. MCGREGOR'S BAR AND GRILL - NEAR LAGUARDIA AIRPORT - TWILIGHT In the background, a 747 ascends into the night sky, climbing over the roof tops of weathered brick tract houses. Bud, coat collar pulled up against the wind, crosses the street, entering a neighborhood bar. We see an old maroon Honda behind him. INT. MCGREGOR'S - TWILIGHT Dimly-lit, noisy, blue-collar airline bar. Machinists and mechanics still in their overalls at the bar, drinking, watching ESPN FIGHT NIGHT, on TV. Bud searches the crowd. A group of middle-aged men wave him over, BLUESTAR AIRLINES insignias on the pockets... CHARLIE DENT, a rugged, chain- smoking ex-Marine Sergeant, and DOMINICK AMATO, a big strong Italian greet Buddy as he comes over. CHARLIE Buddy boy, how ya doing? BUD Great Charlie, any better it'd be a sin. AMATO (slapping Bud) I hear all you guys on Wall Street are millionaires, when you gonna make us rich? BUD Gotta open an account to win the lottery, Dominick. Give me 15,000, you'll have a condo in Florida next Christmas. CARL ... sure and we'll own the airline. If he makes anybody rich, let him make himself rich, so's he can pay off his school loans. As he signs an unemployment insurance form for one of his men. BUD ... nice to see you in such a good mood Dad, what'd Mom do, give you fish for dinner? ... You're smoking too much, how many times do you gotta go to the hospital to ... Carl, inhaling his cigarette, grimaces formidably, terminating the subject. CARL ...leave me alone willya. Only thing makes me feel good anymore. Spaghetti. She makes lousy spaghetti... BUD It's called pasta now Dad, spaghetti's out of date. Bud sitting down next to him, pats him around the shoulder. Dad, a sarcastic and gruff edge to him, makes a faint smile. He has a genuine affection and pride in his somewhat glamorous son. CARL ... so am I. Whaddaya want, a beer? (to waitress) Hey Billie, bring another for the kid, he looks good, doesn't he? Dominick and Charlie go off. A pause. Father and son sizing each other up with a look. CARL ... looks like you grown another inch... but you don't look so hot, getting bags under your eyes, starting to look old like me. BUD Ah, I had a tough day. Some jerk D.K'd me and I gotta cover his loss. CARL Speak English will ya. BUD D.K. -- didn't know -- who I was when the options he bought took a bath. He reneged on me. CARL (nods, satisfied) I told you not to go into that racket. You could've been a doctor or a lawyer, BUD Coulda been a contender. CARL (CONT.) you coulda stayed at Bluestar and been a supervisor in instead of going customer relations by now, 'stead of going off and bein' a salesman. BUD (an old story between them) Look Dad, I'm not a salesman. How many times I gotta tell you I'm an account executive, and pretty soon I'm going to the investment banking side of the firm. CARL You get on the phone and ask strangers for their money, right? You're a salesman. BUD (ticked) Dad, it takes time. You gotta build a customer list. I'm doing it. I could make more money in one year as a broker than five years at the airline. CARL I don't get it, you get a scholarship to NYU, you get 35,000 the first year, and 50 last year, where the hell is it? BUD 50 K don't get you to first base in the Big Apple, Dad, not any more. I pay 40% in taxes, I got a rent of 15,000, I got school loans, car loans, food, park my car costs me 3 bills a month, I need good suits, that's $500 a pop, shoes... CARL So come home and live rent free, 'stead of that cockroach palace you live in. $50,000 Jesus Christ, the world is off its rocker. I made $37,000 last year and you... BUD It's Queens, Dad and a 5% mortgage and you rent the top room--I gotta live in Manhattan to be a player, Dad. There's no nobility in poverty anymore, y'know. One day you're going to be proud of me, you'll see... (hurting) CARL (sees it) It's yourself you've got to be proud of, Huckleberry, how much ya need? BUD (beat) Can you spare three hundred? Pay you back next month, promise. Dad reaches into his pocket, looks at his cash. It hurts. CARL ...Got a 100 on me, you... BUD (embarrassed) Not in here Dad... please. Later. Dad shrugs, puts it away. CARL ... it adds up Buddy, 300 here, 200 there. Your brother never... (cuts off when he sees Buddy's face) ...well, I always said money is something you need in case you don't die tomorrow... BUD (changes subject) How's Mom? Another man comes over with a bandage around his head and a compensation form for Carl to sign. ("Hey, chief"). CARL (with affection) ...same, pain in the ass, god bless her, talks too much... gonna take her to Florida next month... west coast, near Tampa, like to get out for good, but can't afford it. BUD ...Work okay? CARL (lights another cigarette, grimaces) ...this drug testing is driving my guys nuts. I got flagged for my blood pressure pills. The only good news is, we just met with the comptroller over some union stuff...'member that crash last summer? and the investigation? Well, the FAA is gonna rule it was a manufacturing flaw in the door latch mechanism. I kept telling 'em it wasn't maintenance, it was those goddamn greedy manufacturers out in Cincinnati. And I was right. He gives the signed form back to the injured man. (Carl: "Okay, Frank") BUD That's great Dad. CARL Damn right, it gets us out from under suspension. We'll get those new routes to Pittsburgh and Boston and the equipment we need. We're gonna compete with the big boys now. BUD (boasts) Hey to Bluestar, as your broker all I can advise is hold on to that stock Dad... They drink. Bud reflects a moment. BUD You sure about this FAA announcement? CARL About what? BUD The FAA announcement. CARL Sure I'm sure. Buddy, you got that mischievous look in your eyes. You used to smile just like that when you were a baby sleeping, just like that. Bud's mind racing elsewhere. INT. BUD'S APARTMENT - UPPER WEST SIDE - NIGHT A cramped studio facing an air shaft with bars on the window. Moving across to the sound of the radio alarm going off and the glib tones of a rock D.J. announcing the Met's latest streak ... The walls are papered with stock analyses and graphs, print out pages strewn across the floor. No other semblance of a personal life except clothes haphazardly tossed, Barron's and Fortune magazines. A GIRL's back is all we see, sleeping naked on the bed. Close on Bud's IBM computer -- his appointment calendar. Bud focusing on an underlined notation: G.G.'s BIRTHDAY. Bud stares at the clock: 4 a.m. He picks up a prospectus for a chemical company, starts reading. EXT. GEKKO BUILDING - MORNING Bud, crossing lower Broadway, enters a magnificent towering glass structure. INT. GORDON GEKKO PENTHOUSE OFFICES - MORNING NATALIE, Gekko's British secretary, is completing shorthand notes as the intercom buzzes. A logo for "GEKKO & CO. is behind her. RECEPTION (off) ... I have a delivery here for Mr. Gekko. It's a personal item and the gentleman says you have to sign for it. NATALIE (frowning) ...all right, send him in... INT. HALLWAY - MORNING Bud, somewhat nervous, is led down an impressive hallway hung with expensive modern art... past a huge Calder mobile and a pool of some 15 traders on phones, quotron terminals and keyboards... into Natalie's outer office. BUD Hello, Natalie, you recognize the voice? I'll give you a hint, you're thinking seriously about marrying me... NATALIE (recognizing the voice) What are you doing here? BUD ...And you're even lovelier than I pictured. I brought a birthday present for Mr. Gekko. NATALIE First of all, Mr. Fox, you can't just come barging in here. And what makes you think it's his birthday? Bud takes out an old crumpled Fortune magazine cover of Gordon Gekko, entitled "Gekko the Great!" BUD It's in the bible, see. You better go buy him a present. Please, Natalie. Let me give him the gift; Cuban cigars--Davidoff, his favorite and hard to get. NATALIE (sighs) Stay here, I'll see what I can do. She takes the gift and enters Gekko's office. Bud paces nervously. Natalie re-appears, stern, but a note of compromise in her voice. NATALIE Wait outside. INT. GEKKO OFFICES - OUTSIDE RECEPTION AREA - DAY Bud on the courtesy phone, hangs up, looks nervously at his watch. Almost 12. He's lost some two hours of business. Natalie suddenly comes out, without a smile. NATALIE Five minutes... Bud brightens, pumping himself in the mirror, muttering. BUD (to Natalie) Well... life all comes down to a few moments, and this is one of 'em... He follows Natalie. INT. GORDON GEKKO'S OFFICE (BUD'S POV) - DAY Furnishings in hypermodern gray and black lacquer, Modern Art ranging from black field paintings by Ad Reinhardt to the smashed dishes of Julian Schnabel. Nautilus equipment, hi-tech gadgets are in evidence, including a splendid Howard Miller World Time Clock, and a world map... Three of Gekko's people, young MBA's dressed for success, are scattered about the room, on phones, calculators, coming in and out. GORDON GEKKO aka Gekko the Great as the media calls him, dressed in a custom English suit, paces on the phone with the restlessness of a caged tiger, a 50-foot extension cord attached to his blinking 130 line silver-plated telephone. On his ears is a headset. He is carrying on overlapping conversations with a myriad of bankers, partners and lawyers; pausing to issue commands to his aides while keeping his eye on the stock prides spitting across a bank of quotron monitors, carrying everything from New York Exchanges to London, commodities, gold, and currency values. A second Secretary and sometimes Natalie exit and enter with various messages written on a piece of paper, indicating a waiting party on the phone. Gekko often shakes his head "no". GEKKO (on phone) ... what the hell is going on? I just saw 200,000 shares move, are we part of it, we better be, pal, or I'm gonna eat your lunch for you... get on 1. (switches lines) Sorry, love it at forty. It's an insult at fifty. Their analysts don't know preferred stock from livestock... (a beat, mischievous smile) wait for it to head south, then we'll raise the sperm count on the deal... right. Get back to me.... (to Alex, an aide listening an the other line) This is the kid that's called me 59 days in a row. Wants to be a player (to Bud) There oughta be a picture of you in the dictionary under persistence. (back to phone) Look, Jerry, I'm looking for negative control, no more than 30 to 35%, just enouqh to block anybody else's merger plans and find out from the inside if the books are cooked. If it looks as good as on paper, we're in the kill zone. We lock and load pal...get on 3. ALEX DE BETANCOURT, a tall handsome Frenchman, jots a note and follows Gordon over to line 3. Gekko's dark intent eyes fixing briefly on Bud who stands waiting in the corner. He motions him to sit. GEKKO (new line) Yeah, Billy, who's your buyer?... No, not interested. (eyes an Quotron, to Ollie, a trader) Ollie, start calling a the institutions, start with Marx at Janson Mutual, then Reardon. Get me that California retirement money, baby! And we're on our way! OLLIE You got it, G.G. OLLIE, a gigantic 200 pound man wearing pink suspenders, rises and walks to another phone, past Bud... GEKKO (back on line with Billy, listening) ... check the arbs for MacDonald's. Yeah, I'm having a Mac attack. 20,000 shares. For about 30 minutes. Lunch? Are you joking -- lunch is for wimps. Get back to me... (to Alex) 4. Bud's eyes on the framed "tombstones" from the Wall Street Journal commemorating Gekko's successful deals; they hang like scalps from the walls. Gekko's eyes drifting to Bud, a friendly easy smile for a flick of an instant, he has genuine charm in his manner and though ultrafast verbally, projects calm and confidence at the center. A man who obviously loves what he does, to some small degree is flashing his stuff for the outsider. GEKKO (line 4) Look Harold, they're vulnerable, alright, but we don't want 'em to think they're under accumulation. Go slow. Call Geneva and the Bahamas for me, will ya? We feint towards it but we wait... ALEX What about tipping off Yurovich? GEKKO (grimaces) If I ever need surgery, get me the heart of an arb like Yurovich, it's never been used...Happy Holideals Harold... Hangs up, eyes to Bud. His headset comes off. BUD (nervous) How do you do Mr. Gekko. I'm Bud Fox. GEKKO So you say. Nice to meet you; hope you're intelligent. Like these, how'd you get these? (indicating cigars) BUD (tries a smile, awkward) ...got a connection at the airport. Gekko notes the answer, wrapping the cuff of a state-of-the- art, automatic blood pressure monitor around his arm and starts pumping it up. His aides continue on the phones. GEKKO So what s on your mind kimosabe? Why am I listening to you? Got to monitor my blood pressure, so whatever you do, don't upset me. BUD Oh no, no... GEKKO (demonstrating it) Within 45 seconds, a microprocessor computes your systolic and diastolic pressure. Has an LCD readout, and it's cost effective -- less than one visit to the doctor. BUD I just want to let you know Mr. Gekko I read all about you at NYU Business, and I think you're an incredible genius and I've always dreamed of only one thing -- to do business with a man like you... GEKKO (smiles, impatient with the speech) So what firm you with, pal? BUD Jackson, Steinem... GEKKO (nods) ...going places, good junk bond department, you got the financing on that Syndicam deal. BUD ...Yeah, and we're working on some other interesting stuff. GEKKO (fishing) ...A cosmetics company by any chance? What are you, the 12th man on the deal team? The last to know? BUD (smiles) Can't tell you that, Mr. Gekko. GEKKO So whatta you got for me, sport? Why are you here? Bud opens his attache case and rifles out a handful of briefs. Gekko noting the blood pressure reading and taking the cuff off his arm. Ollie, the big trader, ambles back in, says something to the third aide, a young intelligent- looking woman SUSAN TURNER. BUD Chart break-out on this one here...uh Whitewood-Young Industries...low P.E. Explosive earnings. 30% discount from book. Great cash flow. Coupla 5% holders. Strong management. GEKKO It's a dog, what else you got, sport, besides connections at the airport? NATALIE Mr. Stevenson in San Fransisco. Gekko takes the call, cutting Bud off. GEKKO He respond to the offer? What? What the hell's Cromwell doing giving lecture tours when his company's losing 60 million a quarter? I guess he's giving lectures on how to lose money...if this guy opened a funeral parlor, no one would die, this turkey's totally brain dead...Well Christmas is over and business is business. (simultaneous to Ollie) Keep buying. Dilute the sonofabitch. Ollie I want every orifice in his body flowing red. OLLIE (laughs, on the phone) He's flowing, Gordo. Piece of cake. Gekko hanging up and buzzing an aide. Throws out an aside to Bud. GEKKO ...doesn't look like it but the best trader on the street... (to Susan) Sue get the LBO analysis on Teldar Paper and bring it here...what else? Bud shifting, uncomfortable as Gekko finally swivels his attention back to him. BUD (coming right back) Tarafly...Analysts don't like it. I do. The breakup value is twice the market price. The deal finances itself. Sell off two divisions, keep... Aiex, knowing the stock, sneers, shares a look with Gekko who looks up at Bud with the first sign of interest. GEKKO (laughs) Not bad for a quant, but a dog with different fleas. (checks his hi-tech watch) Come on, tell me something I don't know. It's my birthday, pal, surprise me... As he opens a birthday card and feeds it into the SHREDDER that sits next to his desk over the waste basket. The sound it makes is soft and menacing. Buddy knows its fourth down and long, Gekko's attention is shifting to the quotron. In frustration, Bud blurts it out. BUD (standing) Bluestar Airlines. The camera moves on him now, sudden, more intense, in a sense trapping him. GEKKO ...rings a bell somewhere. So what? BUD A comer. 80 medium-body jets. 300 pilots, flies northeast, Canada, some Florida and Caribbean routes... great slots in major cities... GEKKO ...don't like airlines, lousy unions... BUD There was a crash last year. They just got a favorable ruling on a lawsuit. Even the plaintiffs don't know. Gekko looks up, remotely interested. GEKKO How do you know? BUD (hesitates, concerned) I know...the decision'll clear the way for new planes and route contracts. There's only a small float out there, so you should grab it. Good for a five point pop. Ollie comes back in, as excited as he ever will get under his rolls of flesh, his voice deadpan. OLLIE ... just got 250,000 shares at 18 1/4 from Janson, think I'll pull twice that at 18 1/2 outta the California pensions. We got close to half a million shares in the bag. GEKKO Hey, the Terminator! Blow 'em away Ollie. OLLIE And, I'm pretty sure we got the Beezer Brothers out of Tulsa coming in with us and I'm working on the Silverberg boys in Canada. GEKKO Rip their throats out and put them in your garbage compactor. (to Bud) Interesting. You got a card? Buddy thrusts a card into his hands. Gekko glances at it. BUD My home number's on the back... GEKKO (smiles, looks at card) Bud Fox, I look at a hundred ideas a day. I choose one. Bud stuffs his notes back into the briefcase, hoping for a word of encouragement in the awkward silence. BUD Well, hope to hear from you, sir. He turns and heads out the door, still shaken by the revelation he has made passing Susan who hurries in with a dossier. Gekko glances at it. As Bud leaves, he overhears: GEKKO (off) OK gang, looks like we're going over 5% in Teldar, start the lawyers on a tender offer and 13D, we keep going after everything in sight but don't pay over $22. They're gonna fight, they got Myers and Thromberg doing their legal, they make Nazis look like nice guys... INT. OUTSIDE GEKKO'S OFFICE - DAY Bud walks glumly past Natalie, certain that he's blown it. She's busy on the phone. BUD ...thanks Natalie. NATALIE (buzzing inside, preoccupied) ...have a nice day Mr. Stone. (wrong name, doesn't notice, to Gekko on phone) ... Mr. Gekko, the conference call is ready. Mr. Sugarman and Mr. Lorenzo in Delaware. Mr. Bernard in Los Angeles. Mr. Jackson and Ms. Rosco in London. They're all on. The phone call goes behind closed doors. Bud walks out, dejected. INT. BUD'S OFFICE - DAY Bud comes in, distracted, punches into his quatron. Teldar Paper comes up. MARV (comes over) ...well, see him? BUD (mind on the computer) Yeah, but he didn't see me. MARV Cheer up buddy buddy. You shook Gekko the Great's hand and you still got all your fingers. He's not the only elephant in the jungle. INSERT: TELDAR PAPER. The quotron. Bud's eyes. Thinking to buy. MARV (looks) ... got something from him? Teldar Paper? Bud wipes it off the screen, his mind made up, dismissing the temptation to buy. BUD ...a dog with fleas. Lynch, the manager, stalks past with some telexes. LYNCH Where you been the last 3 hours, Fox? I wouldn't be sitting around chin wagging if I were you... plenty of names in that phone book to cold call... Marvin gives Lynch the Italian salute, behind his back. Grudgingly, Buddy flips open the massive New York phone book. MARV ...got tickets for the Knicks tonight. Go out and cruise some bimbos afterwards, whaddaya say? BUD (shakes his head) ...gotta read my reports. MARV Forget charts! We're not fund managers, Bud, churn 'em and burn 'em. I'm offering you the Knicks and chicks. God save you before you turn into poor Steeples over there. Their eyes briefly on DAN STEEPLES, red faced, desperately trying to make a sale on the telephone, hangs up defeated. BUD ...preferably Lou Mannheim... Their eyes briefly on LOU MANNHEIM, in his private office, sitting there slumped, thinking, smoking as he watches the quotron. MARV Nice guy but a loser. Lost all his equity when his firm went belly up in the recession of 71. you wanna be coming in here in your late sixties still pitching? ... Whatever happened to that cute analyst at Thudder, Wicks? ... Cindy? Susan? BUD Cindy. Having sex with her is like reading the Wall Street Journal 'cept the Journal don't talk back. 'Sides this AIDS crap is ruining romance, nobody trusts anybody anymore, gotta get a blood test in the toilet before you leave a bar together, somebody oughtta invent an AIDS dipstick, no kidding, make a fortune. I gotta get to work... Z's today. (hitting the phone with the directory) The pool SECRETARY, GINA, calls out. GINA Call for you Buddy. BUD (taking it) Bud Fox. Bud rears up in his seat. A change. Marvin notices. INT. GORDON GEKKO OFFICE - SIMULTANEOUS - DAY Gekko talks into his speaker phone, gazing out the window. GEKKO Alright Bud Fox... buy me twenty thousand shares of Bluestar. No more than 15 1/8, 3/8 tops, and don't screw it up sport. INT. BUD'S CUBICLE - DAY The camera tracks around and in on him climactically as the Music Theme rises to ensnare him... We end close on Bud. Dumbstruck. BUD Yes, sir. Thank you. You won't regret it. He hangs up, stunned still, rises from his chair, unbuttons his collar and feverishly starts writing the ticket. MARV Got a little action there, eh buddy? BUD Marv, (turns triumphant) ...I just bagged the elephant! EXT. COLUMBUS AVENUE - NIGHT The upper West Side. The young, the rich and the restless parade along the avenue, jamming the neighborhood restaurants and bars. Bud glides along, feeling a part of the crowd now, past a dreadlocked DERELICT swigging Thunderbird and shouting obscenities, shaking a wooden African spear. INT. RESTAURANT/BAR - NIGHT Inside a glitzy neighborhood singles bar in which Bud stops, everybody seems to be young and drinking margueritas. Bud orders a beer, surveying the room like a veteran, overhearing the conversation of a YOUNG TRADER to two other broker types. YOUNG TRADER ...you know Marty Wyndham? He netted $650,000 out of that merger...26 years old, the guy's Rambo. Got himself a Porsche Turbo Cabriolet about 75 thou, got a house in Westhampton, penthouse on Second Avenue, gets up at 2:30 in the morning, he's in the office at 4...guy never sleeps...Rambo genes... He blathers on as Bud surveys the room, noticing an ELEGANT BLONDE with a striking aloof beauty, very much the debutante dream Grace Kelly type, so refined that you wonder what she could possibly be doing out at night in public alone. Bud summons his courage, catches his breath, makes his way over... She sees him approach, obviously doesn't wish to talk, eyes darting elsewhere like a nervous deer. BUD (awkward) Hi...can I buy you a drink? I'm celebrating tonight. BLONDE (disdainful) Please, no thanks... (looking away) BUD Look, I know you get approached a lot by dubious men, but I'm different, I never talk to strangers, all my life I've been waiting for the right person to walk across the room... you're that person, you don't know it but I do and if you walk away now I'll never see you again or you me. You'll grow old. BLONDE Oh really. BUD (CONT'D) I'll grow old. We'll both die. And we'll never have known each other. That's sad. At least one drink for a dreamer...What's your favorite drink? She looks at him, not quite sure. Is he serious or glib? BLONDE (uncommitted) Grand Marnier. BUD Sounds like a french word, what is it? BLONDE It's a romantic and tragic drink. BUD Sounds tempting. I prefer mine with a twist of fate. You know like us meeting. Don't go away... Maybe, just maybe she's his! His eyes show it as he hurries back to the bar to order. As he gets the bartender's attention, he turns and sees that she is joined by a MAN who looks as if he stepped out of the pages of GQ. Together they walk away. Stung, Bud watches as the woman of his dreams disappears out the door. BARTENDER What do you want? BUD ...I just lost it. EXT. NIGHTCLUB - NIGHT (RAIN) Bud and a DATE he's obviously just picked up, are struggling to be seen in a mass of people trying to get in the hottest new club in Manhattan. Bud easing forward along the ropes to a large BOUNCER who roughly pushes one of the bridge-and- tunnel kids back across the rope. Joe discreetly shows him $50 but they guy says: "No room!," humiliating him in front of his date. The bouncer shoving Bud aside as Gordon Gekko and KATE, his wife, and ENTOURAGE (ALEX, others) are shown through the ropes into the door. Bud says something to Gordon but it gets lost in the confusion. EXT. 79TH STREET & BROADWAY - EARLY DAY People pouring into the subway on the way to work. Bud rifles through the Financial Times he's just bought at the newsstand and finds the article he was looking for: BLUESTAR EXONERATED IN 1984 CRASH. He thrusts his fist in the air, victoriously...bounds down the subway stairs. INT. BUD'S OFFICE - DAY Bud's on the quotron and the phone; the word's spread around the office, he's landed Gekko and brokers drop by his desk to get the lowdown. BUD (on the phone) What's it at now? Still moving. Great! STEEPLES The man of the day. Pour some water on him to cool him off...one of these days I want to know how you got Gekko's account. BUD (indicating Dan's Yale tie) My magic tie, Dan. STEEPLES I'll trade you. Lou Mannheim and a Chinese LADY BROKER intersect. CHINESE LADY Gordo the Great, way to go. MANNHEIM (pleased) Good little company. I remember when we got the money for Bluestar to build those first planes, back in the fifties. CHINESE LADY (to Bud) I hear you're buying Teldar. Bud smiles back at her mischievously. BUD Sleep with me and the secrets of the West are yours. MANNHEIM Now that's a crap company, sure you'll make money on the takeover rumor, but what's being created. Nothing. No substance behind it. BUD (succinct) Old values. Buy. She hears him. As they go, Marvin swivels madly over in his chair. MARV Buddy, buddy, some buddy; why didn't you tell me to buy Bluestar. BUD Hey Marv, he demanded confidentiality... MARV Gimme a break. You buy Bluestar Airlines yesterday. Today they just happen to get good news and the stock goes bat shit. You must have ESP. A real Nostradamus. (Bud ignoring him, picking up the phone) Jesus Christ, what are friends for? BUD All right, I owe you one Marv. MARV That's right, next time a little birdie talks to you, talk to me too E.F. Hutton. GINA (pool secretary) Buddy, phone...Gordon Gekko! Everybody in the adjacent area turns and looks at Buddy like in an E.F. Hutton commercial. BUD (on phone) Hi Natalie...lunch at 21? (looks at watch) I'm out the door... As he springs up to leave, Lynch the manager happens to be strolling by. He nods pleasantly at Buddy. LYNCH Nice piece of work, Fox. Why don't you join me and the partners for lunch tomorrow in the dining room? BUD I'd love to, Mr. Lynch, thank you. INT. 21 CLUB - DAY Dark mahagony wood, plush banquettes, a long oak bar. Bud enters the main dining room in a relatively outre suit that hangs on him embarrassingly as other businessmen in well-cut suits move around him and a Maitre d' sniffs, then leads him to where Gekko is parked, finishing up his lunch. A half finished plate is removed to make way for Bud. GEKKO Hi sport. BUD (still nervous) Nice to see you again Mr. Gekko. He's seated. GEKKO Try the steak tartare. It's off the menu but Louis'll make it for you... MAITRE D' Of course sir. And to drink? He looks at Gekko's bottled water. BUD Uh...just a Evian, thank you... The Maitre d' leaves. Gekko proudly pulls a tiny 3" by 6" color television out of his pocket with a 2" diagonal screen, flips it on to the Dow Jones avarages. GEKKO See this? Can you believe it? Two inch screen... BUD ...I can't even see it... GEKKO ...for my kid Rudy -- 3 years old, electronics freak, got a liquid crystal display 'stead of an electronic beam. We're going into a new age pal. So how's business today. BUD Bluestar was at 21 and an eighth when I left the office. It might spin up to 25 by the bell... GEKKO (a tiny smile) Teldar's shooting up. Buy any for yourself? Bet you were on the phone two minutes after you got out of my office. BUD (flushes) No sir, that would've been illegal... GEKKO (doesn't believe him) Sure...relax sport, no one's gonna blow a whistle. Here, is this legal?...you wanna put it in my account? As he fishes a check out and drops it on Bud's plate. Greeting TWO BANKERS who stop at the table as Bud picks up the check, glances at it. His hand starts to tremble. The check is for $500,000. GEKKO (to bus boy, the bankers excited) Can we have the check over here for christ's sake. BUS BOY (rushing off) Yes sir! GEKKO Cover the Bluestar buy and put a couple hundred thou in one of those bow-wow stocks you mentioned. Pick the dog with the least fleas. Use a stop loss so your downside is 50,000, and buy yourself a decent suit. You can't come in here looking like that. (Bud flushes, embarassed) Go to Morty Sills, Tell 'em I sent you. BUD (his genuine look) Mr. Gekko -- thank you for the chance. You won't regret this, you're with a winner. GEKKO (paying the check with cash) ...put the rest of it in a money market account for now. I want to see what you know before I invest it...and save the cheap salesman talk, it's obvious. BUD (stung) Excuse me sir. Gekko rising to leave, the Maitre d' hovering around. GEKKO You heard me...I don't like losses sport. Nothing ruins my day more than losses... You do good, you get perks, all kinds of perks. Stay home tonight. Louis, take care of 'im. Enjoy the lunch. Confused, Bud watches Gekko walk out of the room, pumping extended hands left and right. He holds the cashiers check up to his eyes, entranced by it, like a kid with his first dollar...as the raw steak tartare with an egg on top is put in front of him. INT. BUD'S APARTMENT - NIGHT Bud is at his computer when the door bell rings. He's not expecting a visitor. When he opens the door he is knocked for a loop. A smashing looking LADY in a fitted Chanel suit, ropes of chains, short tight skirt, beautiful long legs, is standing there. Taking in the apartment, she hides her distaste. LISA Hello Bud, I'm Lisa, a friend of Gordon's. BUD (in a daze) Lisa. Gordon? Oh, Mr. Gekko. Sure. Would you, uh, like to come in? LISA Didn't he tell you? (sighs) That's so like Gordon. Get dressed, we're going out. BUD We are? EXT. BUD'S BUILDING - NIGHT A stretch limo is parked in front, neighborhood WINOS inspecting it. The CHAUFFEUR opens the back door, as Lisa steps inside, Buddy in tow. The winos clap, howling at her. INT. LIMOUSINE - NIGHT Bud in the back seat next to Lisa, gazes out the black tinted window as they drive away, then turns to her as she gives him a bottle of Champagne to open. BUD So, where are we going? LISA Wherever you like, Lutece, 21, the River Cafe...or maybe we can just drive around for a while. (provocatively) Work up an appetite. She crosses her legs. Bud's eyes moving south. He pops the cork. Lisa does a little blow, offers him. LISA Want some? (he shorts) Gordon tells me you're a very talented broker. What do you like? BUD (feeling the rush) Like? Uh...hmmm. Well... LISA I got this guy who should know tells me buy Hewlitt Packard but I been burned on tips. What do you think Bud? BUD Let's see, it closed at uh, 41 1/8... (his voice cracking) Up a quarter...very attractive... about average yield... She unzips his fly. BUD Rising profits...strong balance sheets, good earnings per share. LISA (removing her blouse) So you're hot on this stock? BUD (nods, moaning) It's ready to take off. I'd jump all over it if I were you. As she pulls up her skirt and climbs on top of Buddy. INT. BUD'S OFFICE - MORNING Buddy, in an obviously new Mort Sills suit, struts past Carolyn at the reception desk, in high spirits. CAROLYN (smiles) Morning Buddy, you look happy. BUD Any better and I'd be guilty. CAROLYN (picking up the flow) You were never that innocent sugarpie. BUD (coyly) ...how do you know? You wish... WIPE TO: Bud on the phone, gazing at the ticker, concern in his eyes. CLICKING of the tape ticker comes up over the music. He looks at Marv. WIPE TO: Later. Research reports piling up. Bud's secretary trying to get his attention. Bud's concern growing, as the green fluorescent numbers spit across the board. CLICKER growing louder. Pan to Marvin, hands cupped in prayer. To Dan Steeples who closes his eyes and shakes his head. WIPE TO: Close. Bud watching the tape -- dizzying, hypnotic blur of numbers. The roar of the clicker, drowning out the music...a runaway freight train. WIPE TO: Bud's hands clamped over his eyes. The numbers stop. Noise recedes. He opens his eyes, looks down at his desk, stacked with reports and phone messages, as the pool secretary, GINA, calls out. Marvin glumly coasts over in his chair. MARV Boy, we sure went down the toilet on that ugly bitch. If we were Japs, we'd have to stay with our aircraft. GINA (calls out) Mr. Gekko's office is after you. Be at the Wyatt Club courts at six... Bud looks worried, at Marvin. INT. WYATT CLUB SQUASH COURTS - DAY Games in progress on the four courts, heavy hitting sounds. Crossing to Gekko and Bud going at it. Bud is obviously the worse for wear. GEKKO (amused) ...come on sport, you gotta try harder, I need some exercise for chrissake... BUD (out of breath) Mr. Gekko, I don't think I can...go on. GEKKO ...finish out the game, Bud, push yourself... Meant paternally or sadistically, it's hard to tell. Gekko hits the ball, a big fat shot. Bud returns, Gekka moves him around the court, as if punishing him, the kid exhausted but the ball's never quite out of reach -- till Bud finally can't take it anymore and at the end of his breath, smashes into the wall and collapses. Gekko laughs. Bud lying there like a sad dog as Gekka hauls him up. GEKKO The public is out there throwing darts at a board, sport. I don't throw darts at a board. I only bet sure things. Read Sun Tzu's "The Art of War." 'every battle is won before it is ever fought.' Think about it. He exits the squash court. INT. WYATT CLUB STEAM ROOM - DAY Gekko and Bud sit alone, wreathed in steam. BUD (sweating) Nice club, Mr. Gekko... GEKKO Yeah... not bad for a City College boy. Bought my way into this club and now every one of these ivy league schmucks is sucking my kneecaps...I just got on the Board of the Zoological Society, cost me a million; that's the thing with WASPS -- they like animals but they can't stand people! BUD (easing into it) Uh, Mr. Gekko, we took a little loss today. We got stopped out on Tarafly... (Gekko waits) ...about 50 thousand. Gekko's expression is frightening but cool. GEKKO I guess your father's not a union representative on that company. BUD (laughs, shocked) What? How do you know about my father? GEKKO The most valuable commodity I know of is information. Wouldn't you agree on that? BUD (exhaling deeply) Yes... INT. WYATT CLUB LOCKER ROOM - DAY Buddy is slumped on a bench after taking a shower, drinking a Coke. Gekko towelling himself down, getting dressed...naked man constantly stopping by to greet him. Hi Fred, hi Barry, how's the wife...still living in Larchmont? Yeah, still commuting... y'ever do anything with that Aetna Gas deal...nah...fishing for information, for a possible drink or meeting but Gekko stonewalls them all... GEKKO You're not as smart as I thought you were, Buddy boy, Listen hard -- don't count on Graham and Dodd to make you a fortune, everybody in the market knows the theory, ever wonder why fund managers can't beat the S&P 500? 'Cause they're sheep -- and the sheep get slaughtered. I been in the business since '69. Most of these high paid MBAs from Harvard never make it. You need a system, discipline, good people, no deal junkies, no toreadores, the deal flow burns most people out by 35. Give me PSHs -- poor, smart and hungry. And no feelings. You don't win 'em all, you don't love 'em all, you keep on fighting, and if you need a friend, get a dog, it's trench warfare out there sport... (eyeing the surroundings) and in here too. I got twenty other brokers out there, analyzing Charts. I don't need another one. Talk to you sometime... He turns to go, Bud panicking. Is this the kissoff? BUD (with all his conviction) I'm not just another broker Mr. Gekko. If you give me another chance, I'll prove it to you. I'll go the extra yard for you. One more chance. Please... Gekko looks back, a beat, walks over to Bud, thrusts his towel hard at his stomach. GEKKO You want one more chance? Then stop sending me information and start getting me some. Get dressed, I'll show you my charts. INT. GEKKO LIMOUSINE - PARK AVENUE - DAY/TWILIGHT Cruising up Park Avenue. A panel slides open next to the bar with a portable computer on it. A television is turned on to the evening news, a low hum of voices. Gekko punches into the keyboard of the computer. A name appears an the screen... LAWRENCE WILDMAN with curriculum vitae following; address, phones, businesses... GEKKO Know the name? BUD 'Course. Larry Wildman. One of the first raiders. GEKKO (amused, cold hatred) Sir Larry Wildman. Like all Brits he thinks he was born with a better pot to piss in... bribed an old secretary of mine to open bar mouth and stole RDL Pharmaceuticals right out from under me. Wildman the white knight. BUD (excited) I remember that deal. You were involved? Gekko shuts off the computer and slides it back into the housing, his eyes taking in the low-volume news. GEKKO Revenge is a dish best served cold... well, it's payback time, sport. (looking out suddenly) ... see that building? I bought into it ten years ago. It was my first real estate deal. I sold it a couple of years later and made an $800,000 dollar profit. It was better than sex. At that time I thought that was all tne money in the world... (drinks) Now, it's a day's pay ... I had a mole in Wildman's employ. Gave me half the picture, then he got fired... BUD I don't understand. GEKKO Wildman's in town. He just became an American citizen. Something big's about to go down. I want to know where he goes and who he sees. I want you, sport, to give me the missing half of the picture... BUD Follow him? Mr. Gekko I... (shaken) It's not what I do. I could lose my license. If the SEC found out, I could go to jail. It's inside information, isn't it? GEKKO (scratches his head wryly) Inside information. Oh you mean like when a father tells his son about a court ruling on an airline? Or someone overhears me saying I'm gonna buy Teldar Paper? Or the chairman of the board of XYZ suddenly knows it's time to blow out XYZ. You mean that? (a piercing look) I'm afraid sport, unless you got a father on the board of directors of another company, you and I are gonna have a hard time doing any business... Bud downs the rest of his drink, upset by the darkening mood. There's something very powerful and frighteninq about Gekko. BUD What about hard work? GEKKO What about it? You work hard. I'll bet you stayed up all night analyzing that dog you bought. And where'd it get you?... my father worked hard too like an elephant pushing electrical supplies. And he dropped dead at 49 with a heart attack and a tax bill and the bank pissed on his grave and took the house; my mom ended up working in a dish factory... Wake up pal, if you're not inside you're outside. And I'm not talking a $200,000 a year working Wall Street stiff flying first class and being "comfortable", I'm talking rich pal, rich enough to fly in your own jet, rich enough not to waste time, 50-100 million, a player Bud -- or nothing. You had what it takes to let through my door. Next question: You got what it takes to stay...?? The car stopping in traffic. Horns honking. GEKKO (pointing) Look out there... THEIR POV -- a STREET CORNER. A richly dressed EXECUTIVE stands at the curb next to the BUM with a shopping cart filled with garbage. GEKKO (O.S.) You really think the difference 'tween this guy and that guy is luck? Mohammed, pull over. The car pulls over. Gekko checks his watch, pulls out the telephone. GEKKO ...when it comes to money, sport, everybody's of the same religion. Or should be... Hope you don't mind if I let you off here, I'm late for a meeting. Good bye, nice knowing you. EXT. PARK AVENUE - TWLIGHT The CHAUFFEUR lets Bud out the door... Bud looks back at Gekko. BUD All right, Mr. Gekko...you got me. His eyes telling us he is weighed down by chains of guilt. Gekko smiles, gazes at the twilight skyline, a sudden look of contentment. GEKKO Yeah, it's a beautiful night. I love this hot stinkin' city. (pointing up Park Avenue) ... nothing else like it in the world. Seven million people living on each other's heads, kids born, millionaires dying, people praying, junkies, whores, wills, lawyers, deals, parties, sex... guys like you sport -- dreaming about the big score. You know the best thing about New York is everything you can do here. And the worst thing is everything you can't do here... He shuts the door. Bud watches as the limo drives off. EXT. FIFTH AVENUE APARTMENT - DAY Bud, in a suit, waits next to a motorcycle across from one of the most desirable addresses in New York. The Doorman rushes to open the door under the canopy as a tall strong man in his fifties emerges with a LAWYER TYPE and a FEMALE EXECUTIVE. The man is SIR LAWRENCE WILDMAN and his manner and gait convey the impression of an authoritative presence with little patience as the chauffeur opens the door and he slides into the back seat of the limo. Buddy, astride Marv's Kawasaki 500, hits the streets after him. The music through the following Montage should suggest a chase brio. EXT. WALL STREET BUILIDING - DAY Bud shooting past the Trinity Church structure... Wildman gets out of his limo with his people, strides into the lobby. Bud quickly parks his bike on the sidewalk and rushes in after them... not a second too late. INT. LOBBY - WALL STREET BUILDING - DAY Bud just manages squeeze in the elevator with Wildman and crew -- and -- a couple of other early birds -- as the doors close. INT. ELEVATOR - DAY Bud eyeing Wildman, looks away as Wildman looks back at him, an edge of defiance to him, why are you staring at me? Not the world's most likeable personality. INT. KAHN, SEIDELMAN - OUTER OFFICE - DAY The doors open and Wildman and Co. step out into the reception area of Kahn, Seidelman... The doors close and Buddy continues upward. EXT. WALL STREET BUILDING - LATER MORNING The street now jammed with people hurrying to work. Buddy paces the curb, reacting when Wildman walks out, saying goodbye to the female executive and getting in the limo with his lawyer... Buddy follows. INT. LE CIRQUE RESTAURANT - PARK AVENUE - DAY Formal French haute cuisine. Power lunches in progress. As Wildman is seated with several well-dressed BANKERS at a good table, Bud tries to wrangle a table (next to Mr. Wildman on top of everything from a stiff looking Maitre d' who shakes his head, barely concealing his attitude towards Buddy's youth and general demeanor. EXT. LE CIRQUE - DAY Buddy waits outside, bored, as Wildman steps out, shakes hands with the bankers... Bud making an entry into his notebook like any good spy. EXT. MIDTOWN TUNNEL QUEENS - DAY Music rising to triumphant proportions. AERIAL SHOT of Limo emerging from the tunnel and onto the Long Island Expressway. CAMERA MOVES IN, picking up Buddy on the Kawasaki, darting through lanes, staying several car lengths behind. EXT. LAGUARDIA AIRPORT - DAY The Limo winds its way along the perimeter road, past commercial airliners. It takes the turnoff for Butler Aviation. Buddy exits the ramp shortly after them. EXT. BUTLER AVIATION AIRFIELD - DAY A corporate saberliner jet, its engines running, idles at the end of the taxiway. The limo pulls up along the tarmac next to it and Wildman steps out, walking past a MECHANIC to the stairs of the plane. A STEWARDESS waits for him. EXT. RAMP - DAY Bud watches, wondering what to do as the plane taxies down the runway. He spots the flight mechanic and the answer comes to him. He starts running towards the mechanic. EXT. APRON - DAY Bud races up to the mechanic. BUD Oh shit, don't tell me Mr. Wildman was on board that plane? (the mechanic nods) My boss is gonna kill me. I was supposed to give him this. (holding his notebook) You know where that plane is going? MECHANIC (walking off) Erie, Pennsylvania... INT. PHONE BOOTH - AIRLINES TERMINAL - DAY BUD (into phone, proudly) ...after spending the morning at Kahn, Seidelman -- on the 14th floor, the junk bond department -- where Shane Mora works -- he had lunch at La Cirque with a group of well-dressed heavyset bean- counters... (Gekko voice back: "the adjectives are redundant, sport") ...he later stopped off at Morgan. I'd say from all the palm-pressing and sweet smiling going on that Larry got some nice fat financing... G.G. INT. GEKKO LIMOUSINE - HEADING DOWN PARK AVENUE - DAY Alex and Susan are with him. Gekko playing the computer, eyes lighting up on the phone. GEKKO ...bright but not bright enough, Sherlock, roll the dice and play a little monopoly... what box would Sir Lawrence land on in Erie, Pennsylvania? INT. PHONE BOOTH - DAY Bud slapping his face, realizing. BUD Jesus Christ, he's buying Anacott Steel! INT. GEKKO LIMO - DAY Gordon already has the closing figures punched up on his quotron. Calls his shot. GEKKO When the market opens tomorrow, buy five thousand March fifty calls. You hear me? Start buying ten thousand share blocks and take it up to fifty dollars. When it reaches fifty, you can let out a little taste to your friends. Then call this number -- 555-7617: tell the man "blue horseshoe loves Anacott Steel..." You scored, Buddy! Be in touch. (hangs up) He hangs up, looks at Alex and Susan. GEKKO Start buying Anacott Steel all over the board. INT. BLUESTAR MAINTENANCE HANGAR - SAME DAY A large company banner hangs from the rafters: "Bluestar - The Vision Goes On." Buddy's father, Carl, Charley Dent and Dominick Amato are changing the generator on a 727. A welder is repairing a wing seam. Buddy shouting to his Dad over the noise. BUD Hey Dad!... Hi ya Charlie... Dominick... They wave back, Carl climbing down a maintenance stand... lights up a cigarette. CARL What brings you out here... BUD Client. Got a private jet over at Butler Aviation... Dad, you always gotta light up when you see me, it's the... CARL (don't bother me look) Don't start, alright. BUD Alright. Why so pissed? CARL Goddamn fare wars are murdering us. Had to lay off five guys. Nothing I could do. What is it... money? Bud takes out his wallet, smiles, peels out 10 $100 bills. BUD Yeah, it is. In fact I'm doing great. New client. Whole new league. It's starting to happen Dad. The Big Leagues! You know what I'm saying. He sticks the cash in his hand. CARL (doesn't) Sure...lots of guys at the track talk like that... but how do you know you'll have any dough next month... (looking at the money) What's this? I gave you two hundred. BUD Dividend. I figure I owe you about five thousand in nickels and dimes... CARL (tries to give it back) ...don't be crazy. Put it to your school loans. BUD Don't worry about the loans. I'm doing good Dad and it's gonna stay that way now... least buy yourself a new suit. CARL What do I need a fancy suit for. I don't hobnob with the jet set. I just fix their planes. Buddy forces the money into his hand. BUD ...then buy yourself a decent bowling jacket so when you take Mom out you don't look like the Roto Rooter man. Come on, for godsakes, that's what money's for. Enjoy yourself... Touched, his father shakes his head and smiles. He takes it. CARL Problem with money is you never have enough or you got too much -- and when you got it you're never happy 'cause somebody's always trying to take it away from you. Money's one giant pain in the ass y'ask me... thanks. BUD (admiration) ... Dad, you should've been a CEO. How about dinner? CARL Whatever night you like. BUD (remembering) Wait... next week's booked. Let me check with my girl and get back to you on Monday. CARL (laughs at his new lifestyle) Yeah, you do that huckleberry. I'll still be here. BUD ...gotta run Dad. You stop smoking, you hear? INT. BUD'S OFFICE - DAY Bud silent, an intent look on his face, gazing up at the digital clock... as it flicks to 9:30... post time. Tickers, squawk boxes and shouting erupt. Bud calls in his order: "10,000 AN STL 46... and let me know how the options are opening." Music skips along in a revolving madcap fashion. INT. FLOOR OF AMERICAN STOCK EXCHANGE - DAY A CLERK hands the buy order to the FLOOR MANAGER. He starts writing a ticket as we pull back: INT. AMERICAN STOCK EXCHANGE - DAY Company floor traders are jammed into a narrow booth, frantically takinq orders over phones and telex machines. The FLOOR MANAGER gives the ticket to a RUNNER, a young man wearing worn sneakers, who dashes off. We follow him across the scruffy Exchange Floor, as he weaves through a crush of traders crammed around horseshoe-shaped kiosks, cathode-ray tubes slung above them, displaying the latest prices in bright, green letters and numbers. Intermittent shrieks and howls, calls to buy and sell, issue from the far reaches of the labyrinthian room. As in the final leg of a relay race, the RUNNER hands the ticket off to a COMPANY TRADER, who is buying and selling at the post where Anacott Steel is traded. The TRADER checks the ticket and turns to the SPECIALIST, executing the order. The camera moves up as the Anacott Steel (AN STL) quote flashes across the broad tape -- as the price ticks up from 46 to 46 1/4. INT. BUD'S OFFICE - DAY Bud paces nervously at his desk, looking at his quotron. AN STL appears on the screen, now up to 47. Bud puts in another order. INT. STOCK EXCHANGE FLOOR - DAY The SAME RUNNER races over, handing Bud's next TICKET to the COMPANY TRADER. Tilt up to the broad tape. As ANACOTT STEEL, AN STL, rises to 48 1/8. INT. BUD'S OFFICE - DAY On Bud, eating a sandwich, eyes glued to the ticker. AN STL has climbed to 48 3/4. Marv stalks by, shouting on the phone. Bud looks away from the ticker, pretending to read a report. When Marv disappears, Bud hastily calls in at 49. INT. STOCK EXCHANGE FLOOR - DAY On the tired RUNNER dodging through the crowd, and over to the TRADER handing him a new ticket. INT. BUD'S OFFICE - DAY Close on the OFFICE TICKER -- as Anacott Steel hits 50. Buddy jumps up from his chair, and animatedly crosses to Marv who is on the phone, cold calling. MARV Tell Mr. Ehrlich I've got important financial news! It concerns his future. Bud presses down on the phone button, cutting him off. MARV What the hell... BUD Anacott Steel. Buy it. Marv looks at Joe and sees a look on his face that he's never seen before. MARV (nervous) Anacott Steel -- right. Bud leaves, Marv re-dials. MARV Dr. Beltzer, you're gonna love this! Lou Mannheim hangs up the phone, a troubled look. Bud leans into his office. BUD Mr. Mannheim, got a sure thing. (whispering) Anacott Steel. MANNHEIM (scoffs) No such thing Bud - 'cept death and taxes. Not a good company anymore, no fundamentals. What's going on Bud? Do you know something? (Bud uncomfortable, Lou reads it) Remember there're no short cuts son, quick buck artists come and go with every bull market but the steady players make it through the bear markets. (Bud anxious to go) You're part of something here, Bud. The money you make for people creates science and research jobs. Don't sell that out. BUD You're right, Mr. Mannheim, but you gotta get to the big time first, then you can be a pillar and do good things. MANNHEIM Can't get a little bit pregnant, Bud. BUD It's a winner Mr. Mannheim, trust me -- buy. (exits) Charlie Cushing's on the phone. CHARLIE Gotcha baby, its do-able... meet you at the Wyatt Club... 3pm Dinner Thursday... Indochina. Then we'll kamikaze down to Nell's, chase a little cotton underwear--I know this 18 year old bimbo, man... you can take it to the bank... (hangs up) BUD (intersects) Wanna play some tennis Saturday? CHARLIE You mean teach you how to play. Can't. Going fly fishing in Canada, big client... BUD (disappointed) ...you take that Anacott Steel? CHARLIE (winks) ...light snack, but good, thanks pal, you're sharking your way up... Dan Steeples's talking confidentially on the phone. STEEPLES I've just heard the most lovely two words... 'Anacott Steel.' Buddy dialing the phone number that Gekko gave him. He speaks into the receiver, in a hushed voice. BUD ...Blue horseshoe loves Anacott Steel. (hangs up) INT. WALL STREET JOURNAL OFFICE - DAY The REPORTER on the other end of the phone hangs up. He rises from his desk, strides across the busy news floor, over to an ASSOCIATE. REPORTER Anacott Steel's in play. Check the arbs. EXT. GEKKO BEACH HOUSE - BRIDGEHAMPTON - TWILIGHT Wind and waves. Gekko's modern, Sante Fe structure house sits on a dune overlooking the grey Atlantic. GEKKO (V.O.) Sweeten the offer, throw 2 bucks more in a convertible preferred. And 5 year contracts for themselves. INT. GEKKO LIVING ROOM - DAY Immense slanted ceilings, a vast clean modern space filled with dozens of contemporary art objects, junk sculptures, floor to ceiling windows radiating light, that look out on a cantilevered deck and pool - and the ocean beyond. GEKKO (CONT'D) (on the phone) ... Cromwell wants to play financial chicken with me, we'll see who swerves first. Where the hell's Gene? Gekko slumps down on a sofa, exhausted, watching one of several news reports he master-controls with a remote. SUSAN (on phone) You sent him to Vermont to get the deposition from the CEO Cromwell fired. GEKKO ...done and done. Night gang, and Susan no legs waving in the air tonight. I want you dreaming about Teldar Paper. During this, RUDY, Gordon's 3 year-old son, drives in in the latest electronic baby toy -- a Porsche-bodied electric car. Gekko hangs up, checks out a Reuters quotron positioned nearby. GEKKO Rudy Kazootee, how's my cutie! The kid jumps out of the car and scoots into his father's lap. RUDY Daddy bad boy! Bad boy! -- play with Wudi... Now! GEKKO No, not now Rudy. Daddy's making money to buy you toys. Daddy work. RUDY Daddy work bad boy! Gordon absently tossles Rudy's hair, his eyes glued to the TV. The kid senses it, jumps back off his lap and into the car. BUSINESS ANALYST ...the big story tonight is Anacott Steel which closed at 51 1/8. Up 5 1/8 from yesterday's close on heavy trading... Kate, Gordon's beautiful, raven-haired wife, homemaker and antiquer, enters with the bovine-eyed AU PAIR GIRL from France... just at Rudy drives his car into a wall where it stalls, engines grinding. KATE I think somebody's playing hooky from the bathtub. Rudy, say good night DAddy... GEKKO (can't hear, to Kate) Shut that off, willya! Kate, upset with the noise, tries to pull her son nicely out of the car. The Korean HOUSEBOY coming in. HOUSEBOY Calls for you, sir, a reporter from Time magazine on two, says it's important... and a Mr. Fox on three. GEKKO (annoyed) I come to the country and it's worse than the city! I'm not home... (changes mind, pushes in) Yeah? BUD (off) Mr. Gekko, I've been trying to reach you. We got the options. We got a good execution on them! Meanwhile, the kid has no intention of going anywhere and plants his feet and emits the loudest shrieking this side of the fat lady in the opera. GEKKO Nicole! Take him will you... Handing the bawling, writhing mass of anger to Nicole as if it were laundry she doesn't want to touch... Nicole takes him screaming out of the room... Gordon trying to concentrate on the TV. INTERCUT TO: INT. BUD'S OFFICE - DAY Papers and charts are strewn around, trailing down to a box of take-out pizza and empty beer bottles. Bud has stayed late. BUD (almost apologetic, speeding on the high of the buy...) I got all I could get which was 750,000 shares plus 5000 March 50 calls. Average price of $47 a share And $4 per contract for the call. I just wish I could've got more. GEKKO Don't expect to get it all, sport, you'll burn out. First rule of business is never get emotional about stock, clouds the judgment. Where do we stand? BUSINESS ANALYST In response to an inquiry from the New York Stock Exchange, management issued a terse no comment. Wildman would not return phone calls. Analysts believe the company is worth $75 per share in a transaction. KATE John and Carmen are here and the Livingstons are on their way... GEKKO (nods, listening to phone) I'll be right there, fix them a drink. BUD (shifting the figures) ...we have 37.2 million invested. At this point, we're up 3.1 million and some change. If it goes to 75 bucks we can clean close to 12 mill. GEKKO (smiles) You're walking between the raindrops kid. I expect Sir Larry is choking on his royal chamber pot by now. BUD My firm needs your signature on these option agreements tonight, sir, otherwise we could take a real bath tomorrow. GEKKO (sighs) ...Can't it wait? I'm good for it. (Bud waits, "Sir") ...Awright. Come out, get the directions from Natalie and hurry up. EXT. GEKKO'S BEACH HOUSE - BRIDGEHAMPTON - NIGHT Bud's P.O.V. as he pulls up to an austere, ultra- sophisticated monolith of glass and wood dominating a stretch of dune overlooking the Atlantic's angry surf. Several Jags, state of the art Jeeps and a Rolls are drawn up outside. Bud, getting out of his faded Honda, goes up the stairs to the door. He rings several times. A BLACK BUTLER opens it and looks at Buddy somewhat warily. Laughter and voices are heard from inside. BUTLER (pretentiously: high English accent) Can I help you? BUD Bud Fox. Got some papers for Mr. Gekko to sign. BUTLER Wait a moment please. Without thinking he closes the door in Joe's face. He stands there, harrassed peering around through a window on the lawn. A small gathering of friends in progress around a glowing fireplace. The butler waves him in from the door. INT. GEKKO ALCOVE - NIGHT Bud enters, as Gekko approaches. He seems annoyed to be disturbed at his country home. BUD (apologetic) Sorry, Mr. Gekko. GEKKO (takes the papers) Allright. Wait here... About to go when his wife, Kate Gekko, comes over. A pretty dark-haired woman. KATE Problems? GEKKO No... Bud Fox, my wife, Kate... They exchange pleasantries. KATE You came from the city? (with a look to Gordon) Long drive, have a drink. Gekko doesn't seem to like the idea, but... GEKKO Yeah, why not, Bud boy... Kate's walking back inside to her guests, as Bud sidles over to Gekko. BUD ...if you'd rather not, Mr. Gekko, I can leave... INT. GEKKO LIVING ROOM - NIGHT They cross to the main living room. GEKKO ...It's okay Buddy, you know Alex... Candice Rogers. (Alex and his date shake hands, faintly aloof) ...This is Stone Livingston... and his wife Muffie. (a young stuffy banker in weekend corduroys looks at Bud as if he obviously doesn't belong) ...Darien Taylor, Sam Ruspoli, Carmen Winters, Dick Brady... All old friends. Bud looking wide-eyed at the beautiful "Calvados" BLONDE he's been dreaming of for weeks... she's with Mr. GQ and doesn't recognize Bud, nods back, they all nod back, naturally suspicious of the young outsider... Rudy's TOY ROBOT wheels around the floor with a drink on its tray, talking computer talk... STONE LIVINGSTON (charmed by it) ...good idea Gordon, good help is hard to find these days but can he whip up a dry vodka martini... GEKKO ...well he doesn't talk back or steal the silver and Dick's gonna get me an exemption on him, aren't you... (Dick Brady is obviously an accountant) Bud plucks a glass of wine from the robot's tray and plunks himself down on a sofa, overhearing the conversation between Muffie Livingston and Candice Rogers. MUFFIE ...there I am in St. Kitt's in my new Kamali leopard skin V-cut bikini which is going to turn back the clock on our marriage five years, you know what I mean, and I can't even fit into it, my skin's all pink and inflamed, and I look like a walking social disease all because this Ukranian bitch botched the wax on my bikini line. CANDICE (revolted) Oh my god, how ghastly, you should sue her... The Korean houseboy has come over to Gekko. HOUSEBOY Call for you sir. Sir Larry Wildman, he says it's important... Bud tightens, so does the whole room hearing the name of the moment. Gekko smiles at Buddy. GEKKO (to houseboy) Make Mr. Livingston a martini would you Nyung, and this gentleman... (to Bud) Stick around, this could be fun... He goes to the alcove to take the call. MUFFIE So, I had to sit around the beach wearing a moo-moo for 10 days, my whole vacation ruined. (noticing as Bud laughs, chokes on the wine, spilling some on the couch) You just spilled your wine. Bud noticing the stain, starts wiping it. CANDICE You're just making it worse. INT. GEKKO ALCOVE - NIGHT (RAIN) GEKKO (on phone) Larry, what a surprise... (beat) Can it wait till tomorrow. I got some people over. (dryly) ...if you feel that way Larry, come over. INT. GEKKO LIVINGROOM - NIGHT (RAIN) The blonde, DARIEN TAYLOR, is examining a modern sculpture as Buddy comes over with two Calvados. BUD Hello again, I been holding these drinks for us for the last three weeks. DARIEN (uncomprehending) Excuse me. BUD Grand Marnier. A romantic and tragic drink. DARIEN Oh yes, I remember you. BUD Destiny took us apart, but I knew it would bring us back together. DARIEN Aha. Poet or philosopher? BUD Stock broker. As in: never have so few done so little for so much. So what do you see in this? Bud indicates the painting in front of them -- a buffalo skull in the desert by Georgia O'Keefe. DARIEN I'd give anything to have this in my house, even for a week. BUD ...few thousand dollars down the drain if you ask me. DARIEN Oh really? (looks at him quizically) Well, I guess you can kiss that career as an art appraiser goodbye, because we paid over four hundred thousand for it at the contemporary picture sale last June. BUD (chokes) You could have a great beach house for that. DARIEN Sure you could, in Wildwood, New Jersey. If you sold this, (indicates a Rothko hanging near the O'Keefe) you could have a pretty nice penthouse on Fifth. But you wouldn't have much left over for decoration. BUD Boy, I thought Gordon was a tough businessman, but somebody's really taking him to the cleaners here. DARIEN Not really. I'd say that Gordon is one of the most astute collectors around. He has a great eye and he only buys the best. Like this rug for instance, a silk Tabriz, the finest of its kind. The day after he bought it in London, a dealer representing the Saudi Royal Family offered him twice what he paid. It absolutely makes the room. See how this little bit of celadon in the border is picked up in the cushions oh the sofa... although... (she's really warming up to her subject now) I don't know if I would have used that tea dipped linen for the upholstery - too dingy. And it's a sacrilege having that Pre-Columbian pot in the center of the coffee table. Some dope might use it as an ashtray. BUD I gather you're a decorator. DARIEN You got it, a great spender of other people's money. BUD Well, if you're that good, you could probably do wonders at my place. DARIEN Where is it? BUD Upper West Side. DARIEN (losing interest fast) Oh really. Home of the exposed brick wall and the (shudders) houseplant. BUD Oh it's just a rental. I'm moving to the East Side soon. I've got a couple of deals brewing with Gordon. (shifts uncomfortably with his pretension) but that's just conversation... what about real things? Like dinner. The two of us. Friday. Cafe. Santo Domingo. Bud waits, staring suddenly and deeply into her eyes. DARIEN What if I have a previous engagement? BUD Break it. DARIEN I guess this must be destiny alright. My first yuppie apartment and... (pats him on the cheek flirtatiously) my first yuppie. BUD (gives her a steely glare) You may call me a yuppie... It's Mister Yuppie to you. They both laugh. BUD (gets serious) So. See you Friday. DARIEN You really do believe in destiny? BUD Only if I want something bad enough. Her date, Mr. GQ, SAMMY RUSPOLI intersects with Kate. A cultivated European air. SAM ...there you go again, Darien, talking with strange men. KATE That's our Darien: elusive, reclusive, exclusive. (to Sam) You know Bud right? He works for Gordon... (Sam nodding, makes conversation, big smile) Sam's in banking. You staying for dinner Bud? BUD (hesitant, eyes Darien) No, I'm afraid I've got to get some work... Kate noticing the doorbell ringing. KATE ...excuse me. Sam muttering something in Darien's ear of an intimate nature. She glides away with him. DARIEN (to Bud) Call me next week, I'll give you an estimate... An ironic promise in her eyes... Bud ecstatic inside... looks over, goes to the foyer... INT. GEKKO ALCOVE - NIGHT (RAIN) SIR LARRY WILDMAN walks in, his country gentleman clothing somewhat softening his imposing figure but not the cultured rapacious eagle's face. With him a lawyer. KATE (strained) Larry, how have you been? Get you a drink? WILDMAN (slightly impatient) Oh fine. Travelling actually. Nothing thank you. Is... KATE Gordon?... He's right here. As Gordon intersects, casually tasting a spot of the dinner. GEKKO Larry! Excuse me "sir" Larry, great to see you again, you're looking good. (handshakes) WILDMAN Gordon... (sniffing the guests and furnishings in the room as if they were stale air) BUD (leaving, to Gordon) I guess I'll head back... GEKKO (spontaneously) Stick around... Larry, one of my "gang" -- Bud Fox. Pleasantries. Bud nervously shakes hands, sensing Wildman might recognize him from being tailed in the elevator. There indeed is a moment but Wildman's attention blurs as... GEKKO Shall we go upstairs? INT. GEKKO DEN - NIGHT (RAIN) Gordon enters a den lined with old books hunting prints; he proudly picks up something from his gun collection. GEKKO Rarest pistol in the world, Larry, a .45 Luger. Only six were ever manufactured. WILDMAN Congratulations but rarer still is your interest in Anacott Steel. GEKKO The same interest as yours Larry. Money. I thought it'd be a good investment for my kid... WILDMAN No. This time I'm in for the long term. This is not a liquidation, Gordon. I'm going to turn it around. You're getting a free ride on my tail, mate, and with the dollars you're costing me to buy back the stock, I could modernize the plant. I'm not the only one who pays here Gordon. We're talking about lives and jobs; three and four generations of steel workers... A strong hint of the cockney working class east and London boy whiffing through his speech and manner. The "mate" is tough and to the point but not insulting... GEKKO (has to smile) You must be wearing a mask you're laughing so hard behind it Larry. Let's cut the "sir" crap. Correct me if I'm wrong, but when you took CNX Electronics, you laid off 8,000 workers, Jessmon Fruit about 6,000, that airline... WILDMAN (cold, deliberate) I could break you, mate, in two pieces over my knees, you know it, I know it, I could buy you six times ever, I could dump the stock just to burn your ass but I happen to want the company and I want your block of shares. I'm announcing a tender offer at 65 tomorrow, and I'm expecting your commitment. Bud watching this drama unfold. Gekko is about to blow, controls it. GEKKO Showdowns bore me Larry, neither side wins. You can have the company, in fact it's gonna be fun watching you and your giant ego try to make a horserace out of it... (turns to Bud) What do you think is a fair price for our stock Bud? Bud in the spotlight. The eyes all shift to him -- his moment. After an initial panic, he's cool as a cucumber -- and ruthless as his mentor. BUD The break up value is higher. It's worth 80. GEKKO But we don't want to be greedy now, so let's let him have it at $72. His eyes to Wildman who looks at him, cold, icy mean. WILDMAN You're a two bit pirate and a green-mailer, Gekko, nothing more... not only would you sell your mother to make a deal, you'd send her COD... Bud looking sharply as Gekko's eyes flare with hot white anger. GEKKO My mail's the same color as yours Larry. Or it was till the Queen started calling you "sir". Now excuse me before I lose my temper... He rises and exits. WILDMAN $71... Gekko stops at the door, a beat. GEKKO Considering you brought my mother into it, $71.50. WILDMAN Done. You'll hear from my lawyers. 8 a.m. Good night. He walks out with the silent lawyer. Past Gekko who watches. "Ta Ta". GEKKO (to Bud) He's right. I had to sell. The key to the game is your capital reserves. You don't have enough, you can't pee in the tall weeds with the big dogs. BUD (mimicking Gordon now) "All warfare is based on deception..." Sun Tzu says, If your enemy is superior, evade him, if angry, irritate him, if equally matched, fight... if not, split and reevaluate. GEKKO You're learning, sport... INT. BUD'S APARTMENT - PRE-DAWN Exhausted from the drive back, Bud takes off his sweater and tie and collapses onto the bed, closing his eyes. The phone rings. With a start he wakes and answers it. BUD Yeah?... INTERCUT TO: EXT. GEKKO'S BEACH HOUSE - DAWN The sky is still dark, the first rays of light coming up over the ocean. Gekko, a lonely figure in a windbreaker, restlessly prowls the edge of the beach, waves crashing around him. He's been up all night and has an exhausted, driven look as he whispers over the wind into the cellular phone... GEKKO Money never sleeps pal. When I came in in '69, they traded six hours a day, now the clock don't stop, London's deregulated, the Orient is hungrier than us. Just let the money circle the world, sport, buying and selling, and if you're smart it comes back paying. I just made $800,000 in Hong Kong gold. It's been wired to you -- play with it. You done good, but you gotta keep doing good. I showed you how the game works, now school's out. BUD (protests) Mr. Gekko, I'm there for you 110%. GEKKO You don't understand. I want to be surprised...astonish me, sport, new info, don't care where or how you get it, just get it... My wife tells me you put a move on Darien. Here's some inside info for you. That Euroflash GQ guy she's going with's got big bucks but he's putting her feet to sleep. Exit visas are imminent. So don't lose your place in line. (gazing at the surf) Oh, jeez, I wish you could see this. The lights coming up over the water. I've never seen a painting that captures the beauty of the ocean at this moment. (suddenly fatigued) ...an old Russian proverb - "a fisherman always sees another fisherman from afar." I like you sport, I ever tell you that... Gordon, call me Gordon from now on. BUD (off) ...Gordon. GEKKO Yeah, I'm gonna make you rich, Bud Fox. I'm gonna make you rich enough you can afford a girl like Darien. Remember, power is the best aphrodisiac. This is your wake-up call. Go to work. He lets the phone drop to his side, staring glazed-eyed at the ocean. INT. ROGER BARNES' OFFICE - EARLY EVENING A SECRETARY leads Bud into the plush, private office of a cocky young lawyer, ROGER BARNES, about tho same age as Bud, his his feet up on the desk, sleepily waving to Buddy to park his ass... The pictures an his walls and desk indicate a rich family. ROGER Fox, Bud D. is this deja vu or has it really been a year. You're not hitting me up for NYU are you? BUD Well we're thinking of putting up a statue of you in the subway. I hear you're moving up in the world. An associate already. Not bad. How's Margie? ROGER Can't complain. Got a house in Oyster Bay. Market treating you good? Still seeing that sexy French gal? BUD Nah, she asked the wrong question. ROGER What was that? BUD "What are you thinking?"...that was it. The hours are hell, but the money's starting to tumble in. I know this guy who's got an iron- clad way to make money, I can't lose and I can't get hurt. ROGER (interested) So, does "this guy" have a tip for an honest lawyer? BUD Yeah, check out Teldar Paper, it's still not over. ROGER Okay. BUD What about you, I hear you guys are handling the Fairchild Foods merger and it may not be going through. Any surprises I haven't read about in the Wall Street Journal? ROGER (casually) Come on Buddy, you wouldn't want to got me disbarred now would you? BUD (equally casual, looks at the walls) Who's listening? It's just one college buddy talking to another. ROGER (sarcastic) Yeah, right... BUD Relax, Roger, everybody's doing it but you don't know, you don't know. ROGER ...and if I did, what's in it for moi? He obviously has thought about it before. Bud smiles back, nonchalant. BUD More money than you ever dreamed, Roger. And the thing is no one gets hurt...how bout a beer? ROGER (some doubt) Too much to do...but I'll walk you out. INT. CORRIDOR OUTSIDE ROGER BARNES' OFFICE - EVENING They walk out past the CLEANING CREWS coming in for the evening, drones of the vacuum cleaners... Bud looks - his POV... A CLEANING WOMAN as she pulls the vacuum cleaner into one of the senior partners offices, the desk crammed with proposals, Bud is lost in thought. ROGER (teasing) ...Get inside my uncle's door Buddy, all the secrets of the world are yours... the life blood of companies, but you gotta go to law school first... EXT. BARNES' OFFICE BUILDING - NIGHT Bud comes out of the building and starts walking away. As he passes the freight entrance, Bud abruptly notices a van marked MARSALA MAINTENENCE COMPANY. He looks back, thinks for a moment: a look in his eyes. EXT. LONG ISLAND CITY - LIGHT INDUSTRIAL PARK - DAY Bud walks past a row of small warehouses and enters one. INT. MARSALA MAINTENANCE OFFICE AND GARAGE SERVICE - DAY He steps into a shabby reception area. A chain-smoking OLD LADY looks up from the switch-board. BUD I need to speak to the owner about some business. INT. BACK OFFICE - DAY The owner, a GREEK with bushy mustache and hardened face, sits at his desk eating lunch, eyeing Bud suspiciously. BUD (handing him a card) Mr. Panos, I've charted the growth of new office space in the city, and I think you're in the right business at the right time. PANOS Thank you for telling me what I already know. BUD I'm impressed with your work and I could use a tax break. This is a growing business. Are you interested in some working capital and a partner? Panos puts down his sandwich, measuring Bud. PANOS What makes you think I need a partner?! Bud smiles, ready with his spiel. An elevator opens. A body steps out. A set of keys. Boom up past a clipboard and pen to a shirt pocket with MARSALA MAINTENANCE written on it, up to Bud dressed in janitorial clothing. We move with him to the CREW SUPERVISOR who introduces THREE CLEANING WOMEN who nervously absorb Bud, worried for their jobs. Bud strolls from office to office, looking official, overseeing his crew, making notations on a checklist. Bud slips into the Senior Partners' office, thumbs through a calendar on the desk. Sees the list of people, moves to the computer, punches the client's name in. The code number comes up. Bud nods to a SECURITY GUARD down the hall and enters the file room where he looks at the Cleaning Lady and points to his watch. As she exits, he scrambles nervously through the files -- finds the code number -- then anxiously flips the pages to the critical tender offer document -- with the target name -- INVESTMENT IN RORKER ELECTRONICS CORP. It's stamped "DRAFT" across the page. His face lights up. The secret to the kingdom. He puts it back, exits. WIPE TO: INT. GEKKO'S OFFICE - DAY Gekko on the phone, smiling. INT. PHONE BOOTH - DAY Bud, obviously exhausted from his day and night roles, is telling him something on the phone. INT. SECOND LAW FIRM - NIGHT Bud furtively xeroxes a document on a small hand-carried copy machine in his pocket or photographs it if it is too large. INT. RESTAURANT - DAY Bud and Alex, Gekko's assistant, having lunch. Alex gives him the briefcase he's carrying. Pan from Alex to Bud back to discover Darien in the next scene. INT. RESTAURANT - DAY Bud dines with Darien, small talk, intimate looks. INT. THIRD LAW FIRM - NIGHT Bud is in an office, eyes panning the shelves. VOICE (O.S.) Can I help you? Bud's head jerks around. A young female PARALEGAL is burning the midnight oil. She looks at him from behind a stack of briefs. BUD (backing off) Uh. Wrong office. Sorry... EXT. BRIDGEHAMPTON BEACH - DAY Gekko, Kate, Bud, Darien and A FIFTH PERSON roar over the dunes, each in their own dune buggy, laughing and hollering at one another... Buddy driving right up precariously close on Darien, who screams... Buddy flips over his vehicle... comes up laughing... we sense he is getting wilder now... EXT. HORSE FARM - BRIDGEHAMPTON - DAY Darien rides expertly. A beautiful, immaculately-groomed stallion is being shown to Gekko by the trainer. Bud is sipping wine as he looks on with Kate. GEKKO (proudly) Got him at an auction in Kentucky. BUD How much? GEKKO (fondling the head) Close to two million. (Bud whistles) But this sucker can go all the way to Devon and the nationals. Darien rides in, smiling to Bud. BUD Devon? He looks like Seattle Slew. What about the Triple Crown? DARIEN He's not a racehorse, Bud, he's a jumper. BUD How would I know? I once bet a horse. He went out at ten to one and came in at quarter to five. He laughs, a little sloppy. EXT. OCEAN - DAY Darien swims in the ocean, long looping athletic strokes. EXT. POOL AND PATIO - GEKKO'S BRIDGEHAMPTON HOUSE - DAY They're finishing lunch by the pool framed by a lush flower garden where Kate and son Rudy play. HAROLD SALT, Gekko's chief lawyer, thick glasses, smart eyes and bags of worry that could only come from watching other people's money, looks very city-like in his clothing, examining his paperwork before passing it to Bud, who is the picture of relaxation. HAROLD ...You understand Mr. Gekko is constantly barraged with nuisance litigation and IRS audits. BUD (nods) Of course. HAROLD ...So it's in both our interests to put a safe distance between you and us... (passing a document with a 2nd pen) ...this gives you limited power of attorney for Mr. Gekko's account. Every trade you make is at your discretion. Every ticket you buy must be marked "power of attorney." That means you call the shots and Mr. Gekko has no official knowledge of what stocks you're buying. Sign here and here... Buddy looks, then up to Gekko, who smiles, casual. GEKKO ...just the beginning, sport, just the begining... Bud smiles, signs. HAROLD (a worrier) ...you understand if any problems arise, you're out there on your own. The trail stops with you... BUD All's fair in love and war. GEKKO The art of which is deception. Spread the buy orders through different accounts and you won't get burned... BUD I think I got some friends that won't mind making some easy money... As Kate drifts over with Rudy and the French au pair GIRL, NICOLE. GEKKO Rudy, viens ici, dit bonjour a Monsieur Bud. Rudy either says "No!" or "Bonjour Monsieur Bud!' depending on the mood of the kid. Gordon sweeping him up and playing with him. The kid squeals with glee. GEKKO (proudly) Already speaks a little French, kid got the highest score on his IQ test. KATE (to Darien) ...it's so tough to get into a good nursery school now. They even visit your home to make sure your paintings and furnishings are acceptable. BUD What's it cost these days? KATE $5,000 just for the tuition... plus the books and supplies... (with a look to Gordon) ...some parents even have bodyguards. It's not a bad idea... (picking up Rudy) ...now that's it for you with the grown-ups young man. As Rudy smashes the strawberries around his face and resists going. "No! No!" Kate exasperated gives the child to Nicole. KATE Nicole, take him for a nap, please. NICOLE He doesn't nap anymore, Madame. It's been... KATE (stung) Then play with him till he gets tired. We're going out tonight but we like to see him at, let's see, six; give him a bath and put that cute little black suit on him... (to Bud and Gordon) Black clothes are the newest things, so chic and milk stains, carrot juice stains just don't show up. Kids -- boy, can they take it out of you! Nicole's "Oui, Madame" is lost in the wrestling match she goes through to drag him out screaming. Kate walking off. Harold gives Buddy another piece of paper... HAROLD This is a contact at one of our banks. On settlement day you'll open an account there for Mr. Gekko under the name of Geneva, Roth Holding Corp. Then you'll wire transfer the money to this account in the Cayman Islands... GEKKO (rising, finished with lunch) Think about incorporating yourself there, Bud, Harold will take care of it for you. (with a look to Harold) ... at a reasonable fee. You're gonna make a lot of money now Bud... stakes are gonna go up, no mistakes... BUD ...piece of cake, Gordon... EXT. BEACHFRONT - DAY The camera glides off some FISHERMEN hauling their catch off their beached boat to Darien who comes tromping out of the surf, water glistening off her lean athletic body. Bud stands before her, cool seductive eyes, holding out a towel. She steps up to him and smiles inscrutably. Takes the towel from him, drying herself, instead. DARIEN (gazing at the beach) If I could have anything... this would almost do. BUD Yeah, almost... Looks at her, stifles his thought. DARIEN (teasing) So, how did your conference go with Gordon? BUD The conference, oh yeah. Fine. We reached an agreement and decided to divide up the world between us. DARIEN (laughs) You have modest wants. I like that in a man. BUD And what do you want? DARIEN ...a Turner, a perfect canary diaiaond... a Lear jet... world peace... the best of everything... BUD Well, why stop at that? DARIEN I don't. BUD (has to smile) You're not trouble by any chance. Are you? She looks at him, tosses the towel over her shoulder and starts back toward the house. Buddy watches her go. INT. HOTEL BALLROOM - DAY The annual Teldar Paper stockholders' meeting is in session: 400 stockholders are there -- many middle aged and older, one bag lady. Cromwell sits on an elevated platform at the front of the room surrounded by an army of bulky EXECUTIVES, none of them weighing less than 200 pounds, ACCOUNTANTS and LAWYERS. Gekko in contrast seems like Robin Hood seated with Alex, Harold, Bud and the other stockholders. Cromwell is delivering his prepared attack on Gekko in a highly sarcastic, gruff manner. CROMWELL ...Your company, ladies and gentlemen, is under siege from Gordon Gekko. Teldar Paper is now leveraged to the hilt, like some piss poor South American country...instead of using our cash to build plants, build our business, all this man really wants is to get paid to withdraw his tender offer and that will cost us approximately another $200 million in greenmail which will be passed on to the consumer... Gekko seething, jumps up. GEKKO Where do you get off speaking about me like that, making remarks to the press, I resent these remarks, I demand the right to speak. CROMWELL Sit down, sir, you're out of order, haven't you done enough damage to Teldar as it is?...have you no sense of decency? (to shareholders) How can your management... Gekko is urged to sit down by his people but we hear various catcalls, "Let the man speak!" "Sit down, Gekko!" CROMWELL (CONT'D) ...concentrate on long term growth when we're busy fighting the get- rich-quick, short term profit, slot machine mentality of Wall Street when we should be fighting Japan! The original fundamental reason for Wall Street was to capitalize American business, underwrite new business, build companies, build America. The "deal" has now succeeded goods and services as America's gross national product and in the process, we are undermining our foundation. This cancer is called "greed". Greed and speculation have replaced long-term investment. Corporations are being taken apart like erector sets, without any consideration of the public good. I strongly recommend you to see through Mr. Gekko's shameless intention here to strip this company and severely penalize the stockholders. I strongly recommend you to reject his tender by voting for management's restructuring of the stock. CUT TO: Gekko is now at floor level with a microphone. He's calmer, makes his pitch to the stockholders, looking up at the management. GEKKO ...I appreciate the chance you're giving me, Mr. Cromwell, as the single largest stockholder in Teldar, to speak. (gets some laughter and applause, loosens) On the way here today I saw a bumper sticker. It said, "Life is a bitch... then you die". (gets another laugh) ...well ladies and gentlemen, we're not here to indulge in fantasies, but in political and economic reality. America has become a second rate power. Our trade deficit and fiscal deficit are at nightmare proportions. In the days of the 'free market' when our country was a top industrial power, there was accountability to the shareholders. The Carnegies, the Mellons, the man who built this industrial empire, made sure of it because it was their money at stake. Today management has no stake in the company. Altogether these guys sitting up there own a total of less than 3% and where does Mr. Cromwell put his million dollar salary? Certainly not in Teldar stock, he owns less than 1%. You own Teldar Paper, the stockholders, and you are being royally screwed over by these bureaucrats with their steak lunches, golf and hunting trips, corporate jets, and golden parachutes! Teldar Paper has 33 different vice presidents each earning over $200,000 a year. I spent two months analyzing what these guys did and I still can't figure it out. (a big laugh) Cromwell is pissed. CROMWELL This is an outrage Gekko! You're full of shit! GEKKO One thing I do know is this paper company lost $110 million last year, and I'd bet half of that is in the paperwork going back and forth between all the vice presidents... (increased laughter, he's getting them) The new law of evolution in corporate America seems to be 'survival of the unfittest'. Well in my book, you either do it right or you get eliminated. Teldar Paper is doomed to fail. Its diversification into casualty insurance has not worked. Its crown jewels are its trees, the rest is dross. Through wars, depressions, inflations and deterioration of paper money, trees have always kept their value, but Teldar is chopping them all down. Forests are perishable, forest rights are as important as human rights to this planet, and all the illusory Maginot lines, scorched earth tactics, proxy fights, poison pills, etc. that Mr. Cromwell is going to come up with to prevent people like me from buying Teldar Paper are doomed to fail because the bottom line, ladies and gentlemen, as you very well know, is the only way to stay strong is to create value, that's why you buy stock, to have it go up. If there's any other reason, I've never hear it. (laughter) That's all I'm saying...it's you people who own this company, not them, they work for you and they've done a lousy job of it. Get rid of them fast, before you all get sick and die. I may be an opportunist, but if these clowns did a better job, I'd be out of work. In the last seven deals I've been in, there were 2.3 million stockholders that actually made a pretax profit of $12 billion. When I bought the Ixtlan Corporation it was in the exact same position Teldar is today -- I turned three of its companies private and I sold four others -- and each of these companies, liberated from the suffering conglomerate has prospered. I am not a destroyer of companies, I am a liberator of them. The point is, ladies and gentlemen, greed is good. Greed works, greed is right. Greed clarifies, cuts through, and captures the essence of the evolutionary spirit. Greed in all its forms, greed for life, money, love, knowledge, has marked the upward surge of mankind -- and greed, mark my words -- will save not only Teldar Paper but that other malfunctioning corporation called the USA...Thank you. Much applause as he sits. Now a standing ovation; shouts of approval. Cromwell knows he has lost the day, tries to continue the meeting by calling for "order". Bud watches, impressed. INT. BUD'S OFFICE - DAY BROKERS mill at their desks quietly. Bud enters, notices immediately the uneasy silence. His eyes go to Lynch's office... across the windows, he's talking to a very somber Dan Steeples. BUD What's going on? MARV (looking in the same direction) Lynch is giving him the boot... He's not pulling his quota. Bud's soft "no" matched by that second, tighter look. His POV -- closer on the glass... Dan Steeples pleading for his job... we know the things he's saying, we've heard them before... just one more chance, Mr. Lynch... Lynch shaking his head... MARV (reminding him) ...we're all just one trade away from humility, Buddy... Dan Steeples steps out of the office, obviously close to tears but trying to maintain face... Buddy's eyes dart away, not wanting to deal with it. Dan Steeples walks by his as Lynch, on the loudspeaker, starts his morning announcements. LYNCH New research report on GM and a conference call on defense stocks at my office at 11. No RSVP required, just be there. And on an inspiring note I'm pleased to announce the new office record for a single month's gross commission goes to Bud Fox. Who more than doubled the old mark. Way to go Bud. Super job! Come on up here. As Dan Rickey passes him during this, Bud catches a glimpse of the older man's eyes. Dan tries to look brave. Heads turning to Bud with awe and envy... MARV Congrats buddy buddy, you just made my life twice as hard around here... Bud moving toward Lynch, past Lou Mannheim. MANNHEIM You're on a roll kiddo. Enjoy it while it lasts -- 'cause it never does. BUD (cocky) ...just kickin' ass and taking names, Mr. Mannheim. Bud passes Charlie Cushing, yawning on the phone as usual. CHARLIE So whaddaya say pal, wanna play some doubles at Piping? Meet the membership? I got a little blonde named Mandy, about nineteen, avec cafe au lait boobs... she's mine but she's got a cousin who has great muffins. BUD ...sounds dubious Chuck, but Piping Rock any day. Chuck laughs, Bud's "in" now. Lynch indicates for Bud to follow him into an outer glass-enclosed office. LYNCH Come in, Bud... INT. BUD'S NEW OFFICE - DAY Neatly furnished, with a window overlooking Wall Street, and attractive CHINESE SECRETARY filing papers into a cabinet. LYNCH (points) Congratulations. This is yours now... your own file cabinets... a window ... your private secretary, Janet, (under his breath) significantly more attractive. JANET Nice to meet you, Mr. Fox. She smiles at Bud, who heaves a sigh of relief, noticing his name plate on the desk. BUD (thrilled) Thank you, Janet...thank you, Mr. Lynch. LYNCH No, thank you. I knew the minute I laid eyes on you, you had what it takes Bud. Just keep it going. He winks and leaves. Charlie Cushing comes in, Marv sticks his head in the doorway, a grudging smile. MARV So, its Mister Fox now. INT. CONDOMINIUM APARTMENT - UPPER EAST SIDE - DAY A splendid four-room thirtieth floor aerie overlooking Central Park. SYLVIE DRIMMER, anchored down with jewelry and a large fur purse, shows Bud around. SYLVIE ...everybody tells ya they hate the Upper East Side and they wanna live on the West Side but honey when it comes to resale time, believe me the East Side's the one that always moves. What do you get on the West Side? (contemptuously) Madonna and Sean?... between Sly and Billy and Christie, I've shown every apartment on the Upper East Side. Everybody lives here... Mick, Gloria and Barbara Wa-Wa. Even Klaus von Bulow buys his fresh fruit from the Korean on Madison. It's so expensive and it's just like the ones on Eighth Avenue but it's an attitude is all, you pay for attitude (pointing to a walk- in closet) ...two walk-in closets...upstairs on the roof you lot a health club...massage, sauna, jacuzzi, sunlights, best schools in the city, cute boy like you gotta think of a ladyfriend when you're finished wolfing around -- ('course I'm taken) ...oak strip floor...my husband can get you a 10% mortgage...I'd do it myself if we weren't into four other deals already...so?... (beat) I got a four o'clock and a five...one of them's an all-cash type, Monique something or other...I guarantee you this place is history tomorrow... Bud looks around. The city at his feet. Lost in thought. Sylvie has to call him out of it: "honey? -- The meter's running. Anybody home?" BUD All right. Offer 950... Sylvie tries to play it cool, her expression conveying a somewhat stunned look at the speed and certainty of the response. SYLVIE ...I think you gotta deal, honey... you sure you don't wanna see somethin' I got on Sutton Place. It's a million and a half but... BUD Nah...this is it..home... Looking it over, proud. INTERIOR DECORATING MONTAGE The music is geared to speed, money, triumph and just plain material fun. INT. BUD'S CONDO - DAY/NIGHT In its first stage, Darien supervising. It's expanse of white walls devoid of mouldings, a blank plaster canvas. The city views are great, the apartment identical to hundreds of other cookie cutter condos. Several young artists are working on a neo-classical mural on the long side of the living room. They are colorfully dressed, listening to a TALKING HEADS tape while they work. A carpenter who looks like a member of Duran Duran is installing a pair of old columns from Urban Archaeology on either side of the entrance to the living room while another fits a brass sink into an antique sideboard which has been turned into a bar. INT. BUD'S CONDO - DAY/NIGHT INTERIOR DECORATING MONTAGE - SECOND STAGE Living room furniture arrives. A fantail shrimp chaise from Art Furniture's "Sushi Collection" arrives, along with an enormous sofa encased in an ecru linen slipcover made deliberately baggy and tied on with rows of self bows on each end, several faux Etruscan pots wired up as lamps, a poured concrete coffee table that looks like it came from Pompeii, and a hand-painted floor cloth instead of a rug for the bleached floor with the stencilled border... Darien sitting in a fantastical adirondack chair made from gnarled branches, amused by Bud's reactions to the furniture. THIRD STAGE. The kitchen has the latest compact computer dishwasher and compact microwave, garbage compactor, and sinks with infrared controls... A brief food montage gives us a sense of the modernist approach to food and its preparation: 1) Darien hones the knives on the electric knife sharpener as 2) Bud uses a stainless steel Cape Cod oyster opener to work on two dozen oysters... 3) at the same time working on the automatic vinaigrette mixer, the phone ringing to the tune of Mozart's "Jupiter"... BUD (picking it up) Yes...no...at 37 1/2. Convert the bonds right...and check the price in Tokyo at 8:00 LA time. Thanks... 4) As he starts his pasta sauce flame an his O'Reilly fat- free grill with a flexible neck fire starter... 5) A freshly heated roll pops out of a hanging space-saving toaster, as Darien works the electric pasta maker while melting the frozen ice cream cartons in the microwave. 6) Bud manages to sneak a kiss an her lips humming the bars from Verdi's "Rigoletto" as he works the piece de la resistance--the automatic sushi maker... 7) Dinner is finally served on a demolished dinner table. Red wine, pasta, sushi...it looks perfect, lit by candlelight, the view of the city below. DARIEN ...isn't it perfect! BUD ...too perfect...let's not even eat. Let's just watch it and think about it. (pause) FOURTH STAGE - INT. BUD'S CONDO - DAY Bud goes over a stack of bills with something approaching concern as the gothic oak refectory table which seats 20 is carried in, followed by a Jean Michel Basquiat featuring a skull on a rough board. Darien instructs the movers to place an important pair of satinwood Art Deco armchairs upholstered in buttery suede (last Saturday's auction purchase for $20,000) at either end of the titanic sofa. No vestige is left of the cookie cutter space we first saw. Walls have been removed, mouldings and architectural found objects added, imitation rare woods, marbles and frescos have been created from nothing by the magic hands of the tromp l'oeil crew. The point is, decorating can transform. INT. CONDO - NIGHT The look of the place is evocative of ancient times, yet sumptuous. Darien and Bud sink into the bales of down in the sofa and are dwarfed. She rests her head on a hand stencilled velvet Venetian throw pillow, looking like a Pre-Raphaelite madonna. A terracotta pot with a spray of white phaleonopsis graces the coffee table. As the sun sets over the canyons of highrises, Bud walks around his new home totally in awe. This apartment, perfect in its restrained taste with all the "correct" flowers and objects, has nothing to do with him. Perhaps he can understand the state-of-the-art kitchen, the computerized telephone, stereo and light system, but he needs a set of instructions just to be able to switch on David Letterman. This apartment is Darien's fantasy, and Bud is merely the incidental client who paid for it. Most importantly to her, it is ready to be photographed by House and Garden. BUD (dubiously looking at a rough plaster wall of fading fresco) You know, the elevator man couldn't believe I paid $300,000 to have my walls looking like this, he's got them for free in Brooklyn. DARIEN I'll bet he's got an opinion on the stock market too. This apartment is already ahead of its time. I call it the "demolished" look. They've already heard about it at House and Garden and they're coming next week to photograph it before it gets... lived in. Is that alright? I'd love to have it in my portfolio. BUD Sure... But your fee... considering you're way over budget, should be negotiable. As he nuzzles her neck, she feels threatened, stops. DARIEN Let's get things straight, Bud. I'm not going to take a cut. I worked hard and you can't decorate a room in New York for less than $100,000. Curtains alone... BUD I'm kidding, I'm kidding, we're still young, Darien. So what's money anyway when everybody's making it, it's all relative. After all, this is not the house in Connecticut, this is just a crash pad good for a couple of years...before we slip our two lovely kids, Yuppie and Fruppie into the Lycee Francaise. DARIEN You got it all charted out don't you, like a stock projection. BUD That's right -- one with high yield, rich assets and no downside... As the kiss grows, his hands move into her nether regions. She looks at him, sober. DARIEN Do you think you're ready? BUD It's not me I'm worried about...You know Darien, the only reason we haven't slept together is because we both know we will -- and not knowing when was the only surprise left. You owe me, I want you, what else is there...but you, me, the world. (he folds back her palms in his) ...right here...make love to me...now... (more kissing) Stop me if I'm going too far. DARIEN I'll let you know. INT. BUD'S CONDO - BEDROOM - NIGHT Bud making love to Darien. Camara closing on them. Her face -- from his point of view. Her smile. His face -- looking down. Covered with sweat and passion. BUD Is this real? Is this really real? EXT. BUD'S CONDO - TERRACE - NIGHT Bud walks out alone in his blue bathrobe on his parapet overlooking Central Park. The wind stirs his hair. The East and West sides of the park wrap the city in a diamond necklace of brilliant light. Bud stares down at the world. He has it all now. The money. The girl. The magic palace apartment. What more is there? Something...because Bud suddenly throws a wrenching dislocated look into himself that makes us wonder as he brushes his hand across his face and mutters to himself. BUD Who am I? There is no ready answer. As he finally turns and goes back inside and closes the door. INT. BUD'S BEDROOM - NIGHT Darien lies curled in the bed, eyes open, looking at him. DARIEN Come to bed, Bud... EXT. PHONE BOOTH - SOUTH STREET SEAPORT - TWILIGHT Cocktail hour in the background, yuppies trying to score for the weekend. Bud on the phone, strained look transforming to a bright, upbeat personality as the phone is answered. BUD Dixon! It's your lucky day! That's right. I want to give you some stock and you don't have to put up a penny... INTERCUT: EXT. CABIN - ASPEN COLORADO - DAY A small cabin in the mountains. INT. CABIN - ASPEN COLORADO - DAY Whole earth furnishings. DIXON, a long-haired ski bum dropout listens skeptically. DIXON Sure, and I'm never gonna die either, is this one of your chain letter schemes or do I gotta buy a door to door cosmetic franchise in Northern Arkansas? EXT. PHONE BOOTH - SOUTH STREET SEAPORT - TWILIGHT BUD No, no Dixon, my client wants to buy a large, large block of stock and needs to spread it around. I'll park some money in your account and if it hits, you get a big cut. I'm telling you, this is the easiest money you ever made... INT. ROGER BARNES' OFFICE - DAY Roger listens on the phone. BUD (off) ...and you don't have to put up a dime, Roger. ROGER (tentatively) All right, Bud... let's do it. A look on his face. As if he knows he's making a fatal mistake. INT. BUD'S OFFICE - DAY BUD (on the phone) ...it's easy Jack! On settlement day, you endorse a check to Blue Horseshoe Trading Company. Then I send you your cut. Marv waves across the glass partition and knocks. But Bud waves him off, closing the blinds. BUD (CONT'D) ...that's the bottom line. And nobody gets hurt. Marv now walks it, exasperated. MARV ...things are so bad, even the liars are complaining. And you're making money. So what gives? What's the bottom line? As he tries to peak at Bud's quotron screen, but Bud flicks it off, pissed. BUD Hey, I'm tired of playing nurse to you all the time, alright. Do your own home work! Marvin abruptly walks out, "asshole!". Bud books the order for Morning Star Corp -- MSC -- 50,000 June options. INT. AMERICAN STOCK EXCHANGE - LATER THAT DAY The COMPANY FLOOR MANAGER gets Bud's order, hands a ticket to a RUNNER who dashes off across the exchange floor, and over to a TRADER who starts to execute the order. CLOSE on the broad tape. As Bud's large buy order flickers across it -- MSC -- 50,000 June options. INT. AMERICAN STOCK EXCHANGE - S.E.C. OPTIONS WATCH OFFICE - DAY A CLERK sits before a computer routinely tracking all of the exchange floor trading. He runs a check on a transaction. Computer Screen -- The same numbers and letters are seen that just flickered across the broad tape... Bud's buy. The clerk swivels his chair to a second computer and punches up data. A MAN appears behind him, leaning over his shoulder, and wears an ID BADGE. The clerk vacates his seat to the man with the badge, who now takes over. INT. BUD'S CONDO - NIGHT Bud is in silk boxers on the phone, number crunching on the computer, foot pounding to a music beat on the stereo, while his telex spews out overnight currency data. Darien in the background lies in bed in panties reading Vogue. BUD (into the phone) Buy me 20 June Euro Dollar CDs. Twenty March gold and sell 10 September Deutsch marks. That's right... He hangs up, back to the computer a growing look of excitement and revelation in his eyes. On the computer screen we see a break up Of Bluestar Airlines -- its assets and liabilities. Bud hits the command key, printing it out. He's exuberant. BUD Bud, I hate to tell you this but you're a genius! (to Darien) Darien...lightning has struck! The lightbulb has been invented. Edison, Da Vinci, Einstein are watching... DARIEN (grumpy) ...are you going to trade all night again? You got to go to work in a couple of hours. BUD You think I'm gonna broker the rest of my life... I'm going to be a giant, Darien, an entrepreneur in the Italian 15th century sense of the word -- a mover, shaker. Bud dances over to the bed turning the stereo down on his way. BUD I love you, baby. Did I tell you that sometime in the last 24 hours? DARIEN Get in bed. Y'ever hear of the sixty hour work week? You're turning into a yuppie Frankenstein, you love money so much. Bud grabs a bottle of Ferrier off the night table and drinks. BUD Sure, why not, money's the sex of the 80's. I never had it like you when I was growing up, baby, it wasn't the upper east side. DARIEN You're so naive Bud, you don't even know. Your dad took care of you. I might've been rich when I was a kid...but my father lost all his money...in the seventies, in the stock market, at the track. He was a lousy gambler... BUD (teasing) ...that changes all my plans, I thought you were loaded... DARIEN (laughs woefully) So did I, till I hit 19 and found I had all the royal habits and no throne. Mom got by but I had to go to work just like you. Only the skills I had were shopping and making friends. So...that's why I do what I do, what makes you tick, Buddy? BUD Fear. The fear of being poor I guess, just like you, Darien... But that's all gonna change sweetheart. I'm catching the express... (making love to her) ... and you're going along for the ride. INT. GEKKO'S PRIVATE PLANE (GULFSTREAM - 4) - DAY A salon interior. Gekko on a couch reading, with eyeglasses, a stack of financial reports. Alex is on the phone, Susan, and others accompanying the caravan on a business trip. Bud is excited. BUD ...Bluestar's an unpolished gem, Gordon, right out of the garbage. A half assed management being decimated by a price war they can't win. But the gates at LaGuardia alone can bail us out, it's worth 25 bucks a share if it's worth a dime! They're ripe to fall. Gekko, the poker player, hasn't seen enough cards. GEKKO Mixed emotions, Buddy: like Larry Wildman going off a cliff in my new Maserati. Men as smart as myself have got their asses handed to them on a sling with the airlines, fuel could go up, unions are killers... BUD Yeah aren't you forgetting something Gordon: rule one, capital reserves. This company has $75 million cash in an overfunded pension. That buys us a lot of credibility... (Gordon looks up, interested) ...and the beauty is you already own close to two percent of this sucker... ALEX (interrupting, on the phone) Gordon, the insurance people are balking on the logging trucks... GEKKO Tell those spineless toads we'll self-insure if they don't write it... You fire 33 vice presidents and nothing changes... (back to Bud) You eating twinkies today, Bud, or are you schtupping some stewardess... BUD (deadly serious) Gordon what I want--and I never asked you for anything--is to be your co-pilot on this. I want to take this airline, turn it around, and make it work. It's gonna make us a fortune! GEKKO (to Susan) I'm talking to a stockbroker who wants to run an airline. It's gonna take me two years and 2000 headaches to turn Teldar Paper around, what do I need this dink airline for? I'm up to my ass in more nuts than a fruitcake. BUD Gordon, I worked at Bluestar, I know my way around, I have friends there...inside. GEKKO (getting the drift) What does that mean? BUD (playing out his ace) The three unions. It's 43% of Bluestar's operating budget, the hourly cost of a flight crew is $850 an hour, that's the real hidden value G.G., if you can negotiate that out, get a crew down to $350-400 an hour a run, this airline is gonna be the hottest thing since Texas Air... GEKKO What makes you think you can? BUD I can talk to these people Gordon, they trust me...and my father can be a big help in getting cuts. GEKKO (pause) Alright... Susan, get Buckingham on the box. I want him to look at it. And tell Jock Taylor at Thwick, Jensen... (smiles wickedly, back to Bud) So sport, the falcon has heard the falconer...tell me more... INT. BUD'S APARTMENT - NIGHT Bud, in high gear, all smiles, expensive Armani suit, opens the door. His father stands before him, looking like a man on his way to the dentist. BUD Dad, well come on in. Everybody's here. We couldn't start the show without you. Wide-eyed, Carl follows Bud through the foyer, taking in the furnishings, paintings, antiques. CARL (under his breath) Well I'll be a lousy Republican. DARIEN (overhears him) I decorate for Democrats too, lots of them. (she extends her hand and gives him a warm smile) I'm Darien Taylor. CARL (sardonically) I know. You're one of the art works that go with the apartment. (softens a little) Pretty creative. Doesn't look anything like the place my son bought a few months age. DARIEN Listen, I hope you'll come here often, and under less formal circumstances. Halfway won over Carl enters the living room where Darien has set up a table with miniature gourmet pizza, etc. The atmosphere is strained, the camps separated. Gekko stands by the bar, conferring with his lawyer, Harold Salt. Darien walks over to the couch with drinks for the Ixtax Union Reps: DUNCAN WILMORE, ALPA Leader, a rugged silver-haired uniformed pilot; TONI CARPENTER, AFA Rep, hard looking, 40ish flight attendant. BUD Dad, you know Duncan Wilmore, pilot's union, and Toni Carpenter, flight attendants... CARL I met them before you were born. They exchange nods. BUD And I'd like to introduce you to Mr. Gekko, and his lawyer, Mr. Salt. GEKKO A pleasure to meet you, Mr. Fox. Carl stares at Gekko, sizing him up. GEKKO I'd be proud to have a son like Bud. He's got a great future ahead of him. Carl looks to his fellow union representatives, then to Gekko. CARL (gesturing at Salt) I thought this was an informal meeting. What's he doing here? GEKKO (dismissing him) Harold, you don't mind strolling around the block a couple hundred times, do you? HAROLD (looks at his watch) Of course... Salt gathers his jacket to leave, as Gekko and Carl eye one another, tentatively. DARIEN ...please help yourselves to some food... CUT TO: The food is half consumed. Gekko addresses the union leaders. GEKKO Look, I have no illusions about winning a popularity contest with any of you. I was roasted the other night, and a friend of mine asked-- why are we honoring this man--have we run out of human beings? His joke breaks the ice; they laugh, except for Carl. GEKKO (CONT'D) It's not always the most popular guy who gets the job done. You got losses of 20 to 30 million dollars, dividends cut to zero, you're getting squeezed to death by the majors. Present management may not be the worst scum of the earth, but they're the ones who've put you on a kamikaze course, and pretty soon everybody's going to be scrambling for the parachutes. Only there aren't enough to go around. Management has them. You don't. If they throw Bluestar into Chapter 11--which I think they will--then they can use bankruptcy laws to break your unions and your contracts and throw you guys off the property. We hear a loud crunching sound as Bud's father bites into a roll, glaring at Gekko. WILMORE (pilot) With all due respect, Mr. Gekko, what's to prevent you from doing the same thing? GEKKO Cause I have a way around all this, a way we can all make money and make this airline profitable again. What do you say we cut to the chase. I'm asking for a modest twenty percent across-the-board wage cut. Carl drops his fork on the plate. Gekko goes on. GEKKO And seven more hours a month. Toni Carpenter and Duncan Wilmore exchange questionable looks. CARPENTER What kind of time frame are we talking about here? GEKKO Give me a year. If we're still losing money, the reductions stand. If however, we move into the black, I return part of the givebacks, salaries go back to present levels, and... (a beat) we institute an employee profit sharing program with stock. You'll own part of the airline. Carpenter and Wilmore react with surprise, it's obvious they weren't expecting the profit sharing part. Bud smiles at Darien and looks to his father, who examines a sushi roll before putting it back. WILMORE Are you prepared to put that in writing? GEKKO I'll have a letter of agreement drawn up within two days. CARPENTER What's your marketing strategy? How do you plan to return us to profitability? GEKKO Why don't I give Bud an opportunity to answer that. Darien and Carl turn to Bud, who puts down his wine glass. BUD Thank you Mr. Gekko. First of all I want you to know my door will always be open to you cause I know from my Dad it's you guys that keep Bluestar flying. One -- Modernize. Our computer software is weak, we update it, we squeeze every dollar out of each seat and mile flown. You don't sell a seat to a guy for $89 when he's willing to pay $389. Effective inventory management through computerization will increase our load factor by 5 to 20%, that translates to approximately 50 to 200 million dollars in revenues; the point is, we can beat the majors at a price war. Two -- Advertising -- more, more, and aggressive, attack the majors. Three -- expand our hubs to Atlanta, North Carolina and Dallas, reorganize all our feeder schedules, think Big -- guys, we're going after the majors! The men are visibly shaken by Bud's determination. GEKKO (looking for reactions) Cards are on the table. What do you think? WILMORE (restrained, hopeful) If you mean what you say, I think we're in the ball park. I'll take it to my people. CARPENTER (approvingly) You've sketched some broad strokes. I'd like to see the fine print. But so far so good. Gekko looks to Carl Fox who, putting down knife and fork, breaks his silence. CARL I guess if a man lives long enough, he gets to see everything. And I mean everything. What else do you have in your bag of tricks, Mr. Gekko? Bud tenses, looking at his father. Gekko ignores the innuendo and replies softly. GEKKO Frankly, Carl, I can't see giving much more. If you have any suggestions I'll be glad to listen. CARL There came into Egypt a Pharoah who did not know. GEKKO (smiling) I beg your pardon. Is that a proverb? CARL (smiling) No, it's a prophecy. The rich have been doing it to the poor since the beginning of time. The only difference between the Pyramids and the Empire State Building is that the Egyptians didn't have unions. (looking at Wilmore and Carpenter) I know what this guy is about-- greed--he's in and out for the buck and he don't take prisoners. He don't give a damn about Northstar or us ... BUD Now, wait a minute, Dad... GEKKO (shrugs, keeping his composure) Sure. What's worth doing is worth doing for money. It's a bad bargain where nobody gains. And if this deal goes through, we all gain. Carl throws down his napkin, rises from the chair, looks at the others. CARL (looks at Bud) 'Course my son did work three summers as a baggage handler and freight loader. With those qualifications, why should I doubt his ability to run an airline? There is frozen silence at the table. GEKKO Fine, if you don't want us, stay with the scum in present management--dedicated to running you and Bluestar into the ground. CARL ...that "scum" built this company up from one plane in thirty years, they made something out of nothing, and if that's a scum I'll take one over a rat any day... Carl turns and leaves. Bud glances at Gekko, reading his piercing look. He hurries after his father. INT. HALLWAY - NIGHT Bud catches up to Carl, waiting for the elevator, hammering him. BUD (seething) Congratulations. You did a great job of embarrassing me in there-- not to mention yourself! Save the "workers of the world unite" speech for next time Dad, I heard it too much growing up. You're gonna get axed Dad, no two ways about it, you and the whole airline are going down the tubes, you hear me, just like Braniff, you don't have a chance in hell, and if it isn't Gekko it's gonna be some other killer. INT. ELEVATOR - NIGHT Carl steps into the elevator, Bud follows. CARL He's got your prick in his back pocket, son, and you're standing naked in the display window of Macy's. He's using you. Only you're too blind to see it. BUD No, what I see is a jealous old machinist who can't stand that his son's become more successful than himself. CARL What you see, son, is a man who never measured success by the size of a man's wallet. BUD That's because you never had the guts to go out into the world and stake your claim. CARL (lamentably) Boy, if that's what you think, I must've really screwed up my job as a father. INT. BUILDING LOBBY - NIGHT Bud and Carl exit the elevator and head across the luxury lobby. CARL (CONT'D) ...as far as being axed, I'm still here and as long as I am, I have a responsibility not just to me but to the union members I represent... BUD (pleading now) Your responsibility, Dad, is to present the facts, not your opinions, to the men... you're gonna destroy their lives, Dad! Don't do it to 'em. Give it a chance. Let the membership decide for themselves, Dad. Please. CARL I'll be damned that when my men come to me tomorrow morning, wanting to know what's going on, I'm going to lie to them! BUD Your men! All my life "your men" have been able to count on you? Why is it that you've never been there for me? They head through the doors, out onto the street. EXT. BUILDING - NIGHT Bud following Carl. BUD And what if you're wrong? What if one day, the sun didn't rise in the East and birds didn't fly South in winter and for once in your life your compass was off? Huh? He grabs Carl by the arm, stopping him. BUD (CONT'D) Would you be willing to wreck your men's future? My future? Please... Dad. Think. Be practical, for a change. I'm asking you, I'm fucking begging you... Bud lets go of Carl's arm. Carl looks at his son, seeing the desperation. Sadness and confusion take hold of him. CARL I don't sleep with no whore and I don't wake up with no whore. That's how I live with myself, Buddy. I don't know how you do. (a beat) I hope I'm wrong, I'll let them decide for themselves, that much I promise you. He walks away. Bud watches him go, knows he has won. INT. BUD'S OFFICE - DAY Bud, increasingly frazzled and determined, dark circles under his eyes paces with the phone... JANET (his secretary) Mr. Dixon Brandt on 3... BUD (wearily switching over) What's up Dixon? (stopping, focusing) Calm down! What are you talking about? INTERCUT TO: INT. DIXON'S CABIN - ASPEN COLORADO - DAY Dixon, the rich man's son and ski bum, is yelling on the other end of the line. DIXON ...this guy who said he was from the Security Exchange Commission, whatever the hell that is, calls and wants to ask me about that stock I bought... BUD (nervous) What'd you tell him? DIXON I told him I was in the bathroom and I'd call him right back. What the hell was I supposed to say Buddy, you got me into... BUD Look Dixon, calm down! It's not illegal to buy stock or to be right. And it's not all that unusual to be spot checked on a big buy. Tell him you did your homework and you thought the stock was a sound investment. DIXON What if he asks where I got the money? BUD Tell 'em your father gave it to you. DIXON What if they call him? BUD They won't. That's not their jurisdiction. DIXON You sure? BUD Yes! Read the Constitution, it's all in there. And remember--you don't know anything, nothing. DIXON I don't know anything! BUD Good. Then call him back. And call me back. Don't worry. He hangs up, a worried expression, Marv entering to break his concentration. MARV Hey you hear the news. I just got a job at a new firm: "Dewey, Cheat 'em and Howe." Yuk yuk. BUD (icy) Didn't I tell you to knock before you came in here? MARV Hey the door was open. BUD Then get out and close it behind you. MARV (pause) You know what you need, buddy buddy--an optorectomy. That's when they cut the nerve that runs from your brain to your rectum--to change that shitty attitude of yours. BUD Get the hell out! Marv slams the door on his way... EXT. FEDERAL BUILDING - DOWNTOWN NEW YORK - DAY Long shot of the towering stone structure. A tall angular figure crosses through the glass doors with a bulky folder under his arm... INT. LOBBY - DAY The man flashes his ID to a SECURITY GUARD who buzzes him through the gate... He walks towards us and we see he is the familiar tall, baby-faced INVESTIGATOR from the S.E.C. Options Watch Office... he gets in an elevator. INT. S.E.C. INVESTIGATION OFFICES - DAY He walks into the office of a CHIEF INVESTIGATOR. A balding sharp-featured man in a drab suit with bags of hard work under his eyes looks up as the young investigator places the large file in front of him. INT. ROGER BARNES' OFFICE - DAY Bud enters, preoccupied. Barnes is nervous. BUD So what's the problem? ROGER (whispers) ...got a strange call from the SEC. They asked to see my records... Bud, this is a heavy... BUD (shrugs) ....Relax Roget (French pronunciation) You're 82M in the account numbers and I'm the Invisible Man... they're always looking for red flags, Gekko's always getting checked by them, they never come up with anything... we're invulnerable on this... ROGER Alright... I just wanna slow down Bud... no more calls for awhile, no lunches... we suspend our business, alright... BUD Sure Roger, whatever you want, it's cool. A young lawyer pops his head in the room. LAWYER Rog, come on, bring the cost report. They started. (exits) ROGER (standing, to Bud) Gekko asked us into the Bluestar deal. We're reviewing the timetables, wanna come? BUD (surprised) He never told me... ROGER You're just the President of the company, what do you know? ... Come on. As they walk out. INT. CONFERENCE ROOM - DAY Smoky, coffee cups and food. THREE LAWYERS, TWO INVESTMENT BANKERS, THREE COMMERCIAL BANKERS, sleeves rolled up, ties askew. A blackboard with Bluestar's assets diagrammed. A combat mood in the room. Bud walking in, feels vaguely worried, something is not quite right. ROGER You guys know the new chief of Bluestar... Bud Fox. They nod vaguely respectful but Bud's obviously a figure head to them, takes a seat off to the side. The bull-like INVESTMENT BANKER, Vietnam vet, in shirt and suspenders, is on the attack against the stuffier Commercial Bankers. INVESTMENT BANKER Look guys, what's the problem, let's for the kill...Gekko's got 12% and climbing plus the unions are in his pocket for now, everybody on the street knows the stock's in play (overlapping voice: up 2 1/4 since the open) by next week the street's gonna own Bluestar and management won't be able to do anything but poison their own pill. Why are you guys dicking around? Is the bank financing in place or are we gonna have more and more meetings? Our firm's gonna guarantee 25% of the total debt structure in long-term junk bonds, now you guys either sign this piece of paper right now or we're gonna pull and head for another bank for the 75... COMMERCIAL BANKER (older man, appeasing) ...look, we have 30 banks ready to participate in a 4 year revolving credit line but we have to have your assurance to pay back most of the loan in the first 6 months, and the only way... INVESTMENT BANKER (intermittently interrupting) ... 30 banks, isn't that wonderful...you got it, no problem. COMMERCIAL BANKER (insistent) ...and the only way we can see this happening is liquidating the hangars and the planes. Can you people guarantee that? Bud freezes where he sits...it all comes crashing down in a milli-second on that word "liquidate" -- shock now spreading on Bud's face... INVESTMENT BANKER Guaranteed! No sweat...we already got the Bleezburg brothers lined up to build condos where the hangars are, we can lay off the planes with Mexicana, who are dumb enough to buy 'em and Texas Air is drooling at my kneecaps to get the slots and the routes. What's the problem? it's done.. ROGER (passing a paper to the commercial banker) This is the pricetag on the 737s, the gates, the hangars, the routes, we got it all nailed right down to the typewriters... Bud sits there numbly, a sickening feeling taking hold of him as the camera and music track and trap him tighter and tighter. The lawyers' voices distorting in the background. INVESTMENT BANKER ...'course the beauty of it is the overfunded pension fund. Gekko gets the 75 million in there. Fifty million buys him the minimum annuities for 6,000 employees and he walks away with the rest. All in, he'll net 60 to 70 million. Not bad for a month's work. (to Bud) Your man did his homework, Fox, you're gonna have the shortest executive career since the Pope who got poisoned...now he'll really start believing he's "Gekko the Great." INT. RECEPTION AREA - GEKKO'S OFFICE - DAY Bud walks intently past the receptionist and down the long white marble hall. INT. NATALIE'S DESK - DAY Natalie is on the phone. Bud marches past her desk. NATALIE Yes, he wants to change that appointment to... (cupping the receiver) Bud--you can't go in there. He's in a meeting! He ignores her and throws open Gekko's door. INT. GEKKO'S OFFICE - DAY Gekko is talking with the LAWYERS and BANKERS from the Bluestar deal, as Bud barges in. GEKKO (looks up) I didn't know we had a meeting schedule for this morning. BUD I'm sorry, this can't wait. Gekko stares at him with piercing eyes. GEKKO Will you gentlemen excuse us for a few minutes? The lawyers and bankers get up and discreetly leave the room. Gekko waits for them to go, turns back to Bud. GEKKO What the hell do you want? BUD I found out about the garage sale down at Bluestar. Why? Gekko is taken by surprise. GEKKO Last night I read Rudy the story of Winnie the Pooh and the Honey pot. Know what happened: he stuck his nose in that honey pot once too often and got stung. BUD Maybe you ought to read him Pinocchio. You told me you were going to turn Bluestar around. Not upside down. You used me. GEKKO You're walking around blind without a cane, sport. A fool and his money are lucky to get together in the first place. BUD Why do you need to wreck this company? GEKKO Because it's wreckable. I took another look and I changed my mind. BUD If these people lose their jobs, nowhere to go. My father worked at Bluestar for twenty-four years. I gave 'em my word. GEKKO (hard) It's all about bucks, kid, the rest is conversation... (loosening) Bud, you're still going to be president. And when the time comes, you'll parachute out a rich man. With the money you're going to make, your father won't have to work another day in his life. BUD Tell me, Gordon--when does it all end? How many yachts can you waterski behind? How much is enough? GEKKO Buddy, it's not a question of enough. It's a zero sum game, sport. Somebody wins and somebody loses. Money itself isn't lost or made, it's simply transferred from one perception to another. Like magic. That painting cost $60,000 10 years ago. I could sell it today for $600,000. The illusion has become real. And the more real it becomes, the more desperately they want it. Capitalism at its finest. BUD (again) How much is enough Gordon? GEKKO The richest one percent of this country owns half the country's wealth: 5 trillion dollars. One third of that comes from hard work, two thirds of it comes from inheritance, interest on interest accumulation to widows and idiot sons and what I do -- stock and real estate speculation. It's bullshit. Ninety percent of the American people have little or no net worth. I create nothing; I own. We make the rules, Buddy, the news, war, peace, famine, upheaval; the cost of a paper clip. (picking one up) We pull the rabbit out of the hat while everybody else sits around their whole life wondering how we did it... (crosses to Bud) ...you're not naive enough to think we're living in a democracy are you, Buddy? It's the free market. You're one of us now...take advantage of it. You got the killer instinct, kid, stick with me. I got things to teach you... BUD Obviously... As he puts his arm around Bud, leading him to the door. GEKKO Believe me, Buddy, I was gonna discuss this with you at the right time. Look, why don't you calm down and come to the apartment for dinner tonight. Bring Darien... BUD (at the door, confused, drained) ...I can't make it tonight. GEKKO Are you with me Buddy? At the door, a look of unmistakable power...and danger. GEKKO I want you with me. (waits) BUD I'm with you Gordon... He walks out the door, the misery he is in washing his brow. GEKKO (to Natalie) ...be another minute, Natalie. As he crosses back to the coffee table and punches up a phone number. GEKKO This is Gordon Gekko. Now... (a beat, with controlled rage) I want zip-locked mouths on Bluestar, or I'm gonna personally come down there and rip out your fucking throats! EXT. GEKKO OFFICE BUILDING - DAY Bud walks out, heading up the street, absent amid the scurrying mid-day hordes tearing up the street for the loot inside. EXT. BUD'S CONDO - DAY Darien approaches, carrying groceries, enters the building. INT. BUD'S CONDO - DAY Bud is slumped on the couch, a spent bottle of tequila in front of him. Outside the twilight is quickening into night, shadows, scurrying across the unlit room.... for the first time we see him sucking on a cigarette. Darien opens the door and freezes, surveying the living room. A broken vase on the carpet, a curtain ripped off a window, a painting upended, a chair overturned, selected but not frenzied damage... DARIEN Bud?...What's going on? She puts down the grocery bags, frightened. BUD I've been played like a grand- piano--by the master, Gekko the Great...and today was the big crash. Liquidation sale. He's gonna carve Bluestar into little pieces and sell it all off... Darien registering this, is picking up pieces of the broken vase. DARIEN I'm sorry. I was afraid something like this could happen. BUD Talk about being bent over the sink of life and being dry humped. I handed it to him on a silver platter. I told my father and those people... DARIEN Buddy, it's not your fault, and it's not your decision. BUD (evenly) I'm not gonna let it happen Darien. She stops, lights a cigarette, growing concern. DARIEN Don't cross Gordon. He'll crush you. You've worked hard to get where you are. If Gordon doesn't buy Bluestar someone else will; and who's to say they won't do the same thing. BUD At least I wouldn't be pulling the trigger. She sighs...comes over, tries to shake some sense into him! DARIEN Are you mad! Why are you doing this! We're so close, the town is going to be ours. Don't throw away your future Bud! BUD I can stay with the brokerage firm. And you're doing fine. We can survive without Gordon Gekko. DARIEN (pointed) I'm not looking to just survive. I've been doing that all my life. BUD (getting the drift) What the hell's that supposed to mean? Darien moves out from his approximate circle, wrestling with what she wants to say...until she turns and says it. DARIEN That if you make an enemy of Gordon Gekko, I won't be there to stand by you. Bud is stunned...and hurt. BUD You really mean that? (lashing out) What'd he promise you? To take you public? I guess without Gordon's money and seal of approval, I'm not such a hot investment anymore. You're just the best money can buy, Darien... DARIEN You're not exactly pure Bud, you went after Gekko with the same vengeance you went after me. Look in the mirror before... BUD (glaring at her) I'm looking...and I sure don't like what I see. She collects her things and walks to the door. DARIEN Fair enough...but it's not that simple, Bud. When I was down and had nothing, it was Gordon who helped me. He got me all my clients -- you among them... (snaps her fingers) and he can take it away like that. (a beat) You may find out one day -- that when you've had money and lost it, it's worse than never having had it at all. Bud steps across to her in a rage. BUD That's bullshit! Step out that door, I'm changing the locks. She opens the door saddened. DARIEN You may not believe this Bud but I really do care for you. I think we could've made a good team...but that's how it goes... BUD Get the hell out! She does. Bud stares at the closed door, mute, numb, totally devastated.... the loss is not just Darien, it is total... He looks at his face in the reflection of a wall mirror... INT. BUD'S APARTMENT - CORRIDOR - DAY Waiting for the elevator. Darien also looks at herself a beat in the hall mirror. She's crying. Then she steels herself and enters the elevator. INT. BUD'S CONDO - DAY The same realtor, SYLVIe DRIMMER, who sold him the place, is back. The phone is ringing, unanswered... SYLVIE ...well, the market's dead, hon, even the rich are bitching, nothing's moving except termites and cockroaches, and with my commission being what it is... BUD (cutting her off) Save the rap, just sell it -- fast! He's in his socks, unshaven, smoking, he looks like he's been on a bender for the weekend. The phone stops ringing. He turns and walks into the bedroom, slamming the door behind him. INT. BUD'S OFFICE - DAY Bud walks in, a different, more serious look in his eye, purposeful. Past CAROLYN and JANET at the outer desk. They stop what they're doing and look up at him surprised. CAROLYN Bud! Where you been the last two days? BUD (ignoring the tone in her voice) ...Janet get my father on the phone and the two other union reps, urgent... He notices her face, something's wrong. JANET Your mom just called, Mr. Fox. Your father... he... BUD (sensing it) What! What happened?! CAROLYN He had a heart attack, hon, but he's okay, he's at the hospital... BUD (runs out) Oh Christ! INT. BUD'S BMW - DAY Bud weaving fast through traffic. INT. HOSPITAL - DAY Bud races past the nurses' desks and down the hallway. EXT. HOSPITAL ROOM - DAY Bud's MOTHER is outside with Dominick Amato and another neighbor just visiting, bringing candies. BUD (lighting a cigarette) Mom! How is he? MOM (shaken) ...he was complaining about chest pains at work. Next thing I know he collapsed... Oh Buddy, talk to him, he's so stubborn. AMATO (to Bud) ...don't worry, he's got another 20 years in him. He's a tough ol' nut, your Dad... INT. HOSPITAL ROOM - DAY The blinds are drawn. His Dad lies there, tubes down his nose, hooked up to an IV unit and monitors. Bud comes over. Carl, glassy-eyed, significantly frailer, nods to him. It's obvious that more damage was done than Bud expected. Mom comes into the room with him, stands there. BUD Hiya Dad... (sits, smiles) What was it? Mom talked too much or was it her spaghetti? I mean pasta... (Mom bringing a handkerchief to her eyes) I told you never to lift a 747 by yourself... Carl, smiles weakly, on pain killers. Bud pulls out a cigarette. He fumbles with it before putting it away, trying to keep a gruff tone between them. BUD ...you even got me smoking now...second one Dad, you're pushing your luck, I guess you know that...I guess you gotta pull through this one Dad...for mom, for me...I guess I never told you but...I love you Dad, I love you more than I ever. (begins to weep) ...I didn't mean those things I said to you...you're a hero all the way Dad, you're a rock...the best. The words seem to come flowing out of Bud as Carl's eyes fill with tears. BUD ...and you were right about Gekko. He's one son of a bitch...through and through. Carl stares at him, beginning to understand. BUD (CONT'D) He's gonna break up Bluestar. Carl reacts violently in his eyes but Bud soothes him...in dead earnest, trying to be deliberate and clear in his meaning. BUD (CONT'D) ...but I gotta plan Dad, it can work, I can save the airline, I know you got no reason to believe me but I want you to trust me...I need to talk to the unions...Can I speak for you? Carl's eyes. BUD (CONT'D) Your words, not mine... CARL (weakly) You speak for me, son. INT. AUCTION ROOM - DAY Gekko and Darien are seated together in the back row. Darien looks serious and distracted in spite of all the excitement going on around her. It is the big spring Impressionist sale and all the major players, or their representatives are here. Gekko is bidding. GEKKO Look over there sunshine. I'm up against Richard Feigen. He is on a roll, electric. As the price mounts and surpasses the two million dollar mark, Gekko rises and walks down the side aisle to the front, never taking his eyes away from the auctioneer. He stands agressively, arms akimbo, in a nose to nose confrontation. AUCTIONEER Once, twice, three times. Sold to Mr. Gordon Gekko. EXT. STREET IN FRONT OF AUCTION HOUSE - DAY They walk the sunny streets, a jubilant Gekko, savoring his triumph, grabs Darien's arm. GEKKO What do you say we go get a suite at the Carlyle? Caviar? Champagne? Celebrate, just like the old times Sunshine. DARIEN (indignantly) Those days are over, Gordon. They were over a long time ago. GEKKO (condescendingly but paying little attention to the rebuff) Can't blame me for trying. You look as beautiful as that painting I just bought. He pats her on the back in a preprietary fashion. GEKKO (CONT'D) (mockingly) So what's the problem Sunshine? You look like Black Thursday. Bad case of puppy love? DARIEN (indignant) It's not puppy love, Gordon. Anyway, Buddy and I are splitting up. GEKKO (off handed) Sorry to hear that. I thought the kid had staying power. DARIEN It's over you, Gordon. GEKKO (cooly) You told him about us? DARIEN No, are you crazy? And I don't want him ever to know. Do you understand?... She moves closed and takes Gordon's hand. DARIEN (CONT'D) I want to ask you a big favor, Gordon. Please drop the Bluestar deal. GEKKO (stroking her face) Now tell me, why would I want to do that? DARIEN Because I don't want to see him hurt. GEKKO Don't worry Sunshine. Bud and I had a little talk. We came to an understanding. (takes her hand paternally) I want you to go back to him. Soothe him. Help keep his head straight. Okay? DARIEN I can't...and I won't. GEKKO Come on, we both like Buddy. But this bleeding heart puppy love act is over the top... It doesn't fit. DARIEN Maybe it does. Don't patronize me Gordon. GEKKO You and I are the same, Darien. We're smart enough not to buy into the oldest myth running: love... A fiction created by people who got nothing to keep them from jumping out of windows. DARIEN You're really twisted, Gordon. You're incapable of giving to anybody because deep down inside you there's a poverty that every last dollar in the world won't fill. GEKKO Ooh ooh, tough talk from a scared little girl all wrapped in a pretty grown-up package. Does this mean you're ready to cut the umbilical cord and step out into the world on your own? Because, Darien, if you're through with me, you're through with everything I'm a part of. Darien's eyes cloud over...the look of a scared child being banished by her father. Then... DARIEN I know...but maybe, just maybe Gordon, I'm good enough so I don't need you anymore. She walks away. INT. MCGREGOR'S BAR - QUEENS - DAY Bud is seated at a corner table with the BLUESTAR UNION REPS: Duncan Wilmore, ALPA LEADER and Toni Carpenter, AFA rep; also jointed by machinists, Dominick Amato and Charley Dent, sitting in for his father's union. BUD ...the stock's at 19 1/4 and it's going up. Gekko figures by breaking up Bluestar, it's worth at least $30 a share. That means he'll buy up to 23 or 24 and still think he's making money. WILMORE How do you know that the stock is going to go up? BUD (pointedly) You really don't want to know any more than that, Mr. Wilmore. Let's just say I have some friends. WILMORE (getting his drift) Okay. What happens then? BUD When the stock hits 23, you guys go to Gekko and lower the boom. Once he learns he has no union concession, he's going to head for the hills. He'll sell everything he's got. CARPENTER Yeah. But who's going to buy then and what's to prevent another shark from coming along and devouring us? INT. WILDMAN BUILDING - FIFTH AVENUE APARTMENT - DAY Bud, Duncan Wilmore, Toni Carpenter, Dominick and Charley, an unlikely looking group in the plushness of the apartment lobby. BUD We have an appointment to see Mr. Wildman. INT. WILDMAN APARTMENT - DAY Lofty windows overlooking the Park, an impeccably-decorated apartment with coffee and rolls laid out, a young AIDE quietly moving around. Bud and the others are on sofas around the imposing figure of Wildman in a chair across. BUD Sir Lawrence, what would you say to owning Bluestar Airlines with union concessions--at $18 a share...and in the process hanging Gordon Gekko out in the wind to twist.... ? Sir Lawrence leans back in his chair, equably... WILDMAN I might be very interested, but why? Why you mate -- how'd you get mixed up with Gekko? He doesn't know the difference between raiding and insider trading. I do. The SEC does. I hope you do... BUD Let's just say Mr. Gekko and I have a conflict of interest. I want to see this airline work... (pointing to the documents in front of Wildman) ...the figures here show it can. WILDMAN (to the others) ... and you're prepared to take these large salary cuts. WILMORE ...we are. But we want a contract agreement -- iron-clad -- that if you buy it, you can't break it up. WILDMAN (hands behind his head) I'm still listening... INT. BUD'S OFFICE - DAY Bud hurries in, past Marv on the phone with an irate customer. MARV Well, if that's how you feel--the hell with you too. And strong letter to follow. He slams the phone down. BUD You don't have to agree with me, Marv; but I think I've been a bit of a schmuck lately. (beat, waits) MARV (off the cuff) I agree. Go thou and sin no more. BUD I want to make it up to you. Bluestar, put all your clients in it. MARV (animated, grabs the phone) Thanks, buddy, buddy, I'm back. Say, Buddy, those optorectomies do work wonders. Bud intersecting Lou Mannheim smoking a cigarette and having a hard time walking. BUD Bluestar, Mr. Mannheim. Put all your clients in it. Davls looks gravely at Bud. MANNHEIM I don't know where you get your information, son, but I don't like it. The only reason I'm gonna do it is...I need the money, that's the problem with money--it makes you do things you don't want to do. Bud hears him, walks on... MARV (into phone) Miss Bloom, Marvin. You got cancer in your portfolio, but I got the cure...Bluestar Airlines... INT. BUD'S OFFICE - DAY Bud on the phone, checking his quotron. BUD Listen I need a favor and it's a quick scalp for you. Two hundred thousand at 19 1/2; can you position it in one of your equity funds? JANET (voicebox) ...call waiting on 7. BUD Hold on... (switches over, hushed) ...listen "blue horseshoe loves Bluestar Airlines"... Immediately goes back to the other line. INT. THE WALL STREET JOURNAL OFFICES - DAY The REPORTER, who Bud anonymously called on the earlier Anacott Steel buy, hangs up. He rises from his desk and crosses the busy news floor, over to his EDITOR. WSJ REPORTER Bluestar's in play. INT. NEW YORK STOCK EXCHANGE - DAY A RUNNER dashes up to the BLUESTAR AIRLINES post, where a heated crowd is gathered, amidst heavy trading. He elbows his way over to a TRADER, handing him the ticket. The TRADER holds up the buy order, screaming, making frantic hand signals, in search of a seller. Faces in the crowd look up at the broad tape. CAMERA TILTS TO: BLUESTAR (BST), the stock quote flashing across the BROAD TAPE--upticking to 20 1/4. INT. BROKERAGE OFFICE - DAY Marv, on the phone pitching, eyes glued to the office TAPE-- as BST jumps to 21 1/4. MARV I love it...I do love it so! INT. BUD'S OFFICE - DAY The quotron now climbs to 22 1/8! BUD (into phone) Yeah. I see it at 22 1/8 and I don't know what to make of it. INT. GEKKO'S OFFICE - DAY He paces on the other end of the phone, real anger showing; now Alex and Susan seen in b.g. GEKKO The word's out. Your union buddies are talking. Get me in at a 45 degree angle and I mean all the way in! Slash and burn, buy everything you can get up to 22. Then call me. When I get the sonofabitch who leaked this I'm gonna kill him! I'm gonna tear his eyeballs out, I'm gonna suck his skull!! As he glances at his quotron the stock ticks up another 1/8th. INT. BUD'S OFFICE - DAY All the BROKERS have jumped into the action, avidly watching Bluestar's stock climb on the BROAD TAPE. Bud sweeps into the room and looks up at the board as the stock hits 22 7/8. MARV The stock's going to Pluto! BUD Start unloading. MARV Sell? BUD Now! Tell everyone to dump! Marv nods, and rushes away. Bud crosses past Mannheim's office. BUD Get out of Bluestar! In background Marv is spreading the word, brokers frantically grabbing phones, calling clients to sell. INT. GEKKO'S OFFICE - DAY Gekko looks up from his quotron and shouts to his troops on the phones. GEKKO Who the hell's out there? What are the arbs saying? It's gotta be a big hitter. ALEX They don't know what's going on! SUSAN Everybody and his mother is buying! Natalie enters the room, flustered. NATALIE Mr. Gekko, there's a whole bach of people from Bluestar Airlines outside demanding to see you. GEKKO What the hell do they want? WILMORE (O.S.) I'd be happy to tell you. As Duncan, Toni Carpenter, Dominick Amato, Charley Dent and SEVERAL other assorted UNION MEMBERS march into the room. Gekko is taken by surprise, but stays calm. WILMORE We know what you're up to, Gekko, and let me tell you this from here, (hits his heart) you suck eggs, mister, over my dead body you ain't gonna break up Bluestar. GEKKO You guys must know something nobody else knows. If those are my plans, it's the first I've heard of it. CARPENTER Would you care to put that in writing? GEKKO I'd like to remind you we already have an agreement, which I expect you to honor. WILMORE Well in that case, I hope you have your pilot's license. AMATO Don't worry, Gekko, we wouldn't let the engines fall out of the plane. CARPENTER (regretfully) But the reservations systems can get awfully screwed up, if we're not paying attention. CHARLEY DENT And a lot of baggage headed to St. Petersburg could easily find its way to Pittsburgh. GEKKO Listen, you clowns, there's somebody else out there trying to buy your airline, if you want to be Pac-manned and gobbled by Atilla the Hun be my guest! WILMORE We'll take our chances. (tips his hat) Nice to see you again, Mr. Gekko. They file out of the room. The phone lines have lit up like a Christmas tree. Alex answers a call. ALEX (to Gekko) Fox says Bluestar just hit 23. What do you want him to do? GEKKO (fractional pause, mad) Sell it all. (then, evenly) What the hell, so I'll only make ten million. INT. BUD'S OFFICE - DAY Bud switches lines from Gekko to Larry Wildman. BUD Gekko's on the ropes--he's trying to sell, but there's not many takers, the stock's plummeting. EXT. WILDMAN'S YACHT - DAY Wildman is off the Long Island Sound waters in his boat lighting a cigar. Two beautiful women and an aide are with him. WILDMAN Well then... guess I'll have to carry him a few rounds before he drops. Switches lines, checking his quotron... WILDMAN Bluestar. Don't make a big deal. Buy it lightly on the way down. (emphatically) When it hits 18--buy it all. INT. NEW YORK STOCK EXCHANGE FLOOR - DAY Wildman's broker takes the order with a curt "got it" and dashes out of the cubicle over to the Bluestar post where a chaotic crowd is gathered, traders frantically screaming to sell Bluestar shares. He looks at the Big Board--sees an XTR drop to 17. When he raises his hand to buy, he is mobbed. DISSOLVE TO: The Big Board...a series of snappy dissolves accompanied by lively music shows the stock price falling to 16 1/2 ... INT. GEKKO'S OFFICE - DAY Alex, Ollie, Susan on the phones. OLLIE The arbs are getting killed. Where'd the buyers go! ALEX (worried) We're being devoured, Gordon. Harold Salt, walking on egg shells, looks to Gekko, who sits with the phone receiver crooked to his neck. HAROLD There's got to be a way out of this, Gordon. GEKKO (livid, losing it) Yeah, Harold, why don't you dial 911. (into the receiver) Fox, where the hell are you? I'm losing millions. (a beat) Look, you got me into this airline, and you damn well better get me out. Because if you don't the only job you're going to get on the Street is sweeping it! You hear me, Fox-- INTERCUT TO: INT. BUD'S OFFICE - DAY Bud scribbling an order ticket, replies on the other end. BUD (hard) You once told me don't get emotional about stock. Gordon, don't. The bid is 17 and going down. As your broker, I advise you to take it. Bud moves the phone away from his ear, at Gekko's cursing, and signs the ticket. BUD (urgent) Gordon, it's two minutes to close. What do you want to do?! Decide. GEKKO (a long beat) Dump it. Bud hangs up and rushes off with the ticket. INT. GEKKO'S DEN - NEW YORK APARTMENT - TWILIGHT The 35" television is on to: NEWSCASTER The big Wall Street story tonight is the roller coaster ride of Bluestar Airlines. Fueled by takeover rumors, the stock soared to an all-time high of 24 1/8. Then when contradictory rumors later surfaced that the takeover was unfounded, buyers went running for cover, and the stock plummeted on gigantic volume to as low as 16 1/2 before closing at 17. Camera discovers Gekko sitting, grimly watching the report. Rudy seen riding his toy car in background. NEWSCASTER ...but then tonight, amidst all the scuttlebutt, another rumble shook (a beat) According to many sources, raider Sir Lawrence Wildman has stepped in and bought a substantial block of Bluestar and is going to announce a deal tomorrow at 18 that includes the support of the unions. Camera now tracks in close on Gekko as he absorbs the unexpected blow. O.S. Rudy yelling and squealing. Gekko leans back, putting the pieces together, his eyes narrowing into burning slits. He smashes the glass cocktail table with a massive paperweight as Kate hears it, shocked. EXT. WALL STREET - MORNING People rushing to work. Bud crosses the street, his face buried in The Financial Times. Insert: "SIR LAWRENCE WILDMAN MOUNTS BLUESTAR BUY WITH UNION SUPPORT". Satisfied, Bud folds the paper and heads into his office building. INT. BUD'S OFFICE - DAY He walks past Carolyn the receptionist who is strangely mute... BUD Smile, Carolyn, there's justice in the world... INT. MAIN OFFICE - DAY He passes the CHINESE STOCKLADY. She sees him and manages to look away. Marvin exchanges a look with him but can't bring himself to talk. Bud wonders...the whole office seems silent, the other BROKERS stealing glances. ...as he passes Lou Mannheim with Charlie Cushing, who ignores Bud... BUD How's it going Mr. Mannheim? Got out of Bluestar in time I hope? Mannheim stops, winds up. Bud impatient but polite. MANNHEIM (with gruff affection) Bud I like you, just remember something. Man looks in the abyss, there's nothing staring back at him. At that time a man finds his character--and that is what keeps him out of the abyss... (a beat, looks deeply) BUD I think I understand what you mean Mr. Mannheim. But not really. As, on this increasingly strange morning, he moves on past Janet who wants to tell his something but he cuts her off. BUD Get my father will you Janet? INT. BUD'S OFFICE - DAY As Bud walks in, the camera glides to reveal the young SEC INVESTIGATOR, who has been tracking Buddy, going through his files. A SECOND MAN, PATTERSON, is standing behind the desk using the phone as a bored-looking 3RD MAN and POLICEMAN stand off to the side with Hieronymus Lynch, who gives Bud a withering glance. PATTERSON (into phone) He just came in. I'll talk to you later. On Bud--a struck-dumb look passing to resignation, as if for a long time now, he has been expecting this. BUD I guess you're not here to open an IRA. PATTERSON Mr Fox, I'm Henry Patterson from the Postal Inspection Service... this is Evan Morrissey with The Securities and Exchange Investigation Office. (presents his ID and indicates MAN 3) ... Mr. Ebanhopper from the US Attorney's Office. MORRISSEY Mr. Fox, you're under arrest for conspiracy to commit securities fraud and for violating the Insider Trader's Sanction Act. The handcuffs come out. EXT. SHEEPSMEADOW - CENTRAL PARK - TWILIGHT Long shot. Activity is winding down, a few sunbathers collecting their blankets. A solitary figure stands on a hill silhouetted by the sunset. A second figure appears on a footpath and starts climbing the hill towards the other man. Gekko waits, expressionless... Bud approaches him. They stand facing each other. GEKKO Hello Bud. BUD Gordon. GEKKO You sandbagged me on Bluestar. (smiles) I guess you think you taught the teacher a lesson, that you can make the tail wag the dog, huh? Bud looks away. Gekko's smile fades. GEKKO (CONT'D) Well let me cue you in: the ice is melting under your feet sport... Without warning, he grabs Buddy roughly by the lapels and lets out his inner rage with a series of smacks and slaps across his face. GEKKO (CONT'D) You think you could've gotten this far this fast with anybody else? You think you could be out there dicking somebody like Darien? No, you'd be cold calling dentists and widows to buy twenty shares of some dog stock! I took you in! A nobody! I opened doors for you!...I showed you how the system works!... Gekko slapping him harder and harder, Buddy staggering with the blows, saying nothing, not defending himself. GEKKO (CONT'D) ...the value of information! How you get it! Anacott Steel, Brant Resources, Transuniversal, Fulham Oil. And this is how you pay back, you cockroach! I gave you Darien, I gave you your manhood. I gave you everything. He backhands Bud across the face. Bud lies on the ground, spent, as is Gordon breathing hard. Bud gets to his knees, blood streaming from his nose, his suit muddied. Passersby look on, wondering. Gekko seems to relent, the rage going into hurt, remorse. He hands Bud a handkerchief. Bud staunches the flow of blood from his nose. GEKKO (CONT'D) (softly, innocently) You could've been one of the great ones Bud...I look at you and see myself...Why? Bud looks at Gordon, torn by mixed emotions: the bonds they share and the betrayal wrought. BUD (shakes his head, thoughtfully) I don't know. My Dad once told me, "money is something you need in case you don't die tomortow." I guess I realized I'm just Bud Fox. And as much as I wanted to be Gordon Gekko--I'll always be Bud Fox. He looks at Gordon, as if wanting to say more, but doesn't. In long shot, Gordon stands alone as Bud walks away. EXT. TAVERN ON THE GREEN RESTAURANT - EVENING The DOORMAN looks askance. Bud, mud-splattered suit and bloody nose, walks straight past him thru the door. INT. RESTAURANT - NIGHT Several well-heeled DINERS look up from their haute cuisine, at the sight of Bud making his way toward the men's room. INT. MEN'S ROOM - NIGHT Tight on Bud, staring at his reflection in the mirror, as he unbuttons his shirt, revealing adhesive tape swathed across his chest. Camera paces back as he winces when... MORRISSEY and AGOSTINI, the two investigators, rip the tape off his chest, retrieving a small tape recorder. Morrissey of the S.E.C. rewinds the cassette. We hear Gekko's voice being played back on the tape, the mention of their deals. MORRISSEY You did the right thing, Bud. Bud looks searchingly in the mirror. Faint CLICKING NOISE comes up over the shot. INT. BUD'S OFFICE - DAY CLICKING of the Broad Tape grows LOUDER. Shots of Lou Mannheim, Lynch, Marv; silently looking up at the green fluorescent print-out. THE TAPE--THE U.S. ATTORNEY'S OFFICE TODAY ANNOUNCED CRIMINAL CHARGES AGAINST CORPORATE RAIDER GORDON GEKKO AND STOCK BROKER BUD FOX, FOR CONSPIRACY TO COMMIT SECURITIES FRAUD, TAX EVASION, VIOLATIONS OF SECURITY ACTS, AND MAIL FRAUD... DISSOLVE TO: INT. CARL FOX'S HOUSE - QUEENS - DAY Carl, dressed in a suit and tie, sits at the dining table, finished breakfast plates in front of him, refilling his coffee cup. Mom clearing off the table, anxious... As Bud walks in, wearing a suit and tie. He looks tired, beaten, the eyes lifeless, in a dark mood. MOM (disapproving) ...don't wear that tie Buddy, it... She cuts off on Bud's look. CARL Another cup of coffee? BUD No, thanks, I'm nervous enough. CARL (checks his watch) I guess it's time to hit the road. BUD Yeah, don't want to be late for my own funeral. INT. CARL FOX'S SEDAN - LOWER MANHATTAN - DAY Driving towards the Federal Courtrooms in Lower Manhattan. Busy traffic all around. CARL (supportively) ...you told the truth, you gave the money back. All things considered-- in this cockamamie world--you're shooting par... MOM ...you helped save the airline and the people at the airline are gonna remember you for it. CARL ...if I was you, I'd think about that Bluestar job Wildman's offered you... BUD Dad, I'm going to jail and you know it. CARL (shaking his head, sober) Maybe that's the price, Bud, maybe so. It's gonna be rough on you but maybe in some screwed up way, that's the best thing that can happen to you...stop trading for the quick buck and go produce something with your life, create, don't live off the buying and selling of others... MOM ...you can do it, Bud, once you set your mind to something, I believe you can do anything in the world... Bud stares ahead, registering it. CARL (nods, then) ...got any friends gonna be there? As he pulls the car into the curb. The Federal Building, in approaching POV, looms large before them. BUD (looks around, ironic) Like who? Who really wants to know a convicted felon...I don't even like myself. Carl knows something Bud doesn't... Darien is standing there waiting as they approach the main entrance... Bud seeing her, suddenly stunned. His POV-- easing along the curb. CARL So, why don't you get out here and go in with your friend, I'll park the car. Try to be cool, okay? A last look with his father. EXT. CURBSIDE - FEDERAL BUILDING - LOWER MANHATTAN - DAY Bud getting out...crossing to Darien. A pause. DARIEN (nervous) Hi. BUD Why? DARIEN I figure a guy who's made some mistakes should be able to understand a girl who's made some of her own... Bud looking at her, moves closer, longing and hope and happiness have returned to his dull eyes... and forgiveness, the greatest of all. They embrace. Bud will never know about her past, nor need he. The camera leaving them on a slanting, circular crane, lifting past the Federal Building to a panorama of Wall Street in all its icy magisterial splendor...and thus ends our tale. THE END

1 TITLES - The sound of a woman walking on a deserted street 2 EXT NIGHT STREET - FADE UP - We see a woman's feet wearing red stiletto shoes. It is late at night and she is very alone. She turns a bend and enters a darkened street, her heels making a distinctive click on the path. Suddenly we see a figure in the darkness - the womans pauses for a beat before continuing. She approaches the figure who is dressed in a heavy motorbike jacket... The figure turns round - it is a girl with bleached blonde hair, wearing a low cut, tight white T Shirt. The white seems to glow a little. Without warning, the WOMAN produces a hammer from her bag and raises it above BLONDE... Screams.... FADE TO BLACK - TITLES 3 EXT NIGHT PARK - The young BLONDE lies motionless on the floor, most of her clothes ripped from her still body. The sound of digging can be heard, then of a knife being unsheathed. Her body is dragged out of shot... FADE TO BLACK - TITLES 4 EXT DAY PARK - A dog is digging at the ground. It's MISTRESS calls out for the dog. Suddenly, the dog bounds over a ridge, his tail wagging furiously, doggy has fetched the bone - a human foot and half a calf is wedged firmly in it's jaw. It runs to it's MISTRESS... FADE TO BLACK - TITLES 5 EXT DAY PARK - An area has been sectioned off with red tape. Several men in dark clothing are digging carefully at the ground. Already several small flags indicate finds, small body bags can be seen to contain various appendages. A man steps into shot, wrinkled brow and piercing eyes. He lights a cigarette as he looks over to his men digging - this is INSPECTOR TAYLOR. (CONTINUED) 5 CONTINUED: The image freezes and spins off into the corner of the screen... 6 INT DAY NEWS ROOM - The news is being read... NEWSREADER As yet POLICE have not ruled out the possibility that this mutilated body could be connected with the murder of NICKI LOWE, whose body was found on Hapthron Common last month. (-) Last night, novelist ELLEN CARTER was awarded the International Writers Guild Award for her Book, 'The Colour of fear'... We see shots from the ceremony, and ELLEN CARTER holding her book and trophy up for photographers - she smiles radiantly... NEWSREADER She was said to be ecstatic about the award... 7 INT NIGHT CAR - We are in a car with ELLEN CARTER. She is returning from the award ceremony and she is anything but ecstatic. She is bubbling with anger. Slouched in the seat next to her is her husband, drunken and VERY smug. 8 EXT NIGHT 66 ACACIA AVENUE - The car pulls up behind the house and toward the garage. The HUSBAND staggers out of the car to the garage door...The doors slowly open. CARTER watches him as he is picked out in the headlights - directly in front of her - She no longer has fear - just hatred... Her foot slowly depresses the accelerator, her hands grip the wheel - the exhaust screams out.... The husband looks up at the car - the lights get brighter... DISSOLVE TO WHITE - TITLE "WHITE ANGEL" 9 INT DAY LIVING ROOM - A white paint roller rolls up the screen - We move wider to see CARTER painting a wall - she looks rough. She steps back to look at the wall she has painted. 9 CONTINUED: Suddenly she hears a noise - a whisper? She moves closer to the wall - listening intently - there it is again - a distant whisper calling her name... Suddenly two arms explode from the wall grabbing her... 10 INT DAY LIVING ROOM (4 YEARS LATER) - ELLEN CARTER wakes with a start as a jet flies overhead - She is dressed in a business suit and looks like she has been to war for the last few years... She looks directly at the wall in front of her. She draws hard on her cigarette as she stands and moves over to the window looking out over the street. The billboard now reads - WHITE ANGEL TAKES THIRTEENTH VICTIM - POLICE AT A LOSS... 11 EXT DAY CAR PARK OUTSIDE SUPERSTORE - We are in a car looking out. A YOUNG WOMAN (MANDY) exits the shop - she is pretty with long blonde hair - she is dressed almost predominantly in white. She goes to her car which is parked in a secluded corner of the car park. She starts to put her groceries in the boot. A hand reaches into the glove compartment of the car we are in and a woman with long red fingernails takes out a pair of scissors. A book sits in the compartment - well thumbed - it is the COLOR OF FEAR by ELLEN CARTER. 12 EXT DAY CAR - The WOMAN steps from her car - Slowly she walks over to the other woman. MANDY has finished packing her groceries and gets in her car. She starts her ignition - but the car splutters. The woman is getting closer... MANDY attempts again - but the car splutters reluctantly. She hits the steering wheel in frustration. The WOMAN walks around the side of the car - her fingers caressing the cold steel of it's body. (CONTINUED) 12 CONTINUED: MANDY tries a last time... The WOMAN opens the door and sits in. MANDY looks round, shocked and surprised - she is about to object when the WOMAN raises her hand with the scissors ready for action... 13 INT DAY WAREHOUSE - A woman's screaming face fills the screen... She is wearing VERY provocative clothes and red lipstick. She screams again as she sees the dark figure of a man wearing a hockey mask and holding the biggest gleaming knife in hand, approach her. There is a sudden flash of white light as we see the nearby photographer (LANCE) 14 INT DAY CARTERS OFFICE (CRIME SCENE) - The photo of the screaming woman is on the desk, the logo CRIME SCENE emblazoned across it...ELLEN CARTER looks at it as she picks up the ringing phone... CARTER Hello CRIME SCENE - yes, that's me... LANCE the camera man brushes past, rubbing intimately with CARTER - she shrugs him off angrily, she isn't going to take any shit from him! LANCE laughs to himself before moving over to SALLY's desk, a young secretary. He sits on it before giving CARTER a knowing look and turns his attentions to SALLY - CARTER's eyes roll back in her head. CARTER No - I'm sorry I haven't made my payments - Friday - Fine - OK? CARTER watches LANCE as he pesters SALLY - She has a thought. She picks up her Polaroid camera and focuses on the two - she presses the button and the photo comes out. She looks at it smiling as it develops. CARTER No - I wont use the card... Fine... Thank you - goodbye... She replaces the phone and stands - she walks over to ANDY'S desk, a young office worker. She passes him the photo... CARTER Could you do me a colour photocopy of this now? (CONTINUED) 14 CONTINUED: ANDY looks at it and smiles... CARTER heads for DEZEREA's OFFICE, editor of CRIME SCENE and owner of FANTASY PUBLICATIONS. 15 INT DAY DEZERAE'S OFFICE - There is a tap on the door and CARTER enters. DEZERAE'S office is in stark contrast with the explosion of paperwork outside. It's posh, clean and VERY organised. The walls have framed covers from the the magazines she owns, CRIME SCENE, TRUE MURDER, ADULT MOVIES MONTHLY and BLUEBIRDS - the office is an odd mixture of exclusive designerisms and seedy exploitation. DEZERAE sits behind her desk. She is a woman in her fifties, but she looks like she has spent most of those fifty years in a sand storm! She has jet black hair, nicotine fingers and lashings of christian dior make-up. She's wearing jewellery and clothes more befitting an Indian Princess... She looks up from her photos at CARTER, her bifocal glasses perched on her nose - she may be a relic, but she's as sharp as razors and hard as nails. She holds up two photos of a semi nude girl - DEZERAE Which do you think is her best shot... CARTER The one on the left - definitely... DEZERAE Don't give me shit - what do you want? CARTER walks further into the room. CARTER I've got a tenant coming over later - can I take the afternoon off? DEZERAE As long as you get the HACKSAW piece done by FRIDAY...(Pressing) FRIDAY? CARTER nods. DEZERAE points at the paper in CARTERs hand. CARTER passes it over and DEZERAE studies it... (CONTINUED) 15 CONTINUED: DEZERAE Good - but change 'I killed for love' to 'I killed for sex' CARTER begins to object, CARTER That's not technically accurate - SIMPSONS murders weren't sexually motivated. DEZERAE You know that circulation is down for three months in a row. CARTER I heard something like that DEZERAE Then it's going to be 'I killed for sex'... Listen darling, why won't you let us use your real name for the features - if people knew that it was the ELLEN CARTER writing the features and not just some pseudonym - then we might shift more units. You haven't written anything in four years darling - I know you need this job - and if circulation keeps dropping, there's not going to be a magazine for you to write for... CARTER is about to object when DEZERAE cuts in again - this woman really knows how to run her ship. DEZERAE I don't want to hear it...Now get out - I've got deadlines CARTER smiles at DEZERAE's abrupt manner - stands and prepares to leave... DEZERAE is back at work - choosing between the two photos. CARTER (Smiling) I wouldn't choose either... CARTER leaves. 16 INT DAY OFFICES - CARTER walks from DEZERAE's office - and over to SALLY'S desk. LANCE is STILL trying. ANDY the office worker appears and passes her the photocopy and photograph... ANDY I thought it might look better enlarged! CARTER takes it and smiles - it sure does. We see the bright picture of LANCE ogling over SALLY, his hand firmly lodged on her inner thigh - and from SALLY'S expression, she doesn't like it. CARTER passes the sheet to SALLY with her filofax. CARTER Could you fax this to this number as quickly as possible. SALLY takes the sheet, and smiles when she looks at it. She turns round and inserts it into the fax machine, dialling a number from CARTERS filofax. SALLY turns round confidently looking at LANCE. CARTER holds out the polaroid photo... CARTER It's the photo I have just faxed to your wife... LANCE snatches it... LANCE What!? He looks round, the photo clearly coming out of the fax machine. There is a calling from the other side of the office as another WORKER shouts out... WORKER LANCE - Your wife is on line 3! CARTER drops her cigarette in LANCES mug - CARTER Send her my love... 17 EXT DAY 66 ACACIA AVENUE - CARTER screeches into her drive in her car, glances at her watch and jumps out. She hurriedly runs to the door - CARTER (Under breath) Please be in and have tidied the house... (CONTINUED) 17 CONTINUED: She rings the doorbell but no-one answers. She begins rummaging in her handbag and retrieves her keys. She opens the door as a girl on a bike comes tearing round the corner and into the drive. It is MIK - young and athletic with long flowing red hair - she works as a despatch rider. She screaches to a halt and leaps from her mountain bike. CARTER I thought you said you could get the afternoon off to tidy the house! Hurriedly they enter - CARTER shutting the door behind...MIK walks into the KITCHEN calling out... MIK I'm sorry, I couldn't - when is she due? CARTER (Tidying hallway) At 2.00... MIK looks at her watch and GRIMACES - suddenly the doorbell rings and both girls look round... MIK (Whispering) You didn't tell me her name. They walk to then door... CARTER LESLIE... The door swings open to reveal a small, business like man, average and well dressed with piercing eyes. He turns and extends his arm... STECKLER STECKLER...LESLIE STECKLER. 18 INT DAY BEDROOM - STECKLER is looking round at an empty room. It seems good for him. MIK and CARTER stand in the background. CARTER is obviously uneasy about something. STECKLER turns round, smiling... STECKLER I like it... CARTER steps forward, (CONTINUED) 18 CONTINUED: CARTER You see MR STECKLER, er, I think that we may have wasted your time. (Laughs awkwardly) I don't know why I didn't say something earlier - It's just that we're looking for a girl...The advert was for a girl. STECKLER seems shocked - he pulls a paper from under his arm and opens it...A large red circle rings a small ad STECKLER Well - the ad just said third person...(Awkwardly) It must have been a printing error. He shows CARTER the ad, which does indeed say 'Third Person...' CARTER looks at MIK who returns a don't look at my face. STECKLER It doesn't mention 'females only' CARTER I really don't know what to say STECKLER seems depressed, but still maintains a polite attitude. STECKLER I'm really very sorry - I was banking on this coming through, because it's only five minutes from my surgery... MIK Surgery? Are you a doctor? STECKLER No - a dentist A professional, CARTER smiles - she is beginning to warm to this man. STECKLER roots in his pockets pulling out some letters and his wallet...A fly whizzes around his head, annoying him. He looks a little nervous. STECKLER I have all my references ready - and I can pay the first month and deposit now. It really is a glowing reference! (CONTINUED) 18 CONTINUED (2): STECKLER extends his arm with the letters of reference. CARTER takes them and looks at the first as STECKLER opens his wallet and removes some notes. A huge wad remains - this guy is loaded. CARTER nods approvingly at the reference as STECKLER holds out the money. CARTER looks round to MIK - CARTER MR STECKLER - would you excuse us for one moment? STECKLER nods his head to oblige 19 INT DAY KITCHEN - CARTER and MIK stand in the kitchen ,quietly discussing. CARTER can see STECKLER in the LIVING ROOM through a crack in the door. He is innocently looking out of the back garden window, smiling approvingly. CARTER Well, what do you think? MIK I don't know - it's your house ELLEN CARTER Yes - but you live here too - If it were your house? MIK I think he's fine - I don't know why you have this thing about men - it would be nice to have a guy in the house for a change - I don't think he would hurt a fly. 20 INT DAY LIVING ROOM - STECKLER slams a rolled up newspaper on the window. He removes it to reveal a squashed fly. 21 INT DAY KITCHEN - CARTER is deliberating. MIK It's your pad - it's up to you (CONTINUED) 21 CONTINUED: CARTER is looking through the door again - at the FAT wad of money sitting on the window sill. CUT TO - 22 INT DAY LIVING ROOM - CARTER takes the wad of notes. CARTER When do you want to move in? STECKLER smiles in gratitude as CARTER shakes his hand. Everyone smiles as the ice is broken and everyone finally knows where they stand. STECKLER Oh as soon as possible - tomorrow? CARTER and MIK look at each other, surprised. 23 EXT DAY 66 ACACIA AVENUE - The boot to STECKLER'S car opens up to reveal boxes, cases and clothes... MIK is already clambering out of the backseat with a box and she takes it to the house... STECKLER Just put it in my room MIK (Smiling) No worries MIK turns and carries the load in. CARTER Oh, before I forget, here is key and the tenancy agreement... STECKLER takes the paper and the key - he looks at the key for a moment before pocketing it. STECKLER passes her a small case STECKLER I'll finish off here... CARTER disappears into the house. STECKLER heaves an unnaturally heavy case from the boot of his car. It is small and crumpled, splitting at the seams as if it were too filled. A belt clasps it shut. 24 INT DAY STAIRS - STECKLER struggles up the stairs - MIK appears and moves to help him... (CONTINUED) 24 CONTINUED: STECKLER I can manage - MIK smiles and continues to help, STECKLER brushes her off curtly, STECKLER I said I can manage... I'm not weak you know... He passes her and continues up. He stops at the top and turns round, STECKLER I'm sorry, I didn't mean to shout... MIK Don't worry about it - She bounds into the kitchen... 25 INT DAY KITCHEN - CARTER fills the kettle with water - an old bashed affair, the kind you put on the stove to heat. STECKLER Oh - Tell me ELLEN, I can call you ELLEN? CARTER Sure... STECKLER Tell me - ELLEN CARTER (thinks) Forgive me for being so pushy, but aren't you a novelist? Didn't you write that terrific book - 'The Color of Fear'? CARTER is obviously a little embarrassed, and doesn't want to talk about it. MIK is completely dumbfounded - The kettle begins to boil... MIK You're a novelist - why didn't you tell me? STECKLER And not just any novelist - a great novelist - it was an impressive piece of work ELLEN... (CONTINUED) 25 CONTINUED: CARTER is getting increasingly uncomfortable...The kettle is beginning to bubble and steam... STECKLER Why didn't you write any more? The kettle is getting hotter - CARTER more uncomfortable... CARTER I lost the touch STECKLER The touch? The kettle screams out that it's ready... CARTER looks at STECKLER for a moment - STECKLER waiting for a response. CARTER turns and takes the kettle from the stove grumpily - she obviously doesn't want to answer. MIK (Mouthing) Her husband left her STECKLER (Mouthing) Oh... CARTER Do you take sugar? STECKLER (Pause) Yes, two please. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to pry, it's just that I really loved your book MIK You kept that one quiet...what other skeletons have you got in the cupboard? CARTER gives MIK a glance... 26 INT NIGHT CARTERS ROOM - CARTER sits in her room - motionless. A small roll up cigarette burns between her fingers and her feet are propped up on the table in front of her. On the table sits a small laptop computer - her word processor. She has a spark of an idea, jams the cigarette into her mouth and attacks the keyboard without warning or mercy. She pauses for a second - another idea. (CONTINUED) 26 CONTINUED: Suddenly there is a loud banging - it sounds like a hammer. CARTER jumps, then looks round, frowning. 27 INT NIGHT MIK'S ROOM - CARTER taps on the door and opens MIK'S room. MIK is wearing a bathrobe and drying off her hair. There is another loud banging...CARTER looks surprised... CARTER Sorry, I thought it was you (looking round) What the hell is he doing? CARTER leaves MIK'S room. 28 INT NIGHT HALLWAY - There is another series of loud bangs as CARTER taps on STECKLER'S door. There is a pause - a long pause before the sound of a latch can be heard. The door clicks open and STECKLER stands there - blocking any entry into the room - a hammer gripped firmly in his hand. For a VERY brief moment, CARTER thinks STECKLER might hit her with the hammer CARTER (Demanding) What are you doing? STECKLER I'm sorry? CARTER What's with all the locks - and hammering STECKLER It says in the contract I can have a lock fitted - is there a problem ANGELA? There is a pause CARTER (Surprised) My names isn't ANGELA... STECKLER Yes - I'm sorry ELLEN... CARTER (Slight concern) Don't worry - Is that my hammer (STECKLER nods) Well Just make sure that it's put back in the garage... (CONTINUED) 28 CONTINUED: STECKLER I will... 29 INT NIGHT CARTERS ROOM - CARTER sits in a pool of light examining her contract with STECKLER CARTER (Resignedly) Locks huh! She wipes her brow in frustration - it sure is hot 30 INT NIGHT LIVING ROOM - STECKLER sits in front of the TV set laughing out loud. He is watching a crass gameshow, and wearing headphones. The door swings open and MIK enters wearing a light cocktail dress - she looks stunning. STECKLER doesn't see her as she walks behind him to retrieve her earings from a shelf. She puts the first in, MIK Is it any good? STECKLER doesn't answer - he's oblivious to her. MIK frowns to herself and puts the other earing in - but she drops it to the floor. Slowly she bends down to pick it up - STECKLER'S eyes shift to observe her... As she bends down she turns on the spot, her body is captivating. As she picks up her earing, for the very briefest moment, STECKLER is shown just a few square inches of pale flesh at the top of her white stockings... She stands back and exits the room, STECKLER'S eyes shifting once more. 31 INT NIGHT HALLWAY - MIK stands at the foot of the stairs and calls out MIK ELLEN! I'm going now - I'll stay at DEKLAN'S tonight, I'll see you tomorrow CARTER calls OK from upstairs MIK turns and leaves... After a pause, CARTER walks down the stairs and pauses for a second - she is very sweaty. She moves toward the LIVING ROOM (CONTINUED) 31 CONTINUED: CARTER LESLIE - Are you hot? 32 INT NIGHT LIVING ROOM - She enters the LIVING ROOM to find STECKLER - but he isn't there. The TV is still on, the headphones on the floor - but NO STECKLER... She passes it off and moves over to the wall - she toys with the thermostat before touching the radiator... There is a sizzling sound as she retracts her hand... 33 INT NIGHT KITCHEN - CARTER grabs a torch from a drawer and flicks it on before exiting the back door. 34 EXT NIGHT BOILER HOUSE - A small stone boiler house sits outside the door. CARTER looks round, CARTER LESLIE - are you out here? No-one answers and CARTER ventures out into the rainy night. She hurries to the BOILER HOUSE. She opens the door and is hit by a wave of heat - the boiler roars away... She steps into the dark shed, illuminating it with the torch. She stands it on end pointing it up... She takes a hold of one of the levers, but it's hot. She takes of her jacket to reveal her vest. She warps the jacket around the handle and pulls hard, but nothing happens. She pulls again...Nothing There is a movement behind - someone in the shadows... CARTER wrestles with the lever, but still no joy... Suddenly STECKLER appears by her side - reaching out for the lever - a wrench in his hand... CARTER is shocked to see him there - and even more so when he manages to release the lever... STECKLER We'd better get back inside! The rain hurtles down as they scamper back to the house... 35 INT NIGHT KITCHEN - They enter - CARTER is drenched, her vest clinging to her body. As soon as STECKLER appears, she covers herself and wipes herself with a nearby towel CARTER Thank you - I'd better get changed... Awkwardly CARTER exits and goes upstairs. STECKLER stands in the kitchen door way - motionless. 36 INT NIGHT GARAGE - STECKLER walks int the garage - There is a large tools rack on the wall, with white symbols around each tool to show where they live. He replaces the wrench in its home. He is about to leave when he notices something on the back wall. He kneels to examine it closer - a long, horizontal dent in the wall. He looks round at the parked car, it's bumper corresponds with the dent - he thinks then exits... Slowly the camera tracks forward to the rack - the HAMMER is still missing... 37 EXT DAY LONDON STREET - Slowly a hammer is slipped into a hnadbag with a female hand. We are in a LONDON street - Wild, mad and chaotic. The camera moves along in a dream like state (The Point of View of a person). We see newsagents with bars across the windows, a shop filled with knives, blades and scissors, an Asian couple argue madly outside a shop, a fat skinhead and his pitbull walk menacingly past as little children run along laughing. A butchers shop is filled with raw flesh...A group of women from some weird religious faction wearing masks hurry past, a modern church - The Seventh Denomination of Martyrs - with bright signs offers salvation, a group of youths pass the camera - their eyes never leave the lens, this is their turf. The person crosses the road, taxi cabs screaming past - no-one cares about anything. We see her feet, the same red stilettoes. She goes under a bridge into a back alley. She begins cruising - whores line the walls, tarted up for business. But she ignores most of them - except one toward the end, wearing white and glowing out with apparent innocence... The camera moves closer - The WHORE turns round, in her thirties, a seasoned professional with years of work etched into her face... (CONTINUED) 37 CONTINUED: OLD WHORE Oooh I say, I haven't had the pleasure for a long time! Still, variety is the spice of life... 38 EXT DAY DESERTED BUILDING - The WHORE leads the woman into a DESERTED building - past a sign which reads FRIARS END... 39 INT DAY SQUAT ROOM - We are inside the rundown building, rubble and decay surround us, water drips distantly and a small street cat sits nearby, watching. The WHORE sits at the far end of the room on a table. She smiles as she opens her legs and opens her blouse. Her white bra and pants glow out brightly... The woman steps forward... The cat watches patiently. Suddenly there is a crash, a struggle, a gurgle and a strangled scream...And a horrible loud crack... The cat washes it paws, purring... 40 INT DAY SQUAT ROOM - The body of the woman lies on the floor, her face in a death grimace... Flash guns go off as we see she is not alone. A bunch of plain clothes officers busy themselves about the crime scene - and so does INSPECTOR TAYLOR...He is talking to a local... LOCAL Well, I just saw these two women go in - I thought I'd, you know - and I found her like that... An officer calls out from across the room FORRESTER We've found something! TAYLOR walks over to forrester who is crouched over a bloody hammer... 41 INT DAY FORENSIC LAB - There is an air of unprecedented hygiene about the lab - Everything is white. TAYLOR, FORRESTER and a young female lab technician, FOSTER are there. FOSTER slides a tray with the hammer in it into the light. (CONTINUED) 41 CONTINUED: FOSTER Most of it was a mess of smears, but I got one clean print here... The hammer is coated in a fine film of dust, the handle smeared but one clear fingerprint on the head... TAYLOR How long before you can give me an idea? They all move to a huge and complex computer with the finger print on the screen - it flashes other prints and photos up in quick succession - FOSTER I started the check already, but without more specific physical ID - I can't narrow the field down - could be a month - that's if she is on record TAYLOR Or he... The fingerprint freezes on screen and spins off to the top corner 42 INT DAY NEWS ROOM - NEWS READER Once more, LONDON has been plunged into terror as the WHITE ANGEL strikes again. However, one fingerprint has been found, and Police have issued a statement that if the killer is on file, then they will have a positive identification within the month... 43 INT DAY SHOPPING ARCADE - A huge close up of a TV screen - we pull focus to reveal CARTER sat in a cafe in the middle of a crowded shopping mall (A tv shop is behind from where we saw the report). On the table are two coffees, a notepad etc. In front of her sits a huge man, thick rimmed glasses, gold rings and chains and a huge very expensive jacket keeping him warm... His eyes are fixed on the TV set to the side of CARTER. This is ALAN SMITH, successful businessman with the most dubious of methods. (CONTINUED) 43 CONTINUED: SMITH (Broad cockney accent) It's diabolical in'it, I mean it's not safe to walk the streets no more is it... Casually CARTER glances over at the TV set, a reporter is reporting from outside the building where the murder took place. CARTER Anyway, HACKSAW JOE? SMITH Sorry - yeah, well you see, JOE used to single out people he wanted to get rid off - and he would weaken them over a few weeks by giving them arsenic in small doses - on biscuits, in their tea and coffee - it has a kind of sweet taste CARTER listens intently as the miniature cassette recorder records all the gruesome details. SMITH He never give them enough to kill them mind, just weaken them so that when he struck, they didn't put up too much of a fight - you see, JOE was only small - couldn't take anyone bigger or stronger on...well that's when he did his thing with the hacksaw (Grimacing). It got pretty nasty - you know.... a bit here, a bit there - (Laughing) we used to call him JIGSAW JOE - But the point is this, even JOE had principles - not like this scum who is roaming the streets now. SMITH points to the TV screens, CARTER glances at her watch again... SMITH It wouldn't have happened twenty years ago... CARTER I see, crime was decent then CARTER smiles to herself, (CONTINUED) 43 CONTINUED (2): SMITH You're damn right - I can't even let my daughter out at night now. Life is different now - it's a jungle out there - you've got to know who your friends are - protect yourself and your own - know what I mean? The waitress drops a tray of spoons - SMITH spins round and CARTER jumps - SMITHS hand is lodged firmly inside his jacket - ready for anything. The waitress looks up apologetically... CARTER (Pause) Yes I know what you mean. 44 INT EVENING DENTISTS OFFICE - STECKLER is in his office, sat behind a desk. Light from a neon pours in through the window as he re-arranges the things on his desk. He leans back in his chair, rubbing his lower aching back. He looks up - there is a slight opening in the doorway to the surgery reception. There is a little movement as JANET the nurse FINISHES off her chores. He watches her until she sits down. She crosses her legs, one of her feet falling into the light of the door opening. STECKLER can see nothing but the lower quarter of her leg and her white tall heeled shoe. It glows out to him. STECKLER watches the foot - wanting and needing. But he's not dumb. STECKLER JANET - The woman enters, STECKLER trying not to look at her white shoes. STECKLER Er, you might as well knock off now - I'll shut up shop JANET Are you sure? STECKLER (Smiling) Yes, go home... (CONTINUED) 44 CONTINUED: The nurse turns and leaves...STECKLER looks out of his window at a clothes shop opposite 45 EXT NIGHT SHOP FRONT - Across the road is a large chain store with dummies in the windows. One of them houses a set of three female figures, one in lingerie, another in a bath robe - and the third in a white cocktail dress. STECKLER is drawn to the window... He examines the figure of the woman, her curves, her face and smile, her legs, her feet...To him, she is alive. He stands in awe. Suddenly, there is a noise behind. He turns to see a STREET SPIV hassling a blonde girl (KATE) The girl is young, but fights back vigorously - it's all getting a bit nasty. STECKLER crosses the road... 46 EXT ALLEYWAY NIGHT - The SPIV is shouting about money and for her to shut up when STECKLER steps into the light, his face shadowed... SPIV Got a problem!? He brandishes a knife as the girl writhes. STECKLER doesn't flinch. The SPIV senses that this could get nastier and lets the girl go, concentrating on STECKLER... SPIV Come on Grandad! Without warning, STECKLER lunges and snatches the SPIV'S hand, forcing him to drop the knife. The SPIV screams in pain as STECKLER bends his two fingers back - there is a loud crack as STECKLER snaps his fingers... The SPIV howls and STECKLER releases him - he runs into the night, nursing his hand. STECKLER turns to the girl on the floor - she is young, afraid and dirt smeared. Her hair is bleached white and she wears a white dress... STECKLER My name is LESLIE - I'm a doctor and I have a surgery just around the corner - you could call a taxi... (CONTINUED) 46 CONTINUED: The girl is helped to her feet and they walk toward STECKLER'S surgery. 47 INT NIGHT HALLWAY - The door swings open and STECKLER steps inside. He calls out... STECKLER Anyone home? There is no answer. He steps back out and returns with a girl in his arms. He walks upstairs with her - it is the girl from the streets. STECKLER Were nearly there - just up the stairs.... He carries her up the stairs... STECKLER Its a nice room - spacious, you'll like it sweetie... He reaches the top and opens his door, entering. For a short time he is out of sight as the camera moves down and into the room. 48 INT NIGHT STECKLER'S ROOM - STECKLER is under his bed - the girl not in sight... STECKLER Just a few days - ELLEN wouldn't understand yet - yes I'm sure she will... The door slams shut with the wind. FADE TO BLACK 49 INT DAY CAMPBELL'S OFFICE - CARTER walks into DEZERAE's office. DEZERAE is sat behind her desk... She looks up. CARTER (To DEZERAE) You want to see me A familiar voice calls out from behind. (CONTINUED) 49 CONTINUED: TAYLOR ELLEN CARTER - Now how are you doing these days? CARTER turns round to see INSPECTOR TAYLOR, a plain clothes police man stood looking out over the panoramic view of LONDON - he turns and smiles at CARTER. TAYLOR It's been what, three years? CARTER (To DEZERAE) What's this all about? TAYLOR So have you seen hubby recently ELLEN? CARTER turns back to TAYLOR - DEZERAE isn't helping any... She doesn't answer. TAYLOR walks round to the side of DEZERAE's desk to extinguish his cigarette...He turns to DEZERAE, TAYLOR Could I have a private moment with ELLEN? DEZERAE No problem - I'll be outside DEZERAE exits quickly - she doesn't like police men either. The door shuts. TAYLOR turns to CARTER. CARTER What brings the rats out of the sewers? TAYLOR I'm here about the so called disappearance of your husband - It's best if we let old bones lie. Know what I mean? (Grins) I'm working on the WHITE ANGEL case now - and I've got to check all known murderers or suspected murderers for the last five years... And that means you...So where were you last THURSDAY afternoon around five... CARTER (Astounded) You think I'm the WHITE ANGEL? (CONTINUED) 49 CONTINUED (2): TAYLOR (Smiles) It did give me a chance to meet you again ELLEN - It's all routine you understand...So where were you? CARTER (Gritted teeth) At home alone - where were you? TAYLOR As it happens, I was at home alone - maybe we could solve each others problems? CARTER Get out... TAYLOR takes a step forward, very close to CARTER and talks quietly but firmly - TAYLOR You know ELLEN, I believe you - I know that you're no serial killer - something else maybe, but no serial killer. I'm assigning surveillance for your own protection - we couldn't have the once world famous novelist found with her head missing could we? TAYLOR walks round the table, looking at the poster for CRIME SCENE - sexual and provocative. TAYLOR What happened to you - you used to have some class TAYLOR turns and begins to walk out - He opens the door and stops TAYLOR Someone will find your husband one day - and then I'll have a body He turns to CARTER smiling, TAYLOR Catch you later... He exits... 50 INT DAY MIK'S ROOM - We move along make-up and girls things. They are all in use. Classical music gently plays in the background. We move up to the mirror as a pretty girl with dark long hair looks up. Slowly, we realise that it is STECKLER. We pull wide to see his hairy chest... He smiles at the illusion. STECKLER begins rummaging through MIK's things, her cupboards, her drawers - he spends a moment running his hands through her underwear drawer before becoming a little bored... 51 INT DAY HALLWAY - STECKLER walks out of MIK'S room, wearing nothing but his wig, make-up and a pair of joggers... 52 INT CARTERS ROOM DAY - STECKLER looks round, like a child at the fair ground. He moves to her cupboards and drawers - curiously ignoring her make-up, clothes and underwear. He begins to search, under drawers, behind cupboards, behind books, above the curtain rail. Eventually he gives up and lies back on CARTER's bed looking at the ceiling. Suddenly he flips over and looks under her bed - still nothing. He pulls himself back up when he notices a slight rip in the mattress. He pushes his fingers in and the flap gives way - it is a velcro held opening. STECKLER places his hand in and slowly removes the hidden contents - a small case. 53 INT STECKLER'S ROOM DAY - STECKLER is sat at his table with the case. He is removing his make-up with a towel and is now wearing a T shirt. He inspects it closely before opening it. Inside is tightly packed. He smiles as he removes the letters written from cut out newspapers - he delves deeper - a passport is there, STEPHEN CARTER, ELLEN'S husband. STECKLER moves on, excited by his find. A small but sharp knife, a wedding ring, a newspaper cutting from a small column which reads 'Famous Novelists Husband Disappears'. He finds a small gold statuette - her prize from the awards at the start of the movie. STECKLER feels honoured to hold it and inspects it closely before moving on. Curiously enough, he finds the plans of the house. He inspects them closely - the kitchen, the hall, the bedrooms...The Living room - something looks odd, different, wrong... 54 INT DAY LIVING ROOM - STECKLER is stood in the LIVING ROOM getting his bearings in relation to the plans. He looks round, and then at the wall to his right. He goes over to it, running his hand over the surface - there is a slight bump where extra work had been done. He thumps hard on the wall, moving along as he does so - suddenly, the echo changes. He takes an involuntary step backward. CUT TO - The screen is black. There is a heavy thud, and another. Suddenly a brick falls from it's place, and another - STECKLER is knocking the wall down! Excitedly, he makes a hole big enough for him to fit his head and arms through. He turns on his torch and leans in. The recess is dark and his torch cuts a beam in the dusty air. He looks down - sure enough, there are the crumbling and crusty remains of a corpse. STECKLER is almost jubilant at his discovery and begins to laugh... We see the face of the dead man, his skin dry and old, stretched in a deathlike grin... FADE TO BLACK 55 EXT DAY 66 ACACIA AVENUE - CARTER's car pulls into the driveway and she parks up. The sky is heavy and there is a distant rumble of thunder. As she steps out of her car - she senses something - a still - a quiet... 56 INT DAY HALLWAY - CARTER enters the house, hangs up her coat and picks up her mail. She walks past the living room and into the kitchen. She stops dead in the kitchen and backtracks. She drops her letters to the floor as she looks into the room - a huge gaping and black hole is all that is left of her husbands tomb... A great pile of bricks lie to the side. She moves forward - desperate but not wanting to inspect the contents of the hole. She steps forward, takes another step, and another - all the time getting closer to the shadowy hole... (CONTINUED) 56 CONTINUED: And then she is there. Slowly she leans in...And it is empty. She leans back out and jumps as she realises STECKLER is standing right behind her. For a long time she doesn't know what to say - everything is moving too fast and she has to be careful. CARTER (With difficulty) What have you done? STECKLER smiles and walks behind the sofa - enjoying the moment - savoring the atmosphere... STECKLER I knew you did it - I just couldn't figure out what you had done with the body... CARTER is really not sure what is happening anymore, why hadn't he told the police? what did he want? She cannot speak - just listen STECKLER I knew you had killed him - I just felt it - I'm surprised that the police didn't suspect 'foul play' - everything pointed that way... CARTER looks at the gaping hole in the wall STECKLER (Smiling) Oh, I admit it's a rather vulgar method - but I needed to fire your (Searching) Imagination... CARTER is still a little blank STECKLER The reason I knew you killed your husband - apart from the fact that he disappeared - is that you stopped writing - he must have been a bastard to you - Anyway, (Smiling) I'm going to give you a second chance to start anew. STECKLER looks down, searching for a way to tell CARTER something. STECKLER You had better sit down (CONTINUED) 56 CONTINUED (2): Dutifully, CARTER sits - she's too confused to do anything else. STECKLER stands opposite, the sofa forming a barrier between them. STECKLER looks deep into the empty tomb - into the blackness... STECKLER You see ELLEN, there are parts of me you haven't encountered - parts that are more important - that most people don't or won't understand. STECKLER turns to face CARTER, fire in his eyes STECKLER I want you and your words to make people understand - I'm commissioning a book CARTER is starting to get afraid for her safety... STECKLER I want people to understand the power any man can use - to take what he needs, to take what he wants - I want people to know why I do what I do - so that when I am finished, they will understand the truth of my actions. I want THE ELLEN CARTER to write the life story of LESLIE RAYMOND STECKLER STECKLER stops for a moment - CARTER is looking out of depth... STECKLER I don't have much time ELLEN - They have my finger prints - they WILL catch me... CARTER is beginning to shake... STECKLER I'm not going to hurt you (Smiles) - Your'e not my type - I need your skills - (Enthused) don't you see the divine perfection - you and I are both carved from the same stone - it will be the perfect partnership - your words - my story... STECKLER calms down, looking back into the darkness of the tomb - (CONTINUED) 56 CONTINUED (3): STECKLER And don't think of calling the police - STECKLER shows CARTER a photo of a weird looking tree with a spade stuck in the ground STECKLER That's where your husband is - It's not too far from here, but far enough. I have marked the map reference near the tree and lodged it in my family safety deposit box STECKLER puts his arm down his shirt and dangles a key in front of CARTER... STECKLER should anything ever happen to me - should I die, get hit by a truck - or disappear, then I have instructed the manager to turn the contents - along with an explanatory letter, over to Scotland Yard - so lets just hope nothing happens to me. STECKLER moves to the other side of the room, STECKLER Otherwise, you are free to do as you will... He looks at her - her eyes are red rimmed and she is shaking STECKLER As long as you write my book...(Thinks) He turns and makes for the door, opening it - he stops, but doesn't turn... STECKLER You have no choice ELLEN, you will write this book... STECKLER exits. CARTER sits absolutely still, like a rabbit after a truck has passed - she hears the front door click shut and sees STECKLER walk down the garden path... CARTER suddenly leaps to her feet and runs into the KITCHEN 57 INT DAY KITCHEN - CARTER tears in and grabs the biggest knife she can find in the knife rack. She whips round, pointing it out - her back to the wall... CARTER (Quietly) Fuck...Oh Fuck ...Oh fuck 58 EXT NIGHT CRIME SCENE OFFICES - A heavy sky looms overhead - police sirens wail. 59 INT NIGHT TRUE CRIME OFFICES - The offices are dark, only the occasional light illuminates the night. A street lamp cast WEIRD and ugly shadows across the walls. CARTER sits in a pool of light cast from a nearby desk lamp. Her eyes are blood shot, her face blank. A cigarette burns in her fingers. Her fingers dart through a Rolidex... Suddenly there is a slight noise behind her, a click, a creak. Slowly, she wraps her hand around the knife she had in the kitchen. Without warning she spins round, brandishing the blade - only to confront DEZERAE CAMPBELL - her boss! DEZERAE nearly dies of a heart attack - only narrowly avoiding a spillage of her coffee which she clasps in her hand DEZERAE OH MY GAWD! CARTER I'm sorry - I didn't think DEZERAE A person could get killed round here just for working late CARTER smiles at DEZERAES curt response CARTER I thought you were someone else DEZERAE Well I'm glad I'm not them - what are you doing here so late? Come to that, what the hell have you got that for? She points to the knife (CONTINUED) 59 CONTINUED: CARTER I thought someone was following me - I - er - (Changes subject) I just needed my computer and some things...Listen, I'd like to work from home for a few weeks - is that OK? DEZERAE (Pause) Why don't you take a few weeks off - you're due some holiday time. CARTER smiles CARTER Sounds good - thank you DEZERAE Don't mention it - now can I get back to my accounts, or do you want to fillet me? CARTER laughs as DEZERAE turns and leaves. CARTER watches her as she enters her office, wittering to herself. She picks up the phone and returns to her rolidex - she stops at a card - ALAN SMITH 60 INT NIGHT HOUSE - The phone rings...A little girl with a party hat picks up the receiver... LITTLE GIRL Hello?... GRANDAD! It's for you... ALAN SMITH, the gangster we met at the beginning of the film walks in, also wearing a party hat. He takes the phone - SMITH Thank you Darling - you go on back to your friends... The little girl prances off back to her party... SMITH Hello? 61 INT NIGHT TRUE CRIME OFFICES - (CONTINUED) 61 CONTINUED: CARTER Hello, ALAN - It's ELLEN CARTER here from CRIME SCENE - yes - I remember you said that if I needed something, I could come to you... 62 EXT NIGHT CASH POINT - CARTER is at a cashpoint. Everywhere is deserted. She feels intensely lonely - and very very afraid of the shadows. She glances at her watch as she withdraws a huge wad of notes. 63 INT NIGHT HARDWARE STORE - We see a pile of cans which read "ANT POISON". CARTER takes one down and looks at it - paying attention to the contents... It reads, "8.5% Arsenic - POISON". She takes it and walks to the checkout. 64 EXT NIGHT SPARE PARTS SHOP - CARTER pulls up in front of a run down, scruffy shop with spare tyres in the window. The lights are off. She clambers from her car and knocks on the door - After a moment the door opens to reveal an odd looking man, dark with a slight limp - he replies with a broad cockney accent - JOHN ALAN sent you - right? CARTER nods 65 INT NIGHT CAR SHOP - CARTER steps into the shop which is filled with car spare parts, seats, tyres, windows - everything you could ever imagine. Its cramped and claustrophobic - JOHN walks behind the counter - reaches under and retrieves a very large and oddly shaped tool box - CARTER watches anxiously - JOHN opens up the case to reveal a vast array of weapons - from small pistols to fully automatic assault riffles - JOHN What do you want? CARTER is obviously a little weapon shy - if not downright ignorant. (CONTINUED) 65 CONTINUED: CARTER I want a gun - (embarrassed) - There's this guy, I think he's watching me - You know I'd just feel safer with a gun in the house - I wouldn't use it - just for show JOHN Whatever you say Lady JOHN frowns and reaches in, pulling out an Ouzi sub machine gun. JOHN This'll stop anything that moves CARTER No - something smaller I think He replaces the weapon and withdraws a small handgun...He racks it, checking the chamber and the mechanism...CARTER jumps slightly at the loud metallic chang. JOHN Browning 9mm - holds 13 in the clip, one in the chamber - and I'll throw in two extra clips and a silencer... He holds out the extra bullet clips before screwing the silencer onto the front of the gun. He passes it to her. She holds it clumsily, if not a little repulsed by it. CARTER I will need the bullets... JOHN No problem - that's a good gun - got a nice action - try it... CARTER holds the gun up at arms length - unsure of what to do. She squints and aims before pulling the trigger...CLICK! CUT TO - A huge wad of notes is dropped on the counter. CARTER turns to leave... 66 INT NIGHT HALLWAY (AT 66 ACACIA AVENUE) - CARTER enters her front door, closing it quietly behind her. She doesn't turn the lights on. (CONTINUED) 66 CONTINUED: The faint sound of classical music and laughter comes from the living room - Slowly she walks toward the closed door. She reaches out and opens it... 67 INT NIGHT LIVING ROOM - She steps into the room. STECKLER and MIK are sat at a table together having dinner - MIK looks round smiling. MIK ELLEN! You're back - come and join us... You must be tired - LESLIE told me how you spent the whole day knocking out that hole...Funny place to put a fish tank though. CARTER looks over at STECKLER obviously not too pleased. STECKLER I thought I would cook us a meal MIK offers some spare ribs...It seems important to STECKLER that CARTER join them at the table CARTER (Sickened) No thank you - I already ate MIK crunches hard on a bone - MIK Oh come on ELLEN, they're the nicest ribs I have ever tasted MIK looks round at STECKLER, she's feeling full, tipsy and sexy - MIK (Caressing STECKLERS hand) LESLIE is a very talented cook - he says there's nothing he can't do with red meat and wine! She holds up her glass to CARTER...STECKLER pulls his hand away from MIK, looking down - avoiding the contact CARTER (Coldly to STECKLER) I'm sure that's true... STECKLER stands to clear the table.... (CONTINUED) 67 CONTINUED: STECKLER (To CARTER) If you want any - there's some left in the kitchen CARTER I think I will pass... STECKLER walks out of the room - carrying the huge platter STECKLER Dessert is on it's way He leaves the room. MIK gives CARTER a scrumpled, tipsy look MIK I think I misjudged him - he's really quite cute CARTER is not smiling at all - MIK sees this... MIK gets up and wanders over to the other side of the room - she selects a tape and inserts it into the cassette deck and presses play. She removes her jacket to reveal a tight white vest. MIK (Wiping brow) You ought to get the heating seen to - it's so hot Heavy thudding dance music pumps from the speakers. MIK begins to dance on her own - she is very very sexy as she swings her hips... CARTER is exasperated - on top of everything, she has a headache. The last thing she needs is a drunk girlie flirting with a psychopath. CARTER stands up and turns the music down... MIK What's wrong with you? CARTER (Awkwardly & quiet) I would prefer it if you kept away from LESLIE MIK What? CARTER You heard me - keep away from him (CONTINUED) 67 CONTINUED (2): MIK laughs at the ridiculousness of the statement MIK You don't own him you know - you can't tell me not to see him! CARTER (Calmly) Yes I can... MIK's attitude changes - this is no longer a funny situation - ELLEN is serious - MIK Huh - fuck you - who trampled on your grave MIK turns the music back up - and continues dancing. CARTER looks over to the kitchen - expecting STECKLER to be watching this display - but he's not. She looks harder... Then she sees the reflection of his face in a mirror in shadows. He is watching, and has been watching MIK from the safety of a mirror. He doesn't move. Just watches... CARTER turns - she must speak now whilst she has the strength. She turns the tape off. CARTER I'm giving you notice, I want you out. MIK stops dead in her tracks, slowly turning. CARTER I want you out now MIK Leave!? Who the hell do you think you are? CARTER (Calmly) I'm your landlady MIK is stopped dead in the middle of ARGUMENT. MIK Just because I have dinner with LESLIE - I mean? What are you two fucking or something? Cause, if you are, I didn't know! (CONTINUED) 67 CONTINUED (3): STECKLER appears at the door of the kitchen. MIK is bubbling with anger, but she restrains it, tears forming in her eyes. MIK Oh I understand (Stepping forward) She turns and exits, running upstairs. CARTER looks at STECKLER who returns a silent stare. The sound of MIK thundering back down the stairs can be heard and she enters with her jacket and a small bag. Her eyes are red - she looks like she is about to burst into tears. She walks up to CARTER, offering her a wad of notes. MIK It's the rent I'm due - take it then we are equal Reluctantly, CARTER takes the notes...MIK is very distressed, fighting hard to keep her voice from wavering. She keeps her head bowed. MIK I'll be at DEKLAN'S, and I'll come over to collect my stuff in the next few days... Don't mind my stuff if some guy you fancy turns up - just leave it in the garden - I thought you were a nice girl ELLEN - Looks like I was wrong She turns and walks out, pausing at the door to look at CARTER. CARTER can say or do nothing. STECKLER watches silently - he knows his place. He continues to wash the dirty dishes. MIK leaves... DISSOLVE TO - 68 INT NIGHT CARTER's ROOM - A huge plank wedges the door shut - on the table is an ashtray with a cigarette burning peacefully - a box of shells lies open... CARTER sits silently listening through headphones to her miniature tape recorder, the interview with ALAN SMITH She checks out her gun - she's never handled one before and the action is stiff - she learns how to load the clip, how to rack the gun...She feels the weight in her palm before gently squeezing the trigger - CLICK! CARTER turns her attention to the bottle of ANT KILLER she had bought... (CONTINUED) 68 CONTINUED: VOICE OF SMITH Oh yeah, anyway - when he got them weakened with the arsenic, just sprinkled it on their food for a few days - like I said, just weakened them enough for him to GET THEM WHERE HE WANTED THEM WITHOUT ANY RESISTANCE... CARTER takes a spoonful of the white powder from the ant poison and sprinkles it into the sugar bowl. She mixes it in with the spoon before tasting a little, just to check if it can be detected... She can't taste anything. She replaces the sugar bowl lid and looks up. 69 INT NIGHT HALLWAY - CARTER walks down the stairs, the sugar bowl in her hand. She has no expression - just a resolute stare. 70 INT NIGHT KITCHEN - She enters the kitchen and boils the kettle - making two cups of coffee. Slowly and methodically. 71 INT NIGHT LIVING ROOM - CARTER enters the room with two mugs of coffee on a tray - and the sugar bowl. STECKLER sits opposite, watching banal television. He looks up to her as she passes him the coffee... CARTER Sugar? STECKLER Yes, one and a half please. CARTER dunks the sugar in the coffee and swirls it round. She passes it to STECKLER, watching him intently as he sips. CARTER I will write your book... STECKLER breaks into a broad smile - CARTER does not. CARTER But I have one demand - you will not kill whilst I write (CONTINUED) 71 CONTINUED: STECKLER stops grinning and thinks, then smiles once more. STECKLER Fine - you will have to work fast - it will probably be only a few months before they identify my prints - and then it is over - I will destroy all the evidence in my safety deposit box - your secret will die with me...(pleased) I'm so glad ELLEN CARTER doesn't look so cheerful... 72 INT NIGHT LIVING ROOM - The screen is filled with the white noise of a video recorder image - it stabilises and shows STECKLER sat in front of the camera - gaudy pixilated colours seep through - it appears VERY documentary style... VOICE OF CARTER Your name? STECKLER LESLIE STECKLER VOICE OF CARTER What do you do? STECKLER (EMBARRASSED) What do I do? What do you do? VOICE OF CARTER I write - If this is going to work, you are going to have to get used to talking to the camera - opening up to it... STECKLER nods, lowering his head. CARTER So what do you do? STECKLER I'm a dentist CARTER And how long have you been a dentist? (CONTINUED) 72 CONTINUED: STECKLER (Warming) Oh, about six years since I graduated CARTER (Abruptly) And how many people have you killed? STECKLER I don't know CARTER You don't know? STECKLER No - the police say I've killed fourteen - but I've not - I've killed many more. It amazes me how they just haven't found the bodies. What is society coming to when people just don't get missed. I agree, some of them are well hidden - I probably couldn't even show you where I put them - one girl, number eight I think the press called it - she wasn't even mine - I don't know who did it but I didn't CARTER Where do you kill them... STECKLER Oh anywhere - whenever I needed to - Do you know how easy it is to take them? You just pick up a hiker, or someone off the streets - they believe so easily you know, 'Look, I have something to show you' I would say - and that would be it. One girl, I think her name is Debbie - she had broken down on the motorway, and I offered to take her to a service station to call for a tow truck - She just got in and I drove away. When I pulled into the layby and took out my knife - she just froze, and said - what do you want? - I said, You know what I want. - But she didn't. Getting rid of the bodies is just as easy - the first I cut up, put in bags with bricks in, and tossed them off Eldridge Bridge in broad daylight. (Pause) The real problem with my work is the blood - there is so much of it - and it all spurts out so fast - like a fountain. It made such a mess of 72 CONTINUED (2): STECKLER (CONT'D) my car (-) I stopped working from my car. (Pause) She could have stopped me you know - If she really wanted too. That is the difference between the confusion of humanity and the purity of the beast - If a dog attacked you - you could easily kill it without any damage to yourself - Why then do people get bitten by dogs - savaged? Why? CARTER I don't know STECKLER Because a dog will attack with a ferocity and force that we poses, but centuries of social contamination has run it out of us - that is what sets us aside from the purity of the beasts...Society is rotting - men who once were strong and kept everything working are getting soft - women are making them soft - by the time a pretty girl has reached twenty - she has had three lifetimes worth of fun and attention- so she doesn't deserve any more - CARTER Didn't DEBBIE deserve anymore? STECKLER No she didn't... CARTER What did you do with her? STECKLER You know everyone accuses me of being sick - the press, the TV - but I'm not you know - they are - I don't watch it for entertainment every night - I don't sit and watch it whilst eating my dinner - they all say, how could he cut her up? She was dead - I can't hurt something dead - And all this whilst they slobber down their processed beef burgers by the dozen - I couldn't eat one of those burgers, you don't know what has gone in them! (wry smile) 72 CONTINUED (3): There is a long pause - CARTER The press think that the WHITE ANGEL is a woman - why is that? Do you dress up LESLIE? STECKLER (Awkward) I don't want to talk about it - CARTER OK, the press call you the WHITE ANGLE because you only kill girls wearing white - why white - white clothes, blonde hair... STECKLER I don't know... CARTER Is 'their' colour an expression of their inner self? By that I mean, extroverts wear bright colours - so what are people who wear white? STECKLER (To CARTER) I don't know... CARTER Is white an expression of innocence? Do you crave innocence LESLIE? STECKLER (-) Let me ask you, why do you wear black ELLEN CARTER? What are you running from? CARTER is indeed wearing black - there is a long pause as STECKLER stares CARTER out - even though he can't quite see her. CARTER Do you feel sorry for the girls you have killed STECKLER Why should I feel sorry - they're dead. 73 EXT NIGHT ROADWAY/CAR - The white lines of the road streak silently by. CARTER sits silently in the car with STECKLER as they drive into the night. Passing car headlights dance on CARTERs face - they say nothing to one another - there is a sombre quiet 74 EXT HOUSE NIGHT - STECKLER pulls up in front of a house - 75 EXT DAY NIGHT - The door to the house opens. STECKLER and CARTER stand in the doorway... The man in the doorway looks puzzled, he obviously doesn't know CARTER or STECKLER. STECKLER Hello - is ANNIE in? The man tenses up... GRAHAM Are you a journalist? STECKLER No - I'm an old friend of ANNIE'S - I haven't seen her for years - You must be GRAHAM? Is there something wrong? The man seems to literally deflate. GRAHAM I'm sorry - I've been hounded by the press - ANNIE died over a year ago. 76 INT NIGHT GRAHAM'S LIVING ROOM - The room is cosy and dark, a log fire burning in the background. We pan along a series of pictures, some with Graham and a woman (Presumably ANNIE), some of just the woman on her own. She is pretty with long flowing hair. STECKLER and CARTER are sat on the settee together. GRAHAM walks into shot with a glass of brandy for STECKLER... GRAHAM (To CARTER) Are you sure you don't want a glass? CARTER (Politely) No - thank you (CONTINUED) 76 CONTINUED: GRAHAM sits down - a log fire burning brightly. He smiles - it's good to have guests for a change - especially nice people. GRAHAM So did you know her well? She never mentioned you to me STECKLER Not really (Embarrassed) We had a bit of a crush on each other - Purely innocent I assure you - but she was fun - did she ever tell you about her nick name - SMUDGY? GRAHAM SMUDGY? No... STECKLER Yes, everyone used to tease her about that birth mark - you know the one she had on her... STECKLER points to his rear... GRAHAM (Smiling) I'm surprised you know about that - she wouldn't ever show anyone it STECKLER turns to CARTER looking her right in the eye... STECKLER Oh we got in a little tussle once - and that's when I saw it CARTER is BEGINNING to look a little uncomfortable. STECKLER So if you don't mind me asking - how did it happen GRAHAM takes a deep breath - it's been a long time since has told anyone about this GRAHAM Well - she was out late one night - just went down to the newsagent for some cigarettes - and she didn't come back... (CONTINUED) 76 CONTINUED (2): STECKLER watches CARTER... We stay on CARTERS face for the entire monologue - the glow of the fire dances on her face... GRAHAM Three days later some kids found her in some bushes (Gets very difficult to talk) - she had been...She had been... they said she died instantly...But I don't know how long she had to suffer before that bastard killed her... CARTER is almost in tears GRAHAM The worst thing was I had to go down and identify her - she was so small and pale - We cut back to GRAHAM. GRAHAM How can any human being do that to another? CARTER doesn't have a clue. 77 INT CAR NIGHT - CARTER sits silently as STECKLER drives. Suddenly a figure can be seen in the roadway - a hitcher, a girl with blonde hair, cut off jeans and long legs - STECKLER slows down to stop - CARTER is about to violently object - but STECKLER speeds on before she can say anything. He looks over to CARTER with a wry smile. CARTER is wide eyed and shocked... 78 EXT DAY 66 ACACIA AVENUE - STECKLERS car pulls into the driveway and halts. CARTER and STECKLER clamber for it, running from the rain that pelts down. They approach the house and enter. Slowly we move backwards to reveal INSPECTOR TAYLOR sat in his car with a thermos flask and the infamous doughnut. He watches them intently.... 79 INT NIGHT CARTERS ROOM - CARTER drowsily tosses and turns. She glances at her clock. Its 3.30 80 INT DAY HALLWAY - STECKLER stands in the hallway, fixing his tie. He is very smart. He examines a piece of paper which is headed "SHOSTERS BANK OF CREDIT" - he glances down at the letter - "appointment at 10am..." STECKLER glances at his watch and turns decidedly to the door. Quietly he unlocks it, glancing up as he does so - he doesn't want to make much noise. He gently shuts the door behind him... 81 INT DAY CARTERS ROOM - But the click of the latch still awakens the slumbering CARTER. She looks very much the worse for wear, the last few days have been very tough... Drowsily she climbs from her bed and peers out of the window - she sees STECKLER walking down the garden path and round the corner out of sight. She thinks to herself... 82 INT DAY UPSTAIRS HALLWAY - CARTER appears in the hallway dressed in 'thrown on' track suit bottoms and a vest - She walks down the hall to STECKLERS room, looking round as she does - she knows he's not there, but she has to settle her paranoia... Slowly she takes a hold of the door handle and turns - to her amazement the door swings open. 83 INT DAY STECKLERS ROOM - CARTER is left in the hallway, hesitant - slowly she enters - fearful of what she may find. The room is well lit and organised - yet disorganised. Whilst everything is neatly put in it's place, it's not quite right - clothes are crumpled, books upside down on the shelf... A sleeping bag lies on the floor, recently slept in...The bed immaculate. The wall has several pictures on it - prints of classical paintings in tacky small frames. She begins to rummage through cupboards - but finds only clothes... She opens a set of drawers and riffles through...Nothing... (CONTINUED) 83 CONTINUED: Down the side of the cabinet are some leather bound books - CARTER opens the first - ancient stamps... She moves on to the next... Press clippings... She leafs through them. They begin years ago with local press reports of mass dog killings in the hamlet of DEDINGTON... Soon the clippings develop a more sinister feel, "Woman found dead on Common", "Local Girl Goes Missing"... "Writer Wins Award" - We see ELLEN CARTER holding up a copy of her book smiling broadly for the photographers - CARTER is stunned that STECKLER has kept this old clipping... She continues to flick and discovers more and more WHITE ANGEL killings reports... She closes the book and replaces it carefully. She turns her attention to the case we saw STECKLER struggling with - filled and over heavy. She lifts it and places it on the bed. Slowly she unlatches it - and finally removes the belt. The lid creaks open - CARTER holds her breath, not wanting to open it - but it is filled with bizarre dentistry tools, scalpels, probes - a gas cylinder and drill... A tiny piece of black cloth protrudes from a brown parcel - CARTER unravels it to reveal a black dress, wig and red stiletto shoes - perfectly arranged. CARTERS frowns... She replaces everything and moves on... She opens a drawer and rummages, taking out a pile of letters. She leafs through and discovers a bank statement - DEPOSITORY SECTION OF THE SHOSTERS BANK OF CREDIT - and the address, 44 Anthony Street, Barnet... CARTER Bingo - (Whispering to self & searching) the key...? We pull focus to reveal the key hanging from the bedhead...CARTER doesn't see it. 84 EXT DAY STREET - STECKLER is walking briskly down the street - he stops suddenly, clasping his chest - he has forgotten the key. He turns on his heel and begins walking back - FAST! 85 INT DAY STECKLERS ROOM - CARTER delves deeper into STECKLERS drawer - intrigued. She takes some photos out - mostly polaroids. One is of a very pretty girl in a car, another is of a woman - huge and domineering. She is in her kitchen, smiling broadly. 85 CONTINUED: Another photo is of a young boy with an older girl by his side - presumably, STECKLER with a sister. She finds a crumpled shot of an old house, huge and mansion like. She delves deeper into the papers. She finds a document - an adoption document, the date 1962 - the name LESLIE RAYMOND ANDERSON... CARTER (Mouthing) my god... 86 EXT DAY 66 ACACIA AVENUE - STECKLER is getting closer, walking up the garden path to the door - his finger touches the doorbell but he hesitates - he steps back and looks at CARTERS bedroom - her curtain still shut. He shrugs and removes his keys... 87 INT DAY STECKLERS ROOM - She moves on, to a small album of polaroids... The first is of STECKLER and his wife sat on a sofa, STECKLERS arm around his her... There are a few mundane photo's before CARTER finds one of a different girl, once more STECKLER embracing... CARTER glances over at the table - a POLAROID camera sits with a small tripod attached. She flips through the other photo's - all different girls - all vacant stares - all DEAD... 88 EXT DAY FRONT DOOR - STECKLER twists the key in the lock and the door swings open - 89 INT DAY STECKLERS ROOM - CARTER delves deeper into another drawer. Suddenly she hears a click - her head spins round, her heart pounding... 90 INT DAY STAIRS - STECKLER is creeping up the stairs 91 INT DAY STECKLERS ROOM - CARTER frantically tidies everything away... 92 INT DAY STAIRS - But STECKLER is getting closer still, almost at the top of the stairs... 93 INT DAY STECKLERS ROOM - CARTER has finished tidying when she suddenly spots the key hanging up - she reaches out for it - THE DOOR HANDLE TURNS - CARTERS eyes WIDEN!!! The door swings open and STECKLER steps in. He looks round cautiously - the key is still in it's place, but swaying ever so slightly...And no CARTER We see STECKLERS bed, CARTERS foot disappears under it... We see CARTER huddling amongst the boxes and a huge parcel beneath the bed - she watches STECKLERs feet. STECKLER grabs the key and puts it around his head. He pauses again - looking round - it is as if he can sense someone has been here... Without further thought, he turns and exits closing the door. CARTER listens as he goes down the stairs and out of the front door - CLUNK - she takes a deep breath... Then she sniffs, something smells bad... She turns to see the huge parcel beneath the bed beside her - slowly she reaches out to pull the sacking back... It is just an old pillow, some boxes and other junk - she doesn't know what she expected but she's glad it's nothing else... She clambers from under the bed and shakes herself down - without hesitation she moves for the door - BUT IT'S LOCKED! CARTER groans in disbelief CARTER Oh come on! 94 INT DAY MIK's ROOM - The camera moves slowly through MIK's room - suddenly there is a movement from the window - CARTER appears, clambering along the window ledge awkwardly - She reaches through the open slip and lets herself in. Clumsily she falls to the floor in MIK's room - glad to be safe She lies on her back and realises that she is still holding STECKLERS small polaroid album in her hand. She starts to laugh - and laugh and laugh - and then, as suddenly she had started, she stops laughing and closes her eyes... DISSOLVE TO - 95 INT NIGHT STECKLERS ROOM - The door to STECKLERS room opens and CARTER silently steps in. STECKLER lies in the moonlight, asleep. The key CARTER is so desperate to have is sitting on his bedside cabinet. Slowly she moves forward, sweat dripping from her forehead. She reaches out for the key, further and further, nearer and nearer... Her finger clasps the cold metal. Suddenly, STECKLER jumps up behind her, screaming - He raises his arm bringing the meat clever he holds, crashing down on her hand, severing it cleanly from her body.... 96 INT DAY LIVING ROOM - CARTER abruptly wakes from her dream - she is sat in her high arm chair - the room is darkened, the curtains shut. Slowly she makes out the form of STECKLER sat shadowed in a chair opposite. He doesn't move or say anything... CARTER How long have you been watching me? STECKLER I have something I have to show you... He stands up - the room is still laid out from the previous evening, the video camera still on it's tripod. STECKLER wanders over to the TV set and inserts a tape into the video - The TV flickers into life - a home video, shaky and out of focus. A couple are chatting and enjoying a picnic by a monument in a park. It is STECKLER and another woman - presumably his wife. STECKLER looks very different, his hair unkempt, his clothes scruffy. The woman is thin, with waves of blonde hair - she's wearing a bright coloured outfit - her face caked in make-up. But worst of all, she nags... STECKLER looks round at CARTER - the light from the TV flickers on her face. He looks back to the TV...The couple are eating their PICNIC. The picture and sound is very bad - adding to the authentic, fly on the wall documentary feel. The camera is being helmed by STECKLER who is off shot - and soon an argument breaks out over the contents of the sandwiches. As usual, everything is STECKLERS fault, can't he do anything right? This woman is your worst nightmare... Suddenly the camera tilts...Then falls to the ground. It's focus system tries to focus on the background, but cannot. Instead it focuses on the picnic basket. 96 CONTINUED: A fight can be heard - suddenly STECKLERS wife stops shouting at him, there is a pause, then a crash as something falls over. CARTERs eyes widen as her mind fills in the visual blanks from the sound. There is a loud but muffled crack... The camera is picked up again, getting a brief glimpse of the inert form of the woman on the floor. The picture goes fuzzy as the recording ends. CARTER looks up at STECKLER who in turn has just turned off the camera. CUT TO - The wheels of the video CASSETTE turn in the video camera - the record light flashes. We see the video screen. STECKLER sits there - looking into the lens. CARTER Tell me about your wife... STECKLER My wife (-) My wife was the only one who really deserved it. (Mimicking) LESLIE do this. LESLIE do that. LESLIE it's your fault... She used to tell me what to wear, where to go, what to do - she mothered me... CARTER then why did you marry her - STECKLER It seemed like a good idea at the time - why did you marry your husband. There is a pregnant pause - CARTER continues... CARTER What didn't you like about her? STECKLER (Intensely) I hated being treated like a failure - looked down on - my sister used to do that - I hated it - I should have known, when we got married - in a registry office of course - she wore maroon - I just wanted a white wedding (-) I think she thought I was a ticket to the good life. I had a good job, prospects. And she was a slut - I didn't know until too late. One day, I came 96 CONTINUED (2): STECKLER (CONT'D) home early and found her in bed with another man. I don't know who he was. It didn't matter. She never saw me. I sat and watched for half an hour before I knew what I had to do. There is a pause as STECKLER thinks. STECKLER I hated her for that. And I hated her for not wearing white at our wedding. I was cheated. I couldn't have what everyone else could have - all my life I have denied purity...The only time I really was at one with my wife was those precious few hours before I had to cut her up - she was accepting of everything then... STECKLER stops talking. CARTER waits.. STECKLER I had to kill her. She was rotten. And like my MOTHER said - cut away the dead wood or it will stop you doing what you must do. The world is a better place without her. You should understand better than anyone. CARTER draws her legs up under herself. STECKLER You are the first person I have ever told any of this to. We are birds of a feather ELLEN...we're in the same league CARTER I don't think so...This isn't a game you know...There aren't points or leagues. Sure I killed my husband - but I am no killer. STECKLER You've killed but you're not a killer CARTER That's right...Don't ever think that you and I are the same - we're not even remotely similar. I did what I had to do for myself, for my own self preservation - not to live out some bizarre role playing fantasy. My husband was sick - 96 CONTINUED (3): CARTER (CONT'D) he beat me up - he abused me - and I just snapped. There is a pause as CARTER gathers herself. STECKLER waits patiently wanting more... STECKLER Tell me how it happened... CARTER Why should I? STECKLER Why not? Please - it would help me CARTER waits for a moment - then opens up CARTER There's not much to tell - I had just won my prize for the book - and he hated me for it. He had hated the book, he hated my success for so long - so he decided to make my life hell. There are things I can't tell you what he made me do - things I couldn't tell anyone... I wanted a divorce but he said he wouldn't - then opportunity just popped up...He was in the garage and I was in the car...I just let the clutch up - he couldn't get out of the way. I didn't really mean to kill him -just teach him a lesson - I guess if I had been thinking straighter I wouldn't have done it. I knew that if I was discovered I would go to jail - even if it was manslaughter I would do time - and any time would have been too much - I've seen what happens to people when they go to prison - and what happens to them when they get out. I wasn't going to be one of them. It is a strange reversal, STECKLER listening to the confessions of a killer. Both feel something - CARTER I knew I had to get rid of the body - so I strung him up in the bath, slit his throat and drained him - covered him in salt - to avoid the rotting - and bricked him up. Everyone believed me when I told them he left the country - I 96 CONTINUED (4): CARTER (CONT'D) think they were glad he was gone. Everyone except for that damn cop. He knows. Somehow he just knows. STECKLER watches CARTER. There is love and tenderness in his eyes. CARTER And I have never told THAT to anyone before Both CARTER and STECKLER smile. STECKLER And how did it feel to be rid of him CARTER Wonderful - like a great release - He was a malignant cancer and I had to remove him - the world is better without him CARTERS smile fades. STECKLER looks at CARTER - their eyes do not break from each other as a silent message is transmitted... 97 EXT DAY PARK - CARTER and STECKLER are walking through a huge London Park. The trees are spider like and bare - winter has really taken a grip. There are a few other people around - joggers, business men on lunch, people just enjoying the break from the concrete nightmare surrounding this green haven. STECKLER stops and turns to CARTER. STECKLER There is something special about this place - the green - in destruction there is creation - flesh rots to fertilise the ground for life to thrive on. CARTER and STECKLER stop. STECKLER points out a patch of ground in front of him, the grass slightly taller than everywhere else. CARTER (Looking and thinking) What? (CONTINUED) 97 CONTINUED: STECKLER That is my wife...Nothing ever dies - it just changes. I changed my wife. CARTER fumbles in her bag and retrieves her camera. STECKLER I come here every so often - to pay my respects STECKLER turns to CARTER looking strangely different STECKLER I'm weary ELLEN - of holding everything inside of me - that's why I need this book - In a few weeks it will be over - the police will have me - I will make you a lot of money and your career will be back on track - CARTER thinks about his comment before turning her attention to her camera to take a photo - STECKLER looks at her questioningly CARTER For the book... We see down the lens of the camera, STECKLER stood on the grassy mound. CARTER focuses - then click. The image freezes in black and white. 98 EXT DAY PARK - A bunch of pigeons fight over a few morsels of food. CARTER and STECKLER are sat on a park bench, STECKLER tossing pieces of bread to the pigeons. Across the way a BIG LAWYER sits, talking on a portable phone - a bottle of perrier in his other. CARTER has her camera and is taking a few portraits of STECKLER. She moves about looking for the best shot. The BIG LAWYER opposite cannot take his eyes off CARTERs legs and bum - it doesn't help as she is wearing a fairly short skirt... And when she bends over... The BIG LAWYER laughs down the phone - he is obviously telling the person on the other end of the line what he is doing. CARTER FINISHES her roll and sits back down. (CONTINUED) 98 CONTINUED: STECKLER has finished with his bag of bread for the pigeons and looks over at a waste bin twenty yards away. He spots a can under the bench and stretches to pick it up...He stands and wanders over to the bin. CARTER wrestles with her camera which has jammed - but she finally gets it free. She takes out the film and pockets it. She looks up at the BIG LAWYER who is blatantly staring at her legs. He doesn't even look away when CARTER sees him. Suddenly from behind, STECKLER appears and leans over close to the BIG LAWYER. CARTER watches on. STECKLER leans close to the LAWYER and whispers in his ear. The LAWYERS face goes pale. Hurriedly he gathers his things and shuffles off. STECKLER smiles to CARTER as he wanders back - a 'Don't look at me' expression written all over his face. CARTER doesn't know how to react - grateful that her honour has been defended - but at the same time, wishes it was someone else. They walk off into the distance... 99 INT NIGHT CARTERS ROOM - (WRITING MONTAGE) CARTER is writing furiously at her computer - we see her fingers working wonders - the letters just fly up on the screen. We see her with her head in her hands, desperate for inspiration - she fans herself with a piece of paper and STECKLER watches, mesmerised by the sensuous display - and then CARTER is typing furiously once more. Photos are printed and scanned onto computer - We see the printer printing out pages of script... At last ELLEN CARTER has begun writing once more... CARTER shuffles a pile of papers - ten pages or so and looks at the cover, 'The Secret Diary of Dr Leslie Raymond Steckler - INTRODUCTION' She places them down and looks at a small black and white photo of a stern looking woman and a lost little boy - STECKLER and his MOTHER. She examines closely - almost obsessed... She places it down and begins writing, looking at the computer screen... (CONTINUED) 99 CONTINUED: CUT TO... 100 INT NIGHT FORENSIC LAB - The fingerprint computer is still checking names and prints rapidly - FOSTER sits with her feet up and drinking a cup of tea as she patiently watches... A small figure says '43% done'. 101 INT DAY LIVING ROOM - The camera is focussed once more - STECKLER sits in the familiar chair... CARTER So tell me about your MOTHER STECKLER looks up a little shocked - that one came out of the blue STECKLER My mother...? (-) I never knew my real MOTHER - I was adopted CARTER Tell me about your adopted MOTHER STECKLER is firm lipped - he doesn't want to open up CARTER I had to - I have to see the beginning - (Firmly) now tell me about your MOTHER He doesn't answer for a long time - STECKLER My MOTHER didn't love me - she never loved me - when I was fourteen I had a pet rabbit - and I killed it, just to see what my mother would do... She bought me a goldfish and told me to stop crying. Two days later she died in the accident CARTER is obviously shocked by this... There is a long pause. STECKLER You think I killed my MOTHER don't you? CARTER Did you? (CONTINUED) 101 CONTINUED: STECKLER My ADOPTED MOTHER - Whose house was so cold I could see my breath in front of my face, whose furniture was so valuable, no-one could sit on it, whose ornaments so rare, I couldn't have school friends round...My mother, who locked me in the attic when I was naughty, who drove her husband to the grave, who brought lovers home for weekends in the country - she was filth - Is that what you want me to say... That I pushed her off the boat when she drowned, who wouldn't throw her a life buoy? Is that what you want me to say? Is IT? STECKLER pauses for a long second - CARTER, moved by STECKLER torrential confession... STECKLER (Calmer) No...I didn't do it...I wish I had but I didn't. I was beaten to it. STEPHANIE became my mother. CARTER STEPHANIE? STECKLER My sister - My ADOPTED SISTER - CARTER Did STEPHANIE kill your MOTHER? STECKLER STEPHANIE loved me - she got some insurance money and took legal custody of me - she was just old enough. We had a ball for years - we could do anything, anywhere, anyhow...And we did...We would play games - she would be the executioner and I would be the convict - She would strap me into the arm chair and pretend to electrocute me... STECKLER drops off into silence (CONTINUED) 101 CONTINUED (2): CARTER What was your relationship with STEPHANIE? STECKLER (Quietly) It was wrong - all my life I have been cheated - cheated of anything good - I shouldn't have been born - I was a mistake - my natural mother was a whore - that makes me... STECKLER is beginning to crack up. STECKLER I want it to stop - it all to stop... CARTER Then make it stop... STECKLER looks up at CARTER - he believes in her... 102 INT DAY LIVING ROOM - STECKLER sits at a table near the window, reading the book silently. CARTER sits nearby - nervous as hell. STECKLER turns the page. It's just too intense for CARTER - she gets up and goes to the kitchen. 103 INT DAY KITCHEN - CARTER fills the kettle up and reaches for the sugar. She glances over her shoulder - STECKLER is still sat reading. Slowly she opens the sugar bowl - it is empty. For a moment she deliberates what to do - before reaching under the sink, to a remote spot, and retrieving the ANT POISON. At all time she nervously switches between what she is doing and where STECKLER is - her heart pounds as she fills the bowl up with sugar - and then mixes in the ant poison. She glances over her shoulder - STECKLER is stood only two feet away - CARTER jumps - STECKLER holds up the book STECKLER I need to talk to you... Unseen, CARTER manages to slip the ANT POISON into a drawer behind her. 104 INT DAY LIVING ROOM - CARTER and STECKLER sit down, CARTER taking care of making the tea. STECKLER looks a different man - the intensity and lines from his forehead gone. He slumps in the chair rather than sits in an angular position... The two look at each other for a long time before curiosity gets the better of CARTER... CARTER What? STECKLER I know this sounds insane ELLEN, but... Telling you all of this, writing the book... It feels good. Don't get me wrong - I feel like a weight is being lifted from my shoulders... When I tell you what I have done - I can't believe it is me...Yet I know it was. This is like a purging for me... CARTER Psychiatrists would say that you are confronting your demons STECKLER Demons... This wouldn't have been possible without you... You have given me incentive ELLEN - I can see clearer now... CARTER looks at STECKLER slightly differently - as a doctor would at a condemned patient who is showing miraculous signs of recovery. STECKLER sits up and puts sugar into his tea - CARTER watches - a mass of confused emotions. STECKLER What's wrong? CARTER Nothing could be better... STECKLER takes a sip of his tea - it's sweet... STECKLER I really must cut down on sugar - it'll be the death of me... 105 EXT DAY STECKLERS SURGERY - It is a brisk winters day. The street is busy, the road packed with traffic. The figure of a biker hurtles between the cars, expertly weaving through them. It is MIK wearing her usual hip biker kit, but with a tight white top... She pulls up in front of the DENTISTS, grapples in her bag and retrieves a parcel. She looks up, checking the address - then smiles... 106 INT DAY BUILDING FOYER - She enters the building, resting her bike up against the wall inside before running up the stairs. 107 INT DAY DENTIST FOYER - MIK swaggers in and leans on the desk. The secretary is there. MIK Is DR. STECKLER here? 108 INT DAY HALLWAY - MIK is leaning up against the wall when a door opens up at the end of the corridor. STECKLER walks out, his hands filled with bizarre instruments... STECKLER I thought it was you - how are you? MIK I'm good - I was just making a delivery near here, so I thought I would see if you were about... STECKLER Yes, come on in... There is a sudden whine of a dentists drill... MIK No, I can't I've got a million things to deliver. I just wanted to say thank you for the other night - I know it all got a little out of hand... MIK suddenly feels very awkward... MIK Anyway - look, I have moved in with DEKLAN now - it's a nice flat in a shitty area - (Sarcastically) but hey, Its home! 108 CONTINUED: STECKLER That's good MIK I'd really like it if you would come round some time - Then I could cook you a meal - what do you say... STECKLER Yes, that would be nice - I'll call round some time... MIK smiles... MIK Good - I've got to dash - (cautiously) Say that I said hello to ELLEN for me would you... STECKLER Yes - of course. MIK gives one last smile and turns to leave... STECKLER does not move and watches her as she leaves the building. 109 INT DAY BUILDING FOYER - MIK bounces down the stairs, grabs her bike and exits. As she does so, she brushes up against someone entering... INSPECTOR TAYLOR looks up the stairs and begins his ascent... 110 INT DAY DENTAL SURGERY - STECKLER is in his surgery with JANET examining X RAYS of teeth - The door opens and INSPECTOR pops his head in... TAYLOR Dr STECKLER? STECKLER Yes...? TAYLOR INSPECTOR DAVE TAYLOR - Scotland yard (Produces ID)...Can I have a word? STECKLER turns to JANET - but she is quicker... (CONTINUED) 110 CONTINUED: JANET I'll be outside. She exits... STECKLER How can I help SCOTLAND YARD then? STECKLER busies himself by washing his hands and sterilising his instruments as TAYLOR talks... STECKLER I believe you live with a MRS ELLEN CARTER... STECKLER MRS? I thought her husband was dead TAYLOR'S eyebrow raises and he moves into the room... TAYLOR Dead? STECKLER Or was it, she wished he was dead - that's it - I believe he left the country with another woman - all rather sordid. TAYLOR So she didn't mention anything more about it? STECKLER No - she isn't in any trouble is she? TAYLOR Oh no sir - just making some enquiries...Just tell her that INSPECTOR TAYLOR called on you - she'll understand STECKLER I'll be sure to... TAYLOR turns to exit...then stops and turns TAYLOR Listen - whilst I'm here, I've been having some problems with my back teeth - you couldn't just take a look, see if I need anything doing? 110 CONTINUED (2): STECKLER I shouldn't really - I'm not your surgeon... TAYLOR Who said anything about surgery...It'll only take a moment. STECKLER thinks to himself. STECKLER OK - just hop up... TAYLOR grins and climbs onto the dentists chair leaning back. STECKLER moves behind him. He takes TAYLOR'S head and moves his head right back, exposing his throat and mouth. STECKLER Now open wide... STECKLER looks down at his tray of weapons - a scalpel glistens at him... For a moment his hand hovers before he takes a probe and mirror. He inserts them in TAYLOR'S mouth and conducts his examination. STECKLER Mmm yes - there is a cavity here... Just tell me if this hurts... Without any more warning, STECKLER jabs very hard on TAYLOR'S tooth... TAYLOR jumps and cries out in pain. STECKLER retracts his instruments and TAYLOR closes his mouth... TAYLOR Bloody hell! Now I remember why I didn't want to go to the dentist... He clambers from the chair...holding his mouth... STECKLER You really should have that filled... Once more, the painful sound of the drill from the surgery next door screams through... TAYLOR Thanks for your time - DR STECKLER... (CONTINUED) 110 CONTINUED (3): He turns on his heel and exits, nursing a very numb and sore mouth. STECKLER smiles to himself - serves him right. 111 EXT NIGHT STAIRWAY - Once more, STECKLER is locking up his surgery. He descends the iron fire escape and into the alley way 112 EXT NIGHT SHOP FRONT - STECKLERS eyes find a way to the shop front and the collection of the shop dummies - especially the one wearing the white dress... STECKLER hears a noise behind himself... 113 EXT NIGHT ALLEYWAY - Once more the STREET PUNK is hassling a girl - STECKLER walks briskly up... The STREET PUNK has a knife in his left hand, his right bandaged - he demands her purse - but she won't give. Viscously he lashes out with the blade cutting the woman's leg - she shrieks out in pain before relinquishing her purse. The punk picks it up just as STECKLER moves out of the shadows - The PUNK turns round brandishing his blade... STREET PUNK You got a prob...? STECKLER steps out of the shadows. The PUNK's face drops - without warning he spins on his heel and runs for his life... STECKLER smiles - amused by him. He turns his attention to the girl on the floor. STECKLER turns to the woman who is lying amongst some old card boxes, blood seeping out over her clothes from the cut on her leg... She looks up at STECKLER as though he were Lancelot... STECKLER I'm a doctor - my surgery is just around the corner 114 INT DAY STECKLERS SURGERY - The door opens into darkness as STECKLER helps the girl (MARY) in. An alarm beeper sounds. He flicks on the lights and the flourescents illuminate a cold and clinical room - a modern torture chamber for some. 114 CONTINUED: STECKLER I'll just turn off the ALARM STECKLER disappears off around the corner and down a hallway, pulling keys from his pocket. MARY limps into the room - her eyes fixed on an array of tools, probes, scalpels - all bright silver and VERY nasty... The alarm sound stops... There is a distant crash of something falling to the floor... Silence... MARY Hello?! Silence... MARY (getting nervous) Hello?! Suddenly, STECKLER appears behind her, putting his hand on her shoulder - She jumps a little... STECKLER Sorry about that - lets get you up here... He helps her onto the chair. Blood freely seeps from a wound on her upper thigh. MARY I don't know how to thank you - I think he was going to rape or kill me STECKLER If I were you, I'd stick to daylight and wide open spaces from now on - lets get this off. STECKLER helps the woman remove her jogging trousers. She winces and groans as he does so. STECKLER inspects the wound... STECKLER It's not bad - it looks a lot worse than it is... You probably won't need stitches (CONTINUED) 114 CONTINUED (2): He takes a swab and wipes away the blood. The wound can clearly be seen and it looks pitifully small. MARY Is that it? Some war wound that turned out to be STECKLER laughs... He takes a swab and makes her hold it on the wound. STECKLER This will stop it making too much of a mess MARY I'm terribly sorry... STECKLER Don't mention it... His eyes wander up her leg - to her pants - white and very skimpy... He takes an involuntary deep breath. Her rather unflattering position, one leg on and one leg off the chair strikes a sexual image that runs shivers down STECKLERS spine... STECKLER I'll call a taxi and make some tea while you wait. 115 INT NIGHT UTILITY ROOM - STECKLER stands in a plume of wild steam from the kettle spout. His eyes fixed and unmoving on his tool box - a hammer sits atop. 116 INT NIGHT SURGERY - STECKLER enters with a tray and one cup of tea. He places it on the steel table next to the chair and the woman who has now covered herself up She looks up from her bloody wound and smiles MARY Thank you - but don't you want a cup? For a long time, STECKLER hovers behind her - not saying anything. (CONTINUED) 116 CONTINUED: STECKLER No, I'm not thirsty thank you. I called a taxi - they are very good here - he should be here very... There is a beep beep outside. Both MARY and STECKLER smile at the timing. She stands MARY That's not too bad - She turns to STECKLER... MARY I don't know how to thank you - you have been so kind - if only more people in the world could be more like you... She moves closer and lightly kisses him on the cheek...She extends her hand. MARY I'm MARY STANLEY - nice to meet you STECKLER (Smiles) LESLIE STECKLER... She turns and exits the surgery. 117 EXT/INT NIGHT STREET/SURGERY - MARY climbs into the taxi and waves as it pulls away. STECKLER returns the wave. He turns and walks over to his chair and lies back in it - a little like a psychiatrists chair. He sips her tea. Slowly he raises his arm up - he is holding the hammer. He rests it on his chest. FADE TO BLACK 118 EXT DAY SHOP FRONT - We see the shop front. Slowly we move into the window which has the three dummies display. The centre dummy which was wearing the white dress is being undressed by a shop assistant. 119 INT NIGHT LIVING ROOM - Cut to a huge close up of the TV screen. STECKLER cannot speak - something holds him back - we move from the camera to him - 119 CONTINUED: STECKLER Turn it off - I can't handle that thing anymore CARTER turns off the machine - she senses something is different - STECKLER moves forward, craving human intimacy... CARTER What's wrong? STECKLER I am ashamed of what I have done ELLEN. When I read what you had written it made me think - look into myself - I haven't dared look into myself for a long time - I have stopped ELLEN, I can't carry on - I won't carry on. All I want is to start a new life - I want a second chance...You are good to me - you don't condescend, you're intelligent, and very beautiful... CARTER listens on - not moving at all... STECKLER You don't disappoint or let me down ELLEN. I want the woman who helped me put the past behind me by my side - if she will have me for the short time I have left. CARTER sits silent and dumfounded. STECKLER produces a large box, gift wrapped. He passes it to CARTER - CARTER What is it? STECKLER Open it... With trepidation CARTER opens the box. She discovers the white dress from the shop window, beautifully folded, with a pair of matching shoes... CARTER You want me to wear this for you? (CONTINUED) 119 CONTINUED (2): STECKLER Yes... CARTER You want me to wear white for you? You must be madder than I thought... STECKLER But ELLEN, I told you I have stopped... CARTER But for how long - what will set you off again? You'll be walking down the street and some girl will be wearing a white hat - and that will be it - back on the merry go round... CARTER stands - completely engulfed in disbelief and anger... CARTER You can't just flush your past down the toilet of life - you want a second chance - what about the girls you killed - did they have a second chance - No - because you killed them. And I'm good to you - I don't condescend, and don't let you down. You know why LESLIE - because you've got me by the short and curlies - I don't have a choice, either I go to jail or to the grave! In answer to your question LESLIE - No I won't have you. Never. She picks up the package and tosses it back to STECKLER. The contents spill out all over the floor. CARTER storms out to the kitchen. STECKLER slowly retrieves all his gifts, replacing them in the box - he is deeply hurt. 120 INT NIGHT KITCHEN - CARTER is shaking - she quickly lights a cigarette to calm her. STECKLER walks out of the LIVING ROOM and collects his jacket from behind the door.... (CONTINUED) 120 CONTINUED: Suddenly hit by doubt and worry, CARTER turns to him as he exits... CARTER Where are you going? STECKLER Out - I may be some time STECKLER leaves... CARTER Wait LESLIE...I...I... 121 INT NIGHT CARTERS BEDROOM - CARTER is sat at her desk flipping through notes. A huge pile is stacked by her, the word RESEARCH scribbled across it - and a bottle of vodka to it's side. She sits back, reading a photocopy of a newspaper article titled, "WHAT EVER HAPPENED TO THE MODERN SERIAL KILLER". She looks at the photos of modern mass murderers - sketches of others. One in particular grabs her eye... The inscription below reads "The French 'Hillside Slasher' CARTERS eyes wander down the article... CARTERS VOICE "...and what of those killers which stopped? there have been many documented serial killers who merely ended their reign of terror - Jack The Ripper being one of the most sensational. Others the French Hillside Slasher - took nineteen lives then mysteriously stopped. What happened to him - did he die, was he arrested and jailed for other charges, did he leave the country - or was his carnal need fulfilled - his anger discharged? Only he will ever know..." CARTER looks up from her article thinking. 122 INT NIGHT HALLWAY - The front door slams and STECKLER briskly walks into the kitchen, pausing only to hang his jacket up. CARTER walks down the stairs. 123 INT KITCHEN NIGHT - STECKLER is washing his hands in the kitchen sink when CARTER enters from behind. She leans up against the door frame - pausing for the right moment to speak. STECKLER We've got nothing to talk about CARTER LESLIE I'm sorry - I - I didn't know what to think STECKLER turns round STECKLER I thought we had a relationship built on trust - and you just slap me in the face... CARTER (Long pause) I am sorry... There is a long pause as STECKLER shuffles his feet, looking at the floor like a little lost boy. CARTER LESLIE? (He looks up) Is that good enough? STECKLER Yes - I suppose so... The tension breaks CARTER It's late and I've had too much to drink. I can't think straight now - we'll talk about it in the morning... CARTER turns and walks out... STECKLER ELLEN... CARTER turns back STECKLER I have stopped - you must believe me A smile breaks out on CARTERS face (CONTINUED) 123 CONTINUED: CARTER Yes - I believe I do... She turns and walks back out ... STECKLER watches - his face shows long furrowed lines of familiar stress... 124 INT NIGHT HALLWAY - CARTER walks into the hallway and is about to walk upstairs when she spots STECKLERS jacket crumpled on the floor - it must have fallen from the hook. She leans over to pick it up - but as she does so, she notices something on the floor underneath. She leans over and picks up a pair of biker glasses, cracked...They are MIK's glasses! CARTER RUMMAGES in STECKLERS pocket and withdraws a handkerchief - covered in blood. CARTERS eyes widen in horror - she was so close to believing it all - and she would have probably been persuaded to wear the dress... And what would have happened to her? STECKLER shuffles about in the kitchen before walking into the LIVING ROOM - the TV turns on. She places the coat back on the hook - a panic running through her. What can she do? She regains her composure. Slowly she moves over to the telephone and gently picks up the receiver. She keeps her eye on the LIVING ROOM door at all times - not daring to breathe. She flips open her address book and looks up the name DEKLAN. Sure enough it is there with MIK's Fella scrawled after it. She dials the number and waits for it to ring, and ring, and ring - but no-one answers. CARTER holds the phone to her chest - she was nearly so very wrong... 125 INT NIGHT CARTERS BEDROOM - CARTER lies asleep in her bed - the moonlight picking out the curves of her body. She is sweaty and looks like she has been very restless... (CONTINUED) 125 CONTINUED: There is a quiet picking at the door before it silently swings open. STECKLER is stood there in his vest and trousers. He steps into the moonlight, his eyes black... He leans close to CARTER, caressing her body - an inch above her skin. He knows he cannot touch her though. As silently as he had entered, he leaves. As the door clicks shut, CARTERS eyes flicker open - there is a loud click from near her head as we see her gun which she grips firmly under her pillow. She sits up, looking round. She clambers out of the bed and slips on her jeans and a jumper. She jams her gun into her belt, grabs a jacket and opens the window. Slowly she climbs out, slipping and sliding, but just managing to hold on. She clambers down the drain pipe and is on ground level in a flash. 126 EXT NIGHT TOWER BLOCK - The night is cold - the streets deserted. CARTER appears outside a huge block of flats - an urban monstrosity. She checks a piece of paper and looks upwards at them. 127 EXT NIGHT CORRIDOR - CARTER walks along an external corridor, looking for flat number 80... She finds it. On the door the sign "MIK and DEKLAN" is written in colorful lettering. CARTER knocks on the door, but as expected there is no answer. She takes a torch from her back pocket and shines it in through the letter box, trying to see in. She looks through a small window at the side of the door. She can't see much, just a table overturned. But it's enough... She looks round and finds a brick. She heaves it and crashes it through the window. She leans her arm in and unlatches the door from the inside. 128 INT NIGHT MIK and DEKLAN'S FLAT - CARTER shuts the door behind her and switches on the lights. She walks past a photo of HERSELF and MIK taken last year - the TV still buzzes silently. As she had seen, a table is overturned...And a chair. (CONTINUED) 128 CONTINUED: She moves further into the room - suddenly she sees it, her hand involuntarily clasping her mouth. A large pool of blood stains the light carpet - an electric knife lying at its side, dried blood dulls it's blade. 129 EXT NIGHT GARDEN - STECKLER is stood in the garden, a fire raging before him. At his feet is a box filled with press clippings, articles, paper...And video tapes, computer disks. He picks up the fist lot - a computer disk titled, 'Introduction'...He tosses it on the fire. He takes the pages of ELLEN'S book, looks at them before sending them on their way. He watches the flames as he pulls the tape from video cassettes - eventually sending them to the conflagration... 130 INT NIGHT HALLWAY - CARTER silently lets herself back in at 66 ACACIA AVENUE. Slowly she moves through the house and to the stairs when she notices a slight flickering on the walls of the room. She moves over to the window to take a look out back... To her horror she sees STECKLER filling in a hole in the garden. He digs hard with his spade and his job is almost done. A small fire flickers and STECKLER goes over to it, dropping some paper onto it. Suddenly he turns and walks straight for the house and the doorway. CARTER panics, not knowing what to do. She looks round for somewhere to hide - STECKLER is still advancing... And it is too late, the door opens and STECKLER enters with the spade in his hand. He closes the door behind himself - CARTER is nowhere to be seen. STECKLER places the spade down and opens the fridge, taking out a bottle of milk. The light illuminates the area - AND CARTER, who is hiding close up to a cupboard - her eyes are wide as she is frozen to the spot. STECKLER closes the fridge door and slowly exits, walking up the stairs... (CONTINUED) 130 CONTINUED: CARTER takes a silent, but deep breath... 131 EXT DAY STREET - CARTER, dressed in jeans and a jacket walks determinedly down a street, packed with people. There is a resolution about herself... 132 EXT DAY PUBLIC LOOS - CARTER enters some public loos 133 INT DAY LOO'S - CARTER enters one of the little cubicles. Once inside she begins to strip off - and changes into a bright and skimpy dress with black tights, stilettoes. She dons heavy make-up and wears a pair of brightly coloured glasses. She looks VERY GIRLIE. Satisfied, she picks up her bag and exits. 134 EXT DAY BANK - CARTER arrives in her 'costume' outside the bank. She checks a piece of paper - a bank statement with a curious logo (The same one that she found in STECKLER'S box). She enters. 135 INT DAY BANK MANAGERS OFFICE - CARTER sits before the bank manager. CARTER You see, I am writing this article for CHIC MAGAZINE MANAGER (never heard of it) CHIC MAGAZINE? CARTER Yes - it's about bank safety deposit boxes - I wonder if you might just explain how they work - and maybe even show me round. The MANAGER smiles nervously - she is a good looking girl... He takes off his glasses and pockets them... MANAGER Well MISS TANDY - It's not our policy to show people round - but if you were a potential client - that would be a different matter... (CONTINUED) 135 CONTINUED: CARTER When could I look round? MANAGER Well, if you could come sometime just before we close, then I could show you everything and (Going for it) then we could go for a drink to discuss the finer points... CARTER pauses for a moment - her face expressionless... The MANAGERS smile begins to fade when suddenly CARTER smiles broadly... CARTER That's very kind of you MR GRIFFITHS...? MANAGER BRIAN... CARTER But - If you could show me round now - and I'll meet you later? The MANAGER is about to object when CARTER crosses her legs - exposing a tantalising bit of thigh - the MANAGER is caught, hook line and sinker... 136 INT DAY VAULT - CARTER and he stand in the vault, a vast array of safety deposit boxes reach high up above. MANAGER This is our demonstration box He smiles confidently as if he were demonstrating something really cool and hip... MANAGER And these are the keys - one for you - and one for me He passes CARTER one. MANAGER We insert together - and out it comes They both laugh as the box comes out of the wall - she's fully aware of his game and playing along with it. 137 INT DAY VIEWING ROOM - The MANAGER and CARTER step into a cramped viewing room with a small table... CARTER And this is where the client can view their contents in private... She brushes lightly over the MANAGER CARTER Its cramped in here isn't it BRIAN MANAGER (Clears throat) Yes it is... CARTER Tell me BRIAN, what would happen if the client lost the key? MANAGER Then we would have to call in our locksmith to break the lock CARTER So there is only one key... MANAGER That's right... CARTER And it can't be forged? MANAGER I didn't say that - I'm sure it could be, but our clients must sign in first, checking signatures, and a photo ident - we had a nasty theft two years ago and we've been very strict since then. The MANAGER is obviously getting rather aroused - he glances at his watch...CARTER is distant and in serious thought MANAGER I could get my secretary to cover for me this afternoon - If you want to go someplace now - it would save you coming back CARTER resumes her act... (CONTINUED) 137 CONTINUED: CARTER Yes, I'm sure you could - but I can't risk you loosing your job MANAGER No -it's no problem - I do it all the time CARTER All the time? MANAGER No - not all the time - I mean CARTER I know what you mean - I'll meet you at VINNIES WINE BAR at six if you like. And don't make any plans for this evening... The manager is speechless... 138 EXT DAY BANK - CARTER walks out of the bank. The MANAGER stands in the doorway like a blood hound waiting for it's mistress to return. CARTER hurriedly disappears around the corner. 139 EXT DAY 66 ACACIA AVENUE - CARTER runs along the street, changed back into her jeans and jacket. She runs up the drive to the front door. 140 INT DAY LIVING ROOM - CARTER walks into the LIVING ROOM and stops dead in her tracks... STECKLER is having a cup of tea with INSPECTOR TAYLOR! TAYLOR Hello ELLEN - looks like your doin' some more interior decorating! STECKLER passes the cup of tea to TAYLOR STECKLER Sugar? TAYLOR Yes - one please. (CONTINUED) 140 CONTINUED: CARTER can do nothing but watch as STECKLER takes a teaspoonful of sugar (And arsenic) and dunk it into TAYLOR'S cup. STECKLER ELLEN, would you like a cup - there's plenty in the pot CARTER No thanks - (looking at TAYLOR) CARTER is confused and worried - why is he here? What has STECKLER told him? STECKLER INSPECTOR TAYLOR has told me that you are connected with that killer - the WHITE GHOST... STECKLER gives CARTER a funny look as TAYLOR isn't looking TAYLOR (Correcting) ANGEL... STECKLER Yes, sorry - He's here to make sure that you are alright CARTER (Calmly) I know why he's here For the briefest moment, CARTER looks like she is going to spill the beans to TAYLOR - STECKLER shuffles nervously on the spot TAYLOR I'd watch her mate - she has thing for men - they disappear near her. CARTER I think you had better leave STECKLER First finish your tea... CARTER He doesn't need to... TAYLOR (To STECKLER) Do you think she doesn't like me (CONTINUED) TAYLOR gulps down his tea - CARTER sighs resignedly. TAYLOR begins to walk out... TAYLOR If you need me, you know where I am... TAYLOR closes the door behind himself... CARTER turns to STECKLER. CARTER You like playing with fire don't you STECKLER passes CARTER a cup of tea - habitually she takes it. CARTER Why did you let him in? STECKLER What was I supposed to do? CARTER takes his point - she takes a sip of her tea. He turns his back to her - obviously examining something STECKLER It's got sugar in - you don't mind? CARTER freezes CARTER I don't like sugar STECKLER There isn't that much - you didn't even taste it - What's wrong - don't you like my tea? CARTER It's not that - I just don't want any sugar STECKLER Why whats wrong with the sugar - STECKLER turns round - the tin of ant poison in his hand - he reads the ingredients as if were a cake mix - STECKLER 42% pentathanol, 31% crysonal and 8.5% Arsenic... This was really very crude ELLEN - I tasted it straight away - I'm very familiar with arsenic - small doses over a long period of time mount up and eventually incapacitate the victim - Why did you want to incapacitate me ELLEN? 140 CONTINUED (3): STECKLER (CONT'D) (Shouting) WHY!!! CARTER jumps at STECKLER'S violent outburst... CARTER I haven't been using it recently LESLIE STECKLER CRAP! - I wish I had taken a photo of your face when I gave some to that DETECTIVE - What's wrong ELLEN - you look pale - maybe you have been eating the wrong kind of foods lately - it could be food poisoning? CARTER suddenly feels sweaty and sickened - she involuntarily takes a deep breath, holding her throat... STECKLER lurches for CARTER grabbing her by the throat and holding her hard... STECKLER I thought you believed me! Oh don't worry ELLEN, I poured the Ant poison down the drain - I just wanted you to know what it felt like when I found out - unpleasant isn't it? CARTER RUMMAGES in her bag, pulling out her kitchen knife she has kept with her.... She is absolutely bubbling with anger - but she channels. She holds the knife to STECKLER'S throat - STECKLER loosens his grip on CARTER - she looks real mad - almost insane... CARTER (Whispering) I could kill you now - no-one would ever know - I would have won already - unpleasant isn't it... CARTER breaks away - the tension leaving - she drops the knife to the floor. STECKLER is shaking now - but he still manages a defiant remark... (CONTINUED) 140 CONTINUED (4): STECKLER You couldn't do it - It's not because you can't kill - it's the not knowing - if the bank would send my package - what would you do when the police come knocking... CARTER turns on the spot - CARTER Don't be so sure... CARTER exits... STECKLER calling out behind her - suddenly unsure of his position... STECKLER (Turns and steps forward) I love you ELLEN, I would never hurt you. 141 INT NIGHT FORENSIC LAB - The computer is still ticking down - like a time bomb... The screen reads '67% done'. 142 INT MORNING HALLWAY - CARTER exits her bedroom and walks to the bathroom. She is a mess, her hair unkempt - she looks like she has been driven over by a bus. The sound of STECKLER having a shower can be heard. She walks past the bathroom, glancing at it. The door is slightly open. She spots STECKLER stood behind the curtain - showering. Then she spots it - her last chance for salvation. The key - the bank key! It's hanging from the razor light of the wall. 143 INT DAY CARTERS BEDROOM - CARTER enters her bedroom and closes the door behind her. She rummages on top of her cabinet and finds what she is looking for - an tiny, odd looking metal case which opens up to reveal two slabs of putty She turns round and throws off her robe and crumpled bed shirt - She RUMMAGES through her drawers - her hand hovers over a white shirt before she decides for a striped shirt - light in colour, but not white. She slips it on - it is very tight and low cut - sexy but not too provocative. She puts her robe back on and pauses for a beat - she takes a long hard breath... 144 INT DAY BATHROOM - CARTER enters the bathroom - she stops dead in her tracks, surprised. STECKLER stands in the shower - totally naked. CARTER Oh - I'm sorry - I didn't realise you were... CARTER involuntarily glances at the key - STECKLER is frozen to the spot... CARTER turns to exit - but stops... CARTER LESLIE - About you and me - I've been thinking about what you said... She turns back to STECKLER - he is still rooted to the spot. She advances on him...Her bath robe loosened provocatively... Still STECKLER does not move - CARTER Maybe I have been fooling myself - I really don't know... She waits for a reply - but none comes - STECKLER still silent in the shower, water splashing off his face... He is like a teenager on a first date - and its getting hot and heavy way too fast... CARTER realises she is going to have to take the lead - She takes another step forward, loosening her robe until it drops to the floor - her long slender legs are completely exposed, STECKLER glances down. CARTER smiles as she lifts her arm up to touch STECKLER'S face - he winces as she does so, but CARTERs touch is soothing... CARTER What do you say... CARTER glances at the key - it is directly adjacent - somehow she is going to have to get his back turned to the key... In her left hand the small metallic case nestles unseen. CARTER steps into the bath tub - into the shower. STECKLER is wide eyed - he hesitates before kissing her - it is awkward and rather unimpassioned... STECKLER draws back, looking at CARTER - she smiles at him. He moves to kiss her again, but CARTER diverts his kiss to her neck... SUDDENLY, STECKLER gives in, he begins kissing and licking her neck passionately... 144 CONTINUED: CARTER reaches out for the key - but can't quiet reach - she pushes her body up against him, so as to get closer to the key... Her hands reach out further and she clasps the chain... Quickly she opens up the case and makes two impressions of the key in the putty - water splashes everywhere as STECKLER becomes more aroused. Slowly CARTER closes the case and slips it in between a plant pot and the wall on a shelf. She reaches out with the key - she is just about to replace it when STECKLER pushes her backwards, looking her in the eye - he kisses her passionately on the mouth and she has no choice but to give in. Slowly she tries to edge her way back, STECKLER'S hands all over her body, her back... Her breasts... Her shirt clings to her soaked body as STECKLER moves down on her...Kissing her tummy, his hands caressing her rear... She reaches harder - but still cannot get the key to its hook... STECKLER'S hands move up CARTERs inner thigh - higher - higher - her eyes widen as she makes a herculean effort - and gets the key on it's hook... Instantly she moves back - anxious not to look too obvious, yet trying to get him off her as quick as she can. She takes his hands, kissing them - he forces to her breast, but slowly she pulls away, smiling to him... She steps from the shower... STECKLER is absolutely dumbstruck - STECKLER whats wrong...what have I done wrong? CARTER Nothing LESLIE - I just think we should wait... STECKLER (Exploding) WAIT FOR WHAT!? CARTER jumps at STECKLER'S outburst... STECKLER WHAT DO YOU WANT!? IT'S NOT FAIR!! CARTER is obviously scared - but she tries her best... (CONTINUED) 144 CONTINUED (2): CARTER LESLIE?! that's not the way grown adults act - She steps forward - she takes a towel and dries him... CARTER they understand each other - the time isn't right - tonight will be right - I have some woman things to take care of before we do anything. STECKLER looks confused... CARTER Tonight will be the night - (Mothering) Now get dressed and get off to work STECKLER obeys and begins drying himself off... CARTER exits. STECKLER stands in the shower for a moment before climbing out and grasping his key, putting it round his neck. He looks at the steamed up mirror and wipes a tiny bit away - he looks at his reflection. 145 EXT DAY 66 ACACIA AVENUE - CARTER stands at the front door as STECKLER leaves, pulling out of the drive... She smiles and waves goodbye - he waves back... And then he is gone down the street. CARTERS smile soon disappears... 146 INT DAY HALLWAY/BATHROOM - She enters the bathroom and snatches the key imprints from the shelf - she examines them - two perfect impressions... 147 INT DAY CARTERS ROOM/STECKLER'S ROOM - (KITTING UP MONTAGE) We see CARTER digging out old clothes, she gets a letter from STECKLER'S room and practices forging STECKLER'S wife's signature. She files down a blank key from the impression that was left in the putty, she looks at photos of STECKLER'S wife, she tries a wig on...Different clothes... 148 INT DAY LIVING ROOM/KITCHEN - (KITTING UP MONTAGE) CARTER slides a large knife down the side of the settee. She checks her gun, making sure everything works. She hides a bullet clip on top of a dresser in the living room... 149 INT DAY CARTERS ROOM - (KITTING UP MONTAGE) CARTER puts heavy make-up on, looking at a photo of STECKLER and his wife. She changes into clothes which look similar and puts the wig on. Finally, she puts a pair of dark sunglasses on... 150 EXT DAY 66 ACACIA AVENUE - For all intents and purpose, MRS L STECKLER leaves the house... 151 EXT DAY BANK - CARTER appears outside the bank - takes a deep breath and walks in. 152 INT DAY BANK FOYER - Once inside the bank, CARTER is plunged into a tunnel. Her heart pounds, everyone moves in slow motion, there is silence aside from the pounding of her heart and her own heavy footsteps. She sees guards which she didn't see last time. Everyone is looking at her - or are they? Slowly she walks toward the counter and the TELLER GIRL. TELLER GIRL May I help you? CARTER does not answer - she is fighting the urge to turn and leave now. TELLER GIRL May I help you? CARTER speaks up, in a perfect English voice... CARTER (Producing key) Yes, I would like to open my safety deposit box please. My name is ANGELA STECKLER, MRS... The girl takes the key and scribbles down her name. TELLER GIRL One moment please. She disappears across the room. CARTER looks round at the bank, the doors, the cameras, the alarms... She looks over to where the girl went. To her horror, she sees her talking to the manager. The manager nods to the girl and looks over at CARTER. CARTER instantly looks away, adjusting her glasses. Maybe she should cut her losses and run. 152 CONTINUED: But it's too late - the manager is walking over. MANAGER Hello MRS STECKLER - we haven't seen you for a long time CARTER No - I've been abroad for a long time... The manager busies himself with paperwork... MANAGER There have been some changes since you were last here - we now require a signature. The manager produces a pen and form - waiting for CARTER to sign - he obviously thinks something is wrong... MANAGER I shouldn't say this - but you really remind me of someone I know CARTER Oh really - you must remember me from when I was a regular customer. MANAGER I wasn't a manager here then MRS STECKLER - don't you remember? CARTER I'm terribly sorry - I have a bad memory... CARTER takes the pen and produces a signature. MANAGER No - it's someone I met recently... The manager picks it up, smiling. He compares it with the specimen signature he has - he examines for what seems to be an age... He then checks a passport size photo against CARTER... MANAGER Could you remove your sunglasses please? (CONTINUED) 152 CONTINUED (2): Slowly, CARTER removes her sunglasses - looking him squarely in the face. The manager looks down at the photo once more... MANAGER Fine - could you follow me MRS STECKLER The MANAGER leads her round to a big steel door which he opens. CARTER realises that she is effectively walking into a prison - but she has no choice... 153 INT DAY DEPOSIT BANK - The manager takes both keys and locates the safety deposit box. He looks at CARTERS key MANAGER This must be one of the old keys - CARTER Yes - I have had it for years. The manager slots the keys into the keyhole and slowly turns. CARTERS hair is standing on end - will the key work. There is a little resistance before - CLICK... The MANAGER smiles at CARTER. 154 INT DAY VIEWING CUBICLE - CARTER puts the box on the desk in her private viewing room and eagerly opens it up. As she had hoped, there is a map, a polaroid etc inside. There are also more grisly items - small bottles with body parts embalmed in them... She empties the entire contents into her bag... 155 EXT DAY BRIDGE - CARTER walks across a bridge which spans a river. She pauses for a beat before glancing each way - its clear - she picks up two bricks, dumping them in the bag. She feels the weight before heaving it over the side and tossing it into the river ...It disappears without trace 156 INT NIGHT HALLWAY - The doorway opens and STECKLER steps in, holding a bunch of flowers and a bottle of wine... (CONTINUED) 156 CONTINUED: Confused, STECKLER tries to switch on the lights - but they don't work. He enters, light from outside lamps casting huge shadows... STECKLER ELLEN? ELLEN, I'm home... But there is no answer... Confused, he places the wine down on a table and continues into the house... STECKLER ELLEN, are you there? There is a slight noise coming from the kitchen - and light too. STECKLER heads for it. 157 INT NIGHT KITCHEN - STECKLER steps into the kitchen doorway. There is a woman with her back turned to him doing house work... Slowly, the woman turns round. STECKLER'S face is filled with fright as he sees his wife - STECKLER ANGELA? It can't be - I killed you... CARTER raises the gun, pulling the wig off Without warning, she lets fly several rounds - but the gun jams. STECKLER is hit, squarely in the shoulder, blood spraying all over the wall. He falls back into the darkness. CARTER wrestles with the gun - finally getting it to cock. She moves swiftly to the door where STECKLER'S body lay - but he is gone. Suddenly, the shadows hold more than fear - they hold steckler... As if on cue - the kitchen light goes out - CARTER is left in the darkness - her heart pounding. VOICE OF STECKLER ELLEN - Why are you trying to hurt me! Why? Have you gone mad? CARTER (Screaming) Shut up you sick fuck! She steps forward, becoming the hunter... (CONTINUED) 157 CONTINUED: STECKLER I don't want either of us to come to any harm - please... CARTER You killed my friend! CARTER suddenly sees STECKLER in the shadows - aims and fires a full clip at him... The mirror shatters - CARTER realises she was shooting at a reflection. She ejects the clip and nervously inserts the next... Her body is trembling with fear. STECKLER Please ELLEN - put the gun down... She walks down the hallway - each step feeling like a million miles. 158 INT NIGHT KITCHEN - We see a hand grip around a pair of scissors... STECKLER doesn't look too good - blood and sweat streaked. He opens a cupboard and RUMMAGES around. He finds what he needs, some pain killers. He unscrews the jar, cracking open several tablets and pouring the powder onto his hand. He rubs it into his shoulder wound - he SCREAMS OUT IN MORTAL AGONY - 159 INT NIGHT HALLWAY - CARTER spins round, pointing the gun. She is suddenly completely afraid - her breathing is laboured, if she doesn't calm down, she's going to give herself away... She waits... SIlence... Suddenly, STECKLER hurls himself from the darkness at CARTER - her gun is knocked from her hand and spins off behind her... STECKLER lands heavily on her - his eyes wild. They tumble BACKWARDS, brawling on the floor. CARTER screams out in pain as her leg doubles over, a loud cracking sound can be heard. Her hands grapple in the darkness and she finds a door stop. She grabs it, swinging it hard and hitting STECKLER on the head. STECKLER slumps backward, dazed but alive... (CONTINUED) 159 CONTINUED: CARTER drags herself back to the shadows where the gun fell. She searches for it - discovering it under a small telephone stool. She snatches it, cocking it. STECKLER looks up and sees CARTER with the gun. With incredible agility and silence, he leaps for the doorway and is back in the shadows before CARTER can aim. CARTER points the gun out - her back to the wall. For the moment she is relatively safe...But only for the moment. She bends her leg back, fighting to contain the pain. She grapples with the gun once more - it is jammed. She ejects the unspent bullet to the floor. Her clip is now empty. She ejects it and discovers the reason for the jam - the clips spring hangs out loosely... she has no bullets left! 160 INT NIGHT LIVING ROOM - CARTER crawls into the LIVING ROOM, to the cabinet on top of which she hid the last clip. She tries to climb up to reach it, but she cannot. She looks round - the settee - she plunges her arm down and retrieves the knife. She sits back to take a breath - at all times looking round. She looks into the kitchen and spots the empty clip she used earlier. She looks round at the telephone stool - and spots the unused bullet she ejected. She has an idea, 1+1=2...She slides the knife into her pocket like a sheath 161 INT NIGHT CARTERS ROOM - We see the white of CARTERS dress which STECKLER had bought for her - a droplet of blood falls onto it. We pull wider to reveal stockings, stilettoes and a hat...All neatly arranged on the bed in the form of a woman lying down. STECKLER stands above it - blood dripping down his arm which grasps a pair of scissors... 162 INT NIGHT HALLWAY - CARTER fumbles for the bullet on the floor. She grasps it and instantly begins to crawl to the kitchen - to the bullet clip and her only hope. 163 INT NIGHT CARTER ROOM - STECKLER is stood over the bed. Slowly he looks over his shoulder... 164 INT NIGHT KITCHEN - CARTER has made it to the kitchen. She rests up against the cabinet and fumbles with the clip. there is a movement in front of her - way down the hall. She sees STECKLER - the glint of scissors in his hand. His grip tightens as he begins to walk toward her... She fumbles with the bullet, getting it into the clip... But it wont go... She begins to climb to her feet.. STECKLER begins to walk faster... The bullet slips in and CARTER rams the clip into the gun, standing erect with the aid of the cabinet behind... STECKLER is getting closer and moving faster - his eyes wild CARTER racks the gun, but it jams - she looks up in horror - STECKLER is almost upon her... She racks harder...Tears of frustration and terror in her eyes. CARTER (To gun) COME ON!!! The gun goes off, hitting CARTER in her leg. A huge gout of blood spatters to the floor...She screams in pain - STECKLER in anger!!! And it is too late - STECKLER is upon her... HE crashes into her, grabbing her by the lapels and she drops the gun. He looks at her sympathetically before kissing her. CARTER offers no resistance - she is a beaten woman. STECKLER I loved you ELLEN - why did you do this? CARTER It's what you would do to me CARTER remembers the knife in her pocket. Her fingers slide around the handle and she pulls it out. She stabs STECKLER in the back, but it doesn't go in very far. STECKLER winces in pain - then smiles... STECKLER (Smiling) Pain is an illusion... (CONTINUED) 164 CONTINUED: STECKLER steps back, bringing up the scissors. CARTER sees her moment, his feet tangled in the rug below. She raises her arm - STECKLER confused. She caresses his face gently before giving him a slight push backwards. STECKLER tries to balance himself, but his feet won't let him... He begins to topple backwards, his arms flailing out for something to grab onto - but there is nothing. With gathering speed, he falls back - arcing like a huge statue... The knife still in his back impacts with the floor and is driven right though his body. STECKLER'S body twitches life ebbs away. CARTER slumps to the floor - her vision blurring. She passes out. 165 INT NIGHT HOSPITAL - CARTERs eyes flicker open. Her face has been cleaned as she rests on white hospital pillows and sheets. She looks up seeing the round examination light above - her focus clears and she frowns. She realises that she is in no hospital - she is strapped into her own living room chair which has been dragged into the kitchen. Her wound has been dressed and cleaned - but her waist, ankles and wrists are bound. And she is wearing the white dress, blood smeared and dirty now... The door swings open and STECKLER shuffles in - the image of death and evil incarnate. His face is pale, smeared with bizarre make-up, eyeshadow, blusher and mascara - an image of pathetic misguided sexuality. He is drained of blood, his shirt red and clammy. He carries a bizarre canister and some silver tools which CARTER seems to recognise. She realises that they are the dentistry tools STECKLER had in his room... CARTER writhes - but she is firmly strapped. STECKLER shuffles over, his head moving loosely on his shoulders. CARTER manages to get a finger free on her right hand...She gently works on a second... STECKLER smiles to her, his voice is deep and gurgling as his lungs have begun to fill with blood. (CONTINUED) 165 CONTINUED: STECKLER I had a look while you were asleep (Pause !) I think that I am going to have to have two root canals done... He raises his hand, the drill whirring into terrifying life!!! CARTER has to think fast...She smiles as best she can and opens her legs as much as the straps will allow... CARTER Don't you want me now LESLIE STECKLER No - I'll have you after STECKLER steps forward - CARTER violently writhing and trying to get free - she manages another finger... STECKLER produces another strap which he uses to hold down her head... STECKLER leans forward, bringing the drill up close... STECKLER Open wide... But CARTER won't open her mouth. STECKLER doesn't bother, he rams the drill into her lips... CARTER screams out in pain as STECKLER inserts the drill into her mouth. Blood spurts as she violently battles to get free... STECKLER withdraws... He begins to change the drill bit - to a miniature rotary saw blade... STECKLER This one is used for cutting through tooth and bone... He turns, the blade whirring. CARTER manages to get her arm free and punches STECKLER in the bullet wound. He screams out, recoiling and dropping his whirring drill. It lands on CARTER and dances around like a man snake... CARTER grabs it and cuts her other arm free - then her legs. But STECKLER is soon back, grabbing her around the throat - CARTER topples him over and he lands on the chair - the whirring drill between them. CARTER is stronger and the tip of the blade begins to cut into STECKLER'S nose, a fine spray of crimson spattering STECKLER'S face. (CONTINUED) 165 CONTINUED (2): STECKLER manages an enormous push, throwing CARTER to the floor, dazing her... He turns round and reaches behind the chair. He produces a large axe, brandishing it maniacally - STECKLER I always wanted to do it this way... He raises the AXE high above CARTER. The house begins to rumble as a jet climbs overhead. For a moment, STECKLER is distracted. CARTER spots the spade which STECKLER had buried his victims in the garden with. She leaps for it, grabbing it and swinging it. STECKLER'S eyes widen... The spade impacts with STECKLER'S head - his head separates from his body, spinning through infinity... 166 INT DAY LIVING ROOM - CARTER has bandaged herself up and fashioned a makeshift splint for her leg. She is bricking up the hole in her LIVING ROOM wall - STECKLER'S corpse is dumped unceremoniously in it... She pushes the last brick into place... The doorbell rings... 167 INT/EXT DAY HALLWAY - CARTER opens the front door after covering herself and her leg with a bathrobe. Her eyes widen - It is MIK dressed in black with dark glasses - She holds out a bunch of flowers... MIK These are for LESLIE... CARTER seems a little faint... 168 INT DAY LIVING ROOM - CARTER is lowered into a chair by MIK - CARTER holds her head, she feels dizzy... (CONTINUED) 168 CONTINUED: MIK What happened? CARTER I had an accident - I fell down stairs... MIK Is LESLIE here? CARTER No he had to - he's just - he's out... MIK He saved my life you know - has he told you... CARTER wants to say WHAT!?, but she's just too tired... MIK I cut myself with our electric knife - and if LESLIE hadn't been there, I would have probably bled to death - he stopped the bleeding and got me to the hospital - the doctor said ten minutes later and I would have been a stiff CARTER begins to look more distant - her eyes wandering over to the bricked up wall... MIK I'd appreciate it if he got the flowers - you know - to make matters worse, some bastard broke into our flat the other day - the police came round to fingerprint it - they said if they're on record - they'll catch them... MIK continues talking about her inane life - CARTERs eyes, glazed, wander over to the window - MIK's voice tails off to a non existent echo... 169 INT DAY 66 ACACIA AVENUE - Slowly we move backwards - CARTER sits looking out of the window... We track back, through her back garden. It is very pretty, very normal. A small dog hurriedly digs at something in the rose patch...A hand and a foot can be seen - and the puffed up, half rotted face of the STREET GIRL who STECKLER brought back... 169 CONTINUED: DISSOLVE to FRONT STREET - We continue backward - A figure walks up the path - INSPECTOR TAYLOR - We continue... VOICE OF NEWSREADER POLICE have announced that a woman, as yet unidentified, is helping them with their inquiries into the WHITE ANGEL killings - The woman was apprehended after her finger print was discovered on a hammer, which belonged to her - the same hammer that was used to beat JANE MACDONALD to death last month. A brief search of the area produced more mutilated bodies, in the garden and bricked up in the walls of the house... The news has been met with....(Long report which tails off) We continue into the street... Back... back... Until the screen is filled with houses just like CARTERS - thousands of cold, silent houses. Roll Credits THE END

FADE IN: SUPER: A TRUE STORY - MYSTIC HARBOR CONNECTICUT 1994 CREDITS OVER Wind on the water. Soaring gulls and sand pipers glide over the pilings and sagging bulkheads. OLDER CHUCK (V.O.) Though I hadn't seen or spoken to Sheldrake in over thirty years, it seemed impossible that his heart was the thing that had finally failed him... INT. LATE MODEL CAR - SAME CHUCK GIEG, 49, thin, windswept and handsome, is behind the wheel. He pulls down a narrow cobble stone street that leads to the wharf. OLDER CHUCK (V.O.) I never got close to him, nobody did. But by the time we made Tampa, I was sure I knew who he was, that I understood what he saw, what nourished his soul and tested his faith... EXT. WHARF - DAY Chuck stares out across the harbor. In the distance, the echoes of singing masts. Shrouds and canvas softly ping. The small boats of Mystic tug restlessly at their moorings. OLDER CHUCK (V.O.) He had taken us to worship, where, what was for him, the holiest of holies. And, for us too by the end... EXT. DOCTORS OFFICE - LATER Chuck stands silently on the periphery of a gathering of people. They surround a small building, a neighborhood clinic. A worn gray stone, long in the earth, dedicates the structure. IN MEMORY OF NATALIE "ALICE" SHELDRAKE M.D., CAPTAIN'S WIFE AND SHIP'S SURGEON OF THE BRIGANTINE ALBATROSS - MAY 2, 1961 Next to the stone a funeral urn. A YOUNG MINISTER gropes for meaning. MINISTER I didn't know Richard Sheldrake personally, but his many friends who knew and worked with him, wanted to make sure that he was returned home, here, to be remembered with his beloved wife... Chuck gazes out at the sleepy harbor, the minister's voice fading away. The afternoon wind is coming up with the tide. He quietly heads towards the water. Drifting, drawn, lost. OLDER CHUCK (V.O.) Though he had moved on with his life, now even for the years, to hear him eulogized by strangers, seemed strange. He had been a hewner of stones, a pilot by the silent stars. Like me, alone among many. But most of all for us, the crew of the brigantine Albatross, he was always and would forever be... our Skipper. A SHIP'S BELL turns him around. Ding ding. Ding ding. A beautiful three masted schooner steady on the water slips into port. A picture out of another time, another place. It takes him away... DISSOLVE TO: EXT. FOREST - WATER TOWER - DAY A towering monolith, surrounded by tall oaks and sycamores. The tower is immense. A single ladder runs up to the top. AT THE TOP Just above the tree tops, the view is spectacular. CHUCK GIEG, 16, sits thin and unsteady. Chuck's gaze is drawn upward -- to the building spring cumulus clouds. Chuck's older brother WILL, 18, stout, self assured, pulls himself to the top. WILL You gonna jump? Or are you just having a last look? CHUCK I was just thinking that I never had a new pair of shoes till I was twelve. WILL It's no my fault I was born first. Besides, nobody ever sent me on an eight month vacation, so ease up on the sad sack stuff. CHUCK It's not a vacation, it's private school. WILL I thought this was your dream come true. CHUCK That's not why he's sending me. WILL Why then. CHUCK Because it looks good. Chuck looks out, yearning. Will considers him, troubled. CHUCK I'm just not like you. Ya know? I'm never going to go to Yale. I'm never going to be "William". WILL Nobody says you have to be like me. CHUCK He does. WILL You don't give him enough credit Chas. Chuck takes a last look at the building clouds. The sky rumbles. Distant thunder. WILL We better go. EXT. GIEG HOUSE - DAY Maple street, USA, tree lined and quaint. The Gieg home is a modest two story house with a covered porch. The family station wagon is poised for departure. CHARLES, 45, a generally serious man broods as MIDDY, their mother, 40, soft and thoughtful, exits the house. Chuck and Will appear from the woods. CHARLES (ticked) You plan on making this plane or not? WILL Don't take any wooden nickels Kemosabe. CHUCK I won't. Will shoves out a hand at Chuck. WILL And lighten up will ya. Chuck hugs him anyway and walks to the passenger side. Charles tosses him the keys, like he's doing him a big favor. INT. CAR - DAY Chuck sits in the drivers seat. Middy is in the back. Charles slams the trunk and gets in. Before Chuck turns the ignition... CHARLES Now just take it easy. We're not going to a fire. Chuck reacts. OUTSIDE Will watches as the car pulls away. CAR - MOVING The Giegs drive in silence. Middy reads from a brochure. MIDDY Honey, did you know that the Albatross was captured by the Germans during World War II? CHUCK No, I didn't. MIDDY It says she was originally Schooner rigged, but Captain Sheldrake turned her into a brigantine. I think square rigs look so much more romantic. CHUCK Me too. CHARLES Appearances aren't everything. Keep your mind on the road. Chuck pulls over to the side of the road. CHARLES What are you doing? Chuck hands him the keys. CHUCK I don't feel like driving. Okay? Charles regards him oddly. EXT. AIRPORT GATE - DAY The National Airlines Boeing 707 is bigger than anything Chuck has ever seen. Passengers begin boarding. Charles stands away, detached. MIDDY Do you have your ticket? CHUCK Yes. MIDDY Passport? CHUCK Look, I just better go. Middy hugs her son. CHUCK Goodbye Mom. I'll be okay. MIDDY I know you will. Chuck faces his dad. CHARLES Make us proud. CHUCK Yes sir. Charles extends his hand. They shake. Then Chuck hurries away into the crowd. Charles and Middy watch until he is out of sight. INT. PLANE - DAY Chuck settles into his seat next to the window. He watches as the world slips away beneath the wings of the 707. EXT. AIRPORT CUSTOMS - BERMUDA - DAY Another world. Chuck stands in line at the customs booth. He cranes his neck to see the brilliant blue water and coral reefs beyond the runway. Three other boys are ahead of him in line. The CUSTOMS AGENTS go through every piece of luggage. TOD JOHNSTONE, 16, thin and blonde, is in a heated argument with one of the agents about his spear gun. RICK MARCH, 17, wise-cracking and confident, shakes his head, smiling. He spots Chuck, moves through the line and shoves out a hand. RICK Albatross? CHUCK Yeah. RICK Rick March. Who the hell are you? CHUCK Gieg, Chuck. RICK Look, meet us out front when you're through. If they try to take anything away from you like Johnny Quest up there, just make a list and we'll have 'em send it down to the boat. CHUCK Whatever. One of the agent starts pulling things out of Rick's duffel bag. He finds a dive knife. RICK Hey, hey!! That's my stuff!! EXT. AUSTIN CAB - MOVING - DAY The car whizzes through the narrow streets of Bermuda. CALYPSO MUSIC sings from the radio. The streets are lined with small coral houses and exotic palms. INT. CAR - SAME The boys are jammed inside with their things. In addition to Chuck, Rick and Tod, is CHARLIE STRATTON, also sixteen. TOD Well Ricky boy, spear gun or no, it's sweet to be back in the world of rum and honey. RICK I gotta admit I never thought you'd be back after the great "Bowsprit Affair". TOD Me and Skipper had a meeting of the minds. CHARLIE How's that? TOD I begged. CHUCK (warming a little) What the "Bowsprit Affair"? RICK Well, Romeo here was on harbor watch and managed to sweet talk one of the local girls to have a go in the bowsprit. TOD Not just any 'local' girl. RICK The 'local' mayor's 'local' daughter. Tod smiles, reminiscing. CHARLIE Thing is, the net in the basket isn't very comfortable, so Tod-o wraps them up in the jib. After the deed was done... RICK He says they did the deed... TOD Trust me, we did the deed. CHARLIE After the "alleged" deed was done, they fell asleep. Big Daddy Lawford comes on deck at four bells and hears Casanova sawing logs. TOD Believe me, I needed the rest... CHARLIE He gets the whole crew on deck, gets us on the halyard, and orders the old "heave ho...". RICK Up goes the jib and out roll Tod-o and the mayor's daughter, naked as pilot whales... CHARLIE (to Tod) I don't know who was more surprised, you or Big Daddy. TOD To tell you the truth, I think it was her father. At the top of a hill, the harbor comes into view. RICK Well gentlemen, there she is. The cab stops. Besides many colorful fishing boats, is the ALBATROSS. At ninety-two feet, she dwarfs everything in the harbor. Her white hull glows like ivory and her twin masts and yard arms tower above her deck. Breathtaking. CHARLIE Home sweet hell on the water. EXT. DOCK - DAY The boys pile out of the taxi. What seemed like a pristine ship from the hill looks like a rust bucket up close. The white paint is streaked and barnacles cover the hull. Looks of disappointment. CHUCK What happened to it? A voice from behind turns Chuck. BILL She cleans up. We'll have her ship shape before we shove off. This is BILL BUTLER, 15, removed, the youngest of the crew and... first mate. Bill gives Chuck a friendly slap on the back and climbs aboard. He is greeted by a Viking giant of a man, LAWFORD, 37, and bearded, the ship's English professor. Puffing on a huge Havana cigar, he stares coolly down at Tod and the others. He speaks with the voice of Moses. LAWFORD "That this same child of honor and renown, This gallant Hotspur, this all praised knight, And your unthought-of Harry chance to meet. For every honor sitting on his helm, Would they were multitudes, and on my head. My shames redoubled! For the time will come... Chuck feels something and looks up where he meets the intense stare of a man standing between the deck cabins. Their eyes lock. LAWFORD ... That I shall make this northern youth exchange, his glorious deeds for my indignities." Then, the man is gone. Haunting. Only Chuck has seen him. Tod smiles back at Lawford impishly. TOD Would you be addressing me, sir? LAWFORD I would. RICK What's that supposed to mean? LAWFORD (beat) Henry the IV part I Act I Scene ii. I suggest you read it. Lawford sneers and walks away. It's all a show. CHARLIE It means Shakespeare. B-o-r-i-n-g. BILL It means if he catches anybody basket-napping on watch this passage, he's gonna use their lizard for 'cuda' bait. RICK (lightly) Well that's a hell of a how-do-you- do. BILL Drop your gear, go below and pick yourself some bunks. Chuck and the others climb aboard. INT. MAIN CABIN - DAY Chuck makes his way down the companionway into the main cabin. Other crew members are already unpacking. The sleeping arrangement is Pullman-style with two rows of bunks on each side of the cabin. In the middle of the room is a gimbaled table. This is where the crew will eat and study. RICK Listen up. This is Chuck Gieg. Among the crew -- feature ROBIN WEATHERS, 16, a cherub with soft puffy cheeks and TERRY LAPCHICK, 17, skinny and rodent-like. Robin approaches with a hand extended. He carries a 8x10 photo of a young man in a football uniform. ROBIN I'm Robin. Chuck regards the photo. ROBIN (flat) That's my brother. He's dead. Apprehensively Chuck shakes and retreats to a lower bunk. Robin tacks up the picture above his bunk. Terry unpacks in front of one of the lower berths. A loud "THUD!" turns everyone around. A duffel bag lies at the bottom of the companionway. A large imposing figure climbs into the cabin. This is JOHN GOODALL, 17, over six feet, big and broad. His hair is slicked back "Dean" style and wears a full day's growth of bread on his face. Compared to the others, he looks all man. Everybody clears from his path. He stops in front of the lower, center bunk (Terry's bunk) and drops his bag. JOHN I'll take this one. TERRY You probably didn't notice, but this bunk has been taken. John just glares at him, then dumps all of Terry's things onto the blanket on the bunk, gathers it up and tosses it into the remaining upper berth. Terry watches, intimidated. JOHN Anybody gotta problem with that? RICK (beat) Absolutely not. John climbs into his bunk and closes his eyes. Bill enters, followed by several adults. DR. ALICE SHELDRAKE, 30, smart, attractive and tough, is ship's surgeon and Skipper's wife. Lawford appears with GEORGE PASCAL, 30's from Brazil, dark, and fit. BILL Alright, listen up. This is Dr. Alice Sheldrake. The guys stumble over only half listening. ALICE I'm ship's surgeon. I'm in charge of aches, pains, biology, math and science. BILL George Pascal here is ship's cook. GEORGE If you want to keep all your fingers, stay the hell out of my galley unless you're invited. BILL Some of you already know Mr. Lawford. LAWFORD I have been charged with the dubious task of insuring your literary education. Lawford puts a hand on Bill's shoulder. LAWFORD Bill Butler is your first mate. But don't let his size fool you. Bill gives a half reluctant wave. MIKE So when the hell do we get to meet El Capitan? Snickering. TERRY (aside) Maybe he's getting his wooden leg waxed. Laughter. A sound stops the laughter. Almost on cue, the sound of slow methodical footsteps, pace the deck above them. Then a shadow falls across the skylight, blocking the light. Ominous. They all notice and look up. LAWFORD (mysterious) You'll meet him. Soon enough. INT. MAIN CABIN - SUNRISE Dawn glows orange in the skylights above the cabin. The only sound is the heavy, even breathing of slumber. Suddenly, a booming voice rumbles down the companionway. LAWFORD (O.S.) Arise, Arise, Arise... Chuck wakes, disoriented. Terry bolts upright and hits his head on the low ceiling. Ouch. Tod, Rick and Charlie are up instantly. Lawford's voice echoes through the ship. LAWFORD (O.S.) Exultation is the going/ Of an inland soul to sea/ Past the houses/ Past the headlands/ Into deep Eternity/ Bred as we, among the mountains/ Can the sailor understand/ the divine intoxication/ of the first league out from land? (pause) But I suppose we'll answer that question soon enough gentlemen. Soon enough. TERRY What question? Chuck tries to assimilate Lawford's words. Robin swings his feet over the side of his bunk with a tortured look. John rolls over and pulls his pillow over his head. ROBIN (foggy) What the hell is going on? CHUCK Maybe it's an air raid. In crisply pressed shorts and shirt, Bill Butler steps through the aft bulkhead. He raises a bowswain's whistle and blows. OOOWWWEEEEOOO!!!! Chuck and Robin grab their ears. It's a nightmare. Terry jumps and hits his head again. BILL Roll out sailors! All hands on deck! Sixty seconds. Sixty seconds. He blows the whistle again. This time it brings even John to his feet, staring down at Bill in a blind rage. Bill looks up and casually notices him. BILL You gotta problem Goodall? JOHN You blow that thing again I'll shove it so far up your ass, you're gonna need dental floss to get it out. BILL Just get on deck. Bill turns and disappears topside. EXT. DECK - DAWN The sun has barely cracked the horizon as the crew staggers onto the deck, shirtless and shivering. BILL Line up! Single file. Single file. The crew lines up. John is the last one through the hatch and he lets us know his boundaries are being pressed. BILL Everybody swims. The boys are aghast. LAWFORD Don't think people, just go! Go, Go, Go, Go, Go!!! Swim you win, stay you pay!! Rick is the first one through the gunnel door, followed by Tod and Charlie. They howl and scream as they hit the water. The rest follow like lemmings. But John stands defiantly with his arms folded. BILL Now what's the problem, Goodall? Everybody swims. The crew are piling back on deck. George stands in the open galley door. The smell of fresh bacon is intoxicating. JOHN I don't. LAWFORD You will if you wanna eat. Right George? George nods, wielding a butchers knife. The crew stand shivering, waiting on John. JOHN (to Bill) You gonna swim for your breakfast? Bill gives John a long look then strips to his shorts, swings into the rigging and climbs up to the first yard arm. He looks down at the water some twenty-five feet below. It's a long way. Robin turns away. Lawford booms in a voice that echoes across the harbor. LAWFORD "Down, down beneath the deep, That oft in triumph bore him, He sleeps a sound and peaceful sleep, With the salt waves dashing over him." -- Lord Byron gentlemen. With that Bill leaps and hits the water with a huge KERSPLASH! He swims to the boarding ladder, pulls himself up and gets in John's face. BILL Everybody swims. Now, I've been in twice. So I guess I'll be eating your breakfast too. John considers him, then strips off his shirt. But instead of walking over to the gunnel door, he jumps into the ratlines, climbs to the foretop and looks down. He manages a thin smile then climbs to the second set of ratlines past the third yard and continues to the top yard arm -- the topgallant. It's a pissing contest and everybody knows it. MIKE I got five bucks says he doesn't. CHRIS I got five that says he doesn't live. TOD I'll take a dollar of that. ROBIN This is crazy! Robin refuses to watch. The others share a look. John makes his way along the foot ropes and stands at the end of the yard. He tosses a look towards Bill but with no way to back down, he launches into the air. Everyone gasps as he thunders through the air in a broad swan dive. Falling, falling, falling... CHUCK Jesus. ROBIN I can't watch this. John hits the water like a bullet. The crew run to the side waiting for him to come up. Nothing. Finally, he breaks the surface. Easy. He climbs up waiting, somehow, to claim victory. Suddenly, they all feel it. A presence. He has appeared silently on top of the Chart House, like a phantom gazing down at them, back lit by the sun the boys must squint to see him. RICHARD SHELDRAKE, (SKIPPER), ageless and windswept, casually reaches up to a block and tackle with one arm and glides to the deck. He is powerfully built and bronzed from the sea and sun. He carriers the burden of command like a cross. Soft-spoken and remote, he is a man to be reckoned with. The crew know they are in the presence of someone larger than life. BILL Skipper on deck! The crew line up clumsily. Skipper has a gaze that blazes right through them. He looks out to sea. Searching, ominous. He waits until the silence is filled with everyone's attention. SKIPPER You know what's out there? Wind and wave and rain. Endless glassy pools that'll hold a sailing ship for weeks and then spit her out into the eye of the kind of hurricane. A blow that could knock the bridge off a battleship. Reefs and rocks and sandbars that'll tear the belly from her and enough fog and night to hide it all. He spits into the water. The crew sheepishly throw glances to the horizon. SKIPPER So look out there... and explain to me why any man in possession of any sense at all, would take on the sea with sail? Skipper turns his gaze back to the boys. There is a fire in his eyes. Nobody dare answers. SKIPPER Because there's something else out there. It beckons in the wind and sings in the shrouds. Voices. Whispering... His ear to the wind. SKIPPER They're voices of men. Calling. Men you don't even know. Men you can't even imagine. It's a seed, a wish, that part of you and I that aches to be alive, that was banished by everything we've ever been taught or told. It's a part of us that can only be found on mountain tops and deserts, in the deepest caverns, smoking battle fields and... across oceans. He turns back to the sea, dark. SKIPPER Out there, is where it all waits. OLDER CHUCK (V.O.) He was everything I had expected, part Ahab part Queeg and even Bligh. He spoke in whispers and answered all queries with efficiency and directness. He had gone to sea for the first time at fifteen, the same age as Bill Butler. And as he looked upon us that first day it must have been as though he were staring into a mirror. Skipper manages a sobering look and climbs on top of the chart house. He pats a small brass sign that is welded to the main mast and reads the inscription. SKIPPER (reading) "Where we go one, we go all." With that, he disappears below. Nobody moves. This is exactly the kind of man you want around when the shit hits the fan. TERRY This -- is gonna be a long eight months. INT. MAIN CABIN - DAY The boys devour a hearty breakfast. Tod is the 'galley slave' and fills glasses with orange juice. TOD Chow down boys. The milk and eggs are the first things to go once we put out. John enters balancing two plates heaped with food. RICK You know we gotta dumbwaiter for that. John looks over to the dumbwaiter mounted in the wall. RICK Not that one. Tod-o here. The guys groan. TOD Har, har, har... John approaches the full table, glaring down at Terry who doesn't notice him. Finally he looks up, startled. TERRY I'm done. I'm finished... He scrambles to get up and clear his plate. John sits down without a word. The others notice the two plates of food. RICK Hungry, Goodall? He just grunts and starts eating. Robin watches him. JOHN What's your problem? ROBIN Why'd you jump? JOHN Because I felt like it. (sharp) What do you care? ROBIN (aside) I couldn't do it. JOHN Well, as soon as you grow some balls, let me know. Robin bristles. ROBIN Screw you! CHARLIE He's right. It was a stupid stunt. JOHN Excuse me? CHARLIE You heard me. John grabs Charlie by his private parts and hoists him into the air. Charlie gasps, the air sucked from his lungs. JOHN Don't ever call me stupid. ROBIN Come on, he didn't mean anything. John shoves Robin to the floor with his free arm. JOHN Let me tell you girls something. I do what I wanna do. When I wanna do it. And I don't give a shit what old Ahab up there thinks either. Any questions? John releases Charlie who crumples to the floor. John resumes eating. Bill enters and reads the duty roster. BILL Okay, here's the duty. Gieg, Weathers, Lapchick, Schucart: scrape and paint. Corry and Stricklin have the brass. Robinson, you're the Galley slave. March you're on chain gang with Barnes. Johnston, solo on bilge detail. TOD Butler, what'd I ever do to you? BILL You came back, Tod. You came back. John continues to eat. When he realizes his name hasn't been called, he looks up to meet Bill's eyes. INT. HEAD Pissed, John tries to figure out the head. Pumps going in, pumps going out. OLDER CHUCK (V.O.) We were all thirteen individuals. We'd arrived the sum total of our limited experiences and the result of our parents' best, if not narrow, expectations... John pulls back on the lever, belching "water de le toilet" all over him. EXT. SHIP - DAY Chuck sits in a bowswain's chair over the side, with a paint roller in his hand. The rust-streaked hull is being transformed. OLDER CHUCK (V.O.) ... Some of us were there for discipline, some for escape. But I could see a small piece of myself in all of them and though I fought the notion, for me, I knew now, this would be home. A RADIO crackles in the b.g. ANNOUNCER "President Eisenhower today acknowledged that a secret American spy plane was in fact shot down over the Soviet Union. The pilot has been confirmed as Francis Gary Powers..." Robin, Terry and Mike, are on the deck within earshot of Chuck with chisels and wire brushes chipping away at the rust. TERRY Why couldn't it have been a wooden boat? MIKE Steel boats don't leak. Mike lights up a cigarette. Robin notices. Marlboro's. ROBIN Hey, can I have one? Mike sizes up Robin for a moment then tosses him the pack. ROBIN Thanks daddy-o. Robin lights up, grimacing with the first drag. TERRY Well, don't brush too hard. Looks to me like the only thing holding this bucket together is the rust. A voice booms up from the dock. FRANCIS (O.S.) Ahoy there. They turn. Standing on the dock is FRANCIS BOUTILLIER, self important and overbearing, with his son, PHILIP, who looks as if this whole ordeal is some kind of punishment. Skipper appears. SKIPPER Good afternoon. Francis boards without being invited. Philip follows in his shadow. He scrutinizes the condition of the boat. FRANCIS Albatross? Doesn't inspire a lot of confidence. SKIPPER Oh, on the contrary, the Albatross is considered a very good omen. It is said they embody the spirits of sailors passed on. It's very bad luck if you kill one. And dolphins too. The boys chuckle. FRANCIS I'm Francis Boutillier. This is my son, Philip. SKIPPER I know. Francis looks the Skipper over, reading him, smiling. SKIPPER You're a day late. We keep a schedule aboard ship. Lives depend on it. (to Philip) Hello, Philip. PHIL Sir. Skipper's directness bugs Francis. FRANCIS Your cable said you wouldn't be putting out until mid-October. SKIPPER As you can see, there's a lot to do. FRANCIS Indentured servitude is not what my son had in mind. SKIPPER This is a working ship. Promptness is not a luxury, it's a necessity, as is the work to maintain her. Had we been ready, I can assure you we would have sailed. Something in this exchange turns the tone of conversation. FRANCIS And I would have expected compensation for my time and expense coming all the way down here. SKIPPER Happily, it all worked out... This time. (to Bill) Bill, take Philip below and help him find a bunk. Phil follows Bill down the companionway. FRANCIS I'll be frank with you. This was his mother's idea. A romp through the Caribbean on a sailboat sounds more like a vacation than an education if you ask me. SKIPPER It will be more than that, I can promise you. FRANCIS (cool) Take good care of my son. There is threat in his tone. SKIPPER We'll do our best. You're welcome to say goodbye. FRANCIS He's a big boy. Francis leaves the boat. Skipper and the crew watch as he climbs into his waiting embassy limousine and drives off. LAWFORD Well, that was neighborly. SKIPPER He didn't get to be Under Secretary of the Air Force by being neighborly. Lawford shakes his head. Bill comes up through the companionway. SKIPPER Everyone aboard young Bill? BILL Yes, Sir. SKIPPER Good. (beat) Let's go sailing. EXT. ALBATROSS - OPEN WATER - DAY The Albatross is under full power. There is a sense of excitement and anticipation. Charlie, Rick, Robin, and Lawford are on the halyard for the mainsail. Skipper is at the helm with Alice and Bill nearby. Skipper calls over to Chuck who stands alone at the rail. SKIPPER Come over here and take the wheel. Chuck's eyes light up as he walks over and takes the wheel. SKIPPER Hold her steady into the wind. Southwest by west. CHUCK Yes sir. SKIPPER (to all) Gentleman, when you hear an order, sing out. I want to know that you've heard and understand. (quietly to Bill) Raise the mainsail. BILL (calling out) Raise the main! Lawford and his group bellow out. TOGETHER Raise the main!! Lawford coaches the boys, sending two scurrying on top the chart house to loosen the stops which hold the heavy furled canvas to the main boom. He guides another to the midships pinrail where the main halyard, which raises the huge sail, is made fast to a belaying pin. He loosens the halyard and hands it to Robin. SKIPPER Take a turn under the pin and lead it out to the others. You guys in the rear take up the slack. Heave together now... In a beautiful tenor voice, Bill begins to croon a sea chanty, an old whaling song with an Irish lilt. BILL (singing) "When the sun came up there was whisky in the cup..." The more experienced boys echo the line and pull to the beat. BOYS "When the sun came up there was whisky in the cup..." LAWFORD Come on the rest of you, sing! Belt it out like men!! The newer guys like Chuck, John, Robin and Terry look at each other like this is the queerest thing they have ever heard of. BILL (singing) "Not one of us was a sober..." The boys return the verse half heartedly. Lawford ties off his line and stares them down. Skipper notices that the work has stopped. SKIPPER What's wrong Mr. Lawford. LAWFORD It seems we're short on singers. Skipper walks amid ship and addresses the crew. SKIPPER Everyone sings aboard a wind jammer gentlemen. It lets everyone know you're in sync. It shows unity, that all thoughts are one. A crew that sings together stays together. Besides, I like it. So, pipe up and be sailors. JOHN (in a whisper) Everybody swims, everybody sings... What's next? Tap dancing? Lawford and Rick leap up onto the line pulling it down with their body weight. They sing out the chorus. The crew returns the song, somewhat reluctantly as the great mainsail starts to rise. LAWFORD Tie it off!! SKIPPER (to Bill) Outer. BILL Outer Jib! CHARLIE (confused) Outta what? Coached by Tod, another group in the bow, awkwardly hoist the jib. SKIPPER (to Bill) We'll bear off to port and run down wind. BILL Mr. Lawford, stand by to ease the mainsheet. Rick, get on the jib sheet. George, John, Philip, Tim and Dick go aloft to unstop the forecourse. George will show you what to do. Tod, show your men the forward pinrail and stand ready on the buntlines and clewlines. Forecourse first... work upward. The newcomers watch Bill with new-found respect. George, John and the others climb to the forecourse, and out onto the footropes. It's unsteady work and there's confusion everywhere. But through it all, they continue to sing. Lawford moves to the mainsheet on the port side while the others move into their positions. When Bill sees the yardarm crew is in place... BILL Unstop the squares! YARDARM CREW Unstop the squares!! SKIPPER (to Chuck) Fall off to port. Ease her around to a heading of northeast. Sing out when you're there. As the tops are released, the giant forecourse drapes into a scalloped pattern. As the bow falls off the wind the snapping main and jib billow. Stiffening to the wind, the ship heels and surges forward. Before her awakening power, everyone changes their stance and grabs for a handhold. Lawford slowly pays out the mainsheet while the forecourse crew move up the ratlines releasing the stops on the other squaresails. CHUCK (in a whisper) Ah... Northeast... sir. SKIPPER (barking) Speak up boy! Chuck jumps, startled. He self-consciously calls out. CHUCK Northeast sir! SKIPPER Unfurl the squares! Tod's group first uncleats the clewlines and buntlines and the great squaresail drops and billows to fullness sending a shudder through the rig. The bow's wake sizzles with the added surge. As each of the squares fall, Alice and Lawford move to their sheets, setting each sail's position. Chuck looks up, amazed at the sheer magnitude and beauty of the canvas that the Albatross carries. BILL Raise the inner jib! Raise the forestaysail! SKIPPER Watch the tell-tales Chuck. If we jibe now we'll have a lot of people in the water. CHUCK Yes, sir. SKIPPER All stop on the engine. BILL All stop on the engine! Bill rotates the telegraph handle back and forth and moves it to the stop position. SKIPPER Behold gentlemen. The power of the wind! As the sails billow the Albatross seems transformed. Everyone stops and looks up. The vessel heels and with a powerful surge, launches into the waves. White foam splashes over the bowsprit as the hull thunders through the water. Chuck's face is full of wonder. It is a magical moment. Then the crew begins to cheer. SKIPPER Did we lose anybody? ALICE Not yet. LONG SHOT The Albatross under full sail is the handsome, powerful image of another time. And yet, here she is. ON DECK Each of the boys is awed by the majesty of this moment. Music builds. SKIPPER Chart us a course for the windward side. Alice considers his request. ALICE That low passed through last night. May be a little bumpy out there. SKIPPER It's time these boys saw some real blue water. EXT. THE OPEN SEA - LATER The bow of the Albatross explodes through the top of a fifteen foot swell. The sky is clear but the wind is fierce. In spite of the seas the ship is trimmed and sailing well. The crew has never seen mountains of water like this. Disaster seems imminent. Bill has assembled them in front of the wheel house. They are all holding on for dear life. Even John seems shaken. Skipper magically stands effortlessly before them on the rolling deck. He remains perfectly dry. SKIPPER Well... now that I have your undivided attention... I'd like to take this opportunity to make a few points... TERRY (aside) This guy is certifiable... PHIL Suicidal... SKIPPER The first thing is I don't like people talking when I'm talking so the two of you, shut up. Caught, Terry and Phil button up. SKIPPER Second, the next one of you who doesn't jump like a bunny when Mr. Butler gives an order is gonna spend the rest of this trip scrubbing bilges. He's a better sailor today than any ten of you will be when this is all over. Skipper directs the next comment directly at John. SKIPPER And if I catch anybody, ever, jumping off a yard arm again I will personally break what bones are left and send you home in a wheel chair. A wave explodes over the bow. A wall of water crashes over the deck knocking down several of the boys. Terry can't take it anymore and explodes. TERRY We're gonna die!!! We're all gonna die! He lunges at Skipper but Lawford one arms him. SKIPPER Excellent point. As you might have noticed, being out here pretty much puts you in the moment. If you panic, if you lose your head, you die. Maybe you take your mates with you. How'd you like to have to bet on Terry here getting us home today? Each one of you is responsible for the rest. "Where we go one, we go all". If your buddy is asleep at the switch we're all fish food. He's making his point which is lost on no one. SKIPPER The ship beneath you is not a toy and sailing is not a game. The Albatross will take us far gentlemen, but she demands constant attention. Respect her, and we'll do fine. Oh, and one more thing. There is nothing that goes on, on this boat that I don't know about. She speaks to me in the night. So don't test me. Not even a little. Skipper walks over and puts an arm around Terry who is fighting sobs. SKIPPER Nothing like experience to put things in perspective. Huh son? (to Bill) Alright. Let's go home. INT. CHART HOUSE - DAY Lawford addresses some of the crew. Chuck, Robin and John are among them. John glares at Lawford. The guys giggle. LAWFORD That's not a satisfactory answer. JOHN Look, save it for somebody else will ya. This ancient shit doesn't have anything to do with me. Lawford pauses for a moment and then explodes theatrically. LAWFORD Shit?!!! He slams a text book into John's hands. LAWFORD Read for me please the words of Mr. Keats at the bottom of the page. John stares back, simmering. Robin interrupts the potential confrontation and reaches for the book. ROBIN I'll read it. I mean I don't mind. JOHN Shut up donut. John pushes Robin's hands away and studies the page for a moment. He begins reading but struggles with the cadence. JOHN (reading) Much have I traveled in realms of gold/ And many goodly states and kingdoms seen/ Round many western islands have I been/ Which bards in fealty to Apollo hold/ Oft of one wide expanse had I been told/ That deep-browed Homer ruled as his demesne. LAWFORD You know what he is talking about here? Blank faces. LAWFORD (ranting) Awe. Humility. He's telling you that he has traveled the seas as Homer did. As Ulysses had before him as he tried to find his way home to Ithaca after the Trojan Wars. "That deep browed Homer"... He points to his head. LAWFORD Brilliant, seasoned, wise, of the mind; "... ruled as his demesne." He commands the voyage of the imagination, like a god. (pause) That is what one of the greatest literary minds of modern times, Mr. Boutillier, has to say about Homer. He snatches the book back. LAWFORD You think the Odyssey is dull? I'll tell you something, it's about each one of you -- right now. Doubt and expectation. Friendship, community, self sacrifice and accountability. He holds up the text. LAWFORD This isn't just a story!! It's history made allegory. It is a philosophical handbook for life! It holds the secret of this very voyage. JOHN What is it... the secret? Lawford breaks into a huge belly laugh. JOHN (confused) What? LAWFORD If it were only that simple, my young friend. Read on, gentlemen. Read on. EXT. ALBATROSS - ESTABLISHING - DAY Aerial shot. The Albatross is under full sail leaving Bermuda for the last time. OLDER CHUCK (V.O.) And so it was the Albatross that took to the open sea with the wind in her snapping canvas and a bone of white foam in her teeth... In each of us were feelings of anticipation and hesitation for the man at the wheel and of the unfamiliar world he was leading us into. She crashes through the surf -- driving, majestic music, building. DECK - DAY The crew hauls in the line, raising the mainsail. Chuck struggles to coil the rope as fast as it is coming in. ALOFT The crew take turns racing up the ratlines into the rigging. BOWSPRIT NET The crew pull down the jib trying to furl it. Most of the sail ends up dragging in the water. ABOVE The squaresails are dropped simultaneously. WIDE White foam boils from the bow of the Albatross as she crashes through the waves. AT THE WHEEL Alice smiles and puts her arms around Skipper's waist. It's coming together. FORETOP - SAME Skipper stands at the rail, looking out. The seas are up and the masts are pitching widely from side to side. Chuck is high above the deck in the footropes, wrestling with one of the squaresails. The pitching mast catches him by surprise and he slips. He tumbles down, tangled in the lines. A rope wraps around his neck, choking him. Robin looks up and sees him hanging helplessly. ROBIN Bill!! Skipper!! Robin freezes. Skipper leaps into the rigging like a spider and, in a few seconds, wrestles Chuck free and carries him down to the deck. Chuck coughs, catching his breath. The color is gone from Skipper's face. This was a close call. SKIPPER You all right? CHUCK It was my fault. I slipped. Alice examines Chuck, making sure he's okay. Skipper turns to Robin, who is shaken. He never raises his voice. SKIPPER Why didn't you go up there? Robin stands silently. SKIPPER Speak up. Still nothing from Robin. CHARLIE He's afraid to climb. SKIPPER What? (to Robin) Is that true? Robin looks away. SKIPPER Why wasn't I made aware of this Bill? BILL I didn't know sir. SKIPPER It's your job to know. If something goes wrong up there, the other eighteen people aboard can't be wondering if he's gonna do his job or not. Skipper returns his gaze to Robin, measuring him. Finally. SKIPPER Swing up, son. ROBIN (trembling) What? SKIPPER Up you go. Right now. Robin reluctantly pulls himself up onto the first rung, then the second. He stops and steals a peek up. The mast is swaying. He freezes, his lip starts to tremble. All eyes are on him. Phil chuckles. SKIPPER Do you have something to say? PHIL (smug) No. SKIPPER Then keep your mouth shut. Phil backs off, stunned. Robin can't move. SKIPPER (to Robin) What's it going to be? ROBIN I'm sorry... SKIPPER Sorry won't cut it. Robin holds on frozen. Skipper turns to the crew. SKIPPER Survival means discipline and assimilation. There are no special cases here. (to Robin) Now, get going. Get up there. Humiliated, a tear slips down his face. Excruciating. SKIPPER What are you blubbering about? ROBIN I don't know... Skipper jumps onto the backside of the ratlines. His face is but inches from Robin's. SKIPPER One hand in front of the other son. We'll do it together. Robin reaches for the next rung. He looks down. Skipper growls at him. SKIPPER Don't look down. Look in my eyes! Climb! We'll do it together. ROBIN (sobbing) I can't. SKIPPER You climb damn it, or so help me I'll haul you to the foretop by your diaper and leave you there! ROBIN Aaauuuhhh!!! Skipper gets right in his face and snarls. SKIPPER Are you hating this?! Are you! ROBIN I hate you, you son of a bitch!!! SKIPPER No. Hate the fear inside of you! Climb like a man mister! Hate it! Hate it away. Hate your way up one more rung!! Do it right now!! With every ounce of strength, Robin reaches for one more rung screaming as he reaches. Skipper climbs and screams with him. TOGETHER Auuuggghhh!!!! Robin clutches the rung with a death grip. Then, he looks down. His bladder releases. Hot urine runs down his legs and splashes, steaming, onto the deck. The crew is horrified. Robin weeps. ROBIN Oh, god... Skipper backs off. SKIPPER Don't hate yourself. Hate your weakness. All right. Get down. Robin climbs to the deck and falls in with the others, mortified. SKIPPER I'm only gonna say this one time. I'm not here to wipe noses and asses. I'm not your mother. Trust funds and blue blazers don't get you a thing out here. You wanna act like babies, then get off my boat. Stunned, the crew is speechless. Chuck instinctively goes to help Robin. Skipper snaps like a turtle. SKIPPER (to Chuck) He can take care of himself. (to others) Any other 'phobias' I need to know about? Skipper fires a look towards Phil. PHIL No, sir. SKIPPER Excellent. Bill, find Mr. Weathers a position to suit his condition. Skipper turns and then stops. SKIPPER Remember something, sooner or later... we all have to face it. CHUCK (aside) Face what? The question hangs in the air like a cloud. INT. CHART HOUSE - DUSK The chart house is the communication and navigation center for the boat. It also serves as the officers dining room. Skipper, Alice, Lawford, George, and Bill Butler sit around the small table sipping coffee. SKIPPER We're awfully quiet tonight. The group remains silent. Lawford and George exchange a glance. Skipper catches it. SKIPPER Something on your mind, George? George looks up and wipes his mouth with a napkin. GEORGE I think you were too hard on Weathers. SKIPPER You do? GEORGE Yes. I do. Skipper nods. SKIPPER I need to know what I'm working with; what their boundaries are. Their lives depend on it, and for that matter so does yours. We've got to bring them together. Make them a crew. We're as strong as our weakest link and I don't want to find that out the hard way. So, I will challenge them and they will come together. GEORGE (sarcastic) Yes sir. SKIPPER You know the best thing about being a Skipper is the worst thing. It's all my responsibility. So I'll tell you what George, you stay off of my bridge, and I'll stay out of your galley. We'll get along that way. Everyone's quiet, but clear. Skipper and Alice exit. GEORGE Fucking bastard. Lawford lets out a belly laugh. LAWFORD I've seen him snatch the tail of the tempest and stuff it, screaming, into a bottle. The bilges are full of them. GEORGE What do you mean? LAWFORD He's been beyond the reach. To the edge of the abyss and back. He'll do well by us all George. He's a real salt. There's no malice in him and there's nothing more dear to him than his boys. So sleep well my friend. Lawford seductively produces a pair of Havana cigars, passes one to George and winks. INT. GALLEY - DUSK Robin leans over the sink elbow deep in dishwater watching through the cabin window, as the sun slips below the horizon. Chuck stands in the doorway with a plate of food. CHUCK How ya doing? ROBIN (without turning) Fine. CHUCK Good. ROBIN Look, I appreciate, you know, the concern and all, but like he said, I can take care of myself. CHUCK I just brought you something to eat. Robin turns and notices the plate of food and nods. They stand silently. It's awkward. CHUCK I feel like I got you into this. ROBIN Forget it. CHUCK I'm used to spending a lot of time alone. I guess that's what I thought it would be out here. But, it's not is it? ROBIN (beat) I'm sorry I left you hanging up there. CHUCK It doesn't matter. Really. I'm just sorry you got chewed out. Robin nods. They both stare out at the rising moon. ROBIN My brother and I used to climb to the top of this old beech tree in the back yard and watch the moon come up just like this. My parents would fight all the time so we'd sneak out there where we couldn't hear 'em and recite scenes from our favorite movies. Robin grows quiet. ROBIN Would you believe I miss it? The middle of paradise and I'm homesick. Chuck smiles and puts a hand on his back. CHUCK (ironic) Well, I wouldn't worry. It'll all be there when we get back. EXT. DECK - DAY The sky is dark and a storm is building and the boat rolls and pitches. Chuck sees Terry heaving over the side. John and Tod hear the sound and turn. JOHN (disgusted) Come on man. Show a little backbone! (to Tod) You believe that?! Tod is fixated on Terry. Suddenly, without warning, he breaks for the rail and lets fly. Phil and Charlie are next. Chris climbs through the companionway but doesn't make it to the side. Spontaneous regurgitation. Bill and Lawford jump up onto the wheel housing to avoid being sprayed. Suddenly everyone is heaving. CHRIS Sorry. LAWFORD (to Bill) We're gonna have nobody left up here to crew. Better let Skipper know. Bill nods and disappears. John joins Chuck watching the events around him. JOHN Well Gieg, I'm glad to see I'm not the only guy on this boat that can take a little rock'n roll. Bunch of wusses, I swear...! Chuck watches each of his shipmates. Then, suddenly, out of nowhere -- Projectile vomit all over John. He looks at Chuck, horrified, then he too, cuts loose over the rail. JOHN Son of a bitch!! Chuck looks at John, furious with himself, and begins to laugh. But after a moment he starts to laugh too. It's infectious, they crack each other up. Then, in the middle of belly laughing, they simultaneously retch again over the side. INT. SKIPPER'S CABIN - DAY Skipper sits at his desk with some charts spread out in front of him. There's a knock on the door. SKIPPER Come in. BILL Skipper, uh, the crew is pretty much doing group boot over the side. SKIPPER Well, that's all part of it. BILL We've got weather moving in from the west. Skipper looks up. SKIPPER That's part of it, too. EXT. DECK - DUSK Skipper stands at the wheelhouse with Lawford, George and Bill, studying the horizon through binoculars. Dark clouds. Chuck watches Skipper. Everyone, looking for a cue. CHUCK That a... storm, Skipper? Skipper stays glued to the binoculars. SKIPPER Uh, huh. CHUCK Would you, um, say it's a big storm? SKIPPER Sometimes it gets exciting out here. LAWFORD What do you think? SKIPPER Barometer's dropping. The first blow'll come from the south. Might get interesting. CHUCK Shouldn't we turn away? SKIPPER You can't run from the wind son. You trim your sails, face the music and let the chips fall. Bill, let's close her up, dog, tight. Close on hatches and skylights slamming closed and cinched tight. BELOW DECKS Bulkhead doors are closed and cranked down tightly. IN THE GALLEY Pots and pans crash around. IN THE MAIN CABIN The cabin doors on the bookcase swing open and dump books on top of Alice. She turns and looks at the mess, annoyed. EXT. DECK - SAME SKIPPER Furl the squares, reef the main, and bend on the storm jib, but keep it furled. Drop everything but the inner jib. I want everybody down before we get any lightning. Bill bolts forward with Lawford barking orders. Most of the crew are still ill, but climb into the rigging and begin dropping sail. GEORGE Why's it always happen at night? Skipper regards George, annoyed. SKIPPER George... I want hot food in everybody. Get to it. George returns to the galley. Alice joins Skipper at the wheelhouse handing him foul-weather gear. ALICE Looks like weather. SKIPPER Yep. He slips on a yellow slicker. SKIPPER Do me a favor and tell Bill once she's dogged down I want everyone to break out their slickers and make sure their gear is stowed or we'll spend the next week sorting underwear. (to the others) Lawford, Bill, Mike, John, and Phil will stand the watch. Everyone else hit the racks. PHIL (impulsively) I'm not staying out here. Skipper fires off a look that frightens even Phil. SKIPPER No. That's for sure. Charlie, take his place. Phil goes below, a little ashamed. The crew scatters. Chuck, still at the wheel, pipes up. CHUCK If it's all the same, I'd like to stay on deck. Skipper regards Chuck, who looks back with both fear and eagerness. Suddenly he sees something in this kid. Maybe himself. He almost smiles. Almost. SKIPPER Take the wheel. EXT. FORETOP - SAME Dark clouds blot out the sky and stars. Thunder rumbles far away. The seas have built but there's no wind... yet. With no steerage, the ship is tossed. Tod hangs high above the heaving deck continuing to furl. The mast swings from side to side, but the air has gone dead calm. Skipper looks up, anticipating. SKIPPER Everyone out of the rigging NOW! BILL Everybody down! ON THE DOUBLE!! TOD (shouting) HERE IT COMES!! ON THE DECK The crew in the rigging scamper down to the safety of the deck. SKIPPER Bill, on the wheel with Chuck. Bill joins Chuck and takes hold of the wheel. Then it hits. A wall of torrential rain drums the deck amid a tympany of thunder and flashing lightning. The bow explodes through twelve foot swells. This is what the Albatross was born to do. INT. MAIN CABIN - SAME It's all the crew can do to stay in their bunks. Pots crash, books and personals go flying. The guys are scared. ON DECK The main and jib sheets tighten. Skipper looks at Chuck and Bill. It all comes down to moments like these and he loves it. Suddenly, there is a loud CRACK! A violent flapping noise. Skipper leaps to the port and looks forward. Tod comes running back. TOD We blew the inner! ALICE I'll go. SKIPPER Bring it down and run up the storm jib. We'll fix it later. Stay out of reach of the blocks! Tod and Alice disappear. SKIPPER (with a twinkle) Well, we're in it now. Chuck studies him, frightened, but reassured. EXT. BOW - SAME The shredded jib and rigging whip violently in the wind. The block smashes into the gunnel rail, shattering it. No one dares go near it. For a moment, it seems to hang there seductively. John, naive of its power, leaps for the rail and grabs it. ALICE NOOO!!! Suddenly, the wind cracks the sail instantly hurling John high off the deck and over the side. He holds on for dear life, screaming. AT THE WHEEL SKIPPER (to Chuck) Hold her steady. Skipper bolts forward. AT THE BOW Alice uncleats the jib halyard, leaving one turn on the pin and shoves it into Tod's hands. ALICE Release this when I tell you!! Skipper joins Tod as Alice scrambles along the deck and pulls herself into the bowsprit netting. When the block and jib swing inboard, she grabs for the leach of the sail yelling... ALICE NOW!!! As John is snapped inboard Alice leaps up, grabbing the sail, leaning out over the open water. Waves explode through the netting. As Tod releases the halyard, John falls to the deck, bruised, humbled, but alive. Lawford and Skipper pull Alice from the bowsprit. Skipper looks her over. Relieved. No broken bones. Good work. But then this is what he expects. He respects her and now, everyone can see why. He looks at John sprawled on the deck. SKIPPER Be careful will ya? JOHN What ever you say Cap... SKIPPER Let's get that storm jib up. Skipper gives Alice a private look, then returns to the stern where Chuck holds tightly onto the wheel. OLDER CHUCK (V.O.) The storm lasted sixteen hours and it set us all on equal footing. It was the first time that we shared an episode on an even plane. As we stood our watches we were equally out of control of our situation, regardless of our physical abilities or social backgrounds. And though our real feelings lay hidden beneath bravado and defiance, we were no longer strangers. EXT. DECK - DAY The crew is cleaning up. Alice supervises repairs to the jib while others stow line, scrub the deck and chip paint. Lawford paces. LAWFORD You know what they say in the Navy don't you? RICK What's that, Big Daddy? The more experienced crew members have heard this all before. LAWFORD "If it moves, salute it. If it doesn't move, pick it up. If it's too big to pick up, paint it!" The boys mockingly salute Lawford as he walks by. John stands before a porthole combing his Brylcreem hair into a "D.A." Mike and Chris climb on deck with several large boxes. MIKE Ladies, gentlemen and hermaphrodites, Mr. Corry and I are happy to announce the grand opening of Trans-Border Enterprises. They start opening the boxes. One is a case of Coca Cola, another is full of cigarettes and candy. CHRIS All of the creature comforts and vices you could possibly want, at home or abroad, available twenty- four hours a day. MIKE For a price, of course. ROBIN If you've got "a broad" available I'll take her. JOHN Like you'd know what to do with one. The crew shakes their heads, mutter and check out the goods. TERRY You got Marlboro's? CHRIS Absa-fuckin-lutely. CHUCK Toss me a Cola. CHRIS Fifty cents. CHUCK What?!! MIKE Contraband's hard to come by out here son. John is still grooming at the window. PHIL Hey Goodall, you got a date or something? John continues to comb. JOHN Yeah. With your mom. EVERYBODY Oooooooo. Phil slinks away. CHRIS We also have a few rental items... Chris displays a Playboy magazine. Everybody clamors to get a look. MIKE There's a penalty for any material returned to the Trans-Border Library with sticky pages. John walks by, snatches the magazine and heads for his bunk flipping through the pages. MIKE Hey, you can't do that!! (to Chris) He can't do that!! John flops in a deck chair. Chris shakes his head and starts closing up the boxes. CHRIS Sure he can. EXT. STERN - LATER Chuck sits alone, away from the others, reading. On cue, half of the crew descend, dragging him kicking and screaming into the bowswain's chair, and over the side. The guys cheer. CHUCK Come on you guys, this isn't funny! The seat spins, twists and swings from behind the boat. CHARLIE Come on Chucky. Show us a little grit. They lower the chair so it glides just above the surface. When the boat noses into a swell Chuck gets quite a ride. Once he has the hang of it, fear turns to elation. CHUCK YEEE HAAAA!!!!! CHARLIE Okay, who's next? PHIL You gotta be kidding? He's a human chum line! RICK No self respecting shark is gonna take a bite out of you. Chuck's hauled back in and Terry pushes his way to the front of the line. TERRY I'm next! Terry goes over the side. Once he gets the hang of it, he gets into it. He maneuvers the chair like a plane, forcing himself deep into the waves and then blasting back to the surface. OFF THE PORT SIDE Robin is trolling. The line takes a tremendous hit and Robin's reel screams. Tod is at the wheel and turns. TOD There she blows!! Two hundred feet out something large and pissed has taken the bait. The crew turn and look. Skipper looks out at Terry still in the bowswain's chair. SKIPPER Get him in. Bill waves at Terry to come on in. BILL Come on in!!! Terry waves him off and disappears back under the waves. They can't pull him up while he's going under the water. SKIPPER Do it now Bill. Terry pops up, pissed that they're reeling him back in. Suddenly the animal on the other end of Robin's line explodes out of the sea. It's a six foot Thresher shark. Terry sees it too and freaks, suddenly thrashing and screaming. TERRY Get me out!!! Get me out!!! MIKE Oh my god!! It's a... SKIPPER (calmly) Shark. (to Robin) Don't lose it son. George grabs a gaffing hook while Robin fights the rod, trying to bring in the big fish. GEORGE Keep it coming. Robin battles the fish. George clumsily tries to help. The crew make their way to the rear to watch. CHARLIE Whoops. Charlie and Rick and the others heave to get Terry up. Finally he makes it. Sprawling onto the deck. TERRY Oh Jesus! Oh Jesus Christ!! The crew turn and cheer Robin on as he brings the shark alongside. GEORGE He must be two hundred pounds! Bring him in close and try to hold him steady. George leans out over the rail, trying to get the hook into a gill. Several of the boys hold onto him as the fish flops around violently. GEORGE Got him! Skipper comes down to inspect the catch. The shark is longer than Terry is tall and thrashes in the the water, snapping and twisting. Terry stands shaking, freaked. All of them are. RICK Damn Terr, you're whiter than Sister Mary Anne's butt. The guys laugh nervously. Terry just stares at the man eater, but it's infectious. After a moment he's laughing too. Skipper slaps him on the back with a wry smile. SKIPPER Well, now you have something to write home about. More laughter. Suddenly, Tom, who is lookout on the foretop, cries out. TOM Land ho!!! Land ho!!! Everyone turns around to look. The guys at the stern let go of George and he nearly tumbles overboard. In that instant, the shark slips off of the gaff, and disappears back into the sea. Robin and George share a stunned look. GEORGE Shit. ROBIN There's more where that came from. Skipper returns to the wheelhouse with Alice. Together they scan the horizon. Clouds build over the land ahead. ALICE Cheated death again. He slips an arm around her. SKIPPER Yep. EXT. ANTIGUA - HARBOR - DAY A group of islanders have assembled to watch the crew approach in the long boats. INT. LONG BOAT - SAME Chuck gazes across the strange landscape. As the boats dock, the crew pile out and scatter. Local children follow them wherever they go. Chuck, Robin and John find themselves alone. Most of the buildings are primitive. They wander over to a shop. ROBIN What do you say? Cokes? I'm buying. CHUCK & JOHN Sure. EXT. SHOP Chuck and Robin reappear, sipping cold Cokes. Mike and Chris walk by across the street. Robin speaks up loud enough for them to hear. ROBIN You're right Chuck. There's nothing quite as refreshing as a cold ten cent Coke that only costs ten cents! The three clink their bottles. Mike and Chris slink away. EXT. COLONIAL FORT - DAY A crumbling fort overlooks the harbor. Below, the Albatross floats like a pearl on the azure blue water. Large bronze muzzle-loading cannons still lie in their gunports, aimed at the sea, waiting for pirate ships that will never come. Each of the guys are sprawled on a cannon, taking in the Caribbean view. ROBIN You think Skipper and Alice do it? CHUCK Do what? ROBIN Ya know... "It". CHUCK That's like wondering if your mom and dad do it. Who wants to know? JOHN She isn't that old. CHUCK What do you mean? JOHN I mean she looks pretty damn good in her all-together for being thirty. ROBIN How would you know? JOHN Trust me donut. I know. ROBIN What? Come on... JOHN On the dog watch, night after the storm, I look down into the skylight above Skipper's cabin and there she was, peelin' down. CHUCK No way! ROBIN Come on man, what'd they look like? JOHN Damn, Porkchop, you sound just like a guy who ain't never seen a pair. ROBIN I've seen 'em. I've seen 'em. They crack up. CHUCK I walked in on my parents one time. It was only like eight o'clock and they were in bed and I thought that was kinda weird so I just walked in. JOHN That's what they get for not locking the door. CHUCK So I'm standing there and you could hear a pin drop. No breathing or snoring... Suddenly it hits me that somethin' was goin' on that just stopped, really fast, like people are holding their breath. ROBIN So... What happened? CHUCK My mother says in this really low, but very awake kind of voice "What?" John and Robin crack up. ROBIN What'd you do? CHUCK I said "Sorry, wrong room" and walked away. JOHN Did you shut the door at least? They bust up again. Chuck glares back. CHUCK I don't remember. Robin sits up on his cannon and looks out, suddenly melancholy. ROBIN My parents don't do it anymore. CHUCK How do you know? They might. ROBIN 'Cause they're getting a divorce. (beat) That's why they sent me here. My sister's at Tabor. They just wanted us out of the house so they could get down to business. JOHN They tell you that? ROBIN I figured it out. CHUCK Yeah. JOHN My old man split along time ago. It doesn't mean anything. You just take care of number one that's all that matters. ROBIN It matters to me. JOHN (kindly) Okay donut. Whatever you say. CHUCK We better get back. Robin looks up to John. ROBIN Did you really see 'em. EXT. ALBATROSS - HARBOR - NIGHT The boat moves off leaving the lights of Antigua behind. Chuck watches as the island disappears below the horizon. EXT. DECK - DAY The wind is up and the seas are high. The ship is under full sail driving at top speed. Foam sprays from the bow as it slices through the water -- what she was born to do. The crew line the starboard rail, thrilled to be part of the performance. Tod is at the wheel with Chris nearby. The sails tower above him like a mountain of silk. He wrestles the wheel, careful to hold his course against the powerful trade winds. Skipper, making his rounds inspects the heading on the compass and nods. SKIPPER It's a good sail boys. Tod and Chris beam. Compliments are rare from this man. TOD Thank you, sir. Shall we trim the main Skipper? I think we could get another knot or two. Skipper turns and looks at Tod, a twinkle in his eye. SKIPPER As you like. Gravy. The two gloat as they lighten the mainsheet tackle. Phil joins them. PHIL What do you say I have a crack at the wheel? TOD I'd say, fuck off junior. They laugh. Phil slinks behind the chart house, hurt, and angry. He spots a spear gun stowed against the chart house. As Tod and Chris pull in the main, it strains and stretches against the powerful wind. Phil aims the spear gun at the mainsail from behind the chart house and silently fires. There is a wicked POP as the spear punctures the sail, passing through it, followed by a loud shredding as the huge sail splits. TOD Jesus Christ!! Let it out. Let it out!! The sound brings Skipper onto the deck like a shot. SKIPPER Hard to port! Hard to port!! Calamity, as Tod cranks the ship into the wind. The canvas goes limp as the ship hauls to a dead stop. People dive everywhere to drop sail. SKIPPER Start the engine. All ahead full!! Scallop the Square and drop the rest!! He shoots a glare at Tod and Chris. TOD (bewildered) I don't know what happened Skipper. It just blew out. Skipper turns to the task at hand without a word. What had been praise is now reduced to embarrassment and confusion. Phil, still hidden behind the chart house returns the spear gun and smiles to himself at Tod's arrogance turned humility. EXT. DECK - TOBAGO CAYS - DAY The Albatross has dropped anchor along a remote group of flat, lush atolls. Tall palm trees grow almost to the waters edge. The crew have the mainsail down and Alice supervises the repair of the sail. Phil sits above it all sunning himself in the bowswain's chair. ROBIN Where are you from any way? CHUCK Depths of hell... Ohio. How 'bout you? ROBIN Kennet Square, PA. 'Mushroom capital of the world'. TOD Sorry to here it. CHUCK Well, and it's pretty cool too, ya know? Bein' here together an all... Phil reels himself down. PHIL Christ, I'm gonna choke on 'feel good'... Robin looks up, taken back. TOD Why are you such a penis Phil. Do you do it on purpose or can't you help it. PHIL Tug my chain Johnstone. Skipper comes on deck. Robin and Chuck flip Phil and Terry the finger. SKIPPER After midterms we'll finish our run down to Curacao. The crew reacts, grumbling. SKIPPER I have arranged to host a good will cruise for the Dutch students of the local school there. PHIL (to Terry) Joy, rapture... SKIPPER Each one of you will be responsible for one student. I'll expect you to be courteous. You represent this school and your country. We'll sail in the morning. George appears from the galley and rings the ships bell. GEORGE That's chow. The crew drop what they're doing and stampede down into the cabin. INT. CABIN - NIGHT Robin thrashes in his bunk calling out. Sweat glistens on his face. Chuck stumbles out to his bunk with Rick and some of the others. RICK Hey man, wake up. Wake up! They shake him. Robin wakes, disoriented, eyes filled with tears. ROBIN I was falling... Phil grumbles from his bunk. PHIL Hey, shut up will ya? CHUCK It was a bad dream... ROBIN It was so real... CHUCK Here's the thing; whenever you're having a nightmare, all you have to do is say 1-2-3 wake up! You'll be out of it. You'll wake up. Phil rolls over in his bunk trying to go back to sleep. ROBIN Who told you that? CHUCK My dad. ROBIN It works? CHUCK Swear to God. Only good advice he ever gave me. Now, go back to sleep. He pats Robin on the leg. The guys return to their bunks. Favor Phil, listening. CHUCK (lingering) You okay now? Robin stares at the photo of his brother. ROBIN That's how he died you know. CHUCK Who? ROBIN My brother. He fell out of the old beech tree. Broke his neck. I was on a camp out. They started going at it, throwin' things, a real knock down... (beat) They didn't find him 'till the next morning. They didn't even know why he was up there. CHUCK Jesus, you never told them? ROBIN I couldn't. Phil stares at the ceiling, affected by what he has overheard. Someone creeps down the companionway and whispers. MIKE (hushed) Hey you guys, come on! Shuffling in the darkness. Phil suddenly realizes, he's alone. EXT. DECK - NIGHT The dory hangs from her gallows. Some of the guys slowly lower her to the water. INT. GALLEY - SAME George is asleep with a book in his lap. Mike and Chris slip inside. The door squeaks, George stirs. Mike opens a cabinet and removes a fifth of rum. Silently, Mike passes the bottle to Chris who passes it to Tod who passes it to Charlie who drops it down to Robin who stands in the lowered dory with Chuck. PHIL (O.S.) What do you think you're doing? Startled, Mike and Rick share a look. Busted. Phil turns and runs into John, wearing a broad smile, who shakes his head. No way. PHIL Forget it. Count me out! The crew descend and drag Phil, struggling, into the dory. They raise a crude sailing rig and silently move off. A figure stands on top of the chart house, back lit by the moon. It's Skipper. Watching it all. Letting it unfold. INT. GALLEY - NIGHT Skipper hovers over George, sawing logs. He tosses a pot on the floor. GEORGE (bolting up) What?! What's happening?!! SKIPPER You're officer of the watch, George. GEORGE I'm sorry, Skip. It's this damned book. Lawford gave it to me. The book is "Kafka". Skipper motions to the empty cabinet. GEORGE Son-of-a-bitch. SKIPPER We're short one long boat too. Come on. EXT. CAMPFIRE - NIGHT The boys sit in a circle around a small fire passing the bottle. Rick strums his guitar and sings while the rest join in. RICK Oh I was walkin' down Lime street one day... ALL Hey! Weigh! Blow the man down... RICK A pretty young maiden she happened my way... ALL Give me some time to blow the man down... Skipper and George crawl to the top of a sand dune and watch the boys. George starts to stand but Skipper puts a hand on his shoulder. SKIPPER I guess we know what the next acquisition for the galley is going to be... GEORGE What's that? SKIPPER A padlock. On the boys. Phil is drunkest of them all and does a wild jig as the rest of them sing. RICK So to all you sailors who've fought wind and whale... ALL Weight! Hey! Blow the man down... RICK She said "None the better, you all go to hell..." ALL Give me some time to Blow the man down! They all crack up. CHRIS I only have one question. JOHN What's that, Canuck? CHRIS If we're not on the boat, how come the ground is moving? CHUCK You think George'll miss the bottle? TERRY We'll blame it on Big Daddy. He's a lush. MIKE All I know is if that Viking son of a bitch puts me on smegma duty one more time I'm gonna have to run him through. TERRY (mimicking) The "Old Man" likes a tight ship! CHARLIE "If it moves, shoot it..." The rest join in. CHUCK "If it doesn't move, throw it overboard. If it's too big to throw overboard, screw it!" More laughing. RICK You think Old Thunder Nuts will figure out that we're A.W.O.L. Bill drunkenly imitates the Skipper. PHIL "There is nothing that goes on, on this boat that I don't know about. She speaks to me in the night. So don't test me. Not even a little..." The boys laugh. On the dune, George shakes his head. GEORGE Immortality. SKIPPER Spirits have a way of bringing that out. GEORGE And being sixteen. SKIPPER They're in a hurry to grow up. They don't know about consequences or responsibility. That's being sixteen too. (beat) I promise you one thing... GEORGE What's that? SKIPPER They'll know about it in the morning. Skipper smiles. EXT. BEACH - NIGHT The drunken crew stumble out of the woods onto the beach. As they ready the boat for the trip back Robin looks out to sea... ROBIN (alarmed) Jesus H. Christ. Tod looks up. TERRY What now pork chop? ROBIN Look! The guys turn their gaze to the ocean. The Albatross... is gone! TERRY Holy shit! Where'd she go? The crew is suddenly stone sober. Stunned. CHARLIE What the hell is going on? MIKE She's gone! The boat's gone!! Phil breaks into sort of a blind panic. PHIL Oh Jesus, oh Jesus. Man I knew we shouldn't have gone. I tried to tell you. I tried to tell you. You guys made me come! You made me come!! JOHN Will you shut up? You sound like my fucking sister. CHUCK Alright. Everybody just stay cool. We'll figure this out. MIKE Who the hell checked the mooring? ROBIN I did. Why? CHARLIE Maybe she pulled free... MIKE What if they don't know. If she's adrift, if they're asleep, she could run aground. She could break up on the reef. PHIL (to Robin) Maybe you didn't check it good enough. ROBIN (defensive, frightened) I did. I swear. Oddly, it's Phil who stands up for Robin. PHIL Yeah, well you're really gonna have some bad dreams if we find out you didn't. JOHN That's enough. PHIL How the hell are we gonna get outta here? JOHN We'll think of something. PHIL Oh, praise the lord. (announcing) Relax everybody. Everything is under control. The jug head's going to think of something. Without warning. John lunges at Phil. Phil screams, trying to defend himself. The guys all dive in. Suddenly it's an all out brawl. John out of control pounding Phil's head against the seat of the boat. Suddenly, from behind, comes a blistering "THWACK!!" as Chuck breaks an oar over the back of John's head. Stunned, John lets go of Phil and turns, blood dripping from the back of his head. JOHN Nobody calls me an idiot. He weaves, then passes out, falling face down in the sand. The guys stagger to their feet, trying to recover. PHIL God damn it man. I think he broke my nose! CHUCK Shut up, Phil. Chuck tosses the broken oar handle, kneels over and vomits. TERRY Well that's just great. Now what are we supposed to do? Chuck and Robin hoist John up and drag him under a palm tree, propping him up. The others huddle to stay warm. EXT. BEACH - MORNING The crew's asleep in the tropical heat of day. Bloodied and sun burned. A fly buzzes around Rick's face, waking him. He sits up sunburned and sore trying to focus. He gazes across the water, stupefied. RICK Oh-my-god... The others stir and follow his gaze. The Albatross sits in exactly the spot where they left her. ROBIN I'm not sure if this is really good or really bad. EXT. ALBATROSS - DAY The sound of a rod and reel spinning wildly. George tries to maintain control as the rod nearly jumps out of his hands. GEORGE I got a live one! Skipper, Alice and Bill watch the shoreline as the boys launch the long boat into the surf. George is struggling. A beautiful tarpon leaps out of the water, but Skipper never takes his eyes off of his boys. SKIPPER The thing about fishing George, is you need to let 'em run some. Give 'em just enough slack so they don't break the line. But at the same time you've gotta keep enough tension to wear 'em down, bring 'em in slowly so they don't really know they're hooked. Suddenly George's line goes slack. He nearly falls over backwards. GEORGE I'll try and remember that. EXT. DECK - DAY Hound dog and hung over, bloodied and burned, the boys stand before Skipper and the others. Skipper looks dark and angry. SKIPPER You know what a loose cannon is? 'Bout the worst thing that could happen to a wooden ship. All it took was one, crashing around the deck in a storm... It'd smash everything in its way, maybe take out a mast or punch a hole right through the hull. Think about it, just one cannon not tied down, not anchored, could take a whole 'Man of War' straight to the bottom. MIKE (aside) But we don't have any cannons? Chris jabs him in the ribs. CHRIS (hushed) Shut up! Skipper turns and faces them. SKIPPER Now, if the Skipper were smart, if he could see a storm building, why he'd cut loose every gun on his boat. Even though it would leave him at a disadvantage in battle, he'd push 'em into the sea. Better chance running for port than risk the entire ship, his crew. He takes a pause making sure he has their attention for this part. SKIPPER People are like that sometimes. They cut loose and before you know it, they're knocking holes in everything. So you gotta ask yourself if it might not be better to just put 'em off before they sink the whole thing. I mean after all, you can always get new cannons. He walks back to his place at the rail. SKIPPER (beat) I want a tight ship, everybody shaved and in clean clothes when we make Curacao. If it goes well, if your mid terms are acceptable, I may reconsider my decision about the rest of the trip. That's all. Dejected, the crew goes below. EXT. DECK - DAY Under sail. Skipper stands at the wheel overseeing the crew taking exams. Each writes furiously as Alice scribbles problems on the blackboard which hangs from the chart house door. As the boys scratch out the problems, John seems paralyzed. He looks over at Phil and copies down his answer. He checks crib notes hidden in his shorts. Chuck and Robin both see this and exchange looks. INT. AFT CABIN - DAY John makes his way down the narrow corridor towards the head. Robin follows. Chuck drops down the aft companionway, intercepting John. CHUCK Where you going? JOHN To take a piss. ROBIN Really? John turns around, surprised, sandwiched. JOHN Yeah, that's right. You wanna come in and shake it for me? CHUCK If you're gonna cheat, you might as well copy off somebody who's gonna get the answer right. JOHN You've gotta be kidding. Get the fuck outta my way! Chuck throws open the Engine Room door and they shove John inside. JOHN What the hell!!! Chuck manages to pin John. Robin checks his pockets and comes up with the crib notes. Chuck lets go. John snatches them, ashamed. CHUCK Takin' a piss? John turns away. ROBIN Why, man? JOHN I don't have to listen to this. CHUCK Yes you do, stupid. Because if you don't, I'm gonna go right up there and have a heart to heart with Skipper and you'll be on the first plane back to idiotville. John lunges at Chuck, sending them both sprawling. Robin leaps on top of John. ROBIN Cut it out man!! Stop it!!! What's the matter with you? If Phil had caught you he'd have ratted you out in a second. You get caught cheating, you'll get kicked off the boat. John explodes, tears flowing. JOHN I cheated to get on the boat!!! All right?! CHUCK What? He lets go of Chuck and stands up trying to hide his emotions. JOHN I doctored my grades so I'd make the cut. I'm a moron, okay? You satisfied?! CHUCK You're not a moron. JOHN Wanna bet? Takes me half a day to get through one chapter of Lawford and I still don't have any idea what the hell he's talkin' about. You know why it takes me so long to write papers? because I can't spell. While everybody else is sleeping, I'm in the rack with a flashlight and a dictionary. John chokes back a sob. JOHN Hell, they even kicked me outa vo- tech 'cause I couldn't read a slide rule. PHIL I can show you how to use a slide rule. The three turn around, startled. ROBIN How long you been standing there? PHIL Long enough. John looks down, resigned. JOHN They were gonna put me into special- ed this year. I stole a copy of my transcript, changed all the grades. Shit, who am I kidding. I'll never pass the boards. CHUCK Listen, you don't cheat, and we'll make sure you get the grades. We'll start a private study group. Nobody knows. You'll ace that test. ROBIN I'm in. They turn and look to Phil, who still shows the tell-tail signs of their fight. PHIL Me, too. JOHN Why would you do that? CHUCK Because we believe in you. (beat) Because we're your friends. EXT. CURACAO - HARBOR - DUSK As a blazing sun sizzles into the western sea, the Albatross rounds a point and heads towards the docks several hundred yards away. On the dock, the students of the school wait. As soon as the ship is in view, they start to cheer. Chuck squints. CHUCK What are they doing? ROBIN I can't make it out? Robin calls up to Phil, who is at the wheelhouse. ROBIN Hey, Phil... Swing up the 'binocs' and tell us what you see. Phil picks up the binoculars and focuses. PHIL (puzzled) They're waving... handkerchiefs or something. RICK What? CHARLIE Maybe they're surrendering. PHIL Wait a second... Phil lowers the binoculars and turns to Skipper. PHIL They're girls! They're all girls! Skipper shares a knowing look with Alice. TOD Gimme those. Tod snatches the binoculars. TOD WHHOOOOAAAAA!!!!!! WOMEN!!! Everyone on board rushes to the port side. Every single person on the dock is a young girl waving a white handkerchief. Spontaneous cheers from the boys. As the 'Big A' pulls to the dock, John and Tod run for the gunnel door and swing it open. The girls flood the deck. BILL Good morning, ladies. They chatter in Dutch and hurry aboard. Like wall flowers, Robin, Phil and Chuck stand on top of the chart house watching utopia unfold before them. ROBIN What are we supposed to talk about? PHIL You've gotta be kidding? ROBIN But, they don't speak English. PHIL There are some things that everybody does in the same language. CHUCK Yeah, but how are you supposed to make the first move? PHIL Like this! Phil reaches up for a free line. With a running start he swings out over the water... PHIL Yeeee Haaaaa!! He careens back onto the deck and lands in front of two startled, but impressed girls. Robin and Chuck applaud. Phil takes a bow. All hell is breaking loose. Skipper and Alice welcome aboard the headmaster, MS. BOYDE, 50's, dumpy but tough. SKIPPER A very enthusiastic welcome. MS. BOYDE We don't often have guests. Our girls have been looking forward to your visit for some time. Welcome to Curacao. SKIPPER Thank you. You're all ready to sail then? MS. BOYDE I should think so. ALICE I'm sure they won't be disappointed. A man's voice bellows up from the dock. FRANCIS (O.S.) Ahoy there!! Everyone stops and freezes. Phil turns, disbelieving. It's his parents, Francis and PEGGY BOUTILLIER, standing next to a limousine dressed in brightly colored tourist garb. PEGGY Surprise! FRANCIS Well, well. What do we have here? A floating brothel? ALICE (cool) Hardly. Francis comes aboard uninvited as usual. FRANCIS Well, we thought we'd drop in and see if you were all still in one piece. SKIPPER (pointed) And, of course, we are. FRANCIS Well, you never can tell these days, can you? Skipper shoots a look over at Phil who is staring a hole in the deck. SKIPPER What is it we can do for you today? FRANCIS Well, we've come to give our boy a little break from the monotony. PHIL It's not monotonous. Francis flushes red. FRANCIS Never the less... He turns and joins Peggy on the dock. Phil is suddenly full of rage. This is an invasion of his privacy. Everyone feels it. FRANCIS Hop to boy. We haven't got all day. Phil's anger turns to resigned humiliation. He stops, staring down at his parents. Skipper puts a hand on his shoulder. SKIPPER I didn't know, Phil. Phil nods, head down and walks down the ramp. All watch him go, feeling for him. EXT. OPEN WATER - DAY The sails begin to rise but unlike earlier, the guys SING out like the Vienna Boys Choir and it's having the desired impressive effect on the women. CREW TOGETHER When the sun came up there was whisky in the cup/ and not one of us was sober/ Kerry thought she saw a picture, but it really was the sun/ then we knew the party was over... The weather was perfect, brisk and steady under the trade wind swells. The voices trail away as the ship moves off. OLDER CHUCK (V.O.) Curacao seemed out of a dream, somehow make-believe. But, as Ohio drew further and further away, it was home that began to seem unreal, drifting somewhere in the foggy reaches of our memories. And I knew that each of us was falling in love. But not only with these wonderful women or the swaying palms and porcelain beaches... We were falling in love with the experience we were sharing, and with who we were becoming. INT. MAIN CABIN - NIGHT The crew is getting ready for a farewell party. Each member is primping. CHUCK Bregitta. Do you believe it? JOHN Believe what? CHUCK Her name. (savoring the sound) Bregitta. It's poetry. TERRY Soon as we ship it'll be "forgetta". TOD Don't mind him, Chucky. You're talking to a guy whose idea of big romance is a palm full of Vaseline. TERRY Screw you, Valentino. I haven't seen you swapping spit with anybody. Tod smiles as he slowly pulls something from his pocket. It's a pair of girls' cotton underwear. TOD That's because I'm discrete, moron. The guys try to wrestle the underwear away from him. Just then Skipper descends the companionway. SKIPPER Alright, gentlemen, we sail with the tide. Twenty-three hundred. Sharp. I'm not waiting. Have a good time tonight but be back on time. The crew cheer. This means the trip goes on. EXT. SCHOOL - GARDENS - NIGHT Decorated with colored paper lanterns and streamers, a STEEL DRUM BAND softly plays in the b.g. The crew slow- dance with their girls, dressed in cotton that seems to glow against their dark skin. Ms. Boyde is scrutinizing the body contact between Chuck and BREGITTA. Their lips appear pasted together and she doesn't like it. Lawford sees what is about to happen and hands his slimy cigar to George who reacts. LAWFORD Hold this, will ya? Lawford intercepts Ms. Boyde. LAWFORD Madam, I would consider it a privilege if you would allow me to take you on a tour of the dance floor. Ms. Boyde is so flattered, it is all she can do to extend her hand. Lawford leads her away and glares at Rick. LAWFORD You're very light on your feet Ms. Boyde. Was it you who taught all of these young ladies the art of the dance? Ms. Boyde giggles like a school girl. EXT. RESTAURANT - NIGHT Phil and his parents sit outside at a ritzy restaurant. Phil stares towards the harbor. FRANCIS What's wrong, you don't like steak? PHIL I should be eating with the crew. FRANCIS Humor me. Eat it anyway. PHIL Why are you here? PEGGY We missed you. We wanted to check on you. PHIL I don't need you spying on me. FRANCIS Spying?! PHIL I can take care of myself. FRANCIS (sarcastic) Oh, really? PHIL Look, you put me on this boat in the first place. I didn't want to come but I did. Why do you have to embarrass me. Why can't you just leave me alone? Francis slaps Phil across the face nearly knocking him out of his chair. Everyone and everything. It's humiliating. PEGGY Francis!! She cradles Phil's red face. He fights the tears. FRANCIS Listen to me, you thankless little prick. We're your parents, so don't you dare talk to me disrespectfully. What the hell is it, this captain? Because I'll see him in a rowboat... PHIL It has nothing to do with him. FRANCIS Well, what does it have to do with? Us? PHIL No. Look, it's me okay? Can't it just be about me? For once? Phil pulls free and exits. He can feel eyes all over him. EXT. SCHOOL - GARDENS - NIGHT Alice watches, swept up in the nostalgic romance of it all. Skipper joins her. SKIPPER He would have loved this. ALICE Your father? SKIPPER All his years at sea, he never stopped talking about these islands. ALICE You miss him. Skipper manages a sad smile. SKIPPER Every hour. Every minute. (pause) I wish he was here. I wish he could have sailed our girl. Seen these boys... She smiles warmly. SKIPPER I'd have liked to have said goodbye. ALICE He knows. SKIPPER You sound so sure. ALICE I am about this. Skipper turns and stares at her deeply. ALICE What? SKIPPER He never would have believed a woman like you existed. Alice smiles and turns back to the dancers. ALICE Do you remember the last time you and I danced under the stars? SKIPPER Guilty. ALICE On the deck of the Yankee, the night you asked me to marry you. We weren't much older than they are. The music changes to a calypso waltz. Skipper takes Alice by the hand. SKIPPER Would you allow me? She's sixteen again. There's something about him that still makes her blush. Skipper leads her to the dance floor. He hesitates, looking deeply into her eyes. As they begin to dance, the boys notice and exchange looks. Lawford and George sit across the quad, sipping punch and smoking cigars. GEORGE If I didn't know better I'd say the old man was acting almost halfway human. LAWFORD He is halfway human. One by one the couples clear for the Skipper and his bride. They glide, lost in each others arms. They dance a dance for the ages. As if it might be for the last time. The music swells. EXT. PIER - NIGHT Chuck and Bregitta, are at the end of the pier, a full moon hangs above the horizon. Bregitta doesn't understand what Chuck is saying, but it's clear she's enjoying him. CHUCK I can't remember feeling like this about myself, a place, someone like you. We've come such a long way, seen so much. But nothing like this. Bregitta smiles and takes Chuck's hand. He's nervous. CHUCK I'm not the best at expressing myself. Maybe the only reason I can now is because I know you don't understand me. (beat) I like you so much. Too much. But how could I? I mean, if we can't even communicate, how could I know you? It's confusing. We sail in an hour and I'll never see you again. Bregitta takes Chuck's face gently and kisses him tenderly. Then, in perfect English... BREGITTA I like you, too. Chuck's eyes widen, astonished. Bregitta smiles, takes Chuck by the hand, and leads him to a small covered boat moored to the pier. BREGITTA Come on. We don't have much time. Blushing deeply, Chuck follows her into the boat. EXT. STREET - SAME Robin walks down the street hand in hand with one of the girls. A long string of colored lights illuminate the length of the street. Robin clumsily tries to kiss the girl. She laughs. ROBIN (defensive) What? Suddenly there's a flash and the sound of breaking glass. Robin looks up to see Phil staggering, down the street, smashing each of the colored light bulbs with a stick. He showers himself with broken glass and sparks. ROBIN (to girl) Wait for me okay. I'll be right back. I swear. She smiles sadly and nods. Robin sprints down the pier and catches up with Phil. His feet are bleeding. He is completely smashed. ROBIN Phil. What are you doing? PHIL Fandango, Junior. (he holds up his stick) I'm gonna do some limbo baby!! ROBIN No way Phil. Not like this. PHIL Roger Meris, steps up, it's a corker down the pipe... THWACK! He scores another bulb. Robin jumps out of the way. PHIL It's outta here! ROBIN Come on man. Let's just talk about it. The music drifts from the gardens ahead. Phil bolts. Robin chases after him. ROBIN Phil! Wait man... Come on... EXT. SCHOOL - GARDENS - NIGHT John shares a joke with Lawford and George. The calypso is cranking, but only John hears Phil and Robin crash into the refreshment table. Robin struggles to stop Phil. JOHN (to Lawford) Be right back. Lawford nods, oblivious. ON THE GUYS John tries to help Robin with Phil. JOHN Jesus! What the hell happened to him. PHIL Lemme go! Lemme go!! ROBIN I don't know. We gotta get 'im outta here before Skipper sees him like this. PHIL Son of a bitch!! Phil kicks and struggles. JOHN Phil, if you don't calm down, I'm gonna hurt you. Got it? They drag him into the darkness. From near the bandstand however, Skipper has seen it all. EXT. ALBATROSS - NIGHT The crew lean along the rail waving goodbye to the girls who wave back with their white handkerchiefs. INT. MAIN CABIN - SAME Chuck and John hold Phil still as Robin picks shards of glass out of his feet. Phil clenches his jaw, but his eyes are dry. EXT. ALBATROSS - DAY The ship is under full-sail driving before a brisk following wind. It takes two on the helm to keep her safely on course. Those not on watch are sprawled about the boat, scraping and 'red-leading' or reading. Chuck and Robin sit forward with John, studying. Lawford paces the deck, chiding the crew. LAWFORD The rust won't wait for you to read Conrad, Goodall. JOHN Then he shouldn't have written such a long poem, Mr. Lawford. LAWFORD Read on, young John. Read on. College boards are coming. John looks down, dejected. Suddenly Tod cries from the foretop. TOD There they blow!! There they blow!! Dolphins off the bow!!! Everyone rushes to see. Dolphins leaping out of the water. It's a magnificent game they play with ships. The crew cheers as each one explodes out of the sea, close enough to touch. Isolated, Phil watches. Angry, cut off. Chuck eyes him, worried. Bill and Charlie rig the bowswain's chair and lower Rick into the water. Suddenly, the dolphins are everywhere. Rick pets them as they swim back and forth. Shear joy. Phil reaches for the spear gun. Nobody notices as he loads and takes aim. Suddenly... with a crack, everyone spins around. A large female dolphin leaps out of the water, bloody foam spraying from her blow hole. She lets out an agonizing scream. Phil holds her fast. CHRIS Jesus Christ! The crew can only watch, stunned. Phil is suddenly, defensive as if waking from a dream. PHIL Fuck off man. It's just a fish. RICK No, Phil. It's a mammal. Skipper steps on deck, sees the dolphin and Phil with the spear gun. SKIPPER (quietly) Bill, lower a long boat. We'll bring her up with the davit. A dory is lowered with John and Bill inside. Once near the water they maneuver the struggling dolphin into a canvas harness. The crew hoist her with the davit tackle, swing her inboard, and gently lower her to the deck. They gather around the gasping animal. Alice checks the wound. Skipper kneels beside her. SKIPPER What do you think? Alice shakes her head and gently strokes the dolphin. ALICE It's through her lung. Skipper turns to Phil. SKIPPER (to Phil) Nice shot. Phil looks up at the crew but one by one they look away. Chuck finds this confusing and inexcusable but is the last to look away. Skipper grimly walks over to one of the deck lockers and pulls out a large wooden mallet and holds it out to Phil. SKIPPER Finish it. Phil looks at the mallet, horrified. PHIL (stammering) I'm not gonna kill it. SKIPPER You already have. Now go on. Do it. Phil backs away. Skipper stares at him for a moment, then walks over to the dolphin. Robin looks away. The sickening sound of the mallet crushing the skull of the animal seems to silence the world. There are one of two thumps of her tail and, it's over. Skipper tosses the bloody mallet into the locker and approaches Phil, his face flushed with anger. He grabs the spear gun, and snaps it across his knee and throws the pieces into the sea. SKIPPER What the hell is wrong with you?! Phil begins to shake with rage. SKIPPER Come on. You got so much fight in you; you wanna kill something? Take your best shot. The first one's free. Robin holds his ears as if he can make it all go away. For a brief moment Phil looks as if he might take Skipper up on the challenge. Then the impulse passes. SKIPPER That's what I thought. (beat) You're done. You're going home. Skipper turns. The humiliation is more than Phil can take. He lunges after Skipper. Lawford grabs him. Phil swings wildly. PHIL You mean-assed bastard!! You son of a bitch!! You can't do this!!! You can't do this!!! God damn you!! God damn you!! Lawford leads Phil, struggling, below. The crew surround the dead dolphin, stunned. EXT. ARUBA - ESTABLISHING - DAY The Albatross is at anchor in the center of the harbor. EXT. DECK - SAME Phil comes on deck from below with his duffel bag. Everyone feels bad but no one knows what to say. Phil turns to get a second load. CHUCK Why'd you do it? PHIL (regretting it) What's the difference? CHUCK You only hurt yourself you know? PHIL Like you really care. Like any of you give a shit what happens to me. RICK You're the one who doesn't care, Phil. PHIL It hurts too much to care. RICK About yourself? PHIL About anything. Phil turns and disappears down the companionway. ROBIN We shouldn't be putting him off the boat. CHRIS The guy's out of control. ROBIN Everybody's been outta control on this trip. (beat) Are we a crew or not? I mean, isn't that what this is supposed to be all about? MIKE You're the last person who should be whining about being a "crew". ROBIN How do you figure that? MIKE Well, I'd sure like to go into the subject of vertigo and all, but I wouldn't want you to piss yourself. Robin flushes bright red. John fires a look at Mike. JOHN You're a regular prick you know that? MIKE Tell it to the dolphin, Goodall. JOHN Everybody deserves a second chance, ya know? We'd do the same for you Mike. ROBIN It's about family isn't it? I mean are we together on this or not? There is a long pause. Mike and Chris cave. MIKE Hell, do what ever you want. It won't change anything anyway. Robin exchanges a glance with Chuck and together, they climb up the companionway. EXT. CHART HOUSE - SAME Chuck and Robin stand before the door. ROBIN I can't go in there. CHUCK What are you talking about. Robin turns away, ashamed. ROBIN The guys were right. It'll mean nothing coming from me. He'll listen to you Chuck. Everybody does. INT. CHART HOUSE - SAME Skipper and Alice have paperwork spread out in front of them. A knock. SKIPPER Come. Chuck enters, awkward. SKIPPER What's on your mind? CHUCK I'm here on behalf of the crew, sir. Skipper looks up. SKIPPER Well, spit it out. CHUCK The fact is... We'd like you to give Phil another chance. Alice raises her eyebrows, surprised. SKIPPER Can't do it. CHUCK Sir...? SKIPPER Close the door. Sit down. Chuck does as he is told. SKIPPER Why do you think I'm sending him home? CHUCK He killed the dolphin. Skipper looks at Chuck for a moment. SKIPPER The Dolphin was a symptom. CHUCK Of what? SKIPPER Of a fight he can't win out here. CHUCK It's his father sir. He's suffocating him. We've all seen it... Suddenly it's as if Chuck is talking about his own life. CHUCK I mean he has all these expectations and he doesn't even know who his own kid is. What right did then have to show up here? SKIPPER They have every right Chuck. CHUCK They send us because they want us to change, or grow up or something and then they try to keep us the same. Skipper sits up and studies Chuck for a moment. SKIPPER Let me tell you something about Phil's father, and your's too. How do you think you got here? You think this is all free, that they owe you something? You think they enjoy riding subways and commuter trains, driving buses or pulling lobster traps? Work fifty weeks a year to keep you in tennis shoes and private school? Look around at how the rest of the world lives Chuck. We're the luckiest people alive, every one of us. They gave it up for you and Phil, and me too my friend. Chuck chews on it. SKIPPER There are ground rules in families just like on this boat. If you and Phil don't like it, I'm sorry. Someday you'll understand that, and if you're lucky, you'll come home and find your best friend has been there all along waiting for you to forgive him for being a father. It'll be the way it used to be, when you were ten and your dad was a giant. Now it's Skipper who is talking about himself. SKIPPER Does Phil know how you guys feel? CHUCK I don't know. SKIPPER You should tell him. That's something he can take with him. Chuck nods and leaves. EXT. CHART HOUSE - SAME As Chuck exits he meets Robin's eyes. He shakes his head. INT. CHART HOUSE - SAME Skipper returns to his paperwork but can feel Alice watching him. He senses it. SKIPPER I'm all ears. Alice smiles. ALICE You may not like what you hear. SKIPPER I can take it. ALICE They've become what you wanted. They're a crew. That's why he came. Skipper puts a loving hand on Alice's shoulder. SKIPPER Why did we begin this? ALICE We were idealists. SKIPPER Because we believed we could make an impact out here. Self reliance and community through the disciplines of sailing. ALICE I haven't forgotten. SKIPPER Phil, he's not looking inside. He's just striking out at the world. ALICE He has a lot of hurt inside him. SKIPPER Well, he better learn to own it. Actions have consequences. (beat) It's not what happens here Alice, it's what they take away with them. Alice runs her hands across his face. ALICE You're still an idealist. Skipper turns and slips into her arms. SKIPPER Oh hell... EXT. DECK - DAY Phil is in the long boat with Skipper, ready to shove off. Tension is high. It's as though they're all waiting for Skipper to give Phil a reprieve. But, it's not coming. They mumble goodbyes. Terry and Rick pass down Phil's bags. RICK Good luck. Phil nods and turns to Skipper. PHIL I'm ready. Skipper starts to pull the oars to make the crossing to the dock as the crew watches them go. Robin turns, staring at the ships bell. EXT. DOCK - SAME Skipper ties off the boat and Phil hands up his bags. A black limousine waits, brooding. Phil climbs up with Skipper and stands, stares at it. The back door opens, but nobody gets out. EXT. ALBATROSS - SAME The crew stand, watching. CHARLIE His ol' man's gonna eat him for lunch. JOHN I know what that's like. RICK Yeah. Then, suddenly... CHUCK My god... All stares aloft. In the rigging, climbing up the mast, is Robin. With the ships bell in his teeth, he is sweating every rung. Perspiration glistens on his brow. The crew watches, transfixed as he fights his way towards the foretop. EXT. DOCK - SAME Phil turns to Skipper. Working up some courage to say something, anything. But all that comes out is... PHIL I'm sorry. A pause between them. SKIPPER I know, Phil. Skipper extends a hand and they shake. Phil is about to turn, when a familiar sound draws their attention. EXT. FORETOP - SAME Robin, holding on for dear life at the top of the mast, rings the ships bell triumphantly over his head, waving to Phil. Victorious. Ding ding! Ding ding! Ding ding! The crew begin to cheer. EXT. DOCK - SAME Phil stares back, fighting his emotions. Slowly he raises his hand in a single wave of acknowledgement. The ringing stops as his eyes meet Robin's. Waves back. Skipper turns. SKIPPER They never gave up on you, you know. Phil chews on it. Then... PHIL Tell 'em I said... thanks. (beat) Goodbye Skipper. ROBIN'S POV Robin watches as the limo pulls away. He rings the bell wildly. The crew below wave in a show of silent protest. OLDER CHUCK (V.O.) As Robin rang him out, we waved in silent protest against Skipper's decision. And in the days that followed the low morale was matched only by a sense of arrogance that perhaps the master should step down and let his students take over. AERIAL SHOT Robin, the Albatross and the drama unfolding below spin slowly away as we climb, turning, higher and higher. EXT. ALBATROSS - ESTABLISHING - DAY Foam sprays from her bow as the Albatross slices through the swells. INT. CABIN - SAME Tod exits the head with a worried look on his face. He grabs Chuck by the arm and pulls him aside. Morale is extremely low. TOD Listen man, I think I have a problem. CHUCK We all have problems. TOD I'm pissin' fire man. Chuck reacts. INT. SKIPPER'S CABIN - DAY Tight on Alice. Pull back to reveal Tod standing in front of her with his shorts down around his ankles. Mortified. ALICE Have a nice time in Curacao, did you Tod? Alice gets up and moves to her medicine chest. Tod starts to pull up his shorts. ALICE Not so fast. She pulls out a menacingly large looking hypodermic needle. Tod's embarrassment turns to alarm. EXT. DECK - LATER The crew stand in line, pissed. Lawford and George man the deck with Skipper and exchange amused looks. The door opens and Chris exits, red faced, rubbing his backside. He glares at Tod who sits on the paint locker. CHRIS Way-ta-go Valentino. I never even copped a feel in Curacao. TOD Yeah well, your sexual orientation is not my problem. RICK Man, is there a social disease you haven't had? CHARLIE So much for vestal virgins. Lawford swings up a pair of binoculars. A vessel under power is coming up fast behind them. He holds the binocs out to Skipper. LAWFORD What do you make of that? Skipper turns and looks. SKIPPER I don't know. The ship pulls along the port side, keeping a couple hundred yards between them. The boys move to the rail. George sees them first. GEORGE Jesus. She's got guns. SKIPPER She's Cuban. Everyone becomes alarmed. Even Alice looks concerned. Suddenly a puff of smoke discharges from the gun boat. SKIPPER (shouting) GET DOWN! EVERYBODY DOWN!! The entire crew hit the deck as a shell rockets across the bow exploding in the water. SKIPPER Jesus, we're Americans!!! We're Americans!!! Skipper grabs the American flag and starts waving it. TERRY Jesus, they're gonna sink us!! SKIPPER Bill drop everything. Do it now! The crew scrambles for the rigging, frantically dropping sail. SKIPPER (hitting each word) Who the hell do they think they are? As the sail comes down, the Albatross slows to a stop. The Cubans inch closer and begin speaking over a loud speaker in Spanish. The seas are high and the two ships rise and fall with the large swells between them. GEORGE They want us to identify ourselves. Chuck returns with a bull horn. SKIPPER Tell them we're the American School Ship, Albatross. George replies in Spanish over the bull horn. The Cubans answer. GEORGE They think we're carrying Cuban refugees. (beat) Skipper, they mean to board us. SKIPPER Not a chance. Remind them that according to the Geneva Convention, firing on a civilian vessel on the high sea is an act of war. Another exchange between George and the Cubans. The crew lay flat on the deck, terrified. GEORGE They say they are acting on the direct authority of Fidel Castro. Skipper defiantly swings up onto the gunnel rail. The Cuban Captain gives an order and one of his sailors jumps into the turret of the anti aircraft guns and swivels around pointing both barrels at the Albatross. Skipper stands firm, between the shrouds. Silence. A standoff. SKIPPER Tell 'em to come aboard. George sends the return message. There is a pause, then the murmurs of the relieved crew. Skipper swings down but never takes his eyes off the gunboat. SKIPPER (to crew) We've come a long way gentlemen. But this is no time for heroes. I know you're much more, but I need you to be boys right now. That's an order. Now scatter and find your passports. INT. CABIN - DAY Laundry, books and mementos go flying as each boy scrambles to dig up his passport. Terry sits among his things, dazed. Bill notices. BILL What's wrong? EXT. DECK - DAY A small launch filled with Cuban soldiers approaches the Albatross. The crew climb on deck and line up along the Chart House with their passports. Lawford walks up to Skipper. LAWFORD We've got a problem. SKIPPER What's that? LAWFORD Terry left his passport in Curacao. We could hide him... SKIPPER No. Bring him on deck with the others. The Cubans cast their lines up and climb aboard carrying side arms. Terry reluctantly joins his crew mates. The COMMANDING OFFICER faces Skipper as his men go down the line checking the passports. Others search the ship. COMMANDER Chicken is a fool's game captain. SKIPPER So is violating international law. COMMANDER But you invited is aboard. SKIPPER Your cannons made a compelling argument. One of the Cubans pulls Terry out of line and brings him forward. He alerts the Commander in Spanish. COMMANDER Stow away? SKIPPER He left his passport in Curacao. It's being mailed to Panama. COMMANDER That is unfortunate. We'll have to take him with us. Terry is petrified. LAWFORD If he's a Cuban, Castro wears a dress. SKIPPER Nobody aboard my ship is going anywhere. Skipper stares him down. The Commander signals to one of his men who disappears into the Chart House. COMMANDER Perhaps in appreciation for our country's pursuit of peace, you might offer us some, token of gratitude. Skipper doesn't really have a choice. SKIPPER What do you want? The Cuban returns from the Chart House with the Ships sextant and hands it to the Commander. COMMANDER This. And... Pointing to the ships compass. COMMANDER ... and that. GEORGE You've got to be kidding!! SKIPPER (cold) Take it. Without hesitation the Cubans pull the large brass compass from its base. SKIPPER Now, get the hell off my ship. As they leave the ship, they pause. The Commander looks back at the Skipper, then deliberately drops both sextant and compass into the sea. COMMANDER You'll really have something to teach your students now. Skipper stands towering above them. The Cuban captain smiles up at him. Amazingly, Skipper addresses him in perfect Spanish. SKIPPER Las estrellas es lo unico, que un marinero verdadero se mesesita para encontrarse. Verdade Patron? The Cubans stare back, frowning, amazed as they motor away. The crew are stunned by what they have just witnessed. Skipper turns and meets the eyes of admiration, humility and complete respect. He joins Alice at the helm. They linger for a moment. CHUCK What'd he say? George smiles, impressed as well. GEORGE He told them real sailors need only the stars. With a new attitude, they turn to Skipper. SKIPPER Alright then, let's get outta here. The crew bolt to there positions. OLDER CHUCK (V.O.) With staff and string he showed us how to build a sextant. As we rode the trades, he shared the ancient secrets of how to read the waves and follow stars. And some mornings later, bathed in the orange glow of a sunrise, Panama rose from the sea like a phoenix. EXT. ALBATROSS - PANAMA CANAL - DAY Panama appears on the horizon. The Albatross is dwarfed by the huge freighters moored around her, as she moves through the locks. The crew stand on deck in quiet reverence. INT. MAIN CABIN - NIGHT The sounds of slumber fill the cabin. All seems well with the world. Suddenly, silhouettes in the darkness. A huge bearded figure stands in the center of the cabin with a trident in his hand. Chuck wakes with a start. He bolts upright to see the horrible figure of NEPTUNE himself (Lawford) towering before him. He tries to scream, but hands cover his mouth. He is dragged, struggling, up the companionway. EXT. DECK - NIGHT The Albatross has been transformed into a ghost ship. Where the sails once were, only shredded fabric. All of the crew have been brought on deck. Powdered faces glow, surreal. John's head has been shaved into a mohawk. Robin, Rick and Chris have been reduced to crew cuts. The shears start over Chuck's head. Neptune and his sidekick, DAVEY JONES (George) and two MERMAIDS (Bill and Alice) emerge with the rest of the crew. NEPTUNE Hold fast that polliwog and make him presentable. Chuck struggles as his hair is shaved away and face powdered. NEPTUNE Let it be known that on this day in the year nineteen hundred and sixty- one there appeared within the limits of my royal kingdom, the sailing ship brigantine Albatross, bound for Galapagos. All vessels that sail my domain shall be subject to the scrutiny of the underworld... Terry is brought topside kicking and screaming. NEPTUNE Silence!!! Terry shuts up and succumbs to the same fate as the rest. NEPTUNE Tonight you shall all enter the Order of the Shellbacks. Only when you have been duly initiated shall you enjoy the mysteries and protection of the trident. So, let the festivities begin... EXT. HELM - NIGHT Neptune and his court sit smoking Havana cigars as each member of the crew present themselves. Robin dressed like a pig and crawls around snorting. John's an Indian brave, whooping and hollering as he does a rain dance. Chuck, with flippers on his hands and feet, hops around like a frog. Rick is in 'drag' as Neptune's girlfriend and must sing everything he says. Charlie is dressed like a sloth and slithers along the deck. Frenetic chaos. EXT. DECK - LATER Neptune and his court lead a procession around the perimeter of the deck. The crew follows. They stamp their feet and chant. ALL Hell is to drift, heaven to steer! Hell is to drift, heaven to steer!! Hell is to drift, heaven to steer!! They move faster and faster around the boat. They shout louder and louder, faster and faster until they have all worked themselves into a frenzy. EXT. BOW - DAWN Davey Jones, holds a large turtle shell over the crews heads. As each one passes before him he pours blood from the turtle shell onto their heads. It runs down, streaking their floured faces and necks. As the ritual progresses, Neptune speaks. NEPTUNE By virtue of the power inherited by me, I do hereby command all of my subjects, such as mermaids, sea serpents, dolphins, whales, sharks and turtles, from eating, playing with, or otherwise molesting this vessel or her crew. Let it be remembered that on this, my Equatorial Domain on Longitude 88' 20' 13" on this 532nd in the year of the dolphin, you entered the Order of the Shellbacks!! The crew cheer and embrace. Skipper calls from the wheel. SKIPPER Land ho! EXT. GALAPAGOS ISLANDS - DAY The crew stop their celebrating and gather at the port bow. Ahead, glowing orange with the dawn, the islands of Galapagos. It's desolate landscape of silent volcanoes and ancient lava flows that spill into the sea. The faces of the boys, still streaked with the indignities of the night's ordeal, stand silently before their final destination. OLDER CHUCK (V.O.) We had journeyed over six thousand miles to the very edge of the earth. Like Darwin before us, we would witness the bliss of nature in the absence of man. And it was as if the Albatross had forded time, leaving it behind. In the heat of those equatorial days, on the virgin onyx beaches and shifting coral dunes, one could expect to find sunning iguanas, nesting frigates and perchance... the footprints of God. EXT. BEACH - SHIPWRECK BAY - DAY The Albatross rests at anchor. On the beach, the crew watch a huge group of penguins dive and frolic from the ancient guano cliffs. So unaccustomed are these creatures to man, that they have no fear. EXT. LAGOON - DAY Chuck, John and Rick snorkel among the playful SEA LIONS. They dart and swim like otters among their new human friends. EXT. LAVA OUTCROPPING - DAY Terry, Chris, Chuck and Mike stand taking notes on exotic birds. Frigates, hawks, flamingos, pelicans, boobies, and of course... albatrosses. EXT. ALBATROSS - DAY The crew are sprawled across the deck taking final exams. Alice walks among them. Chuck throws an anxious look towards John who is buried in his test. EXT. GRASSY LOWLANDS - DAY Boobies nest in the grass. Thousands of them and amazingly, the crew can walk among them without them batting an eye. Chuck and Robin watch as the iguanas sneak into unattended nests and steal eggs. EXT. DUNES - DAY Chuck is alone gazing over the shoreline. A huge flock of finches darken the sky, circling the black sand beach. Pure magic. EXT. BEACH - DAY Beyond, the anchored Albatross rocks and bounces in a blue-sky gale. Chuck, John, Robin, Rick, Chris and Tod stand by a dory watching the sea build. They wear only tattered shorts, their hair sun bleached and their skin dark. RICK We're here for the night. TOD Yeah. EXT. ROCKS - SAME Tight. The eyes of predators. Sharp, cunning, hungry. EXT. BLACK SAND BEACH - DAY A lone wild goat grazes on the beach. It looks up, sensing something, unfamiliar, then, returns to it's grazing. Tight. Thundering bare feet on the black sand. The goat looks up again, this time it sees five Homosapiens bearing down on him. They come naked, swinging their shredded clothing above their heads like lassos. Shouting, whooping, primal. The goat bolts for its life. Pounding through the waterline like the wild horses of Sable, the hunters charge after the hunted, closing. The goat's eyes are full of a terror it has never known. The beach is broad and long with no cover. The hunters are gaining on the goat. Splashing feet pound closer... Suddenly they are upon the goat. But, instead of attacking it, they just run through it, passing it. The goat pulls up and stops, breathless, watching the naked humans run. Close on the faces of brothers, matching each other, step for step. The music builds as we... FREEZE FRAME EXT. BEACH - NIGHT Wild eyes behind the charcoal painted masks of primal man. The rhythmic beat of sticks clacking and voices chanting. The heaping of driftwood into piles. Taught and powerful, the glistening bodies of young men. Blue sparks leap from striking flint against stone. A flame is born. Voices howl in guttural triumph. As the flames leap and singe the darkness, silhouettes of men pound the sand and cry out in a ritualistic dance. The goat watches from the shadows, bemused, as the dance builds to a frenzy. The night sky is filled with the building sound of raging fire, pounding surf and chanting voices. EXT. ALBATROSS - SAME The wind carries the sounds of ceremony across the water. The flames from the beach reflect off of the water turning the white hull of the ship, a deep flickering orange. The word A-L-B-A-T-R-O-S-S has been spelled in huge flaming letters. Alice joins Skipper at his place by the rail watching. ALICE What are they doing? SKIPPER Claiming their place in the world. EXT. SHORELINE - DAWN The white surf hisses as it washes among the cinders of the evenings ritual. The Galapagos have been returned, for now, to the frigates and the iguanas. Across the water against the rising sun, the Albatross, under full sail, is bound for home. EXT. DECK - SAME The crew stand at their posts. The yards and foretop are trimmed with sailors, their faces taught and their bodies hard. No one looks back. EXT. DECK - PANAMA CANAL - DAY Alice steps onto the deck from the chart house with papers in her hands. ALICE Well gentlemen, I have the results of your college board scores. I think most of you will be pleased. The crew members collect their exams. Chuck notices John at the bow, alone, lost. CHUCK You okay? JOHN Yeah. How'd you do. Chuck looks down at his exam apprehensively. CHUCK Ninety-six. JOHN Congratulations. CHUCK What about you? John slowly passes his test to Chuck. CHUCK It's a ninety-one! It's an 'A'! JOHN I know. CHUCK (excited) You know? Then why are you up here looking like you're about to jump overboard?! JOHN I just can't believe it. CHUCK This is your moment, don't you see? The instant when you know that your life is never going to be the same again. When you stand up and are counted. John tries to choke back his emotions. JOHN I couldn't have done it without you. CHUCK Yes you could. You did. (holding up the exam) This is all you. Nobody else. John looks out. JOHN Thank you. Chuck smiles and joins John's gaze over the water. CHUCK Feels different doesn't it? JOHN What? CHUCK That we're going back. I don't want it to end. I don't want to be what I was when I left. JOHN What was that? CHUCK Anonymous. Chuck looks at his test grimacing. CHUCK I've been getting ninety-sixes my whole life. It's what they expect. After all this, I still haven't figured it out. JOHN Figured what out? CHUCK Who I am, outside of this boat. What the hell I'm doing here. JOHN I'll tell you who you are. You're the glue. You're the thing that holds everybody around you together. You're strong, you listen and you see things in people the rest of us can't. It's a gift. It's Chuck's turn to fight emotion. CHUCK You know, I never had friends like this. JOHN Me either. CHUCK I feel like... we can do anything. John smiles, clutching his exam. JOHN We can. OLDER CHUCK (V.O.) In the fading hours of that Pacific dusk, with nothing left to confess, for the first time we felt safe, capable, sure of who we were and where we were going. INT. MAIN CABIN - DAWN The crew sleep in their bunks. Lawford's voice rumbles down the companionway. LAWFORD A wet sheet and a flowing sea/ A wind that follows fast, And fills the white and rushing sail, And bends the gallant mast/ Arise, arise you salty dogs. The watch is on. Chuck, Tom, John, Terry and Tod roll out. The dumb waiter clatters down from the galley with the morning's breakfast. Skipper and some of the crew are already eating. EXT. DECK - DAY The Albatross is under full sail trying to take advantage of what little wind there is. The skies are gray and dank. Tod and Terry are at the helm. Chuck and John are amid ship. John relieves Bill on the forward watch. CHUCK Looks like we're gonna get wet. BILL Well, we need it. I want to take a nice long bath and catch some water for my laundry. JOHN Save some for me will you? BILL You got it. I'm going below. Suddenly, a huge lightning bolt explodes out of the sky and strikes the water a hundred feet off of the starboard beam. Everyone jumps. TOD Jesus!! Skipper bolts onto the deck. SKIPPER Everybody okay? The crew nod sheepishly. A very close call. SKIPPER All hands keep out of the rigging and stay clear of the masts. The clouds grow dark but no more lighting. Tod laughs nervously. Everybody joins in. It's contagious. Even Skipper manages a smile. SKIPPER All right gentlemen. Thor's had his fun. Let's keep a keen eye. Skipper starts back into the chart house when suddenly, a powerful gust of wind drives the ship hard to a 45 degree list to the starboard. Skipper stops and turns. Instinctively, John and Chuck spring for the rigging to drop sail. SKIPPER (sharply) No! Stay down!! Skipper stares at the sky with the intensity of a cobra. Waiting. The wind eases. It becomes eerily still. The ship slows and the sails go slack. Silence. Skipper maintains his vigil. CLOSE ON WATER Foam and spray appear off of the tops of the swells like the invisible footprint of a locomotive. John sees it first. JOHN (shouting) HERE IT COMES!!! Everybody turns and looks. Skipper's eyes suddenly widen as he realizes... SKIPPER (in a whisper) White Squall! The charging wall of wind slams into the topsails so hard it send a shudder throughout the ship. The wheel is nearly ripped out of Tod's hands. Instinctively, he tries to turn the ship into the wind. SKIPPER Hard to starboard!!! Hard to starboard!!! Confused, panicked, Tod keeps turning to the left, into the wind. Skipper struggles to get to the wheel but when the ship heals so badly he slides sideways across the deck. TOD No, hard to port! SKIPPER TURN THE GOD DAMNED WHEEL TO THE RIGHT!!! Finally, Tod does as he is told. But as soon as the ship starts to come about, the vicious wind drives her further onto her side. As the deck becomes vertical Chuck half slips, half tumbles down to the starboard gunnel. INT. MAIN CABIN - SAME Robin, Chris, Bill, Mike and Rick are seated at the table finishing breakfast as the ship starts to go. They all share growing alarm as they watch the table reach it's maximum angle. Dishes start sliding off. BILL Get out!! Everybody out!! EXT. DECK - SAME Skipper manages to grab the ax mounted on the chart house and cuts the mainsheet with a single blow. But it's too late. The tall masts plunge into the ocean and the sails scoop tons of sea water, pinning the Albatross on her side. INT. SKIPPER'S CABIN - SAME Alice struggles towards the door. The book case tears out of the wall and strikes her. She drops to her knees. The door swings open in front of her. She reels for a moment and then loses consciousness. INT. FORWARD COMPARTMENT - SAME Lawford, Charlie and George are all hurled out of their bunks. The world is suddenly sideways. Lawford leaps up, pushing the others towards the companionway ladder. LAWFORD GO, GO, GO!!! TOPSIDE!!! Come on Charlie! George, get them out!! George disappears into the main cabin. Lawford manages to get Charlie out. As Lawford reaches the top of the ladder sea water explodes through the hatch and drives him back into the bowels of the ship. INT. MAIN CABIN - SAME Robin is through the companionway in the chart house with Mike right behind him. But instead of exiting, he holds the door open against the sea so that Mike can escape. Mike gets through the door before the rushing sea slams it closed, pinning Robin's arm. He struggles to push through. EXT. DECK - SAME John slashes at the lines securing the starboard lifeboat with his knife and manages to free it before it is dragged to the bottom. He scrambles through the collapsed rigging tangled above him for the port lifeboat. AT THE STERN The Albatross is going down. Fast. Chuck and Tod stand on the after skylight. Chuck catches glimpses of the struggle going on below. CHUCK My God, they're drowning! Skipper catches a glimpse of Alice through the skylight. Water washes over her but she doesn't move. SKIPPER Oh please, no. Not this woman. INT. SKIPPER'S CABIN - SAME Skipper's face is pressed hard against the skylight. His muffled voice penetrates the cabin. Alice stirs. She looks around, delirious. SKIPPER Alice, get up!! Come on girl!! He pounds uselessly on the teak deck then tears at the planks, fingers bleeding. Alice looks up confused but calm and finds Skipper's eyes. ON THE DECK Panicked for the first time in his life Slipper swings the ax wildly at the perpendicular deck sending a shower of splinters into the water. SKIPPER Get out!! Get out!! Jesus Christ, please God, Alice get out!!! But after only two swings, the Albatross and Alice, slip beneath the sea. INT. MAIN CABIN - SAME Water thunders in from every possible exit. Chris and Rick push Bill towards the dumbwaiter. RICK Bill, you go. We'll be right behind you. Before he can say no, Rick and Chris jam Bill into the tiny shaft. Suddenly, from below, a tremendous geyser smashes him to the top, knocking him unconscious. But the pressure is so great that the water sweeps him through the galley and out onto the deck. EXT. DECK - SAME Skipper struggles to reach John and the second life boat but sees that it is tangled in the rigging. SKIPPER Johnny, it's not good. John defies him and keeps cutting. The ship is almost completely submerged. JOHN I can get it! Suddenly one of the deck lockers breaks free and plunges into the water taking lines and rope with it. John becomes tangled and is dragged into the water. Only his superior strength allows him to hold onto the lifeboat and keep cutting. The Albatross slips beneath the surface. Instead of trying to free himself John keeps slashing at the lifeboat lines as he disappears, swallowed by the sea. INT. FORWARD COMPARTMENT - SAME Eerie silence. Lawford is trapped in an tiny air pocket. Debris float around. He begins to panic as the water around him rises. LAWFORD My God!! Oh God I'm dying!!! He takes a deep breath and the water consumes him. Then suddenly, the ceiling above him explodes from the pressure within. ON THE SURFACE Lawford is catapulted from the grip of death, to the surface. EXT. SURFACE - SAME Chuck continues to frantically dive on the chart house door as the ship takes the 'Deep Six'. Suddenly the ship rolls 180 degrees, her screws exposed and keel jutting up like a huge dorsal fin. EXT. UNDERWATER - SAME Chuck feels the ship coming down on top of him but still finds Robin's arm. They clasp tightly, but Chuck just can't budge the door. Then, strangely, Robin releases Chuck's arm and pulls it back through the door. Chuck looks up, startled. The small round window in the door is illuminated from the cabin lights on the inside. Through the glass, Chuck meets Robin's frightened eyes. He fights to stay in a shrinking air pocket. Robin takes a last gulp of air then, a calm comes over him. He meets Chuck's eyes again but this time with a strange acceptance. They both know what's happening. But Robin has refused to take his friend to the bottom with him. He presses his hand to the glass. Chuck does the same. Then with a smile, Robin pushes himself away from the door, disappearing into the darkness and eternity. EXT. SURFACE - SAME Chuck breaks the surface, gasping for air. He looks around, frantic. He sees nothing but the sea swells and debris. All that remains is the sound of the wind and rain on the water. Suddenly, beneath him, a massive rumbling and explosion of foam. Then, the tops of twin masts rise out of the water like shattered lances as the ship rights herself underwater. She holds herself steady for a moment as if in a final attempt at resurrection, the Albatross begins to rise. Faster and faster, until her entire length explodes out of the water in a mountain of foam and wave. ON THE DECK Like Ahab before him, John appears, lashed in a web of tangled line still slashing to free the remaining long boat. And for a moment, it looks as if she might stay there, as if this were just a final surreal lesson of the sea. Some of the boys begin to cheer prematurely. But Skipper knows better. She's filled to the gills with sea water. She shutters. Then, like a stone, she just drops, sucked to the center of the earth, John's hands still slashing, as she finally goes. PULL BACK TO REVEAL Survivors hanging onto the debris that floats in the watery tempest. Strangely, the wind subsides. The sea becomes calm and a stunned silence falls over those in the water. CHUCK OH GOD!!!!! His scream echoes, for the grief of all. ON THE SURFACE There is an explosion of bubbles, and then she slips beneath the waves like a stone. The stunned crew can only watch. Then, as if by magic, the second life boat erupts to the surface. Skipper fights off his emotions. He knows what it means. John died cutting it free. Terry and Bill hang onto a life ring. Blood runs from Bill's head. Charlie, Mike and several others hold onto the side of the other freed life boat which has been swamped. Lawford floats on his back, unconscious, but alive. Several of the boys help pull him towards the boat. Skipper swims to the second boat, desperately looking for those not accounted for. But, they are gone. Among the wreckage, the roof of the chart house. The only sound left is the ominous tolling of the ship's bell, Robin's bell, still secure in it's fitting. EXT. LIFE BOAT - DAY The boats have been floated and tied together. Skipper is in one, Lawford in the other. One of the two boats has been rigged with sail. Skipper stands in the bow staring into the ink blue water. SKIPPER Raise your sail, Bill. North, north- east. Keep a sharp look out for Florida. Bill studies him for a moment, then... BILL Maybe we could wait around a little longer, sir... There is a long pause before Skipper answers. SKIPPER (quietly) She's gone... She's gone. There is something remarkably touching about this young man trying to take care of him. He puts a hand on Skipper's shoulder. It almost makes him crack. He pats Bill's hand gently. SKIPPER Carry on. BILL Yes sir. SKIPPER North, north-east. (beat) And Dick, please make a note of our final position. Lawford nods sullenly. Chuck looks out at the floating wreckage around them, silent, lost. Suddenly, there is a 'thump' on the hull of the boat. The survivors share a confused look. Then it comes again. Chuck looks out at the surface of the water. It's suddenly alive... With sharks. LAWFORD Hands and feet inside the boats. They come by the dozens. Ramming the boats and rummaging through the debris. They swarm around the boats until it seems as if the water is boiling. Chuck picks up an oar and starts beating wildly at the sharks. CHUCK AAAAHHHH!!!! The others take up the cause and in a moment they are all screaming and cursing the sharks. It's a frenzy of grief and anger. OLDER CHUCK (V.O.) We slashed at the sharks as if striking out at the finger of God. And we all begged silently for the ability to understand what had happened. But, if there was a God that day, his answer came only in the moaning wind and our questions were left to drift unanswered, in the titanic ocean of our deepest grief. Exhausted, Chuck stops slashing and stares out. lost. CHUCK (hushed) Wake up. Wake up. 1-2-3 wake up. Like Robin's nightmare of his brother, this is all too real. EXT. OCEAN - DAY The tramp freighter GRAN RIO steams toward the life boats. The crew stand silently, watching as the ship approaches. EXT. SHIP - DAY Chuck stands on the deck of the Gran Rio as the last of the crew scramble up cargo netting hung over the side. Chuck stares out numbly watching as the two deserted long boats drift away. EXT. DECK - GRAN RIO - DAY Chuck, now dressed, stands in the same spot at the rail, staring out. A muffled sound pulls Chuck into the present. He walks slowly down the after deck to a cabin door where sobbing escapes from the other side. Chuck turns the handle and cracks the door. INT. CABIN - SAME Curled up on the floor next to his bunk is Skipper. A look of shock comes over Chuck's face. Skipper has come completely unglued, sobbing deeply. CHUCK (tentative) Skipper? Skipper turns slowly, looking up. His eyes are red and his face streaked with tears. He looks at Chuck almost as if he doesn't know who he is. Lost. SKIPPER I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. Chuck reels. It sounds more like a confession than an outpouring of sadness. Chuck closes the door. EXT. HARBOR - TAMPA FLORIDA - DAY Skipper, back in control, and the crew, stand along the port rail of the Gran Rio. A small flotilla of pleasure boats surround the ship and hundreds of people line the pier. It's an intimidating sight. ON THE PIER Pensive, worried, angry faces of parents and families. Chaos. Coast Guard Officials try to hold back the mob. MAN What about the manifest!! What about my son!!! WOMAN How many made it? Nobody will tell us anything!! OFFICER We don't have a list of survivors yet. Please stand back. Don't push! Angry shouts drown him out. ON THE DECK The CAPTAIN of the Gran Rio comes down from the bridge with some of his officers and stand with Skipper and the others. Several COAST GUARD OFFICERS join them on the deck. Skipper turns to the Captain and extends his hand. SKIPPER Thank you. The Captain nods. Skipper turns to his crew, looking over them. A smile of deep pride passes his lips. They all see it. Then, between the Coast Guard Officers, he walks down the ramp. Lawford and the crew fall in behind. EXT. PIER - SAME A shouting mob waits for them. Reporters and spectators shout and call out questions. It reaches a fever pitch as the crew descend. Skipper reaches the bottom of the ramp, his eyes meet a cool, familiar face. Francis Boutillier. Phil stands next to him, staring at the ground. FRANCIS (above the shouting) Welcome home. Skipper is shoved forward by the crowd pushing and shoving. The crew follow but are swept away. Charlie stops in front of Phil. CHARLIE Phil? Flash bulbs explode. Charlie and the others are descended upon as reporters bark out questions. REPORTER #1 (shouting) What the hell happened out there captain? REPORTER #2 How many boys did you lose...? And how come you didn't go down with your ship? Parents begin to realize who has been lost. Agonizing cries mix with jubilation. It's emotional chaos. The crew members are driven apart, they call to each other, suddenly aware of what's happening. TOD (panicked) Charlie!! Bill!! Terry suddenly finds himself smothered in the arms of his MOTHER. He strains to see what is happening to his shipmates. TERRY'S MOTHER Oh, sweetheart! Look at you... TERRY Skipper!! Reporters corner them blocking his view. More reporters clamor after Skipper, who doesn't reply. REPORTER #3 Captain, is it true that the ship was hit by a "White Squall"? REPORTER #2 Is it true the first mate is only fifteen? Bill steps in between them. BILL It wasn't his fault mister... REPORTER #4 The National Weather Service says "White Squalls" are a meteorological phenomenon of the imagination. Would you care to comment of that? Don't you have anything to say to these parents?!! The reporter pops a flash picture in Skipper's face. Skipper flies around and knocks the camera to the ground. The reporter jumps back, startled. SKIPPER Yes I do. And it's private. Very private. Skipper is swept away towards the CUSTOMS BOOTH by COAST GUARD OFFICERS. Skipper surrenders the manifest and it is stapled to the outside of the door. INT. CUSTOMS HUT - SAME Skipper is whisked inside. The Coast Guard Officers lock the doors behind them. OFFICER Sit down Captain. We'll have a car here in a few minutes. Can I get you a cup of coffee? SKIPPER No, thank you. Skipper sits. The wails of family members can be heard as they see the list outside. Flash bulbs and faces press against the windows shouting questions. He just stares at the floor. OUTSIDE From above we can see the group swarm around the the booth like angry hornets. The crew are fractured and pulled apart from each other. Charles, fights his way through the crowd. CHARLES Chuck! Chuck!!! Chuck tries to get to him. CHUCK Dad! They embrace. Flash bulbs explode all around them. CHUCK Where's Mom? CHARLES I couldn't bring her down here until I knew you were safe. A WOMAN Stands, staring at the empty ramp. Lost. A man comes up behind her and leads her away. A reporter shoves a microphone in Chuck's face. REPORTER #5 Was it the Skipper's fault? And is it true drinking was permitted on board? Why did the ship really go down? Charles grabs the guy and shoves him back into the crowd. Chuck strains to see his crew mates but they have been swept away. CHARLES Come on. Charles puts his arm around Chuck, still barefoot, and together, they walk away. Photographers trail after them, popping off a few last photos. Chuck turns and looks back. INT. CAR MOVING - DOWNTOWN - DAY A ride reminiscent of the one Chuck and his father took before the journey began. There is a gulf of silence between them. Charles breaks it. CHARLES I thought we'd find a store, get you fixed up and then get you some lunch. That sound good? CHUCK Yeah, sure. Chuck stares out the window at the traffic and congestion. A car in front of them runs a red light. Charles slams on the brakes. Chuck is shaken up. Charles notices. CHARLES I'm sorry, son. Are you okay? Chuck manages a nod. INT. DEPARTMENT STORE - DAY Lavish and conspicuous by Chuck's recent standards, the store is crowded and jammed with merchandise. Claustrophobic. Cash registers ring and MUZAK drifts in from above. Chuck follows as Charles pulls things off of hangers and piles them into Chuck's arms. CHARLES Why don't you go and try some of that on? CHUCK Okay. EXT. DRESSING ROOM - DAY Charles peruses the racks. He calls to Chuck. CHARLES How're you doing in there? Chuck calls from a dressing room. CHUCK (O.S.) Fine. CHARLES All right. I'm gonna wander over and look at some shoes... INT. DRESSING ROOM - SAME Chuck is curled up in the floor of the tiny booth. Still dressed in the clothes from the Gran Rio, perspiration beads on his skin. CHUCK (calling out) Okay. Tears stream down his face. He looks up and sees himself in the mirror. The eyes that look back are eyes of the ages. Involuntary sobs. He begins to shake. The tiny booth suddenly like a crypt. Tight, with no air. Chuck lets out a gasp. CHUCK Oh God... Someone pulls open the curtain. A MAN, from the next booth, fat and middle aged stands before Chuck in a pair of pants still sporting the price tags. He looks down. MAN You okay, kid? Chuck is suddenly in the throws of a full-on anxiety attack. He leaps up and pushes past the man. EXT. DRESSING ROOM - SAME Chuck explodes out of the dressing room. Running, almost blind, he crashes into a rack of clothes. Charles looks up as he scrambles to his feet and bolts for the doors. CHARLES Chuck!! EXT. STREET - SAME Charles bursts through the doors, looking up and down the street, but Chuck is... gone. EXT. BEACH - SAME The setting sun paints Chuck's face with golden light. He stares out across the water. Charles walks up behind him. CHUCK When we were growing up I always felt like you would take care of things, that everything would be okay. (beat) But you can't make this okay, can you? CHARLES No, I can't. Charles puts his arm around his son. Together they turn and walk back towards the boardwalk, and the world. INT. COAST GUARD HEADQUARTERS - NIGHT Skipper sits across from a Coast Guard Officer, TYLER, 60. Tyler pulls out a file and lays it on the table. TYLER There are allegations questioning your competence with regard to the command of the Albatross. I have been instructed to convene a formal tribunal to determine whether or not negligence played a part in the sinking. SKIPPER I understand. TYLER May I ask you something? Skipper nods. TYLER How'd you manage to piss off a guy as powerful as Francis Boutillier? SKIPPER It wasn't hard. TYLER I used to helm a school ship. A long time ago. SKIPPER The Coast Guard 'Eagle'. She never lost a race while you were Skipper. Tyler is taken aback by Skipper's knowledge. TYLER That's right, we didn't. I miss it sometimes. But, there are other things a Skipper can do. Tyler removes his glasses and studies Skipper. TYLER The families... want your ticket. Turn it in, we forget the whole thing. Everybody goes home. SKIPPER ... Absolutely not. TYLER The papers are going to eat you alive. Even if you beat it, you'll never get another commission. (beat) They want someone to be accountable. SKIPPER I am accountable. INT. HOTEL ROOM - NIGHT Standard fare. Two beds and a T.V. Chuck's lacing a new pair of sneakers. Charles is in the shower. There is a knock at the door. Chuck cracks the door. It's Charlie. CHARLIE We gotta talk. INT. BOATHOUSE - NIGHT The crew stand by the bulkhead. Bill tosses down a newspaper. The headline reads: INVESTIGATION TO PROBE SCHOOL SHIP TRAGEDY. BILL We're all going to have to testify. They're going to try to take his license. TOM Why? CHUCK They need it to be simple. They need a reason. TOM Who? CHUCK All of them. Everybody waiting on that dock. TIM So what are we supposed to do? TOD Just tell 'em what we know and be done with it. That's what he'd want. TERRY Easy for you to say. TOD What's that supposed to mean?! TERRY Everybody knows why she went over Tod. You jibed the boat. TOD I was trying to get her up wind! That's what you do when you're hit a-beam. Or maybe you're too stupid to know that! TERRY That's not what Skipper thought. He was trying to spill air from the main! BILL It was coming four points off the bow, Terry. He never could have gotten her around. TERRY Were you on deck? I was standing right there and all I know is, he... (indicates Tod) ... disobeyed an order, twice, and the boat went over. TOD It didn't go over 'til I turned her starboard! BILL It was an act of God for Christ's sake. TERRY It was an act of stupidity. Tod lunges at Terry. Bill and Charlie pull them apart. TOD (screaming) Was it my fault we were running all that sail?! Was it my fault she wasn't dogged down?!! HUH?!! I couldn't help that the ballast shifted...! You son of a bitch!! It wasn't my fault!! it wasn't. Tod breaks down, sodding on his knees. BILL It's okay, Tod. Terry drags on a cigarette, then grinds out the butt. TERRY Then whose? Tod looks up along with Bill and Charlie, all confused. TERRY After the lightning strike, we tried to go aloft to drop sail. We'd done it a thousand times. We didn't have to wait for an order. But Skipper called us down. CHARLIE If the foremast had taken a strike, everyone in the rigging would've been fried. What would you have done? TERRY We would have scalloped the squares from the deck. Right Bill? Bill turns and stares into the water, troubled. TOD That's right, that's right! Bleed the sails from the deck and she could've taken a hurricane! It's a strong argument. Even Charlie is troubled by the implication. There is a long moment of silence between them. CHUCK This is crazy. Nothing could have prevented what happened. MIKE You guys are missing the point. This is all because of Phil. Phil and his dear old dad. BILL What? MIKE How do you think they got this together so fast? He's been laying for Skipper since the first day. CHARLIE Come on. Like he's got a vendetta or some such shit? MIKE You got it. (to Chuck) I told you he was a turn coat the day we kicked him off the boat. Chuck frowns, troubled. CHUCK No. You're wrong. MIKE I'm telling you, the only way to change this is to get Phil to call off his old man. And that ain't gonna happen. So the way I see it, it's Skipper or us. The guys react. It's a no win situation. EXT. MOTEL - NIGHT Chuck knocks quietly on the door. Phil answers the door. CHUCK Can we talk? PHIL I guess. FRANCIS (O.S.) Who is it Philip? PHIL It's okay. I'll be in, in a minute. (to Chuck) Look, what do you want? CHUCK Everybody's saying this whole tribunal is happening because of your father. Because of you. PHIL Well that's just typical isn't it? CHUCK Is it true Phil? PHIL I gotta go. CHUCK You weren't there, you don't know what happened. PHIL (defensive) I know enough. Chuck puts a hand out to stop him. CHUCK Phil, please. It won't change anything. Tell him to call it off. FRANCIS (O.S.) Who are you talking to out there Philip. Come back in here. Phil meets Chuck's eyes, then looks away. PHIL I'm sorry. He turns again and reaches for the door. CHUCK Wait. Chuck hands him something. Phil looks down, disbelieving. It's the ship's bell. Robin's bell. Their symbol of unity, of putting loyalty above fear. CHUCK We figured he'd have wanted you to have it. (beat) You do what you've gotta do Phil. He leaves Phil standing alone on the porch, full of emotion, trying to grasp it all. INT. HEARING ROOM - DAY A small courtroom. The room is filled with the crew members and their families, including the parents of the victims, as well as the media. Phil sits with his father and dodges Chuck's eyes. Coast Guard Officers Tyler, DOWNING and SANDERS head the proceedings. TYLER The United States Coast Guard has been asked to conduct this maritime hearing to consider the revocation of Captain Richard Sheldrake's U.S. Master Seaman's Certificate. INT. HEARING ROOM - LATER Bill sits at the table with his parents as questions are leveled at him. Chief petty officers Sanders and Downing ask most of the questions as Tyler oversees the proceedings. SANDERS Why didn't you drop any sail? BILL Skipper called us out of the rigging. SANDERS But your instinct was to lose sail? BILL My instinct was to not get electrocuted. SANDERS How old are you, son? BILL (hesitating) Fifteen. SANDERS Thank you. LATER Phil is at the table with Francis. Sanders asks the questions. SANDERS Philip, why were you discharged from the Albatross? Phil doesn't look up and speaks in whispers. PHIL Skipper thought I was a challenge to authority. SANDERS Were you? PHIL I don't know. LATER FRANCIS Captain Sheldrake exhibited an arrogant, controlling attitude in my presence on more than one occasion. I believe he had a personality conflict with my son from the start. SANDERS Well, if you don't mind my asking, sir, why did you let your son stay? Francis is stumped for a moment but recovers quickly. FRANCIS It was his dream to go. I could hardly stand in the way of that, could I? Phil rubs his temples as if he is going to explode. INT. HEARING ROOM - LATER It is Skipper's turn at the table. SANDERS Is it true that you forced Robin Weathers to climb the mast when it was clear that he was acrophobic. SKIPPER He climbed when he was ready. SANDERS Were you aware that his brother was killed in a fall. Chuck and the others look up astonished. Mike shoots a look towards Phil. MIKE He did it man. He sang like a bird. Skipper hesitates. SKIPPER Yes, I was. Whispers fill the room. SANDERS Sir, were you aware at any time of the use of alcohol among the crew. SKIPPER Yes, I was. TYLER And you didn't do anything about it? SKIPPER (beat) No. I didn't. Again the crew members are struck. Charlie turns to Chuck. CHARLIE They're twisting it all around. Why doesn't he say something? SANDERS Had you ever seen a "White Squall" before this incident? SKIPPER No. SANDERS What makes you so sure it was one? SKIPPER I can't be sure. SANDERS You really felt that your crew were up for the conditions. SKIPPER We'd come twelve thousand miles together, through every kind of seas imaginable... SANDERS Except, a "White Squall". (beat) With all due respect Captain Sheldrake, they're only boys... SKIPPER They are much more than that, sir. SANDERS Is it true that the reason you expelled Philip Boutillier... SKIPPER (cutting him off) For killing a dolphin. SANDERS ... and that you invited him to strike you? To fight it out on the deck of your ship?! Skipper looks over at Francis. Phil stares at the floor. Skipper manages an ironic smile. SKIPPER Yes, that's true. SANDERS Do you think this is funny? Some kind of joke? You lost six people out there. SKIPPER (white hot) I don't think one second of this is funny, sir. Skipper stares down Sanders. He turns to Tyler. SANDERS I have no more questions at this time. He turns to sit down, then stops. SANDERS Oh, one last thing... Isn't true that your father was a sea Captain? Skipper bristles. SKIPPER Yes. SANDERS Isn't also true that his vessel went down off of Nantucket? Lost everyone on board. In fair weather no less. Skipper's silence is suddenly filled with rage. Tyler sees it and tries to intercept. TYLER What does this have to do with anything Mr. Sanders? SANDERS (smug) Oh, nothing. I was just curious. SKIPPER My father, was more seaman, more of a man, than you might ever hope to be. Sanders returns to his seat, rattled. Tyler pounds his gavel. TYLER We'll take a brief recess. EXT. BUILDING - DAY The crew huddle in the parking lot. Fractured, confused. Chuck, Tod, Charlie and Bill, stand off by themselves. TOD There's still a way. BILL What do you mean? TOD It's me, don't you see. Terry's right, I'm the escape hatch. I disobeyed order. CHUCK You taking the order wouldn't have changed anything. TOD They don't know that. (beat) We were the only one's on deck. Look, there's nothing they can do to me right? I'm a kid. CHUCK But that's not the point... TOD That is the point... And Skipper'll slip off the hook. LATER Tod is on the stand. DOWNING Why didn't you turn hard to port as the wind hit? TOD I thought we'd have a better chance if I headed into the wind so we could spill air from our sails. Tyler removes his glasses. DOWNING But the Captain ordered you hard to starboard. TOD Twice. DOWNING Is that what you were trained to do? TOD No. DOWNING Then what do you think he was trying to do. TOD Let the blow drive the boat down wind. Neutralize our canvas. Skipper is becoming uneasy. He sees what is coming. DOWNING So when the captain gave you an order contrary to your training, you thought he was making a mistake? TOD No. TYLER Then why son, why didn't you follow his order? Tod meets Skipper's eyes. TOD Because -- I panicked. The room is suddenly buzzing. Tod's Father stands up. TOD'S FATHER That's not true Tod. TERRY (to Mike) What the hell? What is he doing. MIKE Son of a gun. He just sent Skipper a life boat. Tyler turns to Skipper. TYLER If this young man had responded instantly to your command, do you believe the ship might have been spared? SKIPPER I don't know that anything could have prevented what happened. TYLER Then what are you trying to say then? Skipper stands. SKIPPER Maybe you can't see what's happening here, but it's clear to me. (to Tod) I appreciate what you're trying to do Tod. Maybe you could live with it, but I couldn't. (to tribunal) If you think I'm going to let a sixteen year old take responsibility, then you underestimate me. The Albatross was my ship. The Ocean Academy was my school. Her loss is mine and mine alone. (to others) I can't bring your sons back. If you want my ticket, if that will ease your loss, it's the least I can do. This... Skipper pulls out his wallet and takes out his license. SKIPPER This is easy. Living with it, that'll be hard. Skipper turns and lays his license down in front of Tyler. Then he turns and begins walking towards the back of the room. The room erupts. Crew members and their families hurl accusations and blame. Cameras flash. Tyler tries to regain control. Suddenly Chuck stands, tall. CHUCK No!!! Don't you walk away! Not now. Not after all of this!!!! Skipper keeps walking. His head slumps. Tyler pounds his gavel. TYLER That enough son!! Order!! Please!! Tears begin to stream down Chuck's face. His father, Charles, slowly stands meeting his sons eyes. Go for it. CHUCK Tell me Skipper, was it all just a lie? "Where we go one, we go all". We listened to you. We believed it. And we're still here!! Skipper keeps moving. CHUCK Shame on you then Skipper. Shame on you. Skipper reaches for the door. Suddenly a sound stops him cold in his tracks. Phil slowly rises. Tears streaming down his face. Tightly in his hands he grips the ships bell. Ding ding. Ding ding. Ding ding. It is the ringing of the truth. The tolling of their unity. FRANCIS Sit down! Phil ignores him. Skipper slowly walks over, his eyes never leaving Phil's. He stops, facing him. He gently takes his hands and silences the bell. Then he smiles and puts a hand on the back of Phil's head fighting his own emotions. He turns to Chuck. CHUCK Tell them the truth. Make them understand. The room grows silent. SKIPPER (smiling) You tell them Chuck. Chuck suddenly feels the eyes of the room. CHUCK It's simple. Bad things happen sometimes. It wasn't Skipper or Tod. It was all of us. Everyone in this room. Because we all knew the risks. (to parents) You sent us... You paid our tuition, you allowed us to go. So to invent a reason for why this happened, to pin it on one person, well that won't change anything. It'll just make our experience meaningless. He turns to the tribunal. CHUCK If you want to judge this man, judge him by his crew. Judge him by Alice and George. Chris and John and Robin. In one way or another each one of them gave their lives saving one of us. This may sound crazy but the Albatross wasn't just a ship, or even a school. It was something that we made, that's inside us. That's who Skipper is. That's what he taught us. I guess what it really was about was... the privilege of sacrifice. Chuck turns to Skipper. CHUCK Isn't that right? Skipper nods. SKIPPER That's right. The room is silent. Then, a voice. A golden tenor singing like the wind. Everyone turns. It's Bill. BILL When the sun came up, there was whisky in the cup, and not a one of us was sober... One by one the crew members stand and begin to sing. Chuck turns, surprised to see his father rise and stand with him. Words or not. CREW TOGETHER Jenny thought she saw a picture when it really was the sun, then we knew the party was over. They all stand facing Skipper and sing. The voices build, sweeping over everyone like a wave. CREW TOGETHER Oh my heart is sad, for leaving you today, but I know we'll meet again, when the moon is in the valley and the leafs are on the trees, We will come to clearly in the glen... Skipper meets Chuck's eyes and those of his mates. Only now is his job finished. He beams back. The music swells like an anthem, building, like a swell lifting a small wooden boat over a jagged reef, until it rests safely in the calm waters beyond. The crew come together around Skipper one last time. They embrace. EXT. MYSTIC SEAPORT - HARBOR - DAY Older Chuck has returned to the small building where the funeral services were held earlier. The people have gone but the funeral urn remains. EXT. PIER - DAY Chuck walks to the dock. He has the funeral urn in his hands. He steps aboard a small sailboat and begins untying her. The HARBOR MASTER notices and steps out of his office. HARBOR MASTER What do you think you're doing. He walks over to the dock. HARBOR MASTER All right friend, out of the boat. He tries to board the boat but Chuck greets him with the sharp end of a gaffing hook. OLDER CHUCK (softly) Stand away. He looks into Chuck's eyes and sees that he means business. He backs off. Chucks pushes away and raises the sail. The harbor master watches, perplexed as the small boat moves off for open water. EXT. OPEN SEA - SUNSET Bathed in the orange glow of the sun, Chuck stands naked against the ivory sail. OLDER CHUCK (V.O.) They didn't take his ticket that day. But why he never returned to the sea, I'd never know. Perhaps he hadn't been able to free himself from the anchor of grief that had driven him to his knees aboard the Gran Rio, or that he no longer cared for the solitude and isolation of command without his Alice. Or maybe it was just that the waves that had spoken to him for so long, had grown silent. Whatever it was, that thing, it had always troubled me. Because, fate offers up no reasons. And maybe that's what I have traveled these thirty four years to say. Maybe that is all I really know... And, that one man cared. Chuck turns to the sea and speaks. OLDER CHUCK Rest easy old salt. For together again, we'll sail. With a powerful heave, he hurls the Skipper's remains at the sinking sun and into the arms of Neptune. DISSOLVE TO: EXT. BEACH - SUNSET The same sunset, but from another time. Four young men walk along a deserted beach. A small boat has beached and rocks gently in the shallows. The boys run up and look at it. On the stern are painted the words: BRIGANTINE ALBATROSS. SLOWLY PULL BACK to reveal endless white sand, blue water, the young men and the boat. OLDER CHUCK (V.O.) Some time later we learned that one of our long boats had been recovered. Several young men found it washed up on a nameless beach somewhere on the island of Hispaniola. No one seemed to know who they were or where they came from, but they seemed to know of the Albatross. (pause) Sometimes in my dreams those faceless young men reveal themselves as my lost companions, and on the twilight coral sands of forever, between my slumber and conscious state, we race naked again, so open and in love with those precious moments, running, ever laughing, ever young, ever free. SLAM CUT TO: EXT. GALAPAGOS - DUSK Young again, their hair sun bleached and skins brown, Chuck, John, Robin, Rick, Chris and Tod, pound through the surf in a grinning footrace. Brothers all. Music builds. FREEZE FRAME FADE OUT. THE END

Man: I was sitting with my friend Arthur Cornrom in a restaurant. It was an cafeteria and this beautiful girl walked in and I turned to Arthur and I said, "Arthur, you see that girl? I'm going to marry her, and two weeks later we were married and it's over fifty years later and we are still married. (At the university, Harry and Amanda kissing goodbye.) Amanda: I love you Harry: I love you Sally: (clears throat) kmm kmm... Kmm Kmm Amanda: Oh, hi Sally. Sally, this is Harry Burns. Harry, this is Sally Allbright. Harry: Nice to meet you. Sally: You want to drive the first shift? Harry: No, you're there already you can start. Sally: Back's open. Amanda: Call me. Harry: I'll call you as soon as I get there. Amanda: Oh, call me from the road. Harry: I'll call you before that. Amanda: I love you. Harry: I love you. Sally: (honks) Sorry. Harry: I miss you already, huh, I miss you already. Amanda: I miss you. Harry: Bye. Amanda: Bye. (Harry and Sally in the car, on their whay to New York) Sally: I have it all figured out. It's an eighteen hour trip which breaks down into six shifts of three hours each or alternatively we couldb reak it down by mileage. (Harry climbs to reach for something at the back-seat) Sally: There's a...there's a map on the huh... visor that I've marked to show the locations so we can change shifts. Harry: Grapes? Sally: No, I don't like to eat between meals. (Harry spits pits out but the window was shut) Harry: I'll roll down the window. Why don't you tell me the story of your life. Sally: Story of my life? Harry: We've got eighteen hours to kill before we hit New York. Sally: The story of my life isn't even going to get us out of Chicago I mean nothing's happened to me yet. That's why I'm going to New York. Harry: So something can happen to you? Sally: Yes. Harry: Like what? Sally: I can go into journalism school to become a reporter. Harry: So you can write about things that happen to other people. Sally: That's one way to look at it. Harry: Suppose nothing happens to you. Suppose you lived out your whole life and nothing happens you never meet anybody you never become anything and finally you die in one of those New York deaths which nobody notices for two weeks until the smell drifts into the hallway. Sally: Amanda mentioned you had a dark side. Harry: That's what drew her to me. Sally: Your dark side. Harry: Sure. Why don't you have a dark side? No you're probably one of those cheerful people who dots their eyes with little hearts. Sally: I have just as much of a dark side as the next person. Harry: Oh really. When I buy a new book I always read the last page first that way in case I die before I finish I know how it ends. That my friend is a dark side. Sally: That doesn't mean you're deep or anything I mean... yes, basically I'm a happy person... Harry: So am I. Sally: ...and I don't see that there's anything wrong with that. Harry: Of course not you're too busy being happy. Do you ever think about death? Sally: Yes. Harry: Sure you do, a fleeting thought that jumps in and out of the transient of your mind. I spend hours, I spend days... Sally: And you think that makes you a better person. Harry: Look, when the shit comes down I'm gonna be prepared and you're not that's all I'm saying. Sally: And in the mean time you're gonna ruin your whole life waiting for it. (a while later, still in the car) Sally: You're wrong. Harry: I'm not wrong, he wants... Sally: You're wrong. Harry: ...he wants her to leave that's why he puts her on the plane. Sally: I don't think she wants to stay. Harry: Of course she wants to stay. Wouldn't you rather be with Humphrey Bogart than the other guy? Sally: I don't want to spend the rest of my life in Casablanca married to a man who runs a bar. I probably sound very snobbish to you but I don't. Harry: You'd rather be in a passionless marriage. Sally: And be the first lady of Czechoslovakia. Harry: Than live with the man you've had the greatest sex of you life with, and just because he owns a bar and that is all he does. Sally: Yes. And so had any woman in her right mind, woman are very practical, even Ingrid Bergman which is why she gets on the plane at the end of the movie. (They pull up to a road side cafe.) Harry: I understand. Sally: What? What? Harry: Nothing. Sally: What? Harry: Forget about it. Sally: For.. What? Forget about what? Harry: It's not important. Sally: No just tell me. Harry: Obviously you haven't had great sex yet. (Turns to waitress) Two please. Waitress:: Right over there. Sally: Yes I have. Harry: No you haven't. Sally: It just so happens that I have had plenty of good sex. (Silence, the whole restaurant looks at Sally. Sally realises what she had done, walks carefully with a tilted head towards the table.) Harry: With whom? Sally: What? Harry: With whom did you have this great sex? Sally: I'm not going to tell you that! Harry: Fine, don't tell me. Sally: Shel Gordon. Harry: Shel? Sheldon? No, no, you didn't have great sex with ... Sheldon. Sally: I did too. Harry: No you didn't. A Sheldon can do your income taxes. If you need a root canal Sheldon's your man, but humping and pumping is not Sheldon's strong suit. It's the name. Do it to me 'Sheldon', you're an animal 'Sheldon', ride me big 'Sheldon'. Doesn't work. Waitress: Hi, what can I get ya? Harry: I'll have a number three. Sally: I'd like the chef salad please with the oil and vinegar on the side and the apple pie a la mode. Waitress: Chef and apple a la mode. Sally: But I'd like the pie heated and I don't want the ice cream on top I want it on the side and I'd like strawberry instead of vanilla if you have it if not then no ice cream just whipped cream but only if it's real if it's out of a can then nothing. Waitress: Not even the pie? Sally: No, just the pie, but then not heated. Waitress: Uh huh. Sally: What? Harry: Nothing, nothing. So how come you broke up with Sheldon? Sally: How you know we broke up? Harry: Because if you didn't break up you wouldn't be here with me, you'd be off with Sheldon the wonder-schlong. Sally: First of all, I am not *with* you, and second of all it is none of your business why we broke up. Harry: You're right, you're right, I don't want to know. Sally: Well if you must know, it was because he was very jealous and I had these days-of-the-week underpants. Harry: (imitates a wrong answer buzzer) uah! I'm sorry I need a judge's ruling on this...days-of-week underpants. Sally: Yes. They had the days of the week on them and I thought they were sort of funny. And then one day Sheldon says to me, 'You never wear Sunday'. It's all suspicious, where was Sunday, where was Sunday? And I told him and he didn't believe me. Harry: Why? Sally: They don't make Sunday. Harry: Why? Sally: Because of God. (They've finished eating.) Sally: (talking to herself) Ok, so fifteen percent of my share is ninety... six ninety. This leaves seven. (To Harry) What? Do I have something on my face? Harry: You're a very attractive person. Sally: Thank you. Harry: Amanda never said how attractive you were. Sally: Well may be she doesn't think I'm attractive. Harry: I don't think it's a matter of opinion, empirically you are attractive. Sally: Amanda is my friend. Harry: So? Sally: So you're going with her. Harry: So? Sally: So you're coming on to me! Harry: No I wasn't. What? (Sally is not impressed, jaw drops, wide eyes) Harry: Can't a man say a woman is attractive without it being a come-on? Alright, alright, let's just say just for the sake of argument that it was a come-on. What do you want me to do about it? I take it back, ok? I take it back. Sally: You can't take it back. Harry: Why not? Sally: Because it's already out there. Harry: Oh gees, what are we suppose to do, call the cops? It's already out there. Sally: Just let it lie, ok? Harry: Great! Let it lie. That's my policy. That's what I always say, let it lie. Wanna spend the night at a motel? See what I did? I didn't let it lie. Sally: Harry. Harry: I said I wouldn't and I didn't. Sally: Harry. Harry: I went the other way. Sally: Harry. Harry: What? Sally: We are just going to be friends, ok? Harry: Great! Friends! It's the best thing. (On the road once more) Harry: You realise of course that we can never be friends. Sally: Why not? Harry: What I'm saying is... and this is not a come-on in any way, shape or form, is that men and women can't be friends because the sex part always gets in the way. Sally: That's not true, I have a number of men friends and there's is no sex involved. Harry: No you don't. Sally: Yes I do. Harry: No you don't. Sally: Yes I do. Harry: You only think you do. Sally: You're saying I'm having sex with these men without my knowledge? Harry: No, what I'm saying is they all want to have sex with you. Sally: They do not. Harry: Do too. Sally: They do not. Harry: Do too. Sally: How do you know? Harry: Because no man can be friends with a woman he finds attractive, he always wants to have sex with her. Sally: So you're saying that a man can be friends with a woman he finds unattractive. Harry: Nuh, you pretty much wanna nail'em too. Sally: What if they don't want to have sex with you? Harry: Doesn't matter, because the sex thing is already out there so the friendship is ultimately doomed and that is the end of the story. Sally: Well I guess we're not going to be friends then. Harry: Guess not. Sally: That's too bad. You are the only person I knew in New York. (Louis Armstrong breaks into "You say neither, I say....". They've reached the Big Apple and are unloading Harry's luggage) Harry: Thanks for the ride. Sally: Yeah, it was interesting. Harry: It was nice knowing you. Sally: Yeah. (They shake hands) Sally: Well have a nice life. Harry: You too. (Luois is back with the song and it switches to another couple on a couch) Woman: We fell in love in high school. Man: Yeah we were... we were high school sweethearts. Woman: But then after our junior year his parents moved away. Man: But I never forgot her. Woman: He never forgot me. Man: No, her face is burned on my brain. And it was thirty four years later that I was walking down Broadway and I saw her come out of Toffenetti's. Woman: And we both looked at each other, and it was just as though not a single day had gone by. Man: She was just as beautiful as she was at sixteen. Woman: He was just the same. He looked exactly the same. (Sally and Joe kissing in the airport, Harry walked by and saw them.) Harry: Joe! I thought it was you. I thought it was you. Harry Burns. Joe: Harry, Harry how're you doing? Harry: Good, how're you doing? Joe: I'm...fine, I'm doing fine. Harry: Yeah, it's great, I was just walking by and I thought it was you and there it is, it's you! Joe: Yea, yea, it was. Harry: Are you still with the DA's office? Joe: No I switched to the other side, what about you? Harry: I work with a small firm and we do political consulting. (sociable laughs all round) Joe: Oh Harry this is Sally Allbright. Harry Burns. Ah...Harry and I use to uh...we lived in the same building. (more sociable laughs) Harry: Well listen I got a plane to catch, it was really good to see you Joe. Joe: You too Harry. Harry: Bye. (Sally nods) Sally: Thank God he couldn't place me, I drove from College to New York with him five years ago and it was the longest night of my life. Joe: What happened? Sally: He made a pass at me and when I said no he was going with a girlfriend of mine uh... Oh God I can't even remember her name! Don't get involved with me Joe I am twenty six years old and I can't even remember the name of the girl I was such good friends with I wouldn't get involved with her boyfriend. Joe: So what happened? Sally: When? Joe: When... when he made a pass at you and you said no and... Sally: Oh, oh. I said we could just be friends. And this part I can remember he said that men and women could never really be friends. Do you think that's true? Joe: No. Sally: Do you have any women friends, just friends? Joe: No. But I will get one if it is important to you. Sally: Amanda Reese, that was her name, thank God. Joe: I will miss you. I love you. Sally: You do? Joe: Yes. Sally: I love you. (in the plane, Sally day-dreaming about something) Air Hostess: And what would you like to drink? Passenger: Nothing thanks. Sally: Do you have any Bloody Marry mix? Air Hostess: Yes. Sally: Oh wait, here's what I want. Regular tomato juice, filled up about three quarters than add a splash of Bloody Marry mix, just a splash, and a little piece of lime, but on the side. Harry: (from a row behind Sally) The University of Chicago right? Sally: (looks at Harry, sighs) Yes. Harry: Did you look this good at the University of Chicago? Sally: No. Harry: Did we ever uh...(makes pumping fist gesture) Sally: No! No! (to man sitting on her right) We drove from Chicago to New York together after graduation. Man: Would you two like to sit together? (Simultaneously...) Sally: No. Harry: Great! Thank you. Harry: You were a good friend of umm... Sally: Amanda's. I can't believe you can't remember her name. Harry: What do you mean? I remember, Amanda right? Amanda Rice. Sally: Reese. Harry: Reese, right! That's what I said! What ever happened to her? Sally: I have no idea. Harry: You have no idea? You were really good friends with her. We didn't make it because you were such good friends. Sally: You went with her! Harry: And was it worth it? The sacrifice for a friend that you don't even keep in touch with? Sally: Harry, you might not believe this but I never considered not sleeping with you a sacrifice. Harry: Fair enough. Fair enough. Harry: (contd) You were going to be a gymnast. Sally: A journalist. Harry: Right, that's what I said. And? Sally: I am a journalist, I work at the news. Harry: Great! And you're with Joe. Well that's great, great. You're together, what, three weeks? Sally: A month, how did you know that? Harry: You take someone to the Airport it's clearly the beginning of a relationship that's why I have never taken anyone to the Airport at the beginning of a relationship. Sally: Why? Harry: Because eventually if things move on and you don't take someone to the Airport, and I never wanted anyone to say to me, "How come you never take me to the Airport anymore?" Sally: It's amazing, you look like a normal person but actually you're the Angel of Death. Harry: Are you going to marry him? Sally: (gasping, lost for words) We have only known each other for a month and besides neither one of us is looking to get married right now. Harry: Hmm, I'm getting married. Sally: You are? Harry: Umm hmm. Sally: *You* are. Harry: Hmm, yeah. Sally: Who is she? Harry: Helen Helson, she is a lawyer, she's keeping her name. Sally: (laughs) You're getting married. Harry: Yeah. Sally: (laughs some more) Harry: What's so funny about that? Sally: (laughs even more) It's a...well...It's just so optimistic of you Harry. Harry: Well you'd be amazed what falling madly in love can do for you. Sally: Well it's wonderful, it's nice to see you embracing life in this manner. Harry: Yeah plus you know you just get to a certain point where you get tired of the whole thing. Sally: What "whole thing"? Harry: The whole life-of-a-single-guy thing. You meet someone, you have the safe lunch, you decide you like each other enough to move on to dinner. You go dancing, you do the white-man's over-bite, go back to her place, you have sex and the minute you're finished you know what goes through your mind? How long do I have to lie here and hold her before I can get up and go home. Is thirty seconds enough? Sally: (In disgust) That's what you're thinking? Is that true? Harry: Sure! All men think that. How long do you want to be held afterwards? All night, right? See there's your problem, somewhere between thirty seconds and all night is your problem. Sally: I don't have a problem! Harry: Yeah you do. (Plane lands, Harry and Sally meet again on one of those motorised walkways in the Airport) Harry: Staying over? Sally: Yes. Harry: Would you like to have dinner? (Sally looks over) Harry: Just friends. Sally: I thought you didn't believe men and women could be friends. Harry: When did I say that? Sally: On the ride to New York. Harry: No no no no, I never said that. (Harry pauses, thinks.) Yes, that's right, they can't be friends. Unless both of them are involved with other people then they can. This is an amendment to the earlier rule, if the two people are in relationships, the pressure of possibilty of involvement is lifted. (Pauses) That doesn't work either because what happens then is the person you're involved with can't understand why you need to be friends with the person you're just friends with. Like it means something is missing from their relationship and "why do you have to go outside to get it?". Then when you say, "no no no no, it's not true nothing's missing from the relationship", the person you're involved with then accuses you of being secretly attracted to the person you're just friends with, which we probably are, I mean, come on, who the hell are we kidding, let's face it, which brings us back to the earlier rule before the amendment which is men and women can't be friends, so where does that leave us? Sally: Harry. Harry: What? Sally: Goodbye. Harry: Oh, OK. (They both start to walk along the motorised walkway, side by side) Harry: I'll just stop walking, I'll let you go ahead. (Another old couple on the same couch) Man: We were married forty years ago. We were married three years, we got a divorce. Then I married Margerie. Woman: But first you lived with Barbara. Man: Right, Barbara. But I didn't marry Barbara I married Margerie. Woman: Then he got a divorce. Man: Right, then I married Kitty. Woman: Another divorce. Man: Then a couple of years later at Atticalicio's funeral, I ran into her. I was with some girl I don't even remember. Woman: Ruberta. Man: Right, Ruberta. But I couldn't take my eyes off you. I remember I snuck over to her and I said... What did I say? Woman: You said, "What are you doing after?" Man: Right. So I ditched Ruberta, we go for a coffee, a month later we were married. Woman: Thirty five years today after our first marriage. (Three women sitting outdoor at a table in a restaurant, nice view overlooking water and willow with skyscrapers faintly visible in the distance) (Five years have passed since Harry and Sally's last meeting) Marie: I went through his pockets in bed. Alice: Marie why do you go through his pockets? Marie: You know what I found? Alice: No, what? Marie: They just bought a dinning room table. He and his wife just went out and spent sixteen hundred dollars on a dinning room table. Alice: Where? Marie: Huh... The point isn't where, Alice. The point is he's never going to leave her! Alice: So what else is new you've known this for two years. Marie: You're right, you're right, I know you're right. Alice: Why can't you find someone single. When I was I knew lots of nice single men. There must be someone. Sally found someone. Marie: Sally got the last good one. Sally: Joe and I broke up. Alice: What? Marie: When? Sally: Monday. (At the same time) Alice: You waited three days to tell us? Marie: You mean Joe's available? Alice: Oh for God's sakes Marie don't you have any feelings about this? She's obviously upset. Sally: I'm not that upset, we've been growing apart for quite a while. Marie: But you guys were a couple, you had someone to go places with, you had a date on national holidays. Sally: I said to myself, "You deserve more than this, you're thirty one years old..." Marie: And the clock is ticking. Sally: No the clock doesn't really start to tick until you're thirty six. Alice: God you're in such great shape. Sally: Well, I've had a few days to get use to it, and uh... I feel OK. Marie: Good! Then you're ready. (Marie reaches down to bring up her card index) Alice: Oh really Marie. Marie: Well how else do you think you do it? (To Sally) I've got the perfect guy. I don't happen to find him attractive but you might. She doesn't have a problem with chins. Sally: Marie, I'm not ready yet. Marie: But you just said you were over him. Sally: I *am* over him, but I'm in a mourning period. (Pauses) Who is it? Marie: Alex Anderson. Sally: (Disgusted) Uh! You fixed me up with him six years ago. (Alice giggles) Marie: Sorry! Sally: God! Marie: Alright, wait, here, here we go, Ken Darmen. Sally: He's been married for over a year. Marie: Really. (Dog-ears the his card) Married... Oh wait, wait, wait, I got one. Sally: Look, there is no point in my going out with someone I might really like *if* I met him at the right time but who right now has no chance of being anything to me but a transitional man. Marie: OK, but don't wait too long. Remember what happened to David Walsaw? His wife left him and everyone said, "Give him some time, don't move in too fast." Six months later he was dead. Sally: What are you saying? I should get married to someone right away in case he's about to die? Alice: At least you could say you were married. Marie: I'm saying, that the right man for you might be out there right now, and if you don't grab him someone else will and you'll have spend the rest of your life knowing that someone else is married to your husband. (At a football game) (We follow the Mexican wave and see Harry and Jess) Jess: When did this happen? Harry: Friday. Helen comes home from and she said, "I don't know if I want to be married anymore." Like it's the institution, you know, like it's nothing personal, just something she's been thinking about... in a casual way. I'm calm, I say, "Why don't we take some time to think about it, you know, don't rush into anything." Jess: Yeah, right. Harry: Next day she said she's thought about it, and she wants a trial separation. She just wants to try it, she says, but we can still date. Like this is supposed to cushion the blow. I mean I got married so I can stop dating. So I don't see where we can still date is any big incentive since the last thing you want to do is date your wife, who's suppose to love you, which is what I'm saying to you, that's when it occurs to me that may be... she doesn't. So I say to her, "Don't you love me anymore?" You know what she says? (Jess shakes his head) Harry: "I don't know if I've ever loved you." Jess: Ooo that's harsh. (They partake in the Mexican wave) Jess: You don't bounce back from that right away. Harry: Thanks Jess. Jess: No, I'm a writer, know dialogue and that's particularly harsh. Harry: Then she tells me that somebody in her office is going to South America and she can sub-let his apartment. I can't believe this, and the doorbell rings, 'I can sub-let his apartment', the words are still hanging in the air, you know, like in a balloon attached to a mouth. Jess: Like in the cartoon. Harry: Right. So I go to the door, and there were moving men there. Now I start to get suspicious. I say, "Helen when did you call these movers?", and she doesn't say anything. So I asked the movers, "When did this woman book you for this gig?". And they're just standing there. Three huge guys, one of them was wearing a T-shirt that says, "Don't mess with Mr. Zero." So I said, "Helen, when did you make this arrangement?". She says, "A week ago.". I said, "You've known for a week and you didn't tell me?". And she says, "I didn't want to ruin your birthday." (They do the Mexican wave again) Jess: You're say Mr. Zero knew you were getting a divorce a week before you did? Harry: Mr. Zero know. Jess: I can't believe this! Harry: I haven't told you the bad part yet. Jess: What could be worse than Mr. Zero knowing. Harry: It's all a lie. She's in love with somebody else, some tax attorney. She moved in with him. Jess: How did you find out? Harry: I followed her, I stood outside the building. Jess: So humiliating. Harry: Tell me about it. (Pauses) And do you know I knew? I knew the whole time that even though we were happy it was just an illusion and that one day she will kick the shit out of me. Jess: Marriages don't break up on a count of infidelity. It's just a symptom that something else is wrong. Harry: Oh really? Well that symptom is fucking my wife. (Marie and Sally in a book store. Second floor) Marie: So I just happen to see his American Express bill. Sally: What do you mean you just *happen* to see it? Marie: Well, he was shaving and... there it was in his briefcase. Sally: What if he came out and saw you looking through his briefcase? Marie: You're missing the point, I'm telling you what I found. He just spent a hundred and twenty dollars on a new night gown for his wife. I don't think he's ever going to leave her. Sally: No one thinks he's ever going to leave her. Marie: You're right, you're right, I know you're right. (Marie saw Harry peering at Sally through the top of his book) Marie: Someone is starring at you in personal growth. Sally: I know him. You'd like him, he's married. Marie: Who is he? Sally: Harry Burns, he's a political consultant. Marie: He's cute. Sally: You think he's cute? Marie: How do you know he's married. Sally: 'Cos last time I saw him he was getting married. Marie: When was that? Sally: Six years ago. Marie: So he might not be married anymore. Sally: Also he's obnoxious. Marie: Uh, this is just like in the movies remember when the lady vanishes and she says to meet the most obnoxious man in the world.... Sally: The most contemptible. Marie: And they fall madly in love. Sally: Also he never remembers me. Harry: Sally Allbright. Sally: Hi Harry. Harry: I thought it was you. Sally: It is. Huh... this is Marie. (Marie is already on her way down stairs) Sally: Was Marie. Harry: How are you? Sally: Fine! Harry: How's Joe? Sally: Fine. (Pauses) I hear he's fine. Harry: You're not with Joe anymore? Sally: We just broke up. Harry: Oh, I'm sorry, that's too bad. Sally: Yah...well, you know...yah. (Long pause) So, what about you? Harry: I'm fine. Sally: How's married life? Harry: Not so good. I...I'm getting a divorce. Sally: Oh, sorry. Oh I'm really sorry. Harry: Yeah, well, what're you going to do. What happened with you guys? (Harry and Sally now sitting in a empty restaurant, having coffee) Sally: When Joe and I started seeing each other we wanted exactly the same thing. We wanted to live together but we didn't want to get married because every time anyone we knew got married it ruined their relationship, they practically never had sex again. It's true. It's one of those secrets that no one ever tells you. I would sit around with my girlfriends who have kids... actually this my girlfriend who has kids, Alice, and she and Garry never did it anymore. She didn't even complain about it now that I think about it. She just said it matter-of-fact-ly. She said, they were up all night, they were both exhausted all the time, the kids just took every sexual impulse they had out of them. (Pauses) Joe and I use to talk about it and we'd say, we are so lucky we have this wonderful relationship, we can have sex on the kitchen floor and not worry about the kids walking in, we can fly off to Rome on a moment's notice. And then one day I was taking Alice's little girl for the afternoon because I promised I'd take her to the circus, and, we were in the cab playing eye-spy. Eye-spy mailbox, eye-spy lamppost. And she looked out the window and she saw this man and this woman with these two little kids and the man had one of the little kids on his shoulders and she said, "I spy a family". And I started to cry. You know I just started crying. And I went home and I said, "The thing is Joe we never fly off to Rome on a moment's notice. Harry: And the kitchen floor... Sally: Not once, it's this cold, hard Mexican ceramic tile. Harry: Umm. Sally: Anyway, we talked about it for a long time and I said, "This is what I want." and he says, "Well I don't." and I said, "Well I guess it's over." and he left. And the thing is I... I feel really fine. I am over him, I mean I really am over him. And that was it for him. That was the most that he could give. And everytime I think about it I am more and more convinced that I did the right thing. Harry: Boy you sound really healthy. Sally: Yah. (Harry and Sally walking along in a park) Sally: At least I got the apartment. Harry: That's what everybody says to me too. But really what's so hard about finding an apartment? What you do is, you read the obituary column. Yeah, you find out who died, and go to the building and then you tip the doorman. What they can do to make it easier is to combine the obituaries with the real estate section. Say, then you'd have Mr. Klein died today leaving a wife, two children, and a spacious three bedroom apartment with a wood burning fireplace. (They both sound of genuine laughter) Harry: You know the first time I met I really didn't like you that much. Sally: I didn't like you. Harry: Yeah you did, you were just so uptight then. You're much softer now. Sally: You know I hate that kind of remark. It sounds like a complement but really it's an insult. Harry: OK, you're still as hard as nails. Sally: I just didn't want to sleep with you and you had to write it off as a character flaw instead of dealing with the possibility that it might have something to do with you. Harry: What's the statute of limitation on apologies? Sally: Ten years. Harry: Ooo, I can just get it in under the wire. Sally: Would you like to have dinner with me some time? Harry: Are we becoming friends now? Sally: Well... (Pause) yah. Harry: Great! A woman friend... You know you may be the first attractive woman I have not wanted to sleep with in my entire life. Sally: That's wonderful Harry. (New old couple again) (They "cross-talk" all the time, they kind of overlaps each other's speech) Man: We were both born in the same hospital. Woman: Nineteen twenty one. Man: Seven days apart. Woman: In the same hospital. Man: We both grew up one block away from each other. Woman: We both lived in tenements. Man: On the lower east side. Woman: On Delancey Street. Man: My family moved to the Bronx when I was ten. Woman: He lived on Fordham Road. Man: Hers moved when she was eleven. Woman: I lived on a hundred and eighty third Street. Man: For six years she worked on the fifteenth floor as a nurse where I had a practice on the fourteenth floor in the very same building. Woman: I worked for a very prominent neurologist, Dr. (someone or rather). We never met. Man: Never met. Woman: Can you imagine that? Man: You know where we met? In an elevator. In the ambassador hotel in Chicago Illinois. Woman: I was visiting family. He was on the third floor I was on the twelve. Man: I rode up nine extra floors just to keep talking to her. Woman: Nine extra floors. (A shot of Harry in the office, looking pathetically at one of those bobbing toys that seems to dip its head enough to drink from a glass of water) (The phone rings, actually the phone is from his apartment as they go about their bedtime phone conversations) (We see Harry and Sally each carrying out their everyday life. Work, shopping etc) (Voices overs) (Sally answers the phone) Sally: Hello. Harry: You sleeping? Sally: No, I was watching Casablanca. Harry: Channel please. Sally: Eleven. Harry: Thank you, got it. Now you're telling me you will be happier with Victor Laszlo than Humphrey Bogart? Sally: When did I say that? Harry: When we drove to New York. Sally: I never said that, I would never have said that. Harry: Alright, fine. Have it your way. (Pause) Have you been sleeping? Sally: Why? Harry: 'Cos I haven't been sleeping. I really miss Helen. May be I coming down with something. Last night I was up at four in the morning watching "Leave it to Beaver" in Spanish. (Harry recites some of the Spanish dialogue from Leave it to Beaver). I'm not well. Sally: Well I went bed at seven thirty last night. I haven't don't that since the third grade. Harry: Well that's the good thing about depression, gets you rest. Sally: I'm not depressed. Harry: OK, fine. Do you still sleep on the same side of the bed? Sally: I did for a while but now I'm pretty much using the whole bed. Harry: God, that's great. I feel weird when just my legs wanders over. I miss her. Sally: I don't miss him, I really don't. Harry: No even a little? Sally: You know what I miss? I miss the idea of him. Harry: May be I only miss the idea of Helen. No, I miss the whole Helen. Sally: Mm, last scene. (We see them both looking at the TV, Casablanca playing) Harry: Ooo, Ingrid Bergman, now she's low maintenance. Sally: Low maintenance? Harry: There are two kinds of women. High maintenance and low maintenance. Sally: And Ingrid Bergman is low maintenance? Harry: In LM, definitely. Sally: Which one am I? Harry: You're the worst kind. You're high maintenance but you think you're low maintenance. Sally: I don't see that. Harry: You don't see that? Waiter, I'll begin with a house salad, but I don't want the regular dressing. I'll have the Balsamic vinegar and oil, but on the side. And then the Salmon with the mustard sauce, but I want the mustard sauce, on the side. On the side is a very big thing for you. Sally: Well I just want it the way I want it. Harry: I know. High maintenance. (Casablanca ends with "I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship.") Harry: Mmm, best last line of a movie ever. Sally: Hmm.... Harry: I'm definitely coming down with something. Probably a twenty four hour tumour they're going around. Sally: You don't have a tumour. Harry: How do you know? Sally: If you're so worried go see a doctor. Harry: No, he'll just tell me it's nothing. Sally: Will you be able to sleep? Harry: If not I'll be OK. Sally: What will you do? Harry: I'll stay up moan. May be I should practice now. (moans....) Sally: Goodnight Harry. Harry: Goodnight. (Both hang up the phone) (Sally's light is out) (Harry keeps moaning... and eventually lights out) (Harry and Sally walking along the street) Harry: I had my dream again, where I'm making love and the Olympic judges are watching. I've nailed the compulsories so this is it, the finals. I got a nine eight from the Canadian, a perfect ten from the American, and my mother disguised as a East German judge gave me a five six. Must've been the dismount. Sally: Well basically it's the same one I've been having since I was twelve. Harry: What happens? Sally: No it's... it's too embarrassing. Harry: So tell me. Sally: OK there's this guy. Harry: What's he look like. Sally: I don't know he just kind of faceless. Harry: Faceless guy, OK, then what? Sally: He rips off my clothes. Harry: Then what happens? Sally: And that's it. (They stop walking) Harry: That's it? A faceless guy rips off your clothes and that's the sex fantasies you've been having since you were twelve. Exactly the same. Sally: Well sometimes I vary it a little. Harry: Which part? Sally: What I'm wearing. (Harry pauses, looks away, starts walking again) Sally: What? Harry: Nothng. (They are now inside a building with a very tall ceiling. Museum? Gallery?) (Harry talking in a funny accent) Harry: I have decided that for the rest of the day we are going to talk like this. Sally: (Plays along) Like this? Harry: No, please, to repeat after me. Pepper. Sally: Pepper. Harry: Pepper. Sally: (Starting to giggle) Pepper. Harry: Pepper. Sally: Pepper. Harry: Pepper. Sally: Pepper. Harry: Waiter, there is too much pepper on my paprikash. (Sally giggles some more, Harry feeding her the line again) Sally: Waiter, there is too much pepper... Harry: On my papricash. Sally: On my papricash. Harry: But I would be proud to partake of your pecan pie. Sally: Oh...no. Harry: But I would be proud. Sally: But I would be proud. Harry: To partake. Sally: To partake. Harry: Of your pecan, pieeee.... Sally: Of your pecan, pieeee.... Harry: Pecan pieeee.... Sally: Pecan pieeee.... Harry: Pecan pieeee.... Sally: Pecan pieeee.... Harry: Would you like to go to the movie with me tonight? Sally: Would you like to go... would, would... Harry: (Shakes his head) Not to repeat, please, to answer. Would you like to go to the movie with me tonight? Sally: (Mouth opened, realises something, accent gone) Oh, oh. Well I'd love to Harry, but I... I can't. Harry: (Still with accent) What to you have, a *Hot Date*? Sally: Well yah, yah. Harry: (Accent stops) Really? Sally: Yah, well I... I was going to tell you about it but I don't know I just... I felt strange about it. Harry: Why? Sally: Well because we've been spending so much time together. Harry: Oh I think it's great that you have a date. Sally: You do? Harry: Yeah. (Sally looks around nervously, may be even a bit struck by the answer.) Harry: It's that what you're going to wear? Sally: Yah. Well, I... I don't know, why? Harry: I think you should wear skirts more. You look really good in skirts. Sally: I do? Harry: Yah. (Sally is looking around again, this time the reaction is a bit more pleasant) Harry: You know I have a theory that Hieroglyphics are really an ancient comic strip about a character named Sphinxie. Sally: You know Harry I think you should get out there too. Harry: (With accent now) Oh no I'm not ready. Sally: You should. Harry: I would not be good for anybody right now. Sally: It's time. (They are in an apartment (I think it's Sally's) unrolling a new rug into its place.) Harry: It was the most uncomfortable night of my life. Sally: Oh. See no, it has to go this way. The first day back is always the toughest Harry. Harry: We only had one date. How do you know it's not going to get worse? Sally: How much worse can it get than finishing dinner having him reaching over pull a hair out of my head and starts flossing with it at the table? Harry: We're talking dream dates compared to my horror. It started out fine, she's a very nice person, and we're sitting and we're talking at this Ethiopian restaurant that she wanted to go to. And I was making jokes, you know like, "Hey I didn't know that they had food in Ethiopia? This will be a quick meal. I'll order two empty plates and we can leave." (Sally laughed while drinking from a bottle of water) Harry: Yeah, nothing from her not even a smile. So I down shift into small talk, and I asked her where she went to school and she said. "Michigan State", and this reminds me of Helen. All of a sudden I'm in the middle of this mess of an anxiety attack, my heart is beating like a wild man and I start sweating like a pig. Sally: Helen went to Michigan State? Harry: No she went to Northwestern, but they're both big-ten schools. I got so upset I had to leave the restaurant. Sally: Harry I think this takes a long time. It might be months before we're actually able to enjoy going out with someone new. Harry: Yah... Sally: And may be longer, before we're actually able to go to bed with someone new. Harry: Oh I went to bed with her. Sally: You went to bed with her? Harry: Sure. Sally: Oh. (Harry and Jess practising their batting with coin activated pitching machine) Jess: I don't understand this relationship. Harry: What do you mean? Jess: You enjoy being with her? Harry: Yah. Jess: You find her attractive? Harry: Yah. Jess: And you're not sleeping with her. Harry: No. Jess: You're afraid to let yourself be happy. Harry: Why can't you give me credit for this? This is a big thing for me. I never had a relationship with a woman that didn't involve sex. I feel like I'm growing. Kid: You finish yet? Harry: Hey I got a whole stack of quarters and I was here first. Kid: Were not. Harry: Was too. Kid: Were not! Harry: Was too! Kid: Big jerk! Harry: Little creep! (To Jess) Where was I? Jess: You were growing. Harry: Yeah. It's very freeing. I can say anything to her. Jess: Are you saying you can say things to her you can't say to me? Harry: Nah it's just different. It's a whole new perspective. I get the woman's point of view on things. She tells me about the men she goes out with and I can talk to her about the women that I see. Jess: You tell her about other women. Harry: Yeah. Like the other night. I made love to this woman, and it was so incredible, I took her to a place that wasn't human, she actually meowed. Jess: You made a woman meow? Harry: Yah. That's the point, I can say these things to her. And the great thing is, I don't have to lie because I'm not always thinking about how to get her into bed. I can just be myself. Jess: You made a woman meow? (Harry and Sally at a diner) Sally: So what do you do with these women, you just get up out of bed and leave? Harry: Sure. Sally: Well explain to me how you do it. What do you say? Harry: You'd say you have an early meeting, early haircut or a squash game. Sally: You don't play squash. Harry: They don't know that they just met me. Sally: That's disgusting. Harry: I know, I feel terrible. Sally: You know I'm so glad I never got involved with you. I just would've ended up being some woman you had to get up out of bed and leave at three o'clock in the morning and clean your andirons, and you don't even have a fireplace. Not that I would noticed. Harry: Why are you getting so upset? This is not about you. Sally: Yes it is. You are a human affront to all women and I am a woman. Harry: Hey I don't feel great about this but I don't hear anyone complaining. Sally: Of course not you're out of the door too fast. Harry: I think they have an OK time. Sally: How do you know? Harry: What do you mean how do I know? I know. Sally: Because they... Harry: Yes, because they... Sally: And how do you know that they really... Harry: What are you saying, that they fake orgasm? Sally: It's possible. Harry: Get outta here! Sally: Why? Most women at one time or another have faked it. Harry: Well they haven't faked it with me. Sally: How do you know? Harry: Because I know. Sally: Oh, right, that's right, I forgot, you're a man. Harry: What is that supposed to mean? Sally: Nothing. It's just that all men are sure it never happened to them and that most women at one time or another have done it so you do the math. Harry: You don't think that I could tell the difference? Sally: No. Harry: Get outta here. Sally: Ooo...Oh...Ooo... Harry: Are you OK? Sally: Oh...Oh god...Ooo Oh God...Oh...Oh...Oh...Oh God... Oh yeah right there Oh! Oh...Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes...Oh...Oh... Yes Yes Yes....Oh...Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes...Oh...Oh... Oh... Oh God Oh... Oh... Huh... (Sally finishes, looks at Harry and smiles. Harry looks back, looking a little uneasy) Lady from another table: I'll have what she's having. ("Winter Wonderland" playing in the background, scenes of Harry and Sally buying Christmas tree. Switches to them dancing at a New Year's eve party) Sally: I like you without your beard, you can see your face. Harry: Hey it is my face. Woow, dipping you. Sally: I really want to thank you for taking me out to night. Harry: Aw don't be silly. The next New Year's eve if neither one of us is with anybody, you got a date. Sally: Deal. (They dance now cheek to cheek) Sally: See, now we can dance cheek to cheek. Harry: Mmm. Sally: Mmm. (Both of them noticed they are feeling something about this moment. Just as it was getting a little 'Heavy' we hear...) Someone: (Out of shot) Hey everybody! Ten seconds till New Year! Harry: Want to get some air? Sally: Yah. (We hear the crowd counting down the seconds, "Seven, six, five, four, three, two one, Happy New Year!" Couples around fall into embraces and gave each other New Year kisses. "Auld Lange Syne" is sung by everyone.) Harry: Happy New Year. Sally: Happy New Year. (They kissed, hugged, awkwardly.) (Another old couple) Woman: Well, he was the head counsellor and the boys' camp and I was the head counsellor at the girls' camp, and they had a social one night, and he walked across the room. I thought he was coming to talk to my friend Maxine, 'cos people were always crossing rooms to talk to Maxine. But he was coming to talk to me, and he said... Man: I'm Ben Small of the Coney Island Smalls. Woman: At that moment I knew. I knew the way you know about a good melon. (Sally and Marie walking to a restaurant. Harry and Jess doing the same thing. Harry is introducing Sally to Jess and Sally is introducing Marie to Harry at a match-making dinner) Sally: You sent flowers to yourself. Marie: Sixty dollars I spent on this big stupid arrangement of flowers and I wrote a card that I planned to leave on the front table Arthur would just happen to see it. Sally: What did the card say? Marie: "Please say yes. Love Jonathan." Sally: Did it work? Marie: He never even came over. He forgot this charity thing that his wife was a chairman of. He's never going to leave her! Sally: Of course he isn't. Marie: You're right, you're right, I know you're right. Where is this place? Sally: Somewhere in the next block. Marie: Uh... I can't believe I'm doing this. Sally: Look, Harry is one of my best friends and you are one of my best friends and if by some chance you two hit it off then we could all still be friends in stead of drifting apart the way you do when you get involve with someone who doesn't know your friends. Marie: You and I haven't drifted apart since I started seeing Arthur. (Sally stops walking, turns to Marie) Sally: If Arthur ever left his wife and I actually met him I'm sure that you and I would drift apart. Marie: He's never going to leave her. Sally: Of course he isn't. Marie: You're right, you're right, I know you're right. (Harry and Jess now) Jess: I don't know about this. Harry: It's just a dinner. Jess: You know I've finally gone to a new place in my life where I'm comfortable with the fact that it's just me and my work. If she's so great why aren't you taking her out? Harry: How many times do I have to tell you, we're just friends. Jess: So you're saying she's not that attractive. Harry: No, I told you she *is* attractive. Jess: Yeah but you also said she has a good personality. Harry: She *has* a good personality. (Jess stops walking, turns to Harry, raises his arms in the air) Harry: What? Jess: When someone is not that attractive, they're always described as having a good personality. Harry: Look, if you would ask me, "What does she look like?" and I said, "She has a good personality." That means she's not attractive. But just because I happened to mention that she has a good personality, she could be either. She could be attractive with a good personality, or not attractive with a good personality. Jess: So which one is she? Harry: Attractive. Jess: But not beautiful, right? (Harry walks away.) (They are now all at a table in the restaurant. Jess is telling Sally about writing. Marie is talking with Harry about something to do with hostages. Both group are not really happening at all. (and I couldn't be bothered transcripting all those cross-talk.)) (Eventually, they stopped. Long silence. All four looking uncomfortable.) Sally: Harry, you and Marie are both from New Jersey. Marie: Really. Harry: Where are you from? Marie: South Orange. Harry: Haddenfield. Marie: Ah!.... (Silence. Harry and Marie are both holding a polite smile. Then, nothing. And both turn back to the table, looking blank.) Harry: So, what are we going to order? Sally: Well I'm going to start with the grilled riddichio. Harry: Jess, Sally is a great orderer. Not only does she always pick the best thing in the menu but she orders it in a way that the chef didn't even know how good it could be. Jess: I think restaurants have become too important. Marie: Mmm I agree. Restaurants are to people in the eighties what theatre was to people in the sixties. I read that in magazine. Jess: I wrote that. Marie: Get outta here. Jess: No, I did, I wrote that. Marie: I've never quoted anything from a magazine in my life, that's amazing, don't you think that's amazing? And you wrote it!? Jess: I also wrote "Pesto is the quiche of the eighties." Marie: Get over yourself! Jess: I did! Marie: Where did I read that? Jess: New York Magazine. Harry: Sally writes for New York Magazine. Marie: You know that piece had a real impact on me, I mean I, I don't know that much about writing but... Jess: Well, well, it spoke to you, and that pleases me. Marie: I.. I mean I really.. have.. you have to admire people who can be as... that articulate. (Harry and Sally simultaneously looked at each other. They each know what's going on.) Jess: Nobody has ever quoted me back to me before. (The four are walking along the street.) Marie: Oh! I've been looking for a pair of red suede pumps. (In saying so Marie and Sally are in a place where they can talk, privately.) Marie: What do you think of Jess? Sally: Well, eh. Marie: Do you think you could go out with him? Sally: I don't know, eh. Marie: 'Cos I feel really comfortable with him. (Sally nodding her head, may be subconsciously.) Sally: You want to go out with Jess. Marie: If it's alright with you. Sally: Sure, sure. I'm just worried about Harry. He's very sensitive, he's going through a rough period and I... I just don't want you to reject him right now. Marie: I wouldn't, I totally understand. (Harry and Jess now.) Jess: If you don't think you're going to call Marie, do you mind if I call her? Harry: No, no. Jess: Good, good, good. Harry: But for tonight you shouldn't. I mean Sally's very vulnerable right now. I mean you can call Marie, that's fine. But just wait for a week or so, huh? Don't make any moves tonight. Jess: Fine, no problem, I wasn't even thinking about tonight. (Sally and Marie walks over to the guys.) Jess: Well I don't really feel much like walking anymore. I think I'll get a cab. Marie: I'll go with you! Jess: Great! Taxi! (Jess and Marie hurried into the cab and it drives off, leaving Harry and Sally alone, again. They turn and look at each a other, a little bewildered.) (Another old couple.) (Woman nods while the man kept talking.) Man: A man came to me and said, "I found nice girl for you, she lives in the next village, and she is ready for marriage." We were not suppose to meet until the wedding, but I wanted to make sure. So I sneak into her village, hid behind a tree, watch her washing the clothes. I think if I don't like the way she looks, I don't marry her. But she look very nice to me. So I said, "OK." to the man. We get married. We married for fifty five years. (Four months later...) (Harry and Sally are out shopping for a gift for Marie and Jess.) (Harry slam dunks on a toy basketball hoop and said...) Harry: I have to get this. I have to get this. Sally: Harry, we're here for Jess and Marie. Harry: I know, we'll find them something. There's great stuff here! Sally: We should've gone to the plant store. Harry: Here, perfect for them. (Harry puts a helmet on Sally.) Sally: What's that? Harry: Battery operated pith helmet, with fan. Sally: Why is this necessary in life? Harry: I don't know. (Takes the helmet off Sally's head.) Look, look at this, it also makes great fries. Oh, O-o, good, hold off the dogs, the hunt is over. Sally, this is the greatest. (Harry turns the machine on, now speaking through the microphone.) Harry: Sally, please report to me. Look at this, this is the greatest, you're going to love this. This is a singing machine. Look, you sing the... the lead and it has the backup and everything. This is from Okalahoma! Here is the lyrics right here. Sally: "Surrey with the fringe on top". Harry: Yes, perfect. (Harry starts to sing.) Harry: Ooo! Chics and ducks and geese better scurry. When I take you out in my surrey. When I take you out in my surrey with a fringe, on top. Now you. Sally: (With Harry singing along.) Watch that fringe and see how it flutters. When I drive those high stepping strutters. Nosy pokes will peek through the shutters and their eyes will pop. (Sally keeps singing, Harry stopped as he saw something, or someone.) Sally: The wheels are yellow the upholstery's brown and the dashboard's genuine leather. With icy glass curtains that will... (Still on the microphone.) What? It's my voice isn't it? I hate my voice. I know, it's terrible, Joe hate... Harry: It's Helen. Sally: (Still on the microphone.) Helen? Harry: She's coming right towards me. (Helen and a man approaches.) Helen: How are you Harry? Harry: Fine, I'm fine. Helen: This is Ira Stod. Harry Burns. Ira: Harry. Harry: I'm sorry. This is Sally Allbright. Helen Hillson and Ira. Ira: Sally. Helen: Nice to meet you. Sally: Hi. Helen: Well, see you. Harry: Yeah, bye. Nice to meet you, Ira. Sally: Are you OK? Harry: Yah, I'm perfect. She looked weird, didn't she? She looked really weird, she looked very weird. Sally: I've never seen her before. Harry: Trust me, she looked weird. Her legs looked heavy, really, she must be retaining water. Sally: Harry. Harry: Believe me, the woman saved everything. (They are at a flower shop, Sally holding a bunch of flowers. Harry is starring into space.) Sally: Sure you're OK? Harry: Oh I'm fine. Look it had to happen at some point, in a city of eight million people you're bound to run into your ex-wife so boom, it happens, and now I'm fine. (Harry walks away.) (They reach Jess and Marie's place. They are looking at a wagon-wheel coffee table.) Jess: I like it, it works. It says home to me. Marie: Alright, alright. We'll let Harry and Sally be the judge. (To Harry and Sally) What do you think? Harry: It's nice. Jess: Case closed. Marie: Of course he likes it, he's a guy. Sally? (Sally shakes her head.) Jess: What's so awful about it? Marie: It's so awful there's no way even to begin to explain what's so awful about it. Jess: Honey, I don't object to any of your things. Marie: If we had an extra room you could put all of your things including your bar stools. Jess: No, honey, wait, wait, wait, honey, honey, wait, wait, wait... you don't like my bar stools? (To Harry) Harry, come on, someone has to be on my side. Marie: I'm on your side, I'm just trying to help you have good taste. Jess: I have good taste! Marie: Everybody thinks they have good taste in a sense of humour but they couldn't possibly all have good taste. Harry: You know it's funny. We started out like this, Helen and I. We had blank walls, we hung things, we picked out tiles together. Then you know what happens? Six years later you find yourself singing "Surrey with a fringe on top" in front of Ira! Sally: Do we have to talk about this right now? Harry: Yes, I think that right now actually is the perfect time to talk about this because I want our friends to benefit from the wisdom of my experience. Right now everything is great, everyone is happy, everyone is in love, but you got to know, that sooner or later, you're going to be screaming at other about who's going to get this dish. This eight dollar dish will cost you a thousand dollars in phone calls to the legal firm of that's-mine-this-is-yours. Sally: Harry... Harry: Please, Jess, Marie, do me a favour for your own good, put your name in your books right now, before they get mixed up and you don't know who's is who's. Because one day, believe it or not, you'll go fifteen rounds over who's going to get this coffee table. This stupid, wagon wheel, Roy Rogers garage sale coffee table! Jess: I thought you liked it. Harry: I WAS BEING NICE! (Harry walks out.) Sally: He just bumped into Helen. (Sally follows.) Marie: I want you to know, that I will never, want that wagon wheel coffee table. (Outside, with Sally trying to talk to Harry.) Harry: I know I know I shouldn't have done it. Sally: Harry, you're going to have to try and find a way of not expressing every feeling that you have, every moment that you have them. Harry: Oh really? Sally: Yes, there are times and places for things. Harry: Well the next time you're giving a lecture series on social graces would you let me know, 'cos I'll sign up. Sally: Hey! You don't have to take your anger out on me. Harry: Oh I think I'm entitled to throw a little anger your way, especially when I'm told how to live my life, by Miss Hospital-Corners. Sally: What's that supposed to mean? Harry: I mean nothing bothers you! You never get upset about anything! Sally: Don't be ridiculous! Harry: What? You never get upset about Joe. I never see that back up on you. How is that possible? Don't you experience any feelings of loss? Sally: I don't have to take this crap from you! Harry: If you're so over Joe, why aren't you seeing anyone? Sally: I see people! Harry: See people, have you slept with one person since you broke up with Joe? Sally: What the hell does that have to do with anything? That will prove that I'm over Joe, because I fucked somebody? Harry you're going to have to move back to New Jersey because you've slept with everybody in New York and I don't see that turning Helen into a faint memory for you! Besides I will make love to somebody when it is 'making love', not the way you do it like you're out for revenge or something! Harry: Are you finished now? Sally: Yes. Harry: Can I say something? Sally: Yes. Harry: I'm sorry. I'm sorry. (Jess taking out the wagon wheel.) Jess: Don't say a word. (New scene, in Jess and Marie's house, a bunch of people playing pictionary or something similar. Sally is drawing something on the white board.) Jess: Uh, it's a monkey. It's a monkey, monkey see monkey do! It's... an ape, going ape! Woman: It's a baby! (Sally points to her.) Jess: Planet of the apes! Harry: Planet of the apes? She just said it's a baby. How about planet of the dopes? Jess: It doesn't look like a baby. Harry: Hmm a big mouth... Mick Jagger is a baby! Jess: Baby ape, baby ape! Harry: Stop with the apes would you please? Woman: Uh... baby's breath! Harry: Rosemary's Baby's mouth! Won't you come home Bill baby! Woman: Babababy...kiss the baby! Harry: Melancholy baby's mouth! Jess: Baba...baby fish mouth, baby fish mouth! (Out of shot: fifteen seconds.) Woman: Baby boom! Jess: Draw something resembling anything. Woman: Crying baby, kiss the baby. Harry: Uh...Baby spitting up, exorcist baby! Woman: Yes sir that's my baby! Harry: No sir don't mean may be. (Out of shot: That's it times up.) Sally: Baby talk. Jess: Baby talk? What's that, that's not a saying. Harry: Oh but baby fish mouth is sweeping the nation. I hear them talking. Man: Final score, our team one ten, you guys sixty. Sally: I can't draw. Julian: Nah, that's baby, and that's clearly talking. You're wonderful. Marie: Alright who wants coffee? Jess: I do and I love you. Woman: Do you have any tea? Marie: One tea. Harry: Industrial strength. Sally: I'll help you, (To Julian) de-caf? Julian: Yes. Marie: Cream. Woman: Where's the bathroom? Marie: Through that door down the hall. Jess: (To Julian) Doesn't look like a baby to me. Julian: Which part? Jess: All of it. Harry: Hey Jess, you were going to show me the cover of your book. Jess: Oh yeah yeah, it's in the den. Look Julian, help yourself, have some... more wine or whatever you like OK? (To Harry) I like saying it's in the den, it's got a nice ring to it. (Marie and Sally in the kitchen making coffees.) Sally: Emily is a little young for Harry don't you think? Marie: Well she's young, but look what she's done. Sally: What has she done? She makes desserts. (Harry and Jess in the den.) Harry: Did Julian seem a little stuffy to you? Jess: He's a good guy, you should talk to him, get to know him. Harry: He's too tall to talk to. (In the kitchen.) Marie: She makes thirty six hundred chocolate mousse pie a week. Sally: Emily is "Aunt Emily"? (Den.) Jess: He took us all to a Met game last week, it was great. Harry: You all went to a Met game together? Jess: Yeah, but... it was a... last minute thing. Harry: But Sally hates baseball. (Kitchen.) Sally: Harry doesn't even like sweets. Marie: Julian is great. Sally: I know, he's grown up. (Den.) Jess: Emily is terrific. Harry: Yeah, of course when I asked her where she was when Kennedy was shot she said, "Ted Kennedy was shot?" Jess: No. (Harry is in bed, reading a new book. Flick to the last page to read the ending. Phone rings.) Harry: Hello. Sally: Are you alone? Harry: Yeah I was just finishing a book. Sally: Could you come over? Harry: What's the matter? Sally: He's getting married. Harry: Who? Sally: Joe. Harry: I'll be right there. (Sally opens the door for Harry, she is covered in tears.) Sally: Hi. Harry: Are you alright? Sally: Come on in. (Harry closes the door behind him.) Sally: I'm sorry to call you so late. Harry: It's alright. Sally: I need a Kleenex. Harry: OK. Sally: OK? (They walk into Sally's bedroom.) Sally: He just called me up 'wanted to see how you were', fine. 'How are you?', fine. His secretary's on vacation, everything's all backed up and he's got a big case to do, blah blah blah. And I'm sitting on the phone I'm thinking, I'm over him, I really am over him. I can't believe that I'd ever be remotely interested in any of that. And then he said I have some news. She works in his office, she's a paralegal, her name is Kimberley. (Sob, Sob.) He just met her. She's suppose to be his transitional person, she's not suppose to be the one. All this time I've been saying that he didn't want to get married, but the truth is, he didn't want to marry me. He didn't love me. Harry: If you could take him back right now, would you? Sally: No, but why didn't he want to marry me? What's the matter with me? Harry: Aw, nothing. Sally: I'm difficult. Harry: You're challenging. Sally: I'm too structured, I'm completely closed off. Harry: But in a good way. Sally: No, no, no I drove him away, and I'm going to be forty. Harry: When? Sally: Someday. Harry: In eight years. Sally: But it's there. It's just sitting there like this big dead end. And it's not the same for men. Charlie Chaplain had babies when he was seventy three. Harry: Yeah but he was too old to pick them up. (Sally laughs a little, then turns into sobbing again.) Harry: Aw... Come here, come here, it's going to be OK. It's going to be fine, you'll see. (Sally is sobbing all over Harry's pullover.) Harry: Oh go ahead, it's not one of my favourites anyway. It's going to be OK, hmm? You're OK? OK. (Harry kisses Sally.) Harry: I'll make some tea. Sally: Harry, harry, could you just hold me a little longer? (They start kissing, it didn't stop and yes, it happened. They are in bed, Sally is wearing a smile, Harry is wearing a blank stare.) Sally: Are you comfortable? Harry: Sure. Sally: Do you want something to drink or something? Harry: No I'm Ok. Sally: Well I'm going to get up for some water so it's really no trouble. Harry: OK, water. (Sally goes to get some water. Harry examines Sally's video indexing cards.) Harry: You have all the video tapes alphabetising on index cards? (Sally passes Harry the water.) Harry: Thanks you. Sally: Do you want to watch something? Harry: No, not unless you do. Sally: No, that's OK. (Sally snuggles into bed.) Sally: Do you want to go to sleep? Harry: OK. (The next morning. Sally is still in bed. Harry is putting on his clothes about to leave.) Sally: Where are you going? Harry: I gotoa go. Gotta go home, I gotta change my clothes and then I have to go to work and so do you. But after work I'd like to take out to dinner if you're free, are you free? Sally: Yes. Harry: Right, I'll call you later. Sally: Fine. Harry: Fine. (Harry kiss Sally on the forehead and leaves. Sally just watches as he leaves.) (Now we see Jess and Marie in bed. First Marie's phone rings.) Jess: Yours. Marie: Hello. Sally: I'm sorry to call so early. Marie: Are you alright? Jess: I know I would've called at this hour. Sally: I did something terrible. Marie: What did you do? (Jess's phone rings.) Jess: Now I know who I would call at this hour. Sally: Uh, it's so awful. Harry: I need to talk. Marie: What happened? Jess: What's the matter? Sally: Harry came over last night. Harry: I went over to Sally's last night. Sally: Because I was upset that Joe was getting married. Harry: And one thing led to another. Sally: And before I knew it we were kissing and... Harry: To make a long story short. Sally: We did it. Harry: We did it. Jess: They did it. Marie: They did it. Marie: That's great Sally. Jess: We've been praying for it. Marie: You should've done it in the first place. Jess: For months we've been saying you should do it. Marie: You guys belong together. Jess: It's like killing two birds with one stone. Marie: It's like two wrong's make a right. Jess: How was it? Marie: How was it? Harry: The doing part was good. Sally: I thought it was good. Harry: But then I felt suffocated. Sally: But then I guess it wasn't. Jess: Jesus I'm sorry. Marie: No worries. Harry: I had to get out of there. Sally: He just diappeared. Harry: I feel so bad. Sally: I'm so embarassed. Jess: I don't blame you. Marie: That's horrible. Harry: I think I'm coming down with something. Sally: I think I'm catching a cold. Jess: Look it would've been great if it worked out, but it didn't. Marie: Ah, you should never go to bed with anyone when you find out your boyfriend is getting married. Harry: Who's that talking? Jess: Who? Sally: Is that Jess on the phone? Jess: It's Jane Fonda on the VCR. Marie: It's Bryant Gumbel. Jess: Do you want to come over for breakfast? Marie: Do you want to come over for breakfast? Harry: No, I'm not up to it. Sally: No, I feel too awful. Marie: I... I mean is so early. Jess: But call me later if you want. Marie: I'll call you later OK? Harry: OK bye. Sally: Bye. Jess: Bye. Marie: Bye. (All hang up their phones.) Marie: God! Jess: I know. Marie: Tell me I'll never have to be out there again. Jess: You will never have to be out there again. (Sally putting on make up.) Sally (Voice over): I'll just say we made a mistake. (Harry in the shower.) Harry (Voice over): Sally, it was a mistake. Sally (Voice over): I just hope I get to say it first. Harry: (Voice over): I hope she says it before I do. (Harry and Sally at a restaurant.) Sally: It was a mistake. Harry: I am so relieved that you think so too. I'm not saying last night wasn't great. Sally: It was. Harry: Yes, it was. Sally: We just never should've done it. Harry: I couldn't agree more. Sally: I'm so relieved. Harry: Right. Sally: Yah. Waiter: Two mixed green salads. Harry: It is so nice when you can sit with someone and not have to talk. (Sally nods in agreement.) (Harry and Jess power-walking in a park) Harry: It's just like most of the time you go to bed with someone, she tells you her stories, you tell her your stories. But with Sally and me, we've already heard each other's stories, so once we went to bed, we didn't know what we were suppose to do, you know? Jess: Sure Harry. (Harry and Jess in the street.) Harry: I don't know. May be you get to a certain point in the relationship where it's just too late to have sex, you know? (Marie getting her wedding dress fitted. Sally is sitting down, watching.) Sally: Is Harry bringing anyone to the wedding? Marie: I don't think so. Sally: Is he seeing anyone? Marie: He was seeing this anthropologist but... Sally: What did she look like? Marie: Thin, pretty, big tits, your basic nightmare. (Marie turns to Sally with the dress.) Marie: So, what do you think? Sally: Oh Marie. Marie: Tell the truth. Sally: It's just beautiful. (At Marie and Jess's wedding. Harry and Sally are best-man and bridesmaid.) Priest: We are gathered here today to celebrate the marriage of Marie and Jess, and to consecrate their vows of matrimony. The vows they take join their lives, the wine their will share winds all their hopes together, and by the rings their will wear, they will be known to all as husband and wife. Sally: I've never seen her so happy, she's a totally different person. Alice: Oh yeah, she is, well... is great, so, what are you going to do about you? Alice's husband: Hon, you want to dance? Alice: Oh yeah, yeah. Harry: Hi. Sally: Hello. Harry: Nice ceremony. Sally: Beautiful. Harry: Boy, the holidays are rough. Every year I just try to get from the day before Thanksgiving to the day after New Years. Sally: A lot of suicides. Harry: Hmm. Waiter: Would you like a ___ with a shrimp? Sally: Thank you. Harry: (To waiter.) No. (To Sally.) How have you been? Sally: Fine. Harry: Are you seeing anybody? Sally: Harry. Harry: What? Sally: I don't want to talk about this. Harry: Why not? Sally: I don't want to talk about it. Harry: Why can't we get past this? I mean, are we going to carry this thing around forever? Sally: Forever? It just happened. Harry: It happened three weeks ago. (Sally with a mouth opened, eye-brows stitched.) Harry: You know a year to a person is like seven years to a dog? Sally: Yes. (Harry smiles, shrugs shoulders.) Sally: Is one of us supposed to be a dog in this scenario? Harry: Yes. Sally: Who is the dog? Harry: You are. Sally: I am!? I am the dog!? Harry: Mmm hmm. Sally: I am the dog!? I... (Sally walks away, turns around signals Harry to follow. They walk to a more private place.) Sally: I don't see that Harry, if anybody is dog, you are the dog. You want to act like what happened didn't mean anything. Harry: I'm not saying it didn't mean anything. I am saying is why does it have to mean everything? Sally: Because it does! And you should know that better than anybody because the minute that it happened you walked right out the door. Harry: I didn't walk out. Sally: No, sprinted is more like it. (Sally storms into the kitchen. Harry follows.) Harry: We both agreed it was a mistake. Sally: The worst mistake I've ever made. (They are now in the kitchen.) Harry: What do you want from me? Sally: I don't want anything from you! Harry: Fine. Fine, but let's just get one thing straight. I did not go over there that night to make love to you, that is not why I went there. But you looked up at me with these big weepy eyes, don't go home night Harry, hold me a little longer Harry. What was I supposed to do? Sally: What are you saying, you took pity on me? Harry: No, I was... Sally: Fuck you! (Sally slaps Harry whole-heartedly, then storms out of the kitchen. Harry took a moment to absorb what has just happened, then follows. On stage is Jess and Marie about to make a speech. Harry and Sally have just arrived from the kitchen.) Jess: Everybody could I have your attention please? I'd like to propose a toast to Harry and Sally. To Harry and Sally, if Marie or I had found either of them remotely attractive, we would not be here today. (Applause all around. Somehow the two faces aren't exactly smiling.) (Harry rings Sally leaving a message on her answering machine. Sally just got home from a lonely Christmas tree shopping, chooses not to pick up the phone.) Harry: Hi, it's me. It's is the holiday season and I thought I'd just remind you that this is the season for charity and forgiveness. And although it's not widely known, it is also the season of grovelling. So if you felt like calling me back, I'd be more than happy to do the traditional Christmas grovel. Give me a call. (Harry rings again. Sally is working at home, but lets the machine answer.) Machine: Hi, I'm not home right now, call you right back. Harry: If you're there please pick up the phone, I really want to talk to you. The fact that you're not answering leads me to believe that you're a) Not at home. b) Home, but don't want to talk to me. Or c) Home, desperately want to talk to me, but trapped under something heavy. If it's either a) or c) call me back. (Sally looks at the machine, feeling something.) (Harry and Jess buying a hotdog from a street stall.) Harry: Obviously she doesn't want to talk to me. What do I have to do, beat her over the head? If she wants to call me she'll call me. I'm through making a schmuck out of myself. (Harry is leaving another message on Sally's machine. He is singing into the phone...) Harry: If you're feeling sad and lonely, there's a service I can render. Tell the one who dig you only, I can be so warm and tender. Call me, may be it's late so just, call me. Don't be afraid to just, phone moire. Call me and I'll be around... Give me a call. (Sally picks up the phone.) Sally: Hi Harry. Harry: Hello, hi, hi. I, I didn't... know... that you were... that you were there. What are you doing? Sally: I was just on my way out. Harry: Where are you going? Sally: What do you want Harry? Harry: Nothing, nothing. I... just called to say I'm sorry. Sally: OK. (LONG and awkward silence.) Sally: I gotta go. Harry: Wait a second, wait a, wait a second. What are you doing for New Years? Are you going to the Tyler's party? 'Cos I don't have a date, and if you don't have a date, we always said that if neither one of us had a date, we could be together for New Years. And we... could... you know.... why don't... Sally: I can't do this anymore, I am not your consolation prize. Goodbye. (Sally hangs up.) (New Years Eve. Harry is at home watching TV.) TV: And here we are once again at the sixteenth annual New Year Rockin Eve coming to you live from the... Harry (Voice over): What so bad about this? You got Dick Clark, that's tradition. You got Mallomars, the greatest cookies of all time. And you're about to give the Knicks their first championship since nineteen seventy three. (Harry misses the basket.) (At the party. Sally is dancing with some guy. She doesn't look like she is enjoying herself. He spins her, twirls her, flings her towards Jess and Marie. "Don't get around much anymore" is playing.) Sally: I don't know why I let you drag me into this. (Harry is now walking the empty New Years street.) Harry (Voice over): This is much better, fresh air, I have the streets all to myself. Who needs to be at a big, crowded party pretending to have a good time? Plus this is the perfect time to catch up on my window shopping. This is good. (Harry hears laughter, turns and spots a happy couple.) (Back to the party. Some guy is telling Sally a joke.) Joker: So the guy says, "Read the card." (laughts.) (Sally laughs, not really getting the joke. Turns to Marie.) Sally: I'm going home. Marie: You'll never get a taxi. (Sally turns to the joker and laughs again.) (In the street, Harry is finishes off an ice-cream, throws it in the bin. Starts to reminisce.) Harry (Voice over): You realise of course that we can never be friends. Sally (Voice over): Why not? Harry (Voice over): What I'm saying... is that men and women can't be friends because the sex part always gets in the way. Sally (Voice over): That's not true. Harry (Voice over): No man can be friends with a woman he finds attractive. He always wants to have sex with her. Sally (Voice over): What if they don't want to have sex with you? Harry (Voice over): Doesn't matter, because the sex thing is already out there so the friendship is ultimately doomed and that is the end of the story. Sally (Voice over): Well I guess we're not going to be friends then. Harry (Voice over): Guess not. Sally (Voice over): That's too bad. You are the only person I knew in New York. ("It had to be you" is playing in the backgraound. Harry starts running to the party. Sally is about to leave the party.) Sally: I'm going. Marie: It's almost midnight. Sally: Well, the thought of not kissing somebody is just... Jess: I'll kiss you. (Harry tries to hail a cab but they all ignore him. So he keeps running.) Jess: Come one, stay, please. Sally: Thanks Jess I just, I have to go. Marie: Oh wait two minutes. Sally: I'll cal you tomorrow. (Sally kisses Marie then walks away. Then she sees Harry arriving, still puffing. Then, Harry sees Sally as well.) Harry: I've been doing a lot of thinking. And the thing is, I love you. Sally: What? Harry: I love you. Sally: How do you expect me to respond to this? Harry: How about you love me too? Sally: How about I'm leaving. Harry: Doesn't what I said mean anything to you? Sally: I'm sorry Harry, I know it's New Years Eve, I know you're feeling lonely, but you just can't show up here, tell me you love me and expect that to make everything alright. It doesn't work this way. Harry: Well how does it work? Sally: I don't know but not this way. Harry: Well how about this way. I love that you get cold when it's seventy one degrees out, I love that it takes you an hour and a half to order a sandwich, I love that you get a little crinkle above your nose when you're looking at me like I'm nuts, I love that after I spend a day with you I can still smell your perfume on my clothes and I love that you are the last person I want to talk to before I go to sleep at night. And it's not because I'm lonely, and it's not because it's New Years Eve. I came here tonight because when you realise you want to spend the rest of your life with somebody, you want the rest of the life to start as soon as possible. Sally: You see, that is just like you Harry. You say things like that and you make it impossible for me to hate you. And I hate you Harry... I really hate you. I hate you. (They kiss and make up.) Harry: What does this song mean? For my whole life I don't know what this song means. I mean, 'Should old acquaintance be forgot". Does that mean we should forget old acquaintances or does it mean if we happen to forget them we should remember them, which is not possible because we already forgot them!? Sally: Well may be it just means that we should remember that we forgot them or something. Anyway it's about old friends. (They kiss and make up, once more.) Harry (Voice over): The first time we met we hated each other. Sally (Voice over): No, you didn't hate me, I hated you. And the second time we met you didn't even remember me. Harry (Voice over): I did too, I remembered you. The third time we met, we became friends. Sally (Voice over): We were friends for a long time. Harry (Voice over): And then we weren't. Sally (Voice over): And then we fell in love. (Harry and Sally on the couch this time.) Sally: Three months later we got married. Harry: Yeah it only took three months. Sally: Twelve years and three months. Harry: We had this... we had a really wonderful wedding. Sally: It was a, it really was, it was a wonderful wedding. Harry: Yeah, we had this enormous coconut cake. Sally: Huge coconut cake, with the, with the... tiers and this... very rich chocolate sauce on the side. Harry: Right, 'cos not everybody like it on the cake 'cos it makes it very soggy. Sally: Particularly the coconut, soaks up a lot of that stuff, so you really... it's important to keep it on the side. Harry: Right. THE END

FADE IN: EXT. SUBURBAN STREET - NIGHT A quiet upper-middle class neighborhood. The CAMERA is at the curb, looking down the street. There are no sidewalks. Trees arch overhead. CICADAS drone on the soundtrack. The OPENING TITLES briefly FADE IN and OUT, framed by the trees on either side of the street. Footsteps are heard approaching. As the picture TITLE FADES, out of the dark emerges a GIRL 17 years old, carrying schoolbooks. This is JILL. CAMERA PANS with her ninety degrees as she comes to the front of a house and stops. Lights are on in the bottom half of the house, and the curtains across the windows are open. A single light burns in the upper right side of the house, presumable in a bedroom, but the curtains in the room are drawn. A scene TITLE appears on the lower half of the screen: 8 pm Tuesday, March 23, 1971 The TITLE FADES, and Jill heads up the walk to the front door of the house. The light in the upper floor of the house is turned off. INT. HOUSE - FRONT HALL A middle-aged DOCTOR is standing at the foot of the stairs. His WIFE is descending the stairs, putting on her earrings. She is in an obvious hurry. WIFE Where's the girl? DOCTOR I only called her ten minutes ago -- WIFE (passing into living room) I made our reservation for 8:15. We're going to be late. The doorbell rings. DOCTOR Here she is now. He crosses to the front door and opens it. The girl smiles at him uncomfortably from outside. JILL Dr. Minakis? DOCTOR Mandrakis. It's okay. Everyone gets it wrong the first time. You're Jill? Come on in. JILL (entering) Thank you. The wife comes back into the front hall. WIFE I've written the number of the restaurant on the notepad by the phone. (to Doctor) Zip me up, will you please? (to Jill) If we aren't home in two hours, it means we've decided to go on to a movie and won't be back until after midnight. Is that all right? JILL Sure. DOCTOR (helping wife on with her coat) I've told my service to pick up any calls coming in to my office phone. WIFE The children are asleep upstairs -- first door on your left at the top of the landing. They're both just getting over a cold -- so try not to wake them. JILL Okay. WIFE Do you have any questions? Jill shakes her head. WIFE We have to go now. We're late. They cross to the front door and begin to exit. DOCTOR Make yourself at home. The refrigerator's loaded. WIFE (pulling doctor through the door) Goodbye. The doctor pokes his head back through the door. DOCTOR We even have some low-fat yogurt. WIFE (O.S.) Will you please come on! DOCTOR Bye. The doctor pulls the door shut behind him. Jill turns toward the living room. Pause. She walks into the living room and sets her books down on a table with the telephone on it. O.S. we hear the car doors close, the engine start up, then the car backing out the driveway and heading down the street. CUT TO: INT. DINING ROOM - LATER It is dark. O.S. we hear the phone in the living room being lifted off its receiver, a dial tone, then a number is dialed. Pause, then ringing. CAMERA SLOWLY DOLLIES from the dining room, across the front hall and into the living room where we see Jill talking over the phone to a girlfriend, NANCY. NANCY (O.S.) Hello? JILL Nancy? NANCY (O.S.) Hello, Jill? How's it going? (out of phone) I got it, Dad! (beat) Father! (into phone again) Jesus Christ! My father's in one of his moods again. Male menopause, you know. So how are you? JILL All right. NANCY (O.S.) Are you over at Dr. Mandrakis'? JILL Yeah, I've been here for about an hour already. NANCY (O.S.) Isn't it a neat house? JILL I guess... I haven't looked around very much. NANCY (O.S.) Did you see his kids? JILL No, they were asleep when I got here. NANCY (O.S.) They're really cute. So what can I do for you? JILL You didn't happen to talk to Billy today, did you? NANCY (O.S.) Yeah, I talked to him. JILL Did he say anything about me? Pause. NANCY (O.S.) I don't know what you did to him, or said to him, or what... but he's really pissed off at you! What did you do? JILL It's what I didn't do. NANCY (O.S.) (sarcastic) Yeah, I can imagine. JILL Do me a favor, Nance. NANCY (O.S.) What. JILL Do you think you'll be talking with Billy some time tonight? NANCY (O.S.) Prabably. I'm going to the library in a few minutes. I just have to get out of this house! (beat) Hey! Why don't Billy and I come over there? He'll come along if I tell him to. JILL That isn't what I had in mind. NANCY (O.S.) You'll be safe with Billy. I'll be there. Come on. JILL Nancy, all you want to do is come over here and get drunk. NANCY (O.S.) Who? Me? JILL (mimicking) Who? Me? NANCY (O.S.) You want to see Billy, don't you?! JILL I've got a lot of work to do. I don't want you coming over! Long pause. NANCY (O.S.) You know what your problem is, Jill, is you're so straight. I really mean that. You go to a private school, you wear a bra. No one can have a good time with you! (beat) You know, Billy asked me to go out with him this weekend, and I was really really tempted because I like Billy... a lot... as much as you do. But I told him I couldn't, that I didn't think it was right because you were my friend -- JILL You are my friend. Pause. NANCY (O.S.) Yeah. I guess so. JILL Listen, just give Billy the number here, but don't tell him I told you to. Okay? Pause. NANCY (O.S.) Okay. I've got to go now. JILL Okay, Nancy. Bye. And thank you. NANCY (O.S.) Yeah. Bye. Jill makes a face at the phone and hangs up. She tries to go back to her homework, but she cannot. CUT TO: INT. LIVING ROOM - LATER Jill is working now, diligently. The phone rings. She picks it up. JILL Hello? There is a brief pause; then the line goes dead and a dial tone cuts in. Jill hangs up and goes back to work. Pause. The phone rings again. Jill picks it up. JILL Billy?... A VOICE speaks on the other end of the phone. DUNCAN (O.S.) Have you checked the children? JILL What? The line goes dead. Dial tone. Jill hangs up and goes right back to work. CUT TO: INT. LIVING ROOM - LATER Jill sits at the table as before, doing her homework, smoking a cigarette. The phone rings. Jill picks it up. JILL Hello? DUNCAN (O.S.) Have you checked the children? JILL Mrs. Mandrakis? The line goes dead. Dial tone. Jill hangs up and looks off into space, thinking. O.S. we hear a faint rattling noise from somewhere in the house. Jill hears it too. She stubs out her cigarette, gets up from the table and walks out of the living room. INT. HALLWAY Jill enters the hallway and pauses. Then she starts walking slowly down the hall to the kitchen door. Again the rattling noise O.S., only louder this time. Jill stops dead, listens, then continues forward even more cautiously. INT. KITCHEN As Jill enters. She cannot find the lightswitch, so she stands in the darkness listening. Again the rattle, very close now. Jill turns her head sharply, then walks to the refrigerator and opens it. It is only the automatic icemaker creating the rattle. Jill takes a piece of cake from the refrigerator and leaves the kitchen. INT. LIVING ROOM Jill is sitting at the table, polishing off the cake. Then, the phone rings. Jill stands up quickly and picks up the phone. JILL Hello! Pause. DUNCAN (O.S.) Have you checked the children? JILL Billy! I don't think this is very funny! Pause. "Billy" doesn't answer. JILL ...Who is this? The line goes dead. Jill stands frozen beside the table with the phone in her hand as the dial tone gets louder and louder. CUT TO: INT. LIVING ROOM - MOMENTS LATER Jill is standing at the wet bar in the corner, pouring herself a drink. She samples the alcohol, doesn't cough, and starts to pour a little more into the glass. The phone rings. Jill turns, then slowly walks to the table, kneels down and quietly picks up the phone and brings it to her ear. She waits and listens, a full three seconds. No sound comes to her. She quickly hangs up the phone before the silence can be broken by the voice she knows is waiting on the other end. Then, she shuffles through her books and papers on the table- top until she finds the notepad the doctor's wife has left for her with the name and phone number of the restaurant. Jill picks up the phone and dials. After several rings... MAITRE D' (O.S.) Golden Bull... JILL Hello, I'd like to speak to Dr. Mandrakis. This is his babysitter. MAITRE D' (O.S.) Hold on a minute. Jill waits for several seconds until the Maitre D' comes back on the line. MAITRE D' (O.S.) Hello? JILL Yes? MAITRE D' (O.S.) Dr. Mandrakis left the restaurant about forty minutes ago. JILL Forty minutes? MAITRE D' (O.S.) That's right. JILL (after a beat) Okay. Thank you. She hangs up, thinks for a moment, then picks up the phone again and dials "O"... OPERATOR (O.S.) Operator... JILL Hello, Operator? Can you get me the police? OPERATOR (O.S.) Is this an emergency? JILL Yes! (beat) No, not really. OPERATOR (O.S.) The number is 555-9431. Would you like me to connect you? JILL Please. Pause. MAN'S VOICE (O.S.) Seventh Precinct, Sergeant Sacker. JILL Hello, I've been getting phone calls, every fifteen minutes or so. I think it's a man. He's trying to scare me. SACKER (O.S.) An anonymous caller? JILL That's right. SACKER (O.S.) Has he threatened you? JILL No. SACKER (O.S.) Has he been using obscene language? JILL No. He just keeps calling me. Sometimes he doesn't say anything. SACKER (O.S.) There's really nothing we can do about it down here. Is the phone listed in your name? JILL No, I'm just the babysitter. SACKER (O.S.) It's probably just some weirdo. The city's full of them. Believe it or not, we get reports like this every night. It's nothing to worry about. JILL Oh... SACKER (O.S.) Have you tried whistling? JILL What? SACKER (O.S.) If you can find a good loud whistle somewhere in the house, blow it into the phone hard, next time he calls. Probably break his eardrum. He won't bother you after that. JILL No, I... You're probably right. It's nothing to worry about. SACKER (O.S.) Or you could just take your phone off the hook. JILL No, the people I'm babysitting for might try to reach me. SACKER (O.S.) Well, as I say, there's nothing we can really do to help you down here. JILL Okay. Thank you. SACKER (O.S.) You bet. Goodnight. JILL Goodnight. Jill hangs up. After thinking for a moment, she tries a couple of ways of whistling as loud as she can, but frustrated and feeling foolish, she soon gives up. CUT TO: INT. LIVING ROOM - LATER Jill is sitting in an armchair facing the TV set. The TV is on, but she is bored. She runs through several channels, then gets up and turns the TV off. She looks around and moves aimlessly back to the table, but O.S. a dog is barking and she is drawn to the window. A car passes outside, its lights reflecting off the window and Jill's face. Then the phone rings. Jill moves quickly from the window to the table and answers the phone. JILL Hello? Pause. DUNCAN (O.S.) Why haven't you checked the children? Stunned, Jill hangs up the phone. She turns and goes slowly back to the window. She pulls the shutters closed in front of the window. Then she walks out of the living room. INT. FRONT HALL Jill goes to the front door, turns the bolt and draws the chain across the door. Then she starts to go upstairs. The phone rings. She stops halfway up the stairs. She turns and comes back down the stairs to answer the phone, but then thinks better of it. She sits on the bottom step and lets the phone ring and ring... Finally, it stops. Jill gets up and heads into the living room. INT. LIVING ROOM Jill goes to the table, picks up the phone and dials... SACKER (O.S.) Seventh Precinct, Sergeant Sacker. JILL I called you before... about the man who keeps calling me? SACKER (O.S.) Oh, yeah. JILL He called me again. SACKER (O.S.) Did you try whistling? JILL No, he's out there somewhere. SACKER (O.S.) Out where? JILL In the neighborhood. He's been watching me... through the windows. SACKER (O.S.) Did you see him? JILL No. I know he's there. SACKER (O.S.) Is the house locked up? JILL Yes. SACKER (O.S.) And the windows? JILL Yes. Everything. SACKER (O.S.) Then you're safe. If he wanted to break in, he wouldn't be calling you. Pause. JILL Please, can't you help me? I'm all alone. SACKER (O.S.) Tell you what. If this guy calls you again -- JILL He will call again! I know he will! SACKER (O.S.) Okay, calm down now. I can alert the phone company so that if he calls again we can try to trace the call. What's your number there? JILL 555-0672. SACKER (O.S.) And the address? JILL 3317 Oakridge Drive. SACKER (O.S.) Oh, yeah, I know where that is. All right. If the guy calls again, try to keep him on the line for at least a minute so we can trace the call. JILL But he never stays on that long! Sometimes he hangs up after just a couple of seconds. SACKER (O.S.) It's the only way we can help you. (beat) By the way, what's your name? JILL Jill Johnson. SACKER (O.S.) Jill, the important thing is to relax. You're safe where you are. We've got patrolmen cruising the area all night long. Just stay calm. Will you do that for me? JILL Yes. SACKER (O.S.) In the meantime, we'll be watching your line. Okay, Jill? JILL Okay. SACKER (O.S.) Call again if there's any problem. JILL Thank you. SACKER (O.S.) Goodnight. Jill hangs up the phone and looks forlornly off into space. CUT TO: INT. LIVING ROOM - LATER Jill is sitting on the sofa, a drink in one hand, a cigarette in the other. She is waiting. She sets her glass down, stubs out the cigarette, leans back and sighs. She is very tense. Then the phone rings. She rises from the sofa and slowly crosses to the table. She sits down and picks up the phone. During this conversation it becomes apparent that the VOICE has a slight English accent. JILL Hello? Pause. DUNCAN (O.S.) It's me. JILL I know. Who are you? Pause. No answer. JILL I won't be here much longer. The doctor and his wife are coming home soon. DUNCAN (O.S.) I know. JILL Can you see me? DUNCAN (O.S.) Yes. JILL (turning toward the window) I'm sorry I turned the lights down. It didn't work anyway. I can turn them back up if you like -- DUNCAN (O.S.) Don't. JILL Don't? (beat) You've really scared me. Is that what you wanted? (beat) Is that what you wanted? DUNCAN (O.S.) No. JILL What do you want? DUNCAN (O.S.) Your blood... all over me. Pause. Jill is terrified. JILL You don't know me. You don't know who I am or where I live. I'll get Dr. Mandrakis to drive me home. Him or the police. DUNCAN (O.S.) You've called the police? Pause. Jill searches for some way of answering him. JILL I want to talk to you. The line goes dead. Jill hangs up. She stands. She starts to shake. The phone rings and Jill snatches it up. JILL Leave me alone! SACKER (O.S.) Jill, this is Sergeant Sacker! Listen to me! (beat) We've traced the call. It's coming from within the house. A squad car's on its way over there now... just get out of that house! Jill hangs up. She stands frozen in shock. Several seconds go by. She doesn't move. Then the phone rings. She turns and tiptoes toward the front door. Halfway there, the phone stops ringing. She pauses for a second, then continues. INT. FRONT HALL Jill reaches the front door. Carefully, quietly, she turns the bolt. Then O.S. she hears a creak. She turns and looks up the staircase. At the top, a door is opening. Someone is coming out! A mumbling sound is heard on the sound track. Jill whirls around back to the door and yanks at it. It opens, but only an inch. The chain is still across it! She frantically works to get the chain free. After agonizing seconds, the chain falls clear and the door swings open. Standing there on the other side of the door, is a police Detective, JOHN CLIFFORD. (We have cut ahead in time some twenty or thirty minutes.) Behind him on the street, several patrol cars and an ambulance are pulled up at the curb, their domelights silently flashing. CLIFFORD Are the parents here yet? COP'S VOICE (O.S.) Yeah, they arrived about ten minutes ago. CLIFFORD Christ! (beat) What a homecoming! COP'S VOICE (O.S.) They wanted to talk to someone. I asked them to wait until you got here. Come on in. Clifford sighs and steps into the front hall. The door is closed by the uniformed COP with whom Clifford has been speaking. The cop is a man in his thirties. His name is CHARLES GARBER. Garber and Clifford stand in the front hall and talk as POLICEMEN and AMBULANCE ATTENDANTS move around them. In the living room beyond can be seen several other POLICEMEN, Dr. Mandrakis and his wife. GARBER We were only a block away when the call went out. When we got here, the guy was still waiting upstairs in the children's bedroom. He was covered with blood. CLIFFORD Blood? GARBER Not his own. The children had been dead for several hours. CLIFFORD Jesus... GARBER He'd been using an old phone in their bedroom that the parents had never had disconnected. CLIFFORD Who is he? GARBER We found a Merchant Seaman's card on him. He's English. Entered the country less than a week ago. CLIFFORD How about the babysitter? GARBER She's going to be all right. As Garber delivers his final line, we see ambulance attendants dressed in white, taking a sheet-covered stretcher out the front door. FADE OUT: FADE IN: EXT. STREET - LATER AFTERNOON An upper-class neighborhood. The CAMERA is facing down the street. A car approaches the intersection at the end of the block, turns and comes slowly up the street. Because it is not a new car or an expensive car, and because it is moving at a rate which suggests that its sole male occupant is looking for house numbers, we can assume that the DRIVER is a visitor to this neighborhood. The CAMERA PANS with the car ninety degrees as it turns into the semi-circular driveway of a mansion and rolls up to the front door. A TITLE appears across the bottom of the screen: 4:30 pm Thursday, April 20, 1978 As the TITLE FADES, the driver shuts off the car engine and opens the door to get out. CUT TO: INT. MANSION - DAY The doorbell rings. A HOUSEBOY comes into the front hall, goes to the door and opens it for the visitor. It is John Clifford, the detective from six years ago. He has aged noticeably over the years. His hair is grayer, his stance not so aggressive, but his eyes still smoulder with the accumulated frustration of having spent years in an uncertain, sometimes unsatisfying, and frequently unsafe occupation. No words are exchanged as the houseboy leads Clifford across the entrance hall and up an imposing flight of stairs. Still keen in his observation of things, Clifford quickly takes in this new atmosphere. The house is richly decorated but with an underlying theme of melancholy. There are no bright or cheerful furnishings, and the houseboy advances with guarded tread, his face steady and reverent. The houseboy stops before a door at the top of the staircase and raps lightly on it with his knuckles. Without waiting for an answer, he opens the door and steps aside for Clifford to enter. Clifford pauses briefly, then walks into what appears to be an upstairs study. INT. STUDY - DAY A MAN is sitting behind a desk which faces the door. Presumably he is the master of the house. Although his face is hidden in shadows, we can see from his hands that he is engaged in writing something down. Clifford quietly approaches the desk and takes a seat in front of it. Then, vaguely in keeping with the spirit of the house, he waits to be spoken to rather than interrupt the pervasive stillness. After a moment, the master of the house lays down his pen and leans back in his chair. Pause. MASTER So you're in business for yourself now. CLIFFORD (quietly) Yes, sir, for the past three and a half years. MASTER That's good. (beat) And you'd heard about Curt Duncan's escape? CLIFFORD Oh, yes. MASTER Do you think the police will... find him? Pause. CLIFFORD I know they haven't assigned anyone to it specifically. It's an old case. MASTER (a tinge of bitterness) An old case. (beat) Can you find him? CLIFFORD Yes. Maybe not tomorrow, maybe not this week, but I'll find him. MASTER He could be anywhere by now. CLIFFORD I don't think so... because he's a foreigner. He'll come back to the city. After six years in confinement, it's the only place that's familiar to him. That's important. Pause. MASTER A man murders two children in cold blood. A jury declares him insane. How could such a person not be? Clifford lowers his eyes, doesn't answer. MASTER He is sent to a state mental institution where the security is... less than perfect. And he escapes. It... it isn't fair. The master of the house leans way forward over his desk, and his face comes out of the shadows and into the light. It is Dr. Mandrakis. He seems much older. His complexion is pallid. His eyes stare out from beneath his brow like a wounded animal hiding in a dark cave. MANDRAKIS A thing like that should never be allowed to happen again. CLIFFORD I couldn't agree with you more. They look at each other for a long moment of acknowledgment. Then Mandrakis stands up with a sigh. MANDRAKIS Go ahead then. My accountant will contact you. Clifford stands and they shake hands. CLIFFORD Thank you. (beat) How is Mrs. Mandrakis? MANDRAKIS She is... unable to have any more children. CLIFFORD I'm sorry. Please give her my best. MANDRAKIS Of course. Clifford turns to go. INT. MANSION - STAIRCASE & ENTRANCE HALL As Clifford finds his own way down the stairs and out the front door. A WOMAN watches Clifford leave from the back of the staircase. It is Mrs. Mandrakis. As with her husband, the change in her is remarkable. She is now a brooding, barren woman. O.S. the front door closes. Clifford is gone. Mrs. Mandrakis walks around the front of the stairs and begins slowly ascending them. The houseboy silently steps into the entrance hall from a side door and watches her. CUT TO: INT. A HALLWAY - MENTAL INSTITUTION - DAY A male PATIENT wearing green, institutional pajamas and slippers shuffles slowly up the hall. His movement is catatonic, unfocused. Canned Musak faintly underscores the scene. MAN'S VOICE (O.S.) Curt Duncan isn't going to run right out and kill more children. I'm not worried about that. ANGLE ON CLIFFORD Standing in the doorway of an office, facing into the hall, watching the patient. MAN'S VOICE (O.S.) We had him for six years... under continuous therapy, some of it rather forceful... ANGLE ON PATIENT Moving past CAMERA. He is really out of it. It is a depressing, vaguely unnerving sight. MAN'S VOICE (O.S.) ...and drugs... tranquilizers depressants, lithium... ANGLE ON CLIFFORD He turns and goes back into the office. INT. OFFICE - DAY We see now the MAN who's been talking -- the director of the State Hospital, DR. MONK. He is sitting comfortably behind his desk; his jacket off, his tie loosened, his feet up on the desk. He is very matter-of-fact. DR. MONK Eventually, anyone will respond to the treatment here. Clifford sits down in front of the desk, picks up a folder and leafs through it. CLIFFORD You gave him electric shock? DR. MONK Yeah, we zapped him a few times. It's fairly standard. CLIFFORD It says here thirty-eight... thirty- eight times. Monk shrugs, then yawns expansively. He needn't justify himself to the layman. CLIFFORD What will happen to him now, without the drugs he was on? DR. MONK'S SECRETARY enters the office and hands him a folder. Without interrupting the delivery of his lines, Monk takes the folder, opens it, initials something on the inside, closes the folder and hands it back to the secretary who turns and leaves the office without uttering a word. DR. MONK There'll be some deterioration. That's inevitable, but we can't say how much. Pause. Clifford looks at the doctor as if questioning his casual assessment of "some deterioration." CLIFFORD During the time that you had him here, did you discover any particular habits of his, peculiarities, quirks, anything that might help me find him? DR. MONK (shrugging again) It's all in the folder. CLIFFORD Any letters from people back in England? Family? DR. MONK That, too, is in the folder. Clifford directs a bleak look back down at the open folder, then looks up again, his eyes narrowing. CLIFFORD Let's get something straight here, Doctor. I've been 33 years in the business of tracking people down and putting them away. I spent almost a year on Curt Duncan alone, with the trial, the testimonies, the background investigations. I didn't come here today to look in your goddamn folders. In fact, I wouldn't have come here at all if you'd done your job right. Pause. DR. MONK Mr. Clifford, this is a hospital, not a penitentiary. Everything that pertains to one of our patients is meticulously recorded in that patient's folder... whether you can make sense of it or not. They glare at each other for several seconds. Monk is the first one to look away. DR. MONK Curt Duncan is a classic paranoid- schizophrenic. They see themselves as victims, and they always blame other people for the way they are. When Duncan killed the Mandrakis kids, it wasn't an act of hostility against the children but against their parents. He was getting back at his own parents for traumas he suffered in early childhood. The criminal side of Curt Duncan is one of terrible, symbolic vengeance. CLIFFORD (looking up) Assuming he isn't found right away... what will happen to him? Monk rises and walks to a window. DR. MONK I think you'll find him. Somebody will find him. He can't function out there. He'll make a mistake. (turning to face Clifford) This is where he belongs. After six years in here, he's suddenly gone out to confront the world again. I think he's in for a bit of a shock. Monk looks back out the window. CUT TO: EXT. CITY STREET - LATE AFTERNOON Not a terribly good section of town. We are looking at the nondescript exterior of a bar across the street. INT. BAR This is not a slum bar, but it's close. There are a few tables and chairs and a pool table in the back. The atmosphere is quiet, almost depressed, and the handful of REGULARS here are exercising their privacy without having to be alone. They include: HANK, the bartender, also the owner, who absently polishes things with his cloth; TRACY, an unemployed woman in her mid-forties who sits at the bar with a drink and a cigarette and silently rummages through her current feelings -- none of them new or particularly hopeful; a COUPLE, probably retired, sitting at the same table they come to every afternoon at this time -- him for his beer, her for a glass of sweet white wine; and BILL, at the pool table, a young man lithe and powerful, minding his own business and playing his game of pool with a steady, aggressive concentration. RETIRED MAN Rackin' 'em up today, Bill? Pause. BILL (over his shoulder) Doin' all right. The old man smiles stupidly around the room. He racked 'em up a little in his day, too. His smile fades as he looks at his wife. He takes a sip of beer and lapses into memories. Then the door opens to the outside and the yellow-orange light of late afternoon floods into the bar. The regulars turn to glimpse who's coming in. They see the figure of a MAN silhouetted in the doorway. He stands there for a long moment, not coming in. Finally even Bill interrupts his game to turn and look. HANK C'mon in and shut the door. The intruder enters, indecisively. The door swings shut behind him, plunging the room back into darkness. This man is "a little weird", and the regulars continue to stare at him until he makes his way to a table near the wall and sits down. Then everyone returns to his own thoughts. HANK (after a moment) What'll it be? (pause, no answer) Hey! What'll it be? CLOSEUP - INTRUDER A bit startled, a bit defensive toward the directness of this question. It is Curt Duncan. He looks understandably harried. He hasn't slept or shaved in at least a couple of days, and is wearing regular clothing. He clears his throat to answer... CLIFFORD (O.S.) What kind of clothes was he wearing... when he escaped? CUT TO: INT. DR. MONK'S OFFICE -DAY Clifford is looking through the folder again. DR. MONK Ordinary street clothes. Not all of our patients have to wear the green Gucci gowns. CLIFFORD Did he have any money with him? DR. MONK Probably. But not more than, say, fifty dollars. Some of the patients are given little jobs around the ward, for which they are paid. It's part of the rehabilitation. Looking down, Clifford pauses over a page in the folder. CLOSEUP - FACT SHEET IN FOLDER A page of legibly organized facts and statistics about Curt Duncan. One of the entries reads: Guy du Marraux. CLIFFORD (O.S.) (reading) What's Guy du Mar-- DR. MONK (O.S.) (pronouncing it correctly) Guy du Marraux syndrom. BACK TO SCENE DR. MONK It's a psycho-motor dysfunction. CLIFFORD Duncan had it? DR. MONK Only from time to time, which is unusual. CLIFFORD What is it? DR. MONK It attacks the nervous system. People suffering from it are irresistibly compelled to utter obscenities, sometimes one, sometimes a whole string of them. They can't control it. CLIFFORD (somewhat taken aback) Are you being serious? DR. MONK Yeah. Here, I'll give you an example. He opens a file cabinet drawer, finds a reel of quarter-inch magnetic tape and starts to thread it through a recorder on his desk. DR. MONK Duncan never had the twitch that sometimes goes with it. And with Duncan, as I said, the disease would only manifest itself in periods of extreme anxiety. When he was really flipping out, in other words. There is a pause as Monk fiddles with the tape recorder and Clifford looks back down at the folder. CLIFFORD Duncan was Catholic? DR. MONK Yeah. (beat) So am I. CLIFFORD (mildly surprised) That makes three of us. DR. MONK Is that right? So we all share the same guilt. Clifford smiles. Monk keeps fiddling. DR. MONK Here. This is Curt Duncan shortly after he was admitted here in 1972. Monk turns on the tape recorder as Clifford sits forward in his chair to listen. At first, nothing can be heard. Then there is a click as if the machine was turned on in the middle of a conversation: DR. MONK (O.S.) -- to put the situation right. The hypodermic needles are only used to give you medication that will calm you down. They make you feel good, relaxed. All right? (no answer) We're not putting anything in your food either. The food is just food. DUNCAN (O.S.) (extremely agitated) No. I don't eat the food. It doesn't taste right. DR. MONK (to Clifford) That's Duncan. Clifford nods and keeps listening: DR. MONK (O.S.) Curt, why are you fidgeting? Can't you get comfortable? DUNCAN (O.S.) No, I'm not comfortable! DR. MONK (O.S.) Wait a -- Hey! (to someone else) Hold him down there. Grab him! Never mind the chair! There are scuffling noises underneath which can be heard, heavy breathing and then, getting louder and more furious, Duncan falling into the throes of Guy du Marraux. DR. MONK (O.S.) (periodically interjecting) Pull him down... That's right... Just lay him out... Lay him right out... Steady... Pull out his knees... Finally Monk is heard no more and Duncan continues with the frightening verbal torrent of Guy du Marraux. DISSOLVE TO: INT. BAR - LATE AFTERNOON - CLOSEUP - DUNCAN Sitting at his table inside the bar. He takes a long, noisy drink from what looks like a bourbon on the rocks. It tastes good, being the first real drink he's had in over six years. But Duncan cannot relax enough to enjoy it fully. His eyes are ever restlessly, suspiciously moving about. ANGLE ON BAR As Bill walks up and stands next to Tracy. Hank moves off to get Bill another beer. Tracy looks up at Bill and smiles. As regulars at the same bar, they are loose and comfortable with each other. TRACY (sotto voce) A little action for your game? BILL (sotto voce) What, him? They both turn and look across the room at Duncan. POV - DUNCAN As Bill and Tracy look straight at him over their shoulders and then turn back. ANGLE ON BAR As they both smile at her joke. TRACY I wouldn't bet against you. BILL What's the matter? You don't like me playing with myself? Tracy grimaces as Hank comes back with Bill's beer. Bill picks up the bottle, nods his thanks to Hank and heads back to the pool table. CLOSEUP - DUNCAN As his eyes follow Bill to the pool table, then come back to Tracy at the bar. POV - DUNCAN Looking at the back of Tracy. She reaches into her purse. ON TRACY She takes her pack of cigarettes from the purse. She pulls out a cigarette, taps it lightly on the bar, puts it to her lips. O.S. we hear the sound of a match being struck. WIDER ANGLE Duncan is standing beside her holding a lit match. He shoves it forward at her. It goes out. Duncan fumbles for another match as Tracy regards him with undisguised repulsion. Duncan gets the second match lit and holds it out for her. She accepts the favor and lights her cigarette. Duncan smiles. Tracy nods and turns away. Duncan is still holding the burning match for her to blow out. As it doesn't look like she's going to, he lets it drop, still lit, to the floor. REACTION SHOT - BARTENDER He gives a look as if to say, "Jesus, what a fuckin' weirdo". TWO SHOT - DUNCAN AND TRACY Pause. Duncan is still smiling at her. DUNCAN Hi. No response. DUNCAN What you been up to? TRACY (looking at him) My own business. (beat) Thanks for the light. Okay? The Englishman sits down beside her, but doesn't look at her. Tracy looks away too, determined to ignore him, not to let him get into her space. Duncan coughs. After a long moment, he turns back to her. DUNCAN Next round's on me. Tracy keeps her eyes straight ahead, acknowledging nothing. Pause. Duncan takes some money from his pocket and lays it on the bar, staring at her. Tracy turns to him: TRACY (annoyed) Listen, mister, I've got my own money. So, if you don't mind... She looks away again. Pause. DUNCAN After what I been through, I don't mind anything. Longer pause. DUNCAN See, that's the whole point. My mind... Your mind... Where do they fit in? You know what I mean? Tracy abruptly picks up her purse and moves down the bar away from him one seat, then another seat. ANGLE ON ELDERLY COUPLE They are watching this little spectacle with growing curiosity. ANGLE ON DUNCAN Still looking at her. By pointing at what she has, he orders two more drinks from the Bartender. When they arrive, he takes a big swallow from one, picks up the other, stands, moves down the bar and sits beside Tracy again. DUNCAN (setting her drink before her) Do you live around here? TRACY Get offa me!! REACTION SHOTS Even Bill now looks up from the pool table. His expression darkens. ANGLE ON BAR Tracy has clammed up -- her elbows on the bar, head between her elbows, arms covering her ears, hands clasped behind her neck. Duncan looks at her nervously and starts to talk again: DUNCAN (rapidly) Listen, I didn't mean nothin'. I don't live around here. See -- ? BILL (O.S.) I think the lady wants to be left alone. Duncan looks up. Bill enters the frame and stands in front of Tracy, confronting Duncan. CLOSEUP - DUNCAN Looking up at Bill, his eyes red, his gaze unsteady. WIDER ANGLE The air is charged with tension. BILL I think an apology is in order. Duncan doesn't know how to handle this. He looks at Bill, half shrugs, half smiles. BILL That the best you can do? Duncan looks away. A long moment passes. BILL I think you'd better just move along, pal. Duncan doesn't move, says nothing. He swallows hard. HANK He'll be okay now, Bill. He just -- BILL No! I want him out of here! The bartender steps back, deciding to mind his own business. Tracy gets up from her seat and cautiously moves even further down the bar. BILL (to Duncan) Go on, beat it. They glare at each other. The longer Duncan sits there without moving, without saying anything, the angrier Bill gets. REACTION SHOTS As the tension builds. ANGLE ON BAR Duncan looks away. BILL I'm not going to say it again, mister. Duncan reaches for his drink, but Bill reacts quicker. With a swipe of his hand, he knocks the glass off the bar, and it shatters on the floor behind the bar. Duncan sits there, stunned, not looking up. After a long moment, Duncan coughs. Then he turns and looks at Bill. He purses his lips. It looks like a nervous facial movement. Then suddenly, Duncan spits at Bill, hitting him square in the face. Before anyone can register what's happened, Bill lunges at Duncan, knocking him clean off the barstool and onto the floor. The fight is fast, vicious and one-sided from the very start. Pinned to the floor on his back, Duncan flails his arms ineffectually like a panicked insect as Bill holds him in place with a left-handed grip on the collar while his powerful right arm, pumping up and down like a piston, pounds into Duncan's face time and time again. Duncan's screams diminish into pathetic, sickening groans and the others in the bar are compelled to avert their eyes from this brutal spectacle. Hank has picked up a phone from beneath the bar and is dialing a number. He turns away from the fight to talk. Then, as suddenly as Bill first sprang at Duncan, he leaps to his feet and turns to the bar. He reaches over and grabs the phone from Hank, slamming it down into the cradle. BILL Who're you calling? Bill takes the cloth from the bar and vigorously wipes his face off. He snaps his fingers and points to a row of bottles on a shelf behind the bar. Hank quickly hands him a bottle. Bill pours himself a shot and downs it, fast. He is still charged with adrenaline and he takes two more shots in rapid succession, spilling the alcohol on the bar and on himself. As Bill picks up the cloth to wipe himself off again, Tracy stands up and quickly walks out of the bar, slamming the door behind her. BILL (calling after her) You're welcome, baby! Then he throws down the cloth, picks up the bottle, turns and, standing over Duncan's inert form, empties half the bottle onto him. He sets the bottle back on the bar. He grabs Duncan and, half dragging, hurries him out the back door and throws him into the alley where Duncan falls in a heap. Bill storms back up to the bar and pours himself another drink. BILL (to Hank) Okay? Hank just looks at him, doesn't answer. At the wife's silent insistence, the elderly couple stand up to go. OLD MAN Good riddance to bad rubbish, eh, Bill? Bill doesn't answer and the couple quietly leave. HANK (apologetic) A fight breaks out, there's gonna be damages. Insurance company doesn't pay without a police report... BILL You see any damages? Hank lowers his gaze to the floor. Bill finishes his drink. He is still very hopped up. He pulls a few dollars from his wallet and drops them on the counter. BILL See ya 'round. He turns and strides out of the bar. CAMERA HOLDS for a beat on Hank alone now in his empty establishment. The phone starts to ring, presumably the police calling back. After several rings, Hank picks up the phone and listens. HANK (into phone) No, it's over now... DISSOLVE TO: INT. LT. GARBER'S HOUSE - NIGHT All the lights are out inside the house, but we should just be able to see that we are in the hall, looking at the front door. Footsteps approach on the walk outside. A key slips into the lock... Inside the house we can hear faint whispering. Someone is moving about in the darkness. Then the door swings open and the shadowy figure of a MAN crosses the threshold. He stops just inside. MAN (calling out) Donna. Donna! Hey! (under his breath) What the hell -- ! Suddenly the lights come on and a chorus of voices cry out, "SURPRISE!" A broad smile breaks across the man's face. We may recognize him as the cop from six years ago -- Charles Garber. Today he is a lieutenant on the force and dresses casually for work, usually in slacks, turtleneck and jacket. GARBER (genuinely surprised) What is all this?! SCATTERED VOICES Happy birthday, Charlie! Garber looks sheepishly at his hand holding the pistol he'd drawn just before the lights came up. WOMAN'S VOICE Look at him! MAN'S VOICE Don't shoot us, Charlie! GARBER (chagrined) How was I supposed to know? Everybody starts to laugh, including Garber as he returns the pistol to his shoulder holster. ANGLE ON DONNA Garber's wife. She comes out of the kitchen carrying a birthday cake with lit candles and makes her way through the crowd of GUESTS singing "Happy Birthday". Everyone joins in as Donna moves forward and stands beside her husband. Clifford is one of the guests. He has his arm around a young BLOND who is sort of pretty despite her tacky/plastic appearance. When the song is over, Garber blows out the candles and hugs and kisses his wife. Everybody cheers. CUT TO: INT. GARBER'S HOUSE - STAIRWAY - SEVERAL HOURS LATER The party is still in full swing. Garber is following Clifford up the stairs. They are both fairly loaded by now. Garber, in particular, has reached that stage of inebriation where standing still is pretty hard to do. GARBER Will you tell me what this is about, Cliff? CLIFFORD Yeah, in a minute. GARBER I don't think I can take any more of these surprises. INT. A BEDROOM As Clifford and Garber enter. Garber turns on a light as Clifford closes the door, shutting out the sounds of the party below. GARBER Okay now, what's the big deal? CLIFFORD Stand still. I want you to remember this in the morning. GARBER If you want me to remember something in the morning, then tell it to me in the morning. Garber half comically turns to go. Clifford stops him. CLIFFORD Charlie, come on. ANGLE ON CORNER OF BEDROOM A BABY between a year and two years old is lying in a crib. It opens its eyes and starts looking around. GARBER (O.S.) All right, all right. What is it? You're getting married. CLIFFORD No. I got a job today, tracking someone. TWO SHOT - CLIFFORD & GARBER Garber, still moving restlessly, pats his friend on the shoulder. GARBER That's great, Cliff; I'm sure you'll find your man. CLIFFORD It's Curt Duncan. Garber stops suddenly, stunned. In an instant, he has become stone sober. GARBER What? ANGLE ON BABY Kicking and wiggling about. CLIFFORD (O.S.) You didn't know he got out? The baby opens its mouth and starts to cry. TWO SHOT - CLIFFORD & GARBER Garber glances over his shoulder at the baby, then turns back to Clifford. CLIFFORD I need your cooperation on this one. GARBER Sure. Anything. CUT TO: EXT. CITY STREET - NIGHT It is late. The block is virtually deserted. Across the street is the exterior of a bar -- the same bar Duncan was in earlier. Some PEOPLE are coming out of the bar. It must be near closing time. The people turn left and walk away down the sidewalk. Their voices diminish. Pause. A car passes. Then the door to the bar opens again and a woman comes out onto the sidewalk. It is Tracy. She turns to the right and starts to walk away. CLOSEUP - DUNCAN He is standing in shadows across the street, watching her. EXT. TRACY ON STREET - NIGHT A series of shots of Tracy walking home. The CAMERA remains consistently behind her or off to one side, sometimes DOLLYING with her behind a row of parked cars, sometimes picking up her passing reflection in a darkened store window. The impression this gives is unmistakable. Curt Duncan is following her. We do not see him, we do not hear him, yet we know he is there. Often we can sense that the very angle from which we see Tracy is his POV. But Tracy is aware of nothing. We know this when the CAMERA begins to move in front of her, once more becoming an impersonal observer of her walk homeward, to safety. Tension mounts as we start to expect that Duncan will jump out at her from every alley and recessed doorway she passes. But he doesn't. Finally, Tracy walks up to the CAMERA at the end of a block and turns a corner; but the CAMERA HOLDS on the dark street she has just come up. We hear a cough which confirms that Duncan is lurking somewhere in the shadows. EXT. APARTMENT BUILDING - NIGHT Tracy walks up the steps and enters the apartment. INT. APARTMENT BUILDING Tracy steps into the elevator. The doors close. CAMERA HOLDS on the elevator and watches the lights above it travel from one to six. O.S. we hear the door to the apartment building open and close. INT. SIXTH FLOOR Tracy steps out of the elevator and walks down the hall to her door. She fumbles through her purse for keys, then bends over the lock to let herself in. Behind her down the hall, Duncan appears. He watches her, starts to move silently forward. Tracy gets the door open, then turns and sees him. Duncan stops. TRACY Oh, it's you! (beat) What do you want? DUNCAN (moving forward) ...Came to apologize. I... TRACY Look, I'm the one who should be sorry. I didn't want that to happen. (she sees his face; shudders) Oh, God! Look at you. Are you all right. Duncan half shrugs, half smiles. Tracy edges into her door- way. Duncan stands opposite her. DUNCAN I'm new in town. Don't know anybody... TRACY (uncomfortable) Where're you from? DUNCAN (coughs) New York. Ever been there? TRACY Sure. Sure I've been there. They look at each other. Duncan coughs again. DUNCAN Kind of a mean place to be. Everyone cold, unfriendly... Inside Tracy's apartment, the telephone rings. Tracy turns vaguely, indecisively, and goes to answer it. TRACY (over her shoulder) Excuse me. She disappears into the apartment. O.S. she picks up the ringing phone. TRACY (O.S.) Hello?... INT. TRACY'S APARTMENT As she sits with the telephone. TRACY (nervous) ...No, I just got in... I don't know if I can... Listen, I can't talk now. Can I call you back?... Okay... Goodbye. She hangs up the phone, stands and turns back toward the door. Duncan is standing right behind her. DUNCAN I'm not from New York, actually. But I'm very, very far from home. He sits down. TRACY Look, you can't come in here. Duncan looks at her for a moment, then looks about the apartment. DUNCAN (mumbling) I thought we might get some coffee. Can I buy you -- ? TRACY I don't think so. DUNCAN Someplace nearby? TRACY Not tonight. You'd better go. DUNCAN I got no place to go. TRACY (anxious) You can't -- DUNCAN Just, just a little coffee? TRACY Maybe tomorrow. DUNCAN Okay, tomorrow. When? TRACY I said maybe. I don't know. (beat) Listen, I'm sorry about this afternoon. I really am. All right? That was my boyfriend on the phone. He's coming over. So please leave. Now. Duncan doesn't move. He smiles at her. DUNCAN I like you. TRACY (her voice rising) Look, do you want me to call the cops? DUNCAN (standing) It's okay. It's okay. He backs to the doorway and pauses. DUNCAN I'll see you later... sometime. I still want to buy you that drink. He steps into the hall. Tracy closes the front door and bolts it. She turns, leans against it and sighs. Outside the door, Duncan's footsteps move down the hall, pause, then come back to the door. A moment passes. Then there is a faint knocking on the door. Tracy doesn't move. The knocking comes again, a little louder this time. Tracy stands and waits, scarcely breathing. After another long moment, the footsteps finally move away. CUT TO: EXT. POLICE STATION - DAY A car pulls into the parking lot behind the station. Clifford and Garber get out and walk into the building. INT. POLICE STATION Clifford and Garber walk down a hallway. Uniformed POLICEMEN walk to and fro around them. CLIFFORD Jesus, I don't recognize anybody. GARBER Three years is a long time in a place like this. CLIFFORD Three and a half. Garber stops at the WATCH COMMANDER'S desk and picks up some paperwork. The WC looks up briefly and sees Clifford. WC Hiya, Cliff. Howya doin'? The WC looks down again. Three and a half years mean nothing to him. CLIFFORD (taken aback) Hi... He can't remember the man's name. Garber smiles at him and they continue walking. GARBER How long will you be here? CLIFFORD Depends on how lucky I get. (beat) I'll only be coming around once, maybe twice a week. GARBER You want to use your old desk? Someplace to sit down? CLIFFORD (surprised) Is it vacant? INT. OFFICE - POLICE STATION A. Clifford and Garber appear in the doorway. Clifford enters, walks up to his old desk, opens some of the drawers -- they are empty -- sits down in his old chair, smiles at Garber. B. We see Clifford opening a file cabinet and taking out a folder stuffed with notices and reports -- C. Clifford standing beside a Xerox machine running off a copy of something -- D. Clifford standing in a hallway talking to a PATROLMAN. Clifford has a legal pad with him and is jotting something down on it as the patrolman speaks -- E. Clifford at his desk, making notes on the legal pad -- F. Garber is at his desk, on the phone, Clifford appears in the doorway carrying his legal pad. He waves goodbye to Garber who nods in response. CUT TO: INT. LOBBY OF A FLOPHOUSE HOTEL Clifford questions the DESK CLERK. He shows the clerk a photo of Duncan taken some years ago in the mental institution. The clerk shakes his head and starts to hand the picture back when Clifford motions for him to keep it. As Clifford leaves, the clerk turns the picture over... CLOSEUP - BACK OF PICTURE Revealing Clifford's name and phone numbers, and a twenty dollar bill paperclipped to the back of the picture -- EXT. STREET As Clifford pulls his car up to the curb, then consults his legal pad -- CLOSEUP - LEGAL PAD The top three addresses are crossed out. Clifford underlines the fourth -- BACK TO SCENE Clifford looks up from the pad to a bar he has pulled up in front of -- the bar Duncan was in. It bears the address Clifford has just underlined. Clifford gets out of his car and walks up to the bar. A "Closed" sign is displayed in the window. Clifford knocks on the door. After a moment, Hank opens the door. CUT TO: INT. LAUNDROMAT - DAY There are only a few CUSTOMERS sitting around, waiting for their wash. A BUM is stretched out on his back across one of the tables like a corpse awaiting autopsy. This is CHEATER. A MAINTENANCE MAN in grey work clothes enters from the back. He opens a broom closet, takes out a bucket and mop and rolls them toward the front of the laundromat. He stops at Cheater's table and shakes him hard. MAINTENANCE MAN Okay, man, move it out. Let's go. CHEATER Wha -- ? Cheater sits up and starts to pull himself together. An OLD WOMAN sitting against the wall points down one of the aisles of washing machines and says to the maintenance man: OLD WOMAN There's another one down there. The maintenance man goes to the end of the aisle and looks down into the nook created by the absence of one of the washing machines. MAINTENANCE MAN Hey! He nudges at whatever's inside the nook with his foot. MAINTENANCE MAN (nudging again) Come on, bright eyes. Wake up. Wake -- Jesus Christ! What happened to you? ANGLE ON NOOK As Curt Duncan raises his head into the light and looks up at the maintenance man. Overnight, his face has swollen considerably and a bright yellow and purple discoloring around his bruises has emerged. MAINTENANCE MAN (O.S.) You get hit by a truck or what? He bends over and helps pull Duncan to his feet. WIDER ANGLE As the maintenance man guides Duncan to the door. MAINTENANCE MAN I'm sorry, man, but you can't stay in here. Go out to the park, lay in the sunshine. You'll feel better. Okay? Duncan goes out the door. The maintenance man turns and sees Cheater stretched out again on the table. MAINTENANCE MAN God bless it! Hey! He pulls Cheater off the table and pushes him to the door. MAINTENANCE MAN Out. Out. Out. Out. Out. EXT. LAUNDROMAT As Cheater is pushed out onto the sidewalk. CHEATER (angry) All right! All right! He straightens his rags indignantly, then looks at Duncan and grins. CHEATER Whaddya say, pardner. I'm dry as a bone. You got any money? Duncan looks at Cheater distrustfully and shakes his head. CHEATER You neither, huh? (with a laugh) My name is Morgan, but it ain't J.P. Guess I better go to work. Take 'er easy now, pardner. Cheater shuffles off in one direction. Duncan turns and goes in the other. CUT TO: INT. TRACY'S APARTMENT - DAY A knock at the front door. After a moment, Tracy comes into the front hallway and, crossing to the door, stubs her toe on the open closet door. She swears under her breath and angrily slams the closet door shut. Then, grabbing her injured toe, she hops to the front door. TRACY Who is it? CLIFFORD (O.S.) My name's John Clifford. I'm a private investigator. TRACY A what? CLIFFORD (O.S.) A private detective. Pause. TRACY What do you want with me? CLIFFORD (O.S.) I'd just like to talk, ask a few questions. TRACY I've got nothing to say about anything or anybody. Pause. CLIFFORD (O.S.) Listen, lady, I can be back in thirty minutes with a search warrant and a handful of cops, and I can probably have you arrested, whether or not the charges would stick. Now do you want to let me in and talk? TRACY Have you got a badge? CLIFFORD (O.S.) I'll show you a badge when you open the goddamn door! Tracy unbolts the door and opens it. Clifford walks right in and closes the door behind him. CLIFFORD I don't carry a badge. I'm issued a license, a piece of paper, and I left it at home. You're Tracy Fuller? Tracy nods. CLIFFORD Can we sit down? Tracy leads him into the living room. They sit. Clifford gives her a picture. CLIFFORD Do you recognize this man? TRACY Why? Clifford lets out a sigh of frustration, realizing that this woman will continue to be difficult. CLIFFORD He's escaped from the insane asylum. In 1972, he murdered two children... broke into a house and found them asleep in bed. It was a little boy, five an a half, and a little three- year-old girl. After the coroner's investigation, their bodies were taken to the mortuary, where the undertaker took one look at them and said he couldn't have their bodies reconstructed for the funeral without six days of steady work. Then he asked what had been the murder weapon, because looking at the mess in front of him, he couldn't imagine what had been used. The coroner told him there had been no murder weapon. The killer had used only his hands. (beat) The undertaker went to work and had them done in four. The picture falls out of Tracy's hands. She is stunned to the point of nausea. CLIFFORD What's the matter? TRACY (barely able to say it) He's been here. EXT. STREET Duncan is standing on the sidewalk huddled close to a wall. He is looking up at Tracy's apartment building across the street. POV - DUNCAN Traveling up the wall of the building to the open window of Tracy's apartment on the sixth floor. SLOW ZOOM IN: CLIFFORD (O.S.) Do you think he'll try to see you again? TRACY (O.S.) I don't know. He said he had no place else to go. INT. TRACY'S APARTMENT CLIFFORD Let's play it safe. Let's assume that he will. CLOSEUP - TRACY Reacting to this possibility. CLIFFORD (O.S.) Will you work with me? She nods, hesitantly. EXT. STREET Duncan turns up an alley across the street from Tracy's apartment building and disappears. Sound over: knocking on a door. CUT TO: EXT. BAR - DAY Clifford is standing at the door. The "Closed" sign still hangs in the window. The door opens, and Hank sticks his head out. HANK You again? CLIFFORD What are your hours tonight? HANK No hours. Bar's closed on Mondays. CLIFFORD I want you to be open if that's possible. HANK (closing the door) No way. Monday's my night off. Come back tomorr... Clifford violently pushes the door open. The bartender backs off, surprised. CLIFFORD (through clenched teeth) This is tomorrow! Now what are your hours? CUT TO: INT. LT. GARBER'S OFFICE - DAY Garber is sitting behind his desk as Clifford walks in. GARBER (looking up) Any luck? CLIFFORD I've come to say goodbye, and thank you. GARBER You found him? CLIFFORD I think so. GARBER Where? Pause. CLIFFORD From here on, I go it alone. GARBER What's the point of chancing it, Cliff? We'll let you take the credit. CLIFFORD No. Pause. Clifford sits down. CLIFFORD I'm going to kill him, Charlie. Garber leans forward in his chair and stares at Clifford. A long moment passes. A button on the lieutenant's phone lights up and the intercom buzzes. Garber doesn't even look down at it. The button flashes on and off, on and off. Finally it stops. CLIFFORD The closer I get to this guy, the more I... It gets to me. I don't know... GARBER I think you'd better go on home, Cliff. You've fallen in. CLIFFORD No. Not this time. This is the case that makes up for a whole career. If you can't understand it now, you will in a few years. Pause. Garber considers another tack and follows it. GARBER What part does money play in all this? Play straight with me. Clifford is stunned by the question, but he tries to be casual. CLIFFORD (shrugging) For what I'm being paid, it's not out of line. GARBER Who's hired you for this? Clifford glares at his friend and doesn't answer. GARBER (cynically) So you're a hitman now. CLIFFORD (passionately) He murdered two kids in cold blood. You were there, too. Garber doesn't have to be reminded of his own feelings. He doesn't pursue the argument. GARBER You could get busted. CLIFFORD I understand that. GARBER What are you going to use? CLIFFORD Jimmy needles. Garber nods slowly, considering it a good choice of weapons at least. GARBER You're stretching our friendship, Cliff. If you blow this at all -- CLIFFORD You'll never hear from me again. Garber looks away for a moment. When he looks back, he just shrugs his shoulders, "washes his hands". GARBER Take your time. Do it right. CLIFFORD Don't worry. GARBER Do you need any help preparing for this thing? CLIFFORD (standing up) I'm ready. I'm just trying to think where he could be in the meantime. CUT TO: INT. COFFEE SHOP - DAY A few customers sit quietly minding their own business. A WAITRESS leans near the cash register at one end of the counter. A transistor radio plays country music blues. The waitress looks up as somebody enters. WAITRESS What happened to you? DUNCAN (O.S.) Coffee. It is Duncan. He moves to the counter and sits. WAITRESS You get mugged? DUNCAN Black. Snubbed, the waitress comes back and sets the cup in front of him. She looks down at the change on the counter. There isn't enough. WAITRESS Coffee's twenty-seven. Duncan looks up at her resentfully. WAITRESS (pulling away the cup) Coffee's twenty-seven cents. Ya got it or don't ya? Duncan glares at her. He doesn't have it. WAITRESS Okay, buster, one cup. On the house. She pushes the cup back to him. Some of the coffee spills onto the counter. WAITRESS Drink it and be on your way. Duncan slowly reaches for the cup, raises it to his lips. WAITRESS You're welcome. Duncan stops, sets the cup down, pushes it away from him and slowly rises from his seat. DUNCAN No, thank you. Duncan and the waitress stand face to face, shooting darts at each other. Then a MAN sitting two seats away reaches over and places a quarter on the counter between them. The waitress looks at the man irritatedly, then picks up the money and moves away. Duncan slowly sits down again. He pulls the cup back to himself, then turns and looks at the man for a long moment, unable to express his gratitude. CUT TO: EXT. CITY STREETS - DUSK A series of shots of BUMS, "homeless persons", hanging out, in alleys, in the doorways of old buildings, sitting on the sidewalk in front of liquor stores. Then we see Duncan, alone but looking no different from the others. He is panhandling PASSERSBY, without much success. We see him fall into a fit of coughing that incapacitates him for several seconds. He's obviously getting sicker. We lose sight of Duncan as our MONTAGE continues. We see Clifford talking to a BUM, then another. He is passing the time combing the streets in the neighborhood of the bar. PARK - DUSK A handful of BUMS are sitting together on the grass passing a bottle in a brown paper bag. Duncan is not among them, but Cheater is there, sitting at the end of the line. CAMERA PANS from one bum to the next as the bottle is passed. By the time it gets to Cheater, it is empty. Cheater looks as if he's about to cry like a baby when a hand enters the frame from the other side -- the hand holding out to Cheater a full bottle of wine. Cheater takes the bottle and looks up gratefully... to see John Clifford standing beside him. CHEATER Well! I can't say much for your protocol, but your timing's dead on. Here's to you, pardner. Cheater takes a long drink, then passes the bottle back down the line. CLIFFORD (to all the bums) I'm looking for an old buddy of mine, English fella. Name's Crazy Curt. Any of you guys seen him? Nobody responds. CLIFFORD I owe him some money. CHEATER Aaahh. Show me an honest man... CLIFFORD (gesturing) Stands about so. Brown hair. Face kind of banged up. Was in an accident. CHEATER Oh, yeah? I was just with that guy, not more'n an hour ago. Looked bad. Crazy Curt, huh? CLIFFORD Where? Cheater scratches his head, and glances anxiously down the line. CHEATER Hell, I can't remember. Prob'bly see him again though. Tell you what. You leave the money with me, I'll see he gets it... as a favor to you. Clifford shakes his head. CLIFFORD I have to talk to him. CHEATER Whatsa matter? You don't trust me? I'll have you know I used to be a college professor. We can work together. Clifford stands to go. The bottle comes back to Cheater, three-quarters down. CLIFFORD Sure. Keep the bottle. I'll be back. CHEATER "Long life to the grape! For when summer is flown, The age of our nectar Shall gladden our own." That's Shelley, you know. Clifford is gone. Cheater takes a long drink and almost forgets that Clifford was ever there. CUT TO: INT. CLIFFORD'S APARTMENT - NIGHT Clifford is "suiting up" for his night's work. He is dressed casually -- blue jeans, shirt open at the neck, sports jacket, Adidas running shoes. He looks at himself in the mirror, is satisfied. Then he picks up from the dresser two awl-like instruments with short handles and long, glistening tapered needlepoints -- his weapons. He slides them into a leather sheath inside his jacket and turns to go. CUT TO: EXT. BAR - NIGHT It is lit up inside. The bar is open for business. Across the street in a dark space between two buildings, Duncan is waiting, watching the front door of the bar to see who comes out. INT. BAR The place is empty but for Hank who half watches the television over the bar, and Tracy who sits alone in a corner. Several moments pass as both of them sit and wait. Then, the front door starts to swing open. Someone is coming in. Tracy and Hank both glance nervously toward the door. A MAN'S head peeks in. He is somewhere in his forties, a regular customer. CUSTOMER Hey, Hank, what're you doing open tonight? HANK (relaxing) Trying to make a buck. The customer walks up to the bar, sits down and talks quietly with Hank. Tracy looks nervously at her wristwatch. She stubs out her cigarette, takes one last gulp of her drink and stands up to go. She walks to the bar, opens her purse and reaches inside. HANK Keep it, honey. My treat. They exchange a meaningful look. Then she heads for the door. CUSTOMER (under his breath) That how you make a buck? EXT. BAR Tracy looks up and down the street, hoping to see Clifford somewhere, afraid of glimpsing Duncan instead. Then she starts walking quickly homeward. EXT. STREETS Following Tracy to her apartment. We pick up Clifford now, and we cut back and forth between the two of them -- her walking quickly, never looking back, and him sneaking along several hundred feet behind her, looking everywhere for Duncan, whom we never see. EXT. TRACY'S APARTMENT She walks up the steps and enters. INT. SIXTH FLOOR Tracy steps off the elevator and goes to her door. She fumbles through her purse for the key. Then she hears footsteps on the stairs. She turns. It's Clifford. CLIFFORD (coming forward: half- whispering) No luck. You see him? Tracy shakes her head. CLIFFORD He still could be out there, though. TRACY (softly) Oh, God... She is starting to come apart, and she suddenly leans on Clifford for support. CLIFFORD Are you all right? Tracy stands there for several seconds to regain control of herself. Then she steps away and turns back to the door. TRACY I'm okay. CLIFFORD I'm going to hang around outside for awhile. I'll be back on and off again all night. Tracy gets the door unlocked. She pushes it open. INT. TRACY'S APARTMENT - FRONT HALL Tracy steps in. Clifford stays in the doorway. They are still whispering. CLIFFORD Are you sure you're okay? TRACY I'm fine. CLIFFORD All right. Bolt your door. Don't let anybody in, no matter what. TRACY Okay. CLIFFORD I'll be seeing you. (starts to move off; comes back) Listen. Thanks. TRACY Sure. Tracy closes the door and throws the bolt. Then she walks into the apartment and out of frame. CAMERA STAYS in the hallway. We can hear Tracy moving about O.S. Then, as if on its own, the door to the hall closet slowly swings open... ...until we can see Duncan standing inside the closet. INT. KITCHEN Tracy is putting some coffee on. Then she removes her coat and walks out of the kitchen. INT. FRONT HALL Tracy goes up to the closet with her coat. The door is closed. She opens it. She hangs up her coat and closes the door again. Then she turns and starts walking out of the hallway to the living room. As she is rounding the corner into the living room, she walks right into Duncan. She barely has time to gasp before he clamps his hand over her mouth and pushes her against the wall. DUNCAN (urgent whisper) I just have to talk to you. (pathetically) I want you to be my friend. As she isn't struggling, he starts to loosen up on her. DUNCAN Please... He takes his hand away from her mouth, lets go of her, and slowly, cautiously steps back. Tracy looks at him for a breathless moment, her eyes wild with fear. Then she screams. Duncan jumps back, stunned, frightened and confused. Tracy doesn't move. She just keeps screaming hysterically. EXT. STREET Tracy's screams carry out into the night as Clifford races across the street and into the apartment building. INT. TRACY'S APARTMENT Duncan runs to a window, throws it open and climbs out onto the fire escape. INTERCUT - APARTMENT STAIRS AND FIRE ESCAPE As Clifford bounds up the stairs, flight after flight, and Duncan tears down the fire escape. INT. SIXTH FLOOR The screaming has stopped when Clifford reaches Tracy's door. He grabs the doorknob and heaves himself against the door. It's bolted shut. Clifford pulls one of the needles from his jacket and hammers it into the lock. The bolt springs and Clifford runs into the apartment. INT. TRACY'S APARTMENT As Clifford bursts in. Tracy gestures toward the window. Clifford runs to it and sticks his head out. POV - CLIFFORD Duncan is gone. BACK TO SCENE Clifford runs to a window on another wall and looks out onto the street. POV - CLIFFORD No sign of the Englishman. BACK TO SCENE Clifford runs out of the apartment, yanking his needle from the lock as he passes the door, and charges back down the stairs. Tracy moves to the door and closes it. She is breathing heavily. O.S. we hear the angry sizzle of coffee spilling onto the hot stove, as Tracy goes to get it. EXT. APARTMENT BUILDING Clifford comes out, looks around and moves rapidly up the street. EXT. A STREET Duncan is hurrying along, dodging in and out of people, trying to move quickly but not draw attention to himself... EXT. ANOTHER STREET Clifford is travelling along the sidewalk, crossing the street, looking everywhere... EXT. ALLEYWAY Duncan is running up the alley. He comes to a stop beside some piled up trash cans. He leans against the brick wall of the building, huffing and puffing. He is frightened, but he feels safe for now. He slowly slides down the wall to the ground... FLASH BACK TO: INT. MENTAL HOSPITAL - DAY Duncan is curled up in the corner of a bare cell with padded walls. He is in a strait-jacket. His head is shaved. We can't tell what he is thinking, except that he's obviously deeply frightened and cannot understand what's happening to him. CUT TO: INT. A ROOM - NIGHT This is the children's bedroom in Dr. Mandrakis' house of six years ago. It is dark. Two small beds occupy one corner of the room. We can see two small lumps on the beds, but no more. Duncan sits in the foreground with a telephone on his lap. He is dialing a number. The phone rings three times before it is answered -- or rather, picked up, because there is no voice on the other end. After several seconds the phone is hung up. Duncan hangs up and thinks for a moment. He picks up the phone and dials again. This time he gets a busy signal. He hangs up, stands and goes to the door. He opens it slowly, peers out. Jill's voice can be heard faintly talking to the operator, asking for the police. Duncan closes the door and comes back into the room, mumbling. He goes to the window, looks out. Then he goes to the children's beds. CLOSEUP - DUNCAN As he raises the covers and stares down into the CAMERA. CUT TO: EXT. DECK OF A SHIP - MORNING A freighter, broad and low, arduously cuts through the water. Early morning mist hangs over the deck which is empty but for a lone FIGURE standing on the prow. MIDDLE SHOT - LONE FIGURE It is Curt Duncan. He is looking out over the front of the ship. Another SEAMAN comes up behind him and claps him on the shoulder. SEAMAN So this will be your first time? (laughs) An old salt like you? Duncan moves away, wanting to be left alone. SEAMAN (still laughing; slightly punchy) You'll love it here. It's where they make the bombs. It's where they make the planes that carry the bombs; the planes we saw over Singapore and Manila. He walks away laughing. SEAMAN There she is. That's America. DUNCAN'S POV The coast of Southern California emerges through the mist. A foghorn blows somewhere in the distance. CLOSE-UP - DUNCAN As he peers ahead with inscrutable interest. CUT TO: INT. ANOTHER ROOM - NIGHT Dark. A little BOY is lying in bed, apparently asleep. This is Curt Duncan as a child. Some voices approach in the hallway outside the bedroom. They are gruff, with heavy English accents, but subdued; a MAN and a WOMAN, well into middle-age. The boy's eyes open as he listens: MAN (O.S.) What's the matter? WOMAN (O.S.) Save it for later. Let's go out and get some food. MAN (O.S.) What about the lad? You can't leave him. WOMAN (O.S.) Curt's asleep. He'll never know we're gone. From outside, a key enters the lock of the bedroom door and turns. The bolt slips and the door is securely shut. The boy sits up in bed, apprehensive. In TIGHT SHOTS of the floor we see a rat come out from under the bed, then another. They make "chit-chit" noises as they begin to explore. One of them maybe goes up on its hind legs and nibbles on the bedpost. Then we see two more rats appear. We go for a TIGHT SHOT of the boy on top of the bed. The "chit-chit" noises grow steadily louder as the boy's apprehension turns to fear, then to terror. The boy starts to whimper. Suddenly, we cut back to a WIDE SHOT of the room. The floor is crawling with rats, hundreds of them. The "chit-chit" rises to practically a roar as the boy, alone on top of the bed, begins to wail. The room seems to darken, and the boy becomes just a little white speck in it. The focus is turned. The picture becomes a black and white blur. DISSOLVE TO: EXT. ALLEYWAY - NIGHT - THE PRESENT At first all that can be seen is a white blur against a black screen. The previous sound of a boy crying increases. Then the blur grows larger, coming more into focus as the entire screen image moves toward normal definition. Finally, we know we are back in the alleyway, that it is night, and that the white blur is actually a little BOY lost, sobbing uncontrollably. CLOSEUP - DUNCAN Awakening to the scene, coming back to reality. He is confused. WIDER ANGLE ON DUNCAN AND BOY The boy continues sobbing, moving about in little circles. Duncan, amazed at what he sees, slowly crawls out from the wall on his hands and knees, crawls toward the weeping child, staring at it with a strange look on his face. Suddenly the boy stops crying and looks at Duncan quizzically, hesitantly. They are less than a foot apart, almost face to face. Together they form a kind of frozen tableau. Something close to sympathy crosses the killer's expression, and the boy, likewise, achieves a faint sense of recognition. Then, just as suddenly, the boy starts wailing again and he runs off down the alleyway. Duncan watches him disappear. Then he slowly pulls himself to his feet. EXT. STREET Clifford is coming up the sidewalk. As Clifford crosses the entrance to an alleyway, the boy comes running out and almost collides with him. Clifford grabs the boy and looks down at him. Then he passes the wailing child off on a nearby PEDESTRIAN and runs up into the alley. EXT. ANOTHER STREET Duncan is hurrying along the sidewalk. Something makes him look up. POV - DUNCAN He is looking at a neon "Jesus Saves" sign above the doorway to an inner city mission. BACK ON DUNCAN As he stares at the sign. DUNCAN (O.S.) Hey, Crazy Curt! Duncan turns to see Cheater elatedly hobbling up to him. CHEATER Hail fellow well met, and all that jazz. It's our lucky day! (taking Duncan by the arm) A friend of your's got money for you. We got to get back to the park and meet him. Duncan pulls his arm free. CHEATER C'mon. He'll be comin' for you, Crazy Curt. S'got some money. (reaching for Duncan's arm) We'll get us a little joy juice. Duncan pulls free again and heads toward the mission. CHEATER C'mon! Hey!! You really are crazy! C'mon! Duncan enters the mission and Cheater stands out on the sidewalk for a moment, bitterly frustrated. CHEATER "Blow, winds, and crack your cheeks! Rage! Blow, you cataracts and hurricanoes, spout till you have drench'd our steeples and drown'd the cocks!" Several PEDESTRIANS stop and gape at this sudden outburst. EXT. ANOTHER STREET Clifford comes out of a derelict hotel, looks up and down the street and hurries off, not giving up the chase. INT. MISSION - MOMENTS LATER A MAN is leading Duncan to the bathroom. Duncan enters slowly and goes to one of the wash basins where there is an old razor blade and a can of shaving cream. Duncan picks up the razor for a moment and looks at it. He is lost in thought. Then he sets it down and turns on the tap water. He glances at himself in the mirror and is suddenly transfixed by his own image. He looks deeply into the mirror for several seconds. Then he starts to cry, and having begun, a flood of emotions comes pouring out of him. He drops to his knees. The man comes running back into the bathroom. He holds Duncan and helps pull him back to his feet. CUT TO: EXT. STREET - NIGHT Cheater is trudging along the sidewalk, hands in pockets, head lowered. He looks up and sees something that brings him back to life. POV - CHEATER Clifford is standing on the corner up ahead, looking around. WIDE ANGLE ON STREET Cheater calls out and starts to run toward Clifford. Clifford turns, sees Cheater. CUT TO: INT. MISSION - NIGHT The "sleeping dorm". It is a large empty room. Thirty or so OUTCASTS are stretched out on the bare floor in the darkness. Their combined snoring/wheezing creates a steady, ghastly din. The door at the far end of the hall opens. A figure steps in and quietly closes the door behind him. He stands for a moment taking in the scene, letting his eyes adjust to the darkness. Then he slowly creeps forward to the prone body of the nearest sleeper. CLOSEUP - FIGURE It is Clifford. He moves stealthily from one body to the next. In one hand he carries a small flashlight. He turns the bodies over just long enough to shine the light in their faces and identify who they are, or rather who they are not. Then he moves on. In his other hand he holds a small, gleaming Jimmy needle. CLOSEUP - DUNCAN He's sleeping, but his eyes suddenly open, sensing danger. He turns over and sees the dark figure of Clifford slowly advancing toward him. WIDER ANGLE Clifford keeps coming, closer and closer to where Duncan lies. He is but six or seven bodies away when Duncan jumps up suddenly and bolts for the door. Clifford looks up, sees the fleeing figure and charges after it. INT. CORRIDORS Racing through a maze of narrow hallways, Duncan can't stop to think where he's going. Clifford is barreling after him some forty yards behind. Duncan rounds a corner and ten yards up ahead, the hallway deadends in a set of double doors. Duncan has no choice but to hurl himself against the doors. They yield and he goes through them. Four seconds later, Clifford comes to the same doors and pushes through to the other side. INT. CHURCH As Clifford comes through the doors which are a side entrance into the chancel of this large, gothic-style church. Behind him now, is the altar. Before him stretches the nave of the edifice with its rows of pews, its dimly glowing stained glass windows, and way in the back, its choir loft. At regular intervals, tiny shafts of light pierce the darkness from on high. There is no sign of Duncan, but Clifford knows he must be in here, hiding somewhere. He slowly walks forward to the front of the chancel. CLIFFORD Duncan. Duncan. It's over now. Come on out. Pause. Duncan doesn't come out. Clifford holds very still. He hears nothing. He speaks again and his voice echoes through the large empty church. CLIFFORD My name's John Clifford. I'm a private detective. I've been hired by Alexander Mandrakis to take you back. I'm not going to hurt you. CLOSEUP - DUNCAN Hiding beneath a pew. He hears the name "Mandrakis" and it registers like a thunderbolt. He silently mouths the name "Mandrakis". Then he hears Clifford's footsteps approaching. ANGLE ON CLIFFORD Slowly moving up the center aisle, looking from side to side into the pews. CLIFFORD (gently; coaxing) I'm not going to hurt you... I'm not going to hurt you... There'll be no more pain... You're safe now... Clifford moves closer and closer to Duncan's row until finally, Duncan can bear it no longer. He jumps up from beneath the pew and runs. DUNCAN (hysterical) No! Mandrakis! No! Clifford chases him through the pews and up the aisles to the front of the church. He is clutching a needle in both hands, ready to strike. Duncan flees through a narrow door off to the side of the church. INT. BELL TOWER Duncan faces a spiraling stone staircase. He has no choice but to climb them, higher and higher, the sound of Clifford's angry footsteps always coming up behind him. Finally, Duncan can climb no higher. He is at the top of the bell tower. A lanceted opening in the stone wall ahead of him looks out over the narrow shaft of the tower. Above him are the huge iron bells. A rope hangs down from the bells, dangling all the way down the shaft, forty or fifty feet to the floor of the church. Clifford is bounding up the last flight of steps to get him. Duncan has little choice. He is trapped. Just before Clifford reaches him, Duncan leaps out into the shaft and catches the bell rope. The bell starts to clang as Duncan, hanging in mid air, swings back and forth within the narrow shaft. Clifford leans way out through the lancet window and takes a swipe at Duncan, but the madman is just beyond his reach and hurriedly climbing down the rope. Clifford reaches out and tries to grab at the rope. At last, he gets it, and he shakes it violently to get Duncan to lose his grip and be dashed against the stone floor below. But Duncan holds firm, climbing ever downward. The bell continues to clang, sending its alarm out into the night. Then Clifford braces himself and slowly, laboriously begins to haul up on the rope. Clifford gains momentum until Duncan is being pulled up faster than he is climbing down. Still twenty feet off the ground, Duncan lets go of the rope and plummets to the hard stone floor. Then PEOPLE come rushing into the church, awakened by the commotion of the bells. Duncan rolls into the shadows and drags himself out a side door, while Clifford plans his own escape from the bell tower. CUT TO: EXT. ALLEYWAY NEAR CHURCH - NIGHT Clifford runs up the alleyway, looks around and finally realizes he's lost his prey. CUT TO: EXT. ANOTHER ALLEYWAY Duncan is hidden deep in the shadows of a nook between two buildings, catching his breath. CAMERA MOVES IN on him, and we see him looking the craziest he's ever been. He shakes uncontrollably and begins to mumble, softly at first, then getting louder. He's falling back into the grips of Guy du Marraux. DISSOLVE TO: EXT. CITY - MORNING A. All is still and quiet as soft, warm sunlight pours into the dirty streets and alleyways. In the background, the bell tower of the church rises above the skyline. B. We see a SHOT of the park -- all the bums are asleep. C. Then a SHOT of the mission -- its front door open, the sidewalk empty. D. Then the bar, where the same peaceful mood prevails. E. Then the alleyway where we last saw Curt Duncan. Now he is gone. F. Then the exterior of Tracy's apartment building. Clifford's car is parked out front. TRACY (O.S.) I used to see my two kids every weekend. They lived in a nice house with their father, outside the city. CUT TO: INT. TRACY'S APARTMENT Tracy and Clifford are sitting at a small table in the kitchen, looking haggard, drinking coffee. TRACY Now... it's been years. They're grown up. They look at each other. Clifford is a sympathetic listener. TRACY I look at where I am now. I know I could've done better, but... it's too late for that. CLIFFORD (quietly) I know. Pause. TRACY Well, you've got to keep looking, I suppose. Taking his cue, Clifford slowly rises. CLIFFORD I don't think he'll come back here. Tracy looks up at him questioningly, wishing she could feel as sure about it as he does. CLIFFORD (extending his hand) Thanks... for all your help. Tracy takes his hand. They shake warmly. CLIFFORD I know it wasn't easy. (turning to go) Maybe, someday, I'll be able to... TRACY I wish you wouldn't leave me altogether... Clifford turns back to her. TRACY (with a laugh) I'm not a young woman anymore. I've given up all my dreams of the future. Now, I just want to make it to the end. You know what I mean. Clifford smiles at her gently. He knows exactly what she means. CLIFFORD I'll be around. TRACY Sure. Clifford takes a few steps, turns back, looks at her. CLIFFORD You like ice cream? TRACY Yes. CLIFFORD What flavor? TRACY Chocolate chip. Clifford nods his head slightly, as if registering this in his memory. CLIFFORD (quietly) Okay. They smile at each other for a second then Clifford leaves and Tracy sits alone in her kitchen, listening to him go, hearing the door close behind him. CUT TO: EXT. STREET - DAY CLOSE UP on a section of a newspaper lying in the gutter. A pair of feet enters the frame and stands beside the newspaper. We hear a familiar cough. Then a trembling hand reaches down and picks up the newspaper. Pause. Something in the newspaper has caught his eye. Then the feet shuffle out of frame. FADE OUT: FADE IN: EXT. STREET - AFTERNOON A modest middle-income neighborhood where young married couples buy their first home and start their family. CAMERA is facing down the quiet street. In the foreground, on the street, two small CHILDREN, a little boy and a little girl, are playing. They are adorable kids. CAMERA PANS ninety degrees with the children as they run out of the street and up the sidewalk to their house. A TITLE APPEARS across the bottom of the screen: 5 pm Friday, April 28, 1978 TITLE FADES as the children push open the front door and enter the house. CUT TO: INT. HOUSE - FOLLOWING CHILDREN They noisily and excitedly make their way to the kitchen. The children are four and two and a half years old, STEVIE and JUNE respectively. CUT TO: INT. KITCHEN As the kids enter, their MOTHER is working at the stove, her back to CAMERA. JUNE & STEVIE (together) Hi, Mommy! The mother turns around. It is Jill Johnson! JILL (smiling) Well, look what the wind blew in! CAMERA MOVES IN on her as she comes forward, bends down, kisses Stevie, and picks up June. Jill looks older, more mature, but still very pretty. She is Mrs. John Lockhart now, and has left her memories of the past behind her. STEVIE Mommy, what's for dinner? Could we have hamburgers? JILL (teasing) Is that all you ever want? A wall phone in the kitchen starts to ring. Stevie goes to answer it. STEVIE Hello? JOHN (O.S.) (surprised) Hey, how's my little tiger? It is JOHN LOCKHART on the phone. STEVIE Daddy, Junie threw my baseball down the street; and I can't find it! JOHN (O.S.) Well, we'll look for it real hard later. Let me talk to mommy. Jill, by this time, has come to the phone. She is still holding June. STEVIE Okay. Bye, daddy. Stevie hands the phone to Jill. JILL Hi. JOHN Hi, babe -- whaddya say you put on a sexy dress, and I take you out to dinner tonight? Jill is very happy about this. JILL Great... what's the occasion? JOHN (teasing) Just a little surprise. JILL What? JOHN I'm leaving here now; be home in half an hour. JILL Okay, see ya. JOHN Bye, babe. As Jill hangs up the phone, Stevie pipes up O.S. STEVIE (O.S.) Mommy, is Daddy gonna get me a new baseball? CUT TO: EXT. DR. MANDRAKIS' HOUSE - NIGHT Clifford's car is parked in the driveway, and we see him getting out. He goes to the front door -- the porch light is on and perhaps one other lamp somewhere inside the otherwise dark house. He rings the bell, waits, rings again... Finally the door is opened by the Houseboy. HOUSEBOY Dr. and Mrs. Mandrakis are out of town. CLIFFORD For how long? HOUSEBOY Three more weeks. Pause. CLIFFORD It's just as well. Will you be here? HOUSEBOY Yes. Clifford takes a business card from his pocket and gives it to the Houseboy. CLIFFORD Here. Call if you need me. The Houseboy reads the card as Clifford walks back to his car. Then the Houseboy closes the front door. Clifford pauses beside his car for a moment, looking back at the rich, dark home. CUT TO: INT. JILL'S HOUSE - CHILDREN'S BEDROOM - NIGHT The children are in bed. Jill is sitting next to Stevie. Only a nightlight is on. STEVIE ...I pray the Lord my soul to keep. If I die before I wake, I pray the Lord my soul to take. God bless Mommy and Daddy and... JUNE And me. STEVIE ...and Granmom and Aunt Lucy and Uncle George... JUNE And me! STEVIE (pausing) ...and her. Now will you tell us a story? JILL No, I will not tell you a story. You go to sleep now. And be good. Carol will be here while we're gone. STEVIE Goodnight. Jill kisses him. JUNE Mommy, will you come here a minute? I want to tell you something. Jill stands up and goes over to June's bed. JILL What is it? JUNE Come closer. Jill bends closer to her daughter. O.S. the doorbell rings. JUNE I love you. JILL I love you, too, Junebug. (kissing her) Goodnight. Sleep tight. Jill stands up and leaves. INT. FRONT HALL As Jill comes down the stairs. CAROL, the sitter, is at the foot of the stairs with John. Carol has an armful of schoolbooks. JILL Hi, Carol. CAROL Hello, Mrs. Lockhart. I saw your picture in the paper the other day. Congratulations. JILL Ugggh... wasn't it a dreadful picture? JOHN I thought it was nice. Jill crosses to a hall table, picks up a phone book, flips through it, then writes on a notepad beside the phone. Over this action... JOHN Are the kids asleep? JILL They will be soon. (to Carol) Give them about twenty minutes and then take a peek -- but if Stevie sees you, you'll have to tell him a story. (beat) Here's the number of the restaurant. Call us if you need us. For police, ambulance, any emergency like that, just dial 911. You know that, right? CAROL Nine-one-one? Oh, sure. JILL And just in case, I've written the number of the children's Uncle George and Aunt Lucy here, too. JOHN Honey, in ten seconds I eat the staircase. JILL Okay. Okay. She puts down the pad and crosses to a closet where she takes out a lightweight coat. JILL (handing the coat to John) Here. JOHN (not taking the coat) I'm not wearing that thing! Jill shoves the coat into his stomach. Smiling, he takes the coat and dutifully helps her on with it. CAROL Have a good time. JILL Thanks, Carol. JOHN (pulling her out the door) Bye, Carol. CAROL Goodbye. JILL Goodbye. CUT TO: EXT. HOUSE - NIGHT John and Jill walk to the station wagon in the driveway as Carol shuts the front door in the background. Just before Jill gets into the car, she takes a look back at the house -- there is a moment's hesitance, and then she gets in the car. INT. HOUSE - NIGHT Carol picks up the phone and carries it into the living room with her. As she does it, we see lying on the phone table, the newspaper clipping with Jill's picture, and headline: "Jill Lockhart Chairs Community UNICEF Drive." She puts the phone down, then her books, then herself. She dials a number. Her BOYFRIEND answers. BOYFRIEND (O.S.) Hello? CAROL Hi. It's me. BOYFRIEND (O.S.) Oh, hi. CAROL Can you come over? BOYFRIEND (O.S.) I can't. I really have a lot of work to do. CAROL (disappointed) Ohhh... CUT TO: INT. RESTAURANT - NIGHT An Italian Restaurant. Quiet music, soft lights, red and white checkered tablecloths, candles, a smokey and seductive atmosphere. DOLLY with a LATIN WAITER carrying a huge tray of food over- head. He passes right by the table where Jill and John are sitting. John watches him take the food to someone else. JOHN (reaching for a breadstick) I've eaten enough breadsticks to turn into a pretzel. JILL John, tell me about the surprise. JOHN Oh, yeah. Brace yourself. JILL I'm braced. JOHN Good. I got the sack today. JILL What sack? JOHN The can... I was fired! JILL Oh, sure. JOHN You don't believe me? JILL No, I don't believe you. JOHN Well, Wally did call me into his office today. And he did tell me I didn't have my old job anymore. JILL (getting excited) John, what did you get? JOHN Are you ready for this? JILL (guessing) District Sales Manager! JOHN Regional! JILL Regional?! JOHN Nah, District. JILL (beside herself) John, I don't believe it! District Sales Manager! The WAITER arrives with their food. JILL Well, it's about time! The waiter looks up, offended. JILL (to waiter) Not you. (back to John) It's about time they recognized you for what you are. WAITER Enjoy your dinner, folks. They ignore him. He moves away. John digs right in. JOHN (mouth full) I'll be the youngest District Manager in the company's history. God, am I hungry! JILL (not eating yet) Does this mean a raise? JOHN It sure does. John flags down a passing WAITER and signals that their wine glasses need filling. JILL How much? JOHN A lot. JILL How much? John leans forward and whispers in her ear. JILL You're kidding! And a car? JOHN And a car. JILL John, I'm so proud of you. John pauses, looks at her. JOHN What's the matter? You don't like your food? The MAITRE D' has come up to the table. John stops suddenly. They are both very chagrined. MAITRE D' Mr. and Mrs. Lockhart? JILL That's right. MAITRE D' There's a telephone call for you. John starts to get up. Jill grabs his arm. JILL Eat your dinner. It's probably Carol. I'll talk to her. Jill stands up and follows the Maitre D' through the other tables to the telephone. She picks up the receiver. CAMERA MOVES in on her. JILL Hello? Pause. DUNCAN (O.S.) Have you checked the children? Jill screams and falls to the floor. ANGLE ON JOHN Around him, other DINERS fall instantly silent and wonder what is going on. WAITERS stop dead in their tracks. John leaps up from his seat and dashes through the tables like a madman. Suddenly the restaurant comes alive with excitement and alarm. ANGLE ON JILL As John runs up and drops to his knees beside her. She is shaking and sobbing uncontrollably. JOHN Jill, what's happening? What's wrong? JILL It was him! Somebody call the police! Help me! Other PEOPLE have crowded around and are making urgent noises now about calling the police, an ambulance, etc. John tries to cut through the confusion and anxiety. JOHN Wait a minute! Just hold on! Sweetheart, what was him? What are you talking about? JILL That man... Curt Duncan... He's home again! He's got our children! JOHN He was on the phone? Jill nods. John grabs the telephone and quickly dials a number. The crowd tries to quiet down, as much to hear for themselves as to let John talk. The phone rings and rings. Finally... CAROL Hello? JOHN Hello, Carol, it's Mr. Lockhart. What's going on over there? CAROL Nothing's going on. JOHN Is everything all right? CAROL Yes, there's nothing -- JOHN Are you sure? Pause. CAROL Everything's fine. Why? What's --? JOHN Carol, listen to me very carefully. If there's a man in the house, if there's any reason why you can't talk to me right now, just answer yes to me over the phone. That's all. If there's any danger of any kind, just say yes. Long pause. They wait for her answer. Jill is listening into the receiver now, too. CAROL I don't understand what's happening. What man in the house? Jill is confused. John breathes a guarded sigh of relief. Jill takes the phone. JILL Carol, it's Mrs. Lockhart. Answer me truthfully. When was the last time you looked in on the children? CAROL About forty-five minutes ago. Everything's fine. They were fast asleep. Jill gives her husband a look. John takes the phone again. JOHN Carol, I'm sorry about all the hysterics. We're leaving the restaurant now. We'll explain everything when we get home. Before we hang up, could you do just one more thing for me, please? CAROL What? JOHN Would you go upstairs and, and check on the children for me? Jill is violently shaking her head. John silences her with a gesture. CAROL Sure. Hold on. Carol O.S. puts the phone down. Then there is silence on the other end. The crowd of people around Jill and John begin to shuffle and murmur. John tries to keep them quiet while listening into the phone. Then TWO POLICEMEN come forward through the crowd. One of them kneels down to John and Jill who are still on the floor. POLICEMAN #1 What seems to be the problem here, sir? JOHN (whispering) Officer, I'm John Lockhart. Just a second please, and I'll explain everything. JILL (whispering to Policeman) I'm Jill Johnson, the babysitter seven years ago with the child killer. This means nothing to Policeman #1. JOHN The babysitter. The guy got into the house and killed the two children upstairs. Policeman #2 kneels down now. POLICEMAN #2 (whispering) Oh, yeah, I remember something about that. A Greek doctor... JOHN That's right. That's the one. POLICEMAN #2 (to Policeman #1) It was in the seventh precinct... As the two policemen and John mumble between themselves, Jill takes the telephone. JILL (listening) Hello? She presses the receiver tighter to her ear. JILL Carol? John quiets down the policeman. Jill can now hear what she couldn't a second ago. JILL (growing hysterical) Carol? Carol?! ZOOM into the telephone until we can also hear what Jill is reacting to. It grows louder and louder... A dial tone. CUT TO: EXT. LOCKHART HOUSE - NIGHT John and Jill pull up in the station wagon followed by a squad car -- no sirens or lights. They all get out and rush for the front door. John pulls out his key to open the door... and discovers that it's unlocked. Cautiously, they step inside. INT. FRONT HALL They look into the living room. Carol isn't there. JOHN Carol? Carol? No answer. The policemen tentatively draw their guns. Jill bolts up the stairway. JOHN Jill! Policeman #2 runs up after her. INT. UPSTAIRS HALL As Jill runs down to the children's bedroom followed by Policeman #2. She opens the door and rushes inside. INT. CHILDREN'S BEDROOM The children are in bed, asleep. Policeman #2 stands in the doorway as Jill goes up to June and bends over her. JUNE (opening her eyes) Mommy? Jill kisses her gently on the forehead. JILL Sshhh... June closes her eyes and immediately falls back to sleep. Jill walks over to Stevie's bed and looks down at him. He turns slightly in his sleep. Satisfied that her children are safe, Jill pulls up the covers on Stevie and then walks slowly out of the bedroom. INT. UPSTAIRS HALL Jill quietly pulls the door shut, and Policeman #2 walks back up the hallway. Jill leans against the wall and buries her face in her hands. She is drained. She starts to cry. JOHN (O.S.) Nothing was wrong? CAROL (O.S.) When I got back to the phone, the line was dead. I figured we got cut off somehow. What's been going on? CUT TO: INT. BEDROOM - LATER THAT NIGHT Jill is sitting on a corner of the bed, looking at the floor. John sits on the other corner, facing away from her, slowly unbuttoning his shirt. After a long silence... JILL What are you thinking about? JOHN If I ever get my hands on the guy that made that call... JILL John, it wasn't a prank. I know that voice. JOHN He disguised it though, didn't he? Same as before? JILL I know that voice. Pause. JILL How can we just sit here? John turns and moves over beside her. JOHN Look, we promised never to talk about this. REACTION SHOT of Jill. She is shocked. JOHN What are we supposed to do? Leave town? Take the kids and lock ourselves up somewhere? Come on... Let's get a good night's sleep, and in the morning we can rethink this whole thing. JILL Nothing has to be rethought. And I'm not about to fall asleep. JOHN Try to relax, honey. I'm here. We're both here. The house is locked up. The cops'll be just outside all night long. We're safe now. JILL That's what they told me before. John stands up and goes to his dresser. JOHN Okay. Look. If it'll make you feel any better... He takes a revolver from the dresser drawer and emphatically checks the action. Then he walks to his side of the bed and sets the pistol on his bedside table. JOHN I'll keep it right here beside me all night. You know I'm a light sleeper and a damn good shot. Are you satisfied? Pause. Jill tries to smile. JILL John, I'm sorry to be putting you through all this. JOHN Hey, you're not putting me through anything that you don't have to go through yourself. I'm with you all the way. Trust me. Okay? Jill nods. John leans forward and kisses her. JOHN That's my girl. He gets up and walks out of the room talking. JOHN (O.S.) Now try to relax. We'll get some sleep. You'll be surprised how differently things will look in the morning. JILL (complaining) Honey... JOHN (O.S.) What? JILL Not so loud. You're going to wake the children. John comes back into the bedroom with a glass of water and a couple of pills in his hand. JOHN (smiling) Naw. Those kids'd sleep through an earthquake. They're good kids. (handing her the pills and water) Here, take a couple of these. They're just what the doctor ordered. CLOSEUP - JILL As she takes the pills and swallows them, one at a time. JOHN (O.S.) You know, I read somewhere about this psychological thing called hysterical delusion or hysterical recall or something. It had to do with how an event from your past can sneak up on you sometimes and fool you when it's only just a memory. I don't know. We'll talk about it in the morning. Maybe there's someone we can see about that... CUT TO: INT. POLICE STATION - NIGHT The lounge area in the back of the station. At one table, three OFFICERS are playing bridge. Garber with his back to CAMERA rounds out their game. At a nearby table closer to CAMERA, Policeman #1 is working on a crossword puzzle. POLICEMAN #3, sitting next to him, is reading a paperback novel. POLICEMAN #1 What's a word for "an outsider, of sorts"? POLICEMAN #3 Trespasser. POLICEMAN #1 Uh-uh. Eight letters. POLICEMAN #3 Stranger. POLICEMAN #1 Uh-uh. Starts with an "I". Policeman #3 thinks briefly, then goes back to his novel. Policeman #2 enters the room carrying a printout of some sort. POLICEMAN #2 Hey, Bert. A report just came in on that guy, Curt Duncan. ANGLE ON GARBER At the bridge table, perking up his ears, looking around. POLICEMAN #2 (O.S.) Broke outta the nuthouse two months ago. Garber is keeping only half an eye on the card game. He pulls a card from his hand and throws it down. POLICEMAN #1 (O.S.) Oh, yeah? You going to put that in our report? OFFICER #1 (O.S.) Diamonds, Charlie. Diamonds was led. Garber hastily picks up his card and throws down another. POLICEMAN #2 (O.S.) Course I'm going to put it in the report. Maybe this gal tonight really did get a call from him. Who knows? OFFICER #1 (O.S.) Your lead, Charlie. Garber throws down another card. OFFICER #1 (O.S.) What the hell are you doing? That's a trump. OFFICER #2 (O.S.) A card laid is a card played. POLICEMAN #1 (O.S.) Yeah, you're right. We'd better leave that on Ruznik's desk in the morning. OFFICER #2 (O.S.) Toss 'em in. I got the rest. OFFICER #1 (O.S.) Jesus Kay-Reist! Garber throws down his cards. He stands up and approaches Policeman #2. GARBER Hey, Tucker, lemme see that a minute. Policeman #2 hands the sheet of paper to Garber. Garber quickly scans the information. GARBER You guys have a stake on the house? POLICEMAN #2 Bernstein and Waller are checkin' it every twenty minutes or so. GARBER (handing back the sheet) Thanks. Garber exits to his office. Policeman #2 walks over to where Policeman #1 is still sitting, working the crossword. POLICEMAN #1 Hey, what's an eight letter word for "an outsider, of sorts"? Starts with an "I". POLICEMAN #2 Intruder! POLICEMAN #1 Right! Intruder! CUT TO: INT. GARBER'S OFFICE - NIGHT Garber sits thinking for a moment. He is trying to come to a decision. He reaches for the phone and dials. It rings and then is picked up. CLIFFORD (O.S.) Hello? GARBER Cliff?... I think I got something for you... CUT TO: INT. LOCKHART HOUSE - NIGHT A shot of the downstairs hall. All is dark and still, very still. INT. BEDROOM Jill is tossing in her sleep. John is fast asleep next to her, on his side facing away from her. Then, Jill wakes up. She is heavily sedated, groggy. She hardly knows where she is at first. She pulls herself up to a sitting position on the side of the bed. She tries to gather her wits. Then she gets up and walks slowly out of the room. FOLLOWING JILL Through the upstairs hallway, down the staircase and toward the kitchen. The darkness around her is ominous, threatening. She stops at the dining room window and looks out. On the street a patrol car slowly passes and disappears down the block. INT. KITCHEN Jill enters, turns on the light, opens a cupboard and takes out a glass. She goes to the refrigerator and opens it. Suddenly, the lights go out. Jill closes the refrigerator door and goes and turns on another light. Apparently, only a lightbulb has blown. Jill unscrews the burned-out bulb from its socket and throws it in the trash. She leaves the kitchen. INT. DOWNSTAIRS HALL Jill walks to a hall closet and opens it. A light comes on inside as she does so. A puzzled, half-startled expression comes onto her face. JILL'S POV Inside the closet, half the hangers with coats, etc., are on the floor. Sound over: A telephone being dialed. CUT TO: INT. CLIFFORD'S APARTMENT - NIGHT Clifford has just finished dialing the phone. He waits, nothing happens. Then a strange, siren-like noise comes out of the telephone. Clifford listens, then hangs up. He picks up the .38 he has lying on the desk and idly starts flipping the cartridge chamber with one of his jimmy needles. After a moment, he lays the gun down and picks up the phone again, this time calling the OPERATOR. OPERATOR (O.S.) Operator. CLIFFORD Can you dial a local number for me? OPERATOR (O.S.) What is the number, please? CLIFFORD 555-2183. The operator dials. There is a pause. Then the same strange noise cuts in. CLIFFORD Operator, what does that mean? OPERATOR (O.S.) I'm sorry, sir, that line seems to be disconnected. CLIFFORD Why don't I get a recording? OPERATOR (O.S.) I don't know, sir. Maybe the number was just recently disconnected. Maybe there's a temporary malfunction in the wiring. Why don't you try it again in the morning? CLIFFORD Yeah, okay. Thanks. CUT TO: INT. LOCKHART HOME - UPSTAIRS HALLWAY - NIGHT Jill is walking down the hall to the children's bedroom. She opens the door. INT. CHILDREN'S BEDROOM As Jill quietly enters. The children are asleep. Jill goes to June and tucks her in. Then she walks over to Stevie's bed. He is sleeping, but with a Sugar Daddy in his hand. Jill looks down at him, again puzzled. She leans over, takes the Sugar Daddy and gently wakes him. JILL Stevie... Stevie... STEVIE (stirring, but not fully awake) Yes? JILL Stevie, listen to me. Where did you get this candy? STEVIE What? JILL Where did you get this? STEVIE (very groggy) The man gave it to me... JILL What man? STEVIE (drifting off) I don't know... He was... Wings on a horse... He closes his eyes and is asleep. Jill stands up, turns and starts to walk out of the room. Halfway across the floor, Jill stops. She stands rigid as a thought penetrates her own drowsiness. She turns very slowly and moves to the closet in the children's bedroom. She stands before it a moment. Then she reaches her hand forward for the knob on the closet door. She very slowly pulls the door open. She looks inside. There is nothing. Jill quietly closes the closet door and leaves the room. INT. BEDROOM Jill enters. John is still asleep facing the wall. Jill gets into bed, sitting up. She is wide awake now. She sits for a moment in the darkness, thinking. Then she reaches for the princess phone on the bedside table. She doesn't get a dial tone. She quietly pushes the phone's disconnect button up and down several times. Still no dial tone. Jill hangs up and thinks for another moment, apprehension creeping over her face. Then, in the darkness of the bedroom, she begins to hear the muttering of a man's voice, low and deep. It is Duncan in the throes of Guy du Marraux. Jill freezes. As the voice gets steadily louder and more menacing, her attention focuses on the door to the bedroom closet which is a couple of inches ajar. JILL (urgently whispering) John?... John?... She reaches for the bedside lamp and turns it on, never taking her eyes away from the closet door. As soon as the light comes on, the voice stops. Her eyes still riveted to the door, Jill grabs her husband's shoulder and shakes him, her voice cracking with fear. JILL John!... John!... The body beside her stirs, rolls over, looks at her hideously. It is Duncan!! Jill shrieks, and makes a move to leap out of the bed. Duncan, the hideous and terrifying sound of his madness grumbling out of his throat, manages to grab the back of her nightgown. As Jill struggles to get off the bed, the gown rips slightly while she fights to get away. Duncan rolls to her side of the bed and manages to grab Jill's ankle while letting go of the gown. It causes Jill to lose her balance and tumble onto the floor just short of the doorway leading out of the room. Duncan is on her in a flash, clutching at her and moving his hands for her throat. Jill screams again. It is the desperate sound of a woman facing certain death. Suddenly, two quick shots ring out, overwhelming all other sound. Duncan falls back with a groan and a thud. Out of the darkness of the hallway steps Clifford, pistol in hand. He crosses to Duncan. He is dead. Then Clifford walks around the room to the far side of the bed and looks down. On the narrow strip of floor between the bed and the wall lies John. Clifford nudges the body with his foot. John stirs, as if he has been knocked unconscious, but it will be some time yet before he comes to. Clifford starts to walk out of the room, stepping over Duncan's body, edging past Jill who is propped up in the doorway, sobbing hysterically. CLIFFORD Your husband's okay. Then he is gone. As Jill sits there unable to rein in her emotions, June and Stevie toddle up to her groggily from the hallway. JUNE Mommy? Jill clutches her children to her heaving breast and buries her face between them. INT. DOWNSTAIRS HALL Looking through the open front doorway into the quiet night beyond. FADE OUT: THE END

by Jeffrey Price and Peter S. Seaman. Based on the novel by Gary K. Wolf "Who Censored Roger Rabbit?". Third draft, September 2, 1986. More info about this movie on IMDb.com FOR EDUCATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY This movie starts the way all movies should... with a cartoon. It's not a Disney or a Warner's. It's not a Fleischer, an MGM, or a Lanz. This is a lesser known studio. FADE IN: ON A "MAROON CARTOON" Accompanied by zany CARTOON MUSIC, the TITLE CARD reads: MAROON CARTOONS PRESENT BABY HERMAN AND ROGER RABBIT IN "THE BUNNYSITTER" Below are two cameos of the cartoon's stars. One picture is of a cherubic baby in a bonnet innocently posed with his thumb in his mouth. The other is of a paunchy rabbit with a gap between his front teeth. He has a loveable, if slightly shell-shocked look. The cartoon begins... BABY HERMAN AND ROGER RABBIT are in a playpen when TWO FEMALE LEGS in high heels walk INTO FRAME. The VOICE belonging to the legs talks down to Baby Herman in a maternal coo. VOICE (O.S.) Mommy's going to the beauty parlor, darling. But I'm leaving you with your favorite friend, Roger. He's going to take very, very good care of you... (voice turns ominous) ... cause if he doesn't, he's going back to the science lab! Roger gulps as he watches the legs disappear. We HEAR FOOTSTEPS recede and a DOOR SLAM. Roger turns confidently back to his charge. But the little tyke is already squeezing through the playpen bars. BABY HERMAN Baby bye-bye... Roger makes a dive for him, misses, and gets his head stuck between the bars. He pleads with the Baby in a voice that resonates of Huntz Hall in "The Bowery Boys". ROGER RABBIT Hey, come back! You heard what your mother said! BABY HERMAN ignores Roger. We FOLLOW HIM as he crawls into the kitchen. He stops to regard something that has caught his attention... a cookie jar. It's sitting on top of the refrigerator. BABY HERMAN Coo-kie. ROGER wearing the playpen like a pillory, comes running toward the kitchen. But the playpen is too wide to clear the door. The impact SHATTERING the playpen and sends Roger sprawling across the kitchen floor. When he looks up... BABY HERMAN is swinging precariously on the door of the freeer. ROGER RABBIT Hang on, Baby. I'll save you! Roger makes a desperate leap across the kitchen for the kid. But Baby Herman swings the door to the freezer open and Roger disappears inside. Baby Herman grabs a cookie and swings back, shutting the door. He climbs down and crawls out of the kitchen. After a beat, the freezer door opens. ROGER now shaped like a block of ice, falls out and hits the floor. The block SHATTERS into ice cubes. Roger looks around, dazed. BABY HERMAN has taken this opportunity to crawl out the window. Roger races to the window. His eyes pop out of his head at what he sees. ROGER'S POV Baby Herman is crawling along the sidewalk under the shadow of a safe being hoisted into a second floor window by the Acme Safe Moving Company. The rope holding the safe is fraying down to a slender thread. ROGER gasps and rockets out the window toward Baby Herman. The rope snaps. The safe falls. Roger arrives just in time to pluck the Baby out of harm's way. But not in time to save himself. The safe CRUNCHES down on his head, burying Roger into the sidewalk. After a beat, Roger's hand appears and spins the tumbler. The safe door opens. Inside, we see the dazed rabbit with little TWEETING BIRDS circling his head. VOICE (O.S.) Cut, cut, cut! The cartoon action stops abruptly, but the goofy CARTOON MUSIC PLAYS ON. We begin a slow PULL BACK TO REVEAL that this cartoon is being filmed LIVE ON A SOUND STAGE. The title card sits on an easle. The female legs are paper mache' props manipulated by two HUMAN CREW MEMBERS. Wearily, they lean the legs up against the stage wall. A human DIRECTOR, wearing a tweed jacket and baggy pleated pants, steps onto the set. From the equipment and the dress of the crew, we can tell it's the 1940's. Baby Herman throws his cookie down in disgust. He talks in a gravelly voice an octave lower than Wallace Beery's. BABY HERMAN What the hell was wrong with that take?? DIRECTOR Nothin' with you, Baby Herman. It's on Roger... again! (over shoulder) Hey! Could we lose the playback? The MUSIC suddenly STOPS as, off to the side, the SOUNDMAN lifts the needle off a phonograph record. The Director leans over Roger and angrily plucks one of the birds circling his head. DIRECTOR (continuing) What's this, Roger? ROGER RABBIT (sheepish) A tweeting bird? DIRECTOR That's right, a tweeting bird. But what does the script say? 'Rabbit gets conked. Rabbit sees stars!' Not birds, stars! BABY HERMAN Aw, for cryin' out loud, Roger! I'll be in my trailer... takin' a nap! Baby Herman pulls himself up to his full height of two feet and walks off the set. He chooses a route that takes him under the dress of the SCRIPT GIRL. She jumps as if goosed. Now two CREW MEMBERS lift the safe off Roger. ROGER RABBIT Please, Raoul. I can give you stars, I know I can. Just drop the safe on my head one more time. DIRECTOR I've already dropped it on you twenty-three times. ROGER RABBIT Don't worry about me. I can take it. DIRECTOR I'm not worried about you. I'm worried about the safe. CONTINUED PULLBACK. What we've been seeing has been from the POV of a MAN in a shiny brown suit standing unobtrusively at the back of the sound stage. Under a beat-up fedora is a craggy face that's seen a lot in its life... but apparently didn't think much of it was funny. EDDIE VALIANT takes a jolt from a pint of whiskey, evidently in reaction to what he's seen. He opens his coat and returns the pint bottle to a shoulder holster which had formerly held a .38. Nerves steadied, he walks out the stage door. EXT. MAROON STUDIO - DAY Valiant emerges from the stage onto a bustling Hollywood studio lot where CARTOON CHARACTERS (TOONS) and humans are comingling as if it were the most natural thing in the world. Valiant stops by an Acme Novelty truck which is unloading Toon props. There are bombs, rockets, flattened pocket watches, anvils, giant slingshots, etcetera. The license plate is California 1946. He fishes out a pack of Chesterfields and taps out a half a butt that had been stubbed out. As he lights it, Valiant regards a chubby, balding man wearing a three-piece suit and a worried expression coming towards him. He is R.K. MAROON, studio boss. Maroon is leading an entourage of ASSISTANTS trying to keep up. MAROON Starting tomorrow there'll be no more roast beef lunches. What happened to cheese sandwiches? I was raised on cheese sandwiches. As the Assistants dutifully record his thoughts, Maroon sees a GUY taking a nap in the shade of a palm tree. MAROON (continuing) And tell that guy sleepin' over there he's fired! ASSISTANT It's your wife's brother, R.K. MAROON (reconsiders) Oh... tell him he's promoted. But get him out of my sight. As the Assistants disperse, Maroon approaches Valiant. MAROON Valiant, did you see the rabbit? VALIANT He was blowin' his lines, all right. So what? MAROON So what? He's already put me three weeks behind on the shooting schedule! Now an EDITH HEAD-TYPE hustles up to show Maroon several costume designs. COSTUMER Your reaction, R.K.? Maroon quickly checks out the drawing. MAROON No! That's not funny. She flips another drawing. MAROON (continuing) That's funny. Put a homburg on him it'll even be funnier. Huh, Valiant? He grabs the pad and shows Valiant. The rendering is of a hippo in a pink polka-dot tu-tu. VALIANT (deadpan) Yeah, that'd be a riot. Maroon responds to Valiant's sarcasm with raised eyebrows. MAROON Boy, I hope what you have ain't contagious or I'll be out of business. He hands the pad back to the designer, who departs. MAROON (continuing) How much do you know about show business, Valiant? VALIANT Only there's no business like it, no business I know. Valiant watches an ALLIGATOR in a rebel uniform dragging a brace of cannons and several TOADSTOOLS parade by. MAROON Yeah, and there's no business as expensive. I'm twenty-five grand over budget on the latest Bunnysitter cartoon and it's all because that rabbit can't keep his mind on his work. And you know why? VALIANT One too many safes dropped on his head? MAROON Nah, that goes with the territory. He's a stunt bunny. Maroon takes a copy of the "Hollywood Tattler" out of his pocket. MAROON (continuing) Here's the problem... (reads) "Seen cooing over calamari with notsonew Sugar Daddy was Jessica Rabbit... wife of Maroon star, Roger". (looks up) His wife's a tramp, but he thinks she's Betty Crocker. The doubt's eatin' him up. VALIANT So what do you want me to do? MAROON Get me a couple juicy pictures. Somethin' I can wise the rabbit up with. VALIANT I don't work in Toontown. MAROON You don't have to. The rabbit's wife sings at an underground Toon revue joint called The Ink & Paint Club. You can catch her in action there. VALIANT The job's gonna cost you a hundred bucks. MAROON A hundred bucks? That's ridiculous. VALIANT So's the job. Valiant starts to walk away. MAROON All right, all right... You got your hundred bucks. Maroon turns, snaps his fingers. His Assistant appears out of nowhere with Maroon's checkbook and a pen. The Assistant turns and stoops so that Maroon can write the check on his back. MAROON (continuing) Fifty now, fifty when you deliver the pictures. Maroon tears the check off and hands it to Valiant. Suddenly Valiant ducks in reflex to a large shadow that passes overhead. MAROON (continuing; chuckles) Kinda jumpy aren't you, Valiant? It's just Dumbo. ABOVE THEIR HEADS - DUMBO swoops back and forth, then hovers, ears flapping like a hummingbird. MAROON I got him on loan from Disney. VALIANT Aren't you the lucky one... Valiant grabs the check from Maroon and starts for the gate. MAROON When will I hear from you? VALIANT As soon as is humanly possible. We FOLLOW Valiant out the gate under a wrought iron sign that reads "Maroon Cartoon Studios". As he starts across the road he's almost run over by a Toon roadster that ROARS out of the gates. When it BLASTS ITS HORN, it's the FIRST FIVE NOTES from the WOODY WOODPECKER SONG: "HA-HA-HA-HA-HA". Valiant jumps back as the roadster passes. WOODY THE WOODPECKER'S behind the wheel with a self-important smile on his face. Valiant angrily waves the cloud of Toon dust away. VALIANT (coughs) Damn Toons. ACROSS THE STREET - A TROLLEY CAR is slowing to a stop in front of the studio. It's a Pacific and Electric "Red Car", part of a vast system of electric trollies that once criss-crossed the L.A. Basin. Valiant steps onto the "Red Car". He reaches into his pocket to give the CONDUCTOR his nickel fare. But he comes up with a handful of lint. He holds out the check. CONDUCTOR What do I look like, a bank? The Conductor jerks his thumb toward the door. Valiant suffers the public humiliation,of having to step down past the rest of the boarding passengers. He walks around to the back of the Red Car where a gang of TEN-YEAR-OLDS are loitering. When the BELL SOUNDS and the Red Car starts to pull away, the Kids make a dash for a place on the cow catcher. Valiant joins them. We HOLD as the Red Car moves away and the street urchins regard their older partner in crime with curiosity. DISSOLVE TO: A BILLBOARD SIGN It reads: "L.A.'s Pacific and Electric Red Car -- America's Finest Public Transportation System". PAN DOWN to see that the sign is on the roof of the trolley terminal. Red Cars are going in and out of the shed. MOVE IN on one car approaching the terminal from down the street. As it passes by... VALIANT hops off his freeloader's seat on the back, KID So long, mister. Valiant waves laconically. VALIANT Thanks for the cigarettes. We FOLLOW Valiant as he crosses the street to a seedy bungalow. A note is push-pinned to the door. CLOSE - NOTE It says: "Tomorrow's Friday... Well? Dolores". VALIANT takes the note and walks back across the street toward the terminal. He climbs up a flight of stairs, heading for a bar on the mezzanine. The bar sports a red neon sign that used to blink, "The Terminal Station Bar". But now it just says, "Terminal". INT. TERMINAL BAR - DAY The place must have been pretty swanky at the turn of the century when it was built in the first burst of enthusiasm over the new public transportation system. It's in the motif of a trolley car. There's a large map on the wail above the bar showing all the different lines. Behind the bar is DOLORES. If you scraped off all the makeup, you'd find an attractive woman in her late thirties. She ministers to a rag-tag assortment of Hollywood low-lifes -- who are truly at the end of the line. VALIANT enters this den, lets his eyes adjust for a moment, then bellies up to the bar. He finds a spot between a ONE-ARMED BLACK SOLDIER and a MIDGET stretched out on the bar passed out. Now a TROLLEY RUMBLES underneath them. The bar starts to shake like an earthquake, the lights flicker. All the drinkers, observing a time honored ritual, lift their glasses simultaneously to avoid spilling any drops. Even the Midget lifts his head until the trolley has passed. Valiant reaches over the bar and blind-grabs a bottle of rye he obviously knows is there. He pours himself a shot. VALIANT Hey, fellas, what's the good word? SOLDIER Lost my job. An ARTHRITIC COWBOY pipes up. COWBOY Mule died. A DEAF-MUTE scribbles a note on a pad hanging around his neck. He hands the note to Valiant. It says "My girl dumped me". Valiant pats him on the back, consoling. VALIANT Well, you know what they say about dames, Augie... Then Valiant mouths the rest of it for Augie's benefit only. Augie reads his lips, then starts to roar silently, slapping his thigh. Now Dolores makes her way down the bar. She grabs the Midget by the suspenders and slides him out of the way. DOLORES So, makin' dame jokes, huh, Eddie? Well, lemme remind ya pal, it was a dame who took a hundred bucks out of the till so your landlord would't throw you out of your dump. And it was a dame who trusted you for the money when no one else in town would. And it's a dame who's tired of waitin' for you to straighten yourself out and get a job! VALIANT Would this be the same dame who's going to feel awfully foolish when she finds out I've got her money. Valiant slides the check across the bar. Dolores studies it. She calms down a little. DOLORES This is fifty bucks. I need seventy-five before they check the books tomorrow. VALIANT You'll have it in the morning. Now be a sport and lemme have twenty bucks to put in my pocket. DOLORES Is this paper even good? VALIANT Check the scrawl. DOLORES (reads) R.K. Maroon. Now ANGELO, a Neanderthal sitting a few stools down, is tapping the shell of a hardboiled egg. ANGELO Maroon? Valiant, don't tell me you're workin' for a Toon? Who's your client? Chilly Willy or Screwy Squirrel? Angelo chuckles at his own joke and goes to eat his egg. Suddenly Valiant darkens. He grabs Angelo by the shirt and pulls him up to his face. VALIANT Get this straight, greaseball. I'm not workin' for a Toon! I'd never work for a Toon! Got that? Valiant jams the whole egg into Angelo's mouth, turns and storms out the door. Angelo sputters and spits out the egg. ANGELO What's his problem? DOLORES Toon killed his brother. EXT. INK & PAINT CLUB - NIGHT Valiant knocks on the door of, a non-descript building in a run-down factory area. A speakeasy style peephole slides open REVEALING the face of a TOON GORILLA. Valiant offers the password. VALIANT Walt sent me. The peephole slides closed and after a beat the door swings open. INT. CLUB The Gorilla, dressed in a tux, gives Valiant the once over. Valiant resents the assessment. VALIANT Like your monkey suit. GORILLA Wise ass... We FOLLOW Valiant down the hall toward the main room. We can HEAR LAUGHTER and ZANY MUSIC from within. INT. MAIN ROOM When Valiant steps through the doorway, we see the place is no dive. It's a white tablecloth nightclub on a par with the El Morroco or the Garden of Allah. Behind the bar A CATERPILLAR BARTENDER is using his many arms to shake and pour several drinks at once. Meanwhile a dozen PENGUIN WAITERS are gliding back and forth along the tables serving drinks to the well-heeled crowd. ON STAGE DONALD DUCK and DAFFY DUCK are seated opposite each other at matching grand pianos. What begins as a decorous Duck duet on a Tchaikovsky piece (complete with knuckle-cracking, seat-spinning preparations) quickly accelerates to a loony game of one-upsmanship between these two irascible Ducks. There is keyboard stomping, lid-banging, piano wire plucking zaniness. THE AUDIENCE is HOWLING. People are wiping the tears from their eyes they're laughing so hard. All except... VALIANT He lights a cigarette impassively, not humored by the Toon hijinx. He spots an empty table off to the side and makes his way towards it. A SILLY GEEZER in a loud suit is at the next table. The Geezer nods to him soberly as Valiant pulls Out the chair and sits down. A LOUD FLATULENCE SOUND erupts from under Valiant. The Geezer slaps his thigh with the hilarity of it all. GEEZER Will you listen to that? It's a pip! I'm thinking of callin' it a Whoopee Cushion. Valiant reaches under himself and comes up holding a deflated rubber bladder. The Geezer retrieves it from him. GEEZER (continuing) No hard feelings, I hope. Put 'er there... The Geezer grabs Valiant's hand before he can say no. We HEAR A BUZZ. Valiant retracts his hand as if shocked. The Geezer howls with laughter and turns his palm to Eddie. GEEZER (continuing) Hand buzzer... real gasser. Valiant rolls his eyes and grabs a Penguin as it glides by. VALIANT Scotch. PENGUIN There's a two drink minimum. VALIANT Just as long as there's no maximum. GEEZER Waiter, I'll sign my check now. The Penguin puts a bill down on the Geezer's table and zips off. The Geezer takes a fountain pen out of his jacket and writes on the bill. But there doesn't seem to be any ink coming out. He shakes and shakes the pen to get it flowing. It flows all right. Ink splatters all over Valiant's shirt and pants. Valiant looks down at the stain, doing a slow burn. The Geezer starts laughing. Valiant jumps up and grabs him by the lapels. VALIANT That's it for you, pops! GEEZER (freaked) Calm down, son. Look, the ink is gone. Valiant looks down at his shirt. The stain is gone. GEEZER (continuing) See? It disappears. VALIANT Well, why don't you make like the ink? Valiant drops him into his chair and returns to his seat. The Penguin glides up with his drinks. Valiant swallows the first one with one quick jerk of the head. ON STAGE Donald and Daffy's PIANO COMPETITION has reached a CRESCENDO of mayhem. They've got the axes out, and in time with the MUSIC they reduce their pianos to matchsticks. At the completion of the piece, they step to the front of the stage and with great decorum, arms around each other, they take their bows. The curtain comes down to GREAT APPLAUSE. We HEAR SFX of CRASHING AND BASHING backstage. Now from behind Valiant, we HEAR a familiar high-pitched VOICE. CIGARETTE GIRL Cigars... cigarettes... Eddie? Valiant turns to see BETTY BOOP standing with a box of tobacco wares strapped around her neck. In contrast to all the other Toons, Betty's in black and white. BETTY BOOP (continuing) Gee, it's swell to see you, Eddie. We miss you in Toontown. VALIANT Wish I could say the same. What're you doin' here, Betty? BETTY BOOP Work's been slow for me since the cartoons went to color. But I still got it, Eddie... (sings) 'Boop boop be-doop'. VALIANT Yeah, you still got it, Betty. (indicates Geezer) Who's Mr. Jocularity? BETTY BOOP (leans in) That's Marvin Acme, the gag king. VALIANT Shoulda guessed. BETTY BOOP He comes here every night to see Jessica Rabbit. VALIANT Big on the musical comedy, huh? BETTY BOOP Sounds like you ve never seen her, Eddie. Now the lights dim and Betty moves on. ON STAGE the dour DROOPY walks out with the spotlight following him. He's the evening's emcee. DROOPY (deadpan) Hello, everybody. I hope you're all having as much fun as I am. I have a small announcement to make. Jessica Rabbit will not be able to sing tonight. There's a ROAR OF DISAPPROVAL from the men in the crowd. They shower him with debris. DROOPY (continuing; deadpan) I was merely jesting. Without further ado... here's woman times two, Toontown's own chanteuse par excellance... Jessica Rabbit! There is excited APPLAUSE as the lights dim. A TOON COMBO made up of CROWS in shades STRIKES UP the intro to the smokey song, "Why Don't You Do Right". A spotlight hits the curtain. Now a curvaceous leg pokes out, teasingly. The crowd goes wild as the rest of the body belonging to the leg emerges. JESSICA RABBIT is a generously endowed red-headed bombshell. She's a humanoid Toon... in her case, more beautiful than human. Her figure is testimony to what a guy can do with a pencil and a fertile imagination, REACTION - VALIANT This is not quite the bunny he expected Roger to be married to. His jaw drops. And his reaction is mirrored all around the room. The men are panting so hard you couldn't keep a match lit. CLOSEUP - JESSICA as she steps to the mike. JESSICA RABBIT (sings) 'You had plenty of money back in '22 You let other woman make a fool of you Why don't you do right. Like some other men do... Get out of here and Get me the money too...' Jessica takes the mike and comes off the stage. Slinkily. she wanders among the tables, teasing the men as she goes. Now there's a HOWL from behind Valiant. A Tex Avery type TOON WOLF, who came masquerading as a human, couldn't help but show his true colors at the sight of Jessica. He HOWLS as if it were a full moon. His tongue rolls out of his head and piles up on the floor like so much clothesline. His eyeballs telescope out of his head. And finally, the Wolf levitates and snaps rigid like an open jacknife. As the Wolf makes a rush for the stage, the Gorilla Bouncer grabs him by the suspenders. The Wolf, legs spinning madly, practically knocks Valiant's table over as he grabs at Jessica. But the Wolf has come to the end of his suspenders. He snaps back toward the Gorilla who is holding an anvil in front of the suspenders. CLANG! The Wolf hits the anvil and slides to the floor. The Gorilla calmly whisks him into a dustpan and carries him out. JESSICA like all good saloon singers, has continued her act undaunted. JESSICA RABBIT (singing) 'Why don't you do right. Like some other men do...' She sashays over to the Geezer's table. Teasingly, she swirls the whisps of white hair onto his head into a Dairy Queen. He giggles gleefully and makes a grab at Jessica. But she slips out of his grasp like mercury. JESSICA RABBIT (continuing) 'You ain't got no money Ain't got no use for you...' Now Jessica works her way over to Eddie. She stops at his table and sings tauntingly. Then with a flourish, she throws herself in his lap, and belts out the finale. JESSICA RABBIT (continuing) 'So get out of here... And get me the money toooo!' There is RAUCOUS APPLAUSE when she finishes. Jessica looks deep into Eddie's eyes. JESSICA RABBIT (continuing) Thanks for your lap. Before Eddie can reply, she jumps off, and slinks offstage, leaving Eddie a pile of human wreckage. Valiant slugs the rest of his drink down to put out the fire in his libido. When the lights come up, Valiant looks over to where Acme is slicking down his eyebrows and patting his hair down. He stands, picks up a bouquet of roses from the chair beside him, and as he passes Valiant's table, gives him a big wink. Valiant watches Acme disappear backstage. He stands, drops a couple bucks on the table, and follows after him. BACKSTAGE Valiant steps past the curtain, keeping a discreet distance. He follows Marvin Acme down a corridor and around the corner. Acme stops and knocks on a dressing room door. After a moment, it opens and Acme goes inside. Valiant checks over his shoulder, but the backstage area is empty. He eases over to the door and puts his eye to the keyhole. POV THROUGH KEYHOLE Jessica is seated at her dressing table. Acme is on his knees next to her, kissing his way up her gloved hand, eyes closed in ecstasy. Jessica takes her hand out of the glove and starts combing her hair, leaving Marvin kissing a suspended Toon glove. ANGLE ON VALIANT while he continues his peeping. The Gorilla bouncer sneaks up behind him. GORILLA Hey, whaddaya think you're doin', chump? VALIANT Who're you callin' chump, chimp? The Gorilla smiles sadistically when he recognizes Valiant. GORILLA Oh, it's da comedian... The Gorilla grabs Valiant by the belt and lifts him off the ground. He opens the fire door and heaves Valiant out. EXT. ALLEY - NIGHT Valiant comes flying out the door and CRASHES into a bunch of garbage cans in the alley. The Gorilla stands in the doorvay regarding the dazed Valiant. GORILLA And don't lemme catch your peepin' face around here again. Got it? VALIANT Ooga-booga. The Gorilla slams the door. Valiant picks himself up out of the garbage. He brushes himself off, then starts down the alley toward the rear of the building. We FOLLOW him around the corner where he stops under Jessica's dressing room window. He drags over a milk crate to stand on, takes a small camera out of his pocket and opens the bellows. He stands on the crate and aims the camera through the corner of the window, as we HEAR the MUFFLED CONVERSATION from within. ACME (O.S.) Are we going to play pattycake tonight? JESSICA RABBIT (0.5.) Marvin, I have a headache... ACME (O.S.) (hurt) But you promised... JESSICA RABBIT (O.S.) Oh, all right. But this time take that hand buzzer off... Valiant's eyes widen in disgust. VALIANT Jesus Christ... As he starts CLICKING pictures... CUT TO: EXT. MAROON STUDIO - LATE NIGHT There's one light on in the Administration building. INT. MAROON'S OFFICE - NIGHT It's a large art deco office with walls covered with photos of Maroon and various celebrities, human and Toon. R.K. Maroon is seated behind his desk. Standing nearby is Valiant. They are both regarding a hysterical Roger Rabbit, who's holding a set of 8 x lO glossies. He's WAILING and CRYING, Toon tears flooding off him in a torrent. ROGER RABBIT Pattycake! Pattycake! VALIANT Baker's man... but no use ruinin' a good pair of shoes over it. ANGLE ON RUG Roger's tears have formed a puddle around the desk. Valiant lifts a well-worn oxford and shakes the water off it. MAROON hands Roger his handkerchief. Roger AAH-OO-GA'S his nose. MAROON Take comfort, son, you're not the first man whose wife played pattycake on him. ROGER RABBIT I don't believe it. I won't believe it. MAROON The pictures don't lie. Mr. Valiant here took them himself. Roger takes another look at the pictures. CLOSE - PHOTOS They're shots of Jessica Rabbit and Marvin Acme seated knee to knee, caught in the act of slapping palms... really playing pattycake. BACK TO SCENE Maroon gets up and crosses to a bar table set up by the window. He pours a drink from a crystal decanter as Roger starts sobbing again. ROGER RABBIT But Jessy... she's the light of my life, the apple of my eye, the cream in my coffee... Valiant eyes the booze longingly as he mutters to himself. VALIANT Well, you better start thinkin' about drinkin' it black. MAROON Frankly, I'm shocked. Marvin Acme's been my friend and neighbor for thirty years. Maroon gestures out the window. We see a blinking neon sign on the roof of the building across the street -- "Acme - If It's Acme - It's A Gasser!" MAROON (continuing) Who would have thought he was the Sugar Daddy? Maroon turns and carries the drink to Roger. Meanwhile, Valiant sidles over to the bar to help himself. MAROON (continuing) Well, the important thing now Roger, is to put all this behind you. (hands him drink) Drink this, son, you'll feel better. Roger takes the glass and shoots it down in one gulp. MAROON (continuing) I know this all seems painful now, but you'll find someone new. Won't he, Mr, Valiant? Eddie has just picked up the decanter to pour one for himself. VALIANT (over shoulder) Oh, yeah. Good lookin' guy like him. Dames'll be breakin' his door down. CLOSE - ROGER The booze is taking its effect. There's a RUMBLE like a volcano about to erupt. Suddenly Roger's head turns into a Toon steam whistle SHRIEKING. The HIGH PITCH causes glass objects in the room to SHATTER... including the crystal decanter that Valiant's holding in his hand. It EXPLODES, soaking his suit with booze. Valiant looks down at the damage, completely exasperated. VALIANT Son-of-a-bitch... (turns) Mr. Maroon, I think I'll be goin' now, so about the rest of my fee... MAROON Sure, Valiant, sure... Maroon sits at the desk and writes a check. MAROON Being experienced in these matrimonial matters, you have any advice for our friend here? Valiant crosses to the desk and takes the check. VALIANT My advice? Hop on over to Reno, get yourself a quickie divorce. ROGER RABBIT Divorce? Never! Suddenly Roger jumps onto Maroon's desk and grabs Valiant by the lapels. ROGER RABBIT Marriage is a two-way street and we're just experiencing a detour! Jessica and I are going to get back together. We're going to be happy! H-A-P-P-I! Roger zips off the desk and CRASHES out the window, leaving a rabbit outline in the glass... backlit by the blinking Acme sign. Maroon and Valiant walk to the window and look out the rabbit-shaped hole in the window. VALIANT At least he took it well. INT. VALIANT'S BUNGALOW - CLOSE - EMPTY BOOZE BOTTLE - EARLY MORNING PULL BACK TO REVEAL the bottle's on the floor next to the couch Valiant's passed out on. He's still dressed in his clothes. PAN the small studio apartment. In the kitchen/alcove, Valiant has created a makeshift darkroom. We see a curtain on a clothesline. Various trays, and some pictures clipped up on clothespins. The pictures depict Jessica Rabbit and Marvin Acme in various states of pattycake. Now there is LOUD POUNDING on the door. But it doesn't break through VaLiant's subconscious for several seconds. Finally, he rouses, gets up and walks a crooked line to the door. Valiant opens it and squints into the excruciating sunlight. When his eyes focus, REVEAL a hang-dog POLICE DETECTIVE holding Eddie's morning paper. VALIANT Lieutenant Santino... how ya doin'? Santino ignores the question and regards Valiant with a mixture of disgust and pity. LT. SANTINO Tell me you didn't do a snoop job for a Toon named Roger the Rabbit. VALIANT That's what you woke me up for? Santino flops open the morning paper. Valiant's eyes narrow as he reads it. The headline screams: "TOON KILLS MAN!" And underneath: "Marvin Acme Murdered at the Hands of Jealous Rabbit". Santino throws the paper on the sofa. LT. SANTINO You got trouble, Eddie. EXT. ACME FACTORY - DAY An L.A. police car turns into the yard of the Acme factory and pulls up in front of the old factory building. There's all kinds of official activity in the yard... cop cars, a Coroner's truck, etcetera. Valiant and Santino get out of the police car. Santino starts into the factory. But he realizes Valiant's not following him. He turns to see Valiant looking over the wall behind the factory, transfixed. LT. SANTINO Now what? VALIANT Just haven't been this close to Toontown for awhile. VALIANT'S POV The sky above the wall is a different color, a little bit more vibrant, a "Toon Blue", you might call it. SANTINO walks back and takes Valiant's arm. LT. SANTINO Let's go, somebody wants to see you. Santino leads Valiant into the factory. INT. FACTORY - DAY It's a large warehouse filled with stacks of Toon gags,.. boxes of dynamite, giant slingshots, boulders, everything you've ever seen in a Roadrunner cartoon. Santino stops where a large black safe is imbedded at a cockeyed angle in the floor. A FORENSIC TEAM is at work around the safe. They're chalking the outline around a body half obscured by the safe. LT. SANTINO They say the rabbit got the safe idea from a cartoon he was makin' the other day. VALIANT What a gasser. LT. SANTINO Wait here... Santino walks to Acme's glassed office where a sobbing Jessica Rabbit is being interrogated. We can only see her, not the person doing the interrogating. Valiant sidles over to where the Forensic Guys are dusting the photographs he had taken for prints. One of the Forensic Guys looks up from his work. FORENSIC #1 Say, didn't you used to be Eddie Valiant? Valiant ignores the slings and arrows and surveys the scene of the crime. The door of the safe is ajar. Valiant tries to look inside. Forensic #2 closes the door with his knee. Now we HEAR the VOICE of Jessica Rabbit from behind them. JESSICA RABBIT Mr. Valiant? Valiant turns to the voice. WHAP! Jessica slaps him hard enough across the face to make his head turn. JESSICA RABBIT (continuing) I hope you're proud of yourself. She turns on her heel and storms off, sobbing into a handkerchief. Valiant, rubbing his jaw, looks after her. So do the Forensic Guys. FORENSIC #1 She likes you, Valiant. FORENSIC #2 (low wolf whistle) When they drew her, they broke the pencil. Now two WHITE-JACKETS from the Coroner's office start to carry Acme out on a stretcher. As they pass Valiant, a hand still wearing a Hand Buzzer flops out. Valiant grabs it -- stopping the stretcher. VALIANT Makes you wonder what in the world she was doin' with a guy who didn't clean his fingernails. CLOSE - HAND Imbedded under the fingernails is a reddish-brown substance. FORENSIC #1 So... it's blood. VALIANT peels a piece of it off... it chips and falls to the ground. He squats to examine it. VALIANT It's not blood, it's paint. Suddenly the end of a cane comes down on Valiant's hand, pinning it to the floor. Valiant follows the cane UP to it's gavel-shaped head -- past black pants, a black robe, to a cadaver-like complected face, and a large hooked proboscis. The head is shaved. Rimless tinted glasses obscure the eyes. Although he's human, the total appearance is frighteningly vulture-like. JUDGE DOOM is accompanied by Santino. DOOM Is this man removing evidence from the scene of a crime? LT. SANTINO (deferential) Uh... no, Judge Doom. Valiant here was just about to hand it over, weren't you, Valiant? DOOM I'll take that. Doom takes his cane off Eddie's hand and reaches out for the paint chip. Valiant palms a piece and drops a smaller piece into Doom's hand. Doom examines it. DOOM (continuing) Looks like the deceased grabbed a handful of your client's pantaloons, Mr. Valiant. Valiant stands to face the Judge, who towers over him. VALIANT He's not my client. I was workin' for R.K. Maroon. DOOM Yes, we talked to Mr. Maroon. He told us the rabbit became quite agitated when you showed him the pictures, and said nothing would stand in the way of him getting his wife back. Is that true? VALIANT Hey, pal, do I look like a stenographer? LT. SANTINO Watch your mouth, Eddie, he's a judge. Doom smiles thinly at Valiant, tarns and walks with purpose towards the door. Santino and Valiant follow. DOOM The rabbit's movements are fairly clear after leaving the Maroon Studios. He ran across the street, jimmied this door open, hoisted the safe on a block and tackle... EXT. ACME FACTORY Doom leads them outside and indicates a window. DOOM ... then stood out here waiting for his prey. After he cold-bloodedly accomplished his task, he went home. He was almost apprehended there by my men. Doom nods his head toward a group of sinister WEASLES (a la Disney's "Wind In The Willows"). They're loitering by a dogcatcher's wagon with "Toontown Control" on the side, cleaning their fingernails with switchblades and polishing Toon revolvers. VALIANT Men? They look more like weasles to me. DOOM Yes, I find that weasles have a special gift for the work. (turns back to Valiant) The rabbit didn't contact you by any chance, did he? VALIANT Why would he contact me? I just took some lousy pictures. DOOM So you wouldn't have any idea where he might be? VALIANT Have you tried Walla Walla? Kokomo's very nice this time of year. Doom steps into Valiant's face. DOOM I'm surprised you aren't more cooperative, Mr. Valiant. A human has been murdered by a Toon. Don't you appreciate the magnitude of that? My goal as Judge of Toontown, has been to rein in the insanity. To bring a semblance of law and order to a place where no civilized person has ever been able to step foot. The only way to do that is to make the Toons respect the law. Suddenly a "YA-HA-HOOEY" interrupts his pontification, as a scruffy little TOON GOPHER comes hurtling over the wall from the Toontown side. He's holding his blackened rear end... apparently the result of a run-in with a stick of dynamite. BONK! The Gopher hits Doom in the back of the head, sending them both sprawling. The Gopher picks himself up and shakes off the effects of the concusion. When he sees who he's knocked down, he panics. GOPHER (petrified) Judge Doom! Here, let me get that for ya. He whips a clothes brush out of his back pocket and furiously tries to clean the Judge's cloak. Doom picks up the Gopher by the scruff of the neck and gets to his feet. DOOM Why, you filthy little vagrant, you've soiled my robe! GOPHER It's cleanin' up real good. Judge. DOOM You've defiled a symbol of justice. As Doom carries the Gopher to the "Toontown Control" wagon, Valiant shoots a look to Santino. VALIANT (aside) Where'd this gargoyle come from anyway? LT. SANTINO No one knows. He bought the election a few years back. He's been rulin' Toontown ever since. When Doom gets to the wagon, the Weasles open up the back. In place of steel bars is a stream of fluid. A Weasle turns a key and the flow of liquid stops. The Gopher starts kicking furiously, trying to avoid the lock-up. GOPHER Oh, no, Judge, please, please, lemme go. I think I hear my mother callin' me. Finally, the Gopher breaks free and makes a desperate dash for the wall. Doom watches him run and calmly turns to where his car is parked. It's a black Lincoln touring car with an ugly bird-like hood ornament. DOOM Voltaire... the Gopher! Suddenly. the hood ornament SQUAWKS to life. It's a hideous TOON VULTURE. The Vulture flaps into flight. Just as the Gopher is about to make it over the top of the wall the Vulture's talons sink into his rear end and lift him airborne. The Vulture drops the Gopher off with the Weasles. They pin him down. GOPHER Hey, don't I have any rights? DOOM Yes, you do... to a swift and speedy trial. One of the Weasles retrieves a briefcase from the sedan, puts it on the hood and snaps it open. Twelve TOON KANGAROOS pop up, arranged in a jury box. DOOM (continuing) Court is now in session. He raps the Gopher on the head with the gavel end of his cane. DOOM (continuing) The defendant is charged with vagrancy, assault and resisting arrest. How do you find him? The Kangaroo court delivers the verdict instantly. Twelve LITTLE KANGAROOS pop up out of their Momma's pouches, holding up small cards, each with a letter spelling Y-O-U A-R-E G-U-I-L-T-Y. DOOM (continuing) Guilty as charged. Case closed! Doom slams the briefcase shut. He turns his attention back to the Gopher. DOOM (continuing) I hereby sentence you to the dip! GOPHER Oh no, not the dip! Anything but the dip! I'm too young to die... As the Judge pulls on a black rubber glove, the Weasles take out a stainless steel tub WHEEZING with sadistic glee. They fill it from a spigot on the truck. VALIANT What's with the dip? LT. SANTINO That's how he gets rid of the troublemakers. It's a combination of acetone, turpentine and paint remover. He calls it the... Final Solution. THE GOPHER is wriggling and SCREAMING bloody murder as Doom lifts him up and holds him over the tub. Then, as he's lowered into the solution, he starts to disappear. His pathetic SCREAMS are snuffed MID-YELP. GOPHER Help! Help! He... The Gopher's gone. All that's left of him is a paint slick on the surface of the liquid. VALIANT Jesus. Doom pulls off the black rubber gloves finger by finger and hands them to a Weasle. He turns to Valiant. DOOM They're not kid gloves, Mr. Valiant. but that's how we handle things in Toontown. I would think you'd appreciate that. He gets into his car, he pauses and looks back at Valiant. DOOM (continuing) After all, didn't a Toon kill your brother? INT. TERMINAL BAR - DAY Dolores is behind the bar cutting lemon peels and preparing for the day's bartending. There's one early customer, a grey-haired TROLLEYMAN in his Red Car uniform. His hat's on the stool next to him and he's already drunk. The door opens. It's Valiant. He walks over to the bar, reaches for a bottle and a shot glass and helps himself. Dolores picks up a copy of the morning paper. DOLORES Hey, Eddie, looks like you really stepped in it this time. VALIANT What are you complaining about? Here's your fifty bucks. Valiant slides the check across the bar. TROLLEYMAN (mumbling to himself) Thirty-five years and all I got to show for it is a ticket punch. VALIANT What's with Earl? DOLORES A new outfit bought the Red Car. Some big company called Cloverleaf Industries. VALIANT No kiddin'? Bought the Red Cars, huh? DOLORES Bastards put him on notice. Valiant picks up his glass. lifts it in toast to the Trolleyman. VALIANT Here's to the pencil pushers. May they all get lead poisoning. Now the Trolleyman unsteadily climbs up on his stool to get close to the Holy Grail... the Red Car route map over the bar. TROLLEYMAN (wistfully) The old Number Six Line... who'da thought they'd close that one down? DOLORES Eddie, get him down from there. He's gonna break his neck. Eddie grabs Earl around the legs and throws him over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes. He carries him over to a booth and puts him down carefully, covering him with a tablecloth. TROLLEYMAN Took you right to Toontown, it did. VALIANT I know, I know... poor S.O.B. Valiant walks back to his drink at the bar. DOLORES Do you think the rabbit did it? VALIANT I don't wanna think. I wanna drink. VOICE (O.S.) Make that a round. Valiant and Dolores look down the bar, but there's no one there. Finally the familiar cowlick of Baby Herman rises to the top of the bar as he clambers up a barstool. DOLORES We don't serve formula. Snookums. BABY HERMAN You serve martinis, doncha? DOLORES Yeah... Baby Herman slides his baby bottle down the bar to Dolores. BABY HERMAN Make it dry. Baby doesn't like to be wet. (to Valiant) You're Valiant, right? The name's Baby Herman. VALIANT I know who you are. Kinda out of your neighborhood, aren't you? BABY HERMAN Yeah, I had to go slummin'. See, a friend of mine's bein' framed. VALIANT You mean the rabbit? They got him cold. BABY HERMAN You don't believe that. I mean. the guy's an idiot, a moron, a complete fool... but he'd never kill anyone. I know the guy. Dolores brings Baby Herman his baby bottle cocktail. BABY HERMAN (continuing) Thanks, doll. When Dolores turns around, Baby Herman pats her on the bottom. DOLORES (over her shoulder) Oh, a ladies man, huh? BABY HERMAN (sotto voce; to Valiant) My problem is I got a fifty-year-old lust and a three-year-old dinkie. VALIANT My problem is I come here to drink in peace. So if you don't mind... BABY HERMAN C'mon, Valiant, doesn't this whole thing smell a bit funny to you? I mean, no offense, but how did a mucky-muck like R.K. Maroon find you in the first place? DOLORES (chiming in) Yeah, Eddie, it's not like you got an ad in the Yellow Pages. VALIANT Thanks for the vote of confidence. BABY HERMAN And another thing, the paper said no will was found. But every Toon knows Acme had a will and, in it he promised to leave Toontown to the Toons. VALIANT So where is it then? BABY HERMAN Somebody took it from him. That's what this whole thing's about. DOLORES The papers said the safe door was opened, Eddie. VALIANT Stick to stuffin' the olives, willya, Dolores? BABY HERMAN My hunch is it was Maroon. He always was after Acme's property. VALIANT Yeah? Does he wear pants this color? Valiant takes the paint chip out of his pocket and dangles it in front of Baby Herman. BABY HERMAN No. But neither does Roger. That's Diablo Red. Roger's pants are Sunrise Orange. DOLORES Well, I'll be... BABY HERMAN So what's your next move, Valiant? VALIANT My next move? That's easy. I'm gettin' up, and I'm walkin' out the door, and I'm goin' home to bed. Valiant stands. DOLORES So you're not even gonna bother to find out if the rabbit's gettin' framed? VALIANT He's a Toon... who cares? Baby Herman shakes his head sorrowfully. As Valiant heads for the door, Dolores whaps her towel down on the bar. DOLORES Well, you used to care, Eddie. And it didn t matter if a client's skin was black, white, or painted! Valiant ignores her and walks out the door. INT. VALIANT'S HOUSE - DAY Eddie comes in the door with his coat over his shoulder. He tosses the jacket over the chair and walks to the Murphy bed. He grabs the strap, and loosening his tie, walks away from the wall, pulling the bed down. What he doesn't see is... ROGER RABBIT asleep in the bed. VALIANT still with his back to Roger, sits down exhaustedly on the bed and kicks off his shoes. He lies back and pulls the covers over him. He closes his eyes, rolls over to get comfortable. Now he and Roger are nose-to-nose. They both open their eyes at the same time. They freak. VALIANT (screams) Aah! ROGER RABBIT (screams) Aah! They both jump out of the bed. VALIANT What the hell are you doin'? ROGER RABBIT I needed a place to hide. I'm in trouble, Eddie. VALIANT So I hear. Even talkin' to you could get me a rap for aiding and abetting. ROGER RABBIT Don't worry, Eddie, no one knows I'm here. VALIANT Oh, yeah? Then how'd you find my house? ROGER RABBIT Well, I asked the newsboy on the corner. He didn't know. Then I asked a janitor, the fireman and finally the green grocer down the way. He was very helpful. VALIANT In other words, the whole goddamn world knows you're here! Out! Get out! Eddie tries to open the door, but Roger blocks it spider-like, arms and legs extended. ROGER RABBIT Please, Eddie, don't put me out. I didn't do it, I swear. Valiant gives up trying to open the door and grabs Roger. He pulls and he pulls. Finally Roger snaps off like a broken rubber band. The two of them go tumbling backward. Valiant makes a grab for Roger but he slips out of his grasp like quicksilver. ROGER RABBIT (continuing) Sure I wanted to win Jessy back, but not that way. Valiant lunges again. Roger dodges. ROGER RABBIT (continuing) After I left you, I went to see her at the Ink & Paint Club. Valiant picks himself up and tries to catch his breath. ROGER RABBIT (continuing) She was on stage, so I found a piece of paper and wrote her a love letter. Roger pulls a piece of paper out of his pocket and starts reading. ROGER RABBIT (continuing) 'Dear Jessy. How do I love thee? Let me count the ways. 1-1000, 2-1000, 3-1000... Valiant leaps for Roger and gets bim by the throat. He rips the paper out of Roger's hand and crumples it up and throws it down. He opens the door, throws Roger outside and quickly slams the door shut. He leans against it, breathing hard. Suddenly, Roger comes through the mail slot like a limbo dancer. Valiant, too tired to chase him, just watches him. ROGER RABBIT (continuing) Hey, that wasn't very nice. He retrieves the love letter, straightens it and puts it back in his pocket. ROGER RABBIT (continuing) It took me almost an hour to compose that. But I decided not to leave it anyway. I'd read it in person, that was my plan. Valiant crosses to the kitchen area where the dark room is still set up. He opens the cabinet under the sink and comes out with a bottle of Scotch. He takes a shot glass and pours himself one. VALIANT Look, pal, if you're still here when I finish this drink, I'm callin' the police. ROGER RABBIT Don't do that! I'm innocent I tell ya. The police'll just dip me. They were waitin' for me when I got home last night. I ran. VALIANT If you're so innocent, why'd you run? ROGER RABBIT Gee, Eddie, I'm a rabbit. We always run. Valiant shoots the drink down and holds up the empty glass. VALIANT That's it. He crosses to the phone on the counter. He lifts the receiver and starts to dial. ROGER RABBIT Well, this is the moment of truth! And I've spoken the truth, but you won't believe the truth. So I guess the truth is my goose is cooked, my hash is slung. my fait is accompli. As Valiant finishes dialing, he idly puts the empty shot glass down on a photograph on the counter. ROGER RABBIT (continuing) Won't anything change your mind? Valiant turns from the pleading rabbit. Now something he sees on the counter gets his attention. POV THROUGH SHOT GLASS The shot glass is resting on one of the reject pictures of Acme and Jessica. The bottom of the glass is magnifying the back of the exuberant Marvin Acme. Sticking out of his back pocket is a legal folder headed "Last Will and Testament". CLOSE - VALIANT He looks as if the truth has just hit him in the face. VALIANT The goddamn will. VOICE (on phone) L.A.P.D.? Valiant slowly returns the phone to the cradle, ROGER RABBIT You mean you believe me? Now outside we HEAR TIRES SCREECHING to a stop. Roger runs to the window and pulls back the drapes. His eyes bug out of his head. ROGER RABBIT It's Toon Control! Valiant comes to the window and looks out, too. VALIANT'S POV The Toon Control wagon has stopped in front of the house. The Weasles pile out. One of them takes what looks like a butterfly net out of the back. Several others grab violin cases. EDDIE AND ROGER Valiant jerks Roger back behind the curtain. VALIANT Get away from that window. Roger, elated, jumps into Valiant's arms. ROGER RABBIT You're gonna help me? How can I ever thank you? He plants a big wet Toon kiss on Valiant's lips. VALIANT For starters... don't ever kiss me. EXT. BUNGALOW The Weasles are filing up the walk to the front door. The leader pounds on the front door. WEASLE Police... INT. BUNGALOW Valiant puts Roger down. VALIANT I'll talk to 'em. Find a place to hide. Roger zips to the closet door and goes inside. VALIANT (continuing) Not in there. That's the first place they'll look. Valiant goes to the closet and opens the door. REVEAL Roger is now dressed in Eddie's trenchcoat and hat. Playfully, Roger snaps one of the handcuffs onto Eddie's wrist. He's got the Other attached to one of his wrists. ROGER RABBIT Eddie Valiant... you're under arrest! Just kidding... VALIANT You idiot. I lost the key for those cuffs. BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! The KNOCKING is more impatient. Valiant looks to the door. WEASLE (O.S.) Open up! EXT. VALIANT'S DOOR The Weasles open the violin cases and take out real tommy guns and shoulder them in teams of two. Suddenly they unleash a torrent of MACHINE GUN FIRE, making the outline of a weasle in the door with BULLETS. The leader blows on the cut-out and it falls in. The Weasles file through one by one. INT. APARTMENT The Weasles don't bother to look around. They all just start BLASTING. Bullets fly every which way. The barrage destroys Valiant's apartment in a matter of seconds. When the shooting stops and the smoke clears, the Weasles look around. The head Weasle spots blood all over the kitchen floor. WEASLE #1 We got him. But when he looks behind the counter, it's only a shattered ketchup bottle. EXT. REAR OF APARTMENT Eddie and Roger, handcuffed together, are beating it down the alley. Roger, being a rabbit, is beating it a lot faster. He's kicking up dust, his legs are blur. Valiant stumbles trying to keep up. When they round the corner, Roger slams on the brakes, Toon style. Valiant goes skidding past him and is jerked to a stop like a dog on a short leash. VALIANT Hey! What do you think you're doin'? ROGER RABBIT Sorry, Eddie, I forgot you're not a Toon. VALIANT Don't ever forget that. EXT. BUNGALOW - BACK WINDOW - THE WEASLES come piling out the window. They start sniffing the ground. Suddenly one of them freezes on point, like a dog. Another blows a HUNTER'S HORN and they're off on the trail. EXT. STREET - EDDIE AND ROGER emerge from the alley. They pause momentarily to reconnoiter. Eddie decides to go left, Roger right. When they get to the end of the cuffs, they snap back into a pile. Valiant gets back to his feet and hauls Roger up angrily. VALIANT This way, goof... They start across the street. But Roger goes on one side of the Street sign, Eddie the other. Roger coils around it like a tether ball. Valiant yanks Roger off the sign and they duck across the street just as a trolley car passes. THE WEASLES come bloodhounding around the corner. They search the street for signs of the fugitive. But when they get to the trolley tracks, they stop, bewildered. WEASLE #1 Scent's cold. WEASLE #2 Pssst. He points toward the trolley car pulling into the Terminal Station. They fall all over themselves scurrying over to the trolley. They surround it and jump aboard, tommy-gun at the ready. INT. RED CAR The CONDUCTOR raises his hands like it was a hold-up. A couple PASSENGERS scream as the Weasles search the car. But no Roger or Eddie. As quickly as they got on, they get off. EXT. RED CAR as it pulls away. The Weasles look around perplexed. WEASLE #1 Funny... I could swear I smelled rabbit. ANGLE FROM ABOVE Eddie and Roger are balanced on the trolley wire above the Weasles' heads. As the Weasles sniff around the barn, Eddie and Roger ease along the wire, using the wall of the Terminal Bar to lean on. INT. TERMINAL BAR - KITCHEN Dolores is preparing corned beef and cabbage. The RADIO is PLAYING "MARES EAT OATS". A NEWSCASTER breaks into the music. NEWSCASTER News flash... Hollywood. Citywide Toonhunt for Roger Rabbit, suspect in Acme slaying. Police describe him as short, cuddly... and psychotic. Dolores turns just as Roger's grinning face appears in the window. DOLORES (startled) Mother Mary... Now Eddie's face comes into view. He motions for her to open the window. OUTSIDE THE WINDOW Roger and Eddie watch another trolley approach. The contact arm sparks its way along the wire as it rolls along towards them. Valiant watches as Dolores struggles to get the window open. VALIANT Hurry, hurry... At the last second, the window opens. Eddie jumps for the sill, Roger dangling from the cuffs as the trolley passes. INT. KITCHEN Dolores helps pull Valiant through the window. Then he drags Roger inside. DOLORES Jesus, Eddie, is this who I think it is? VALIANT Dolores, meet Roger Rabbit. Roger bows at the waist, takes her hand and kisses it like Charles Boyer ROGER RABBIT Charmed, enchanted, pleasure's all mined. DOLORES Where'd you find him? VALIANT The Toon Fairy left him under my pillow. Now Roger spots a plate of freshly shucked corn. ROGER RABBIT May I? Before she can answer, he grabs an ear, presses it to his lips and applies the typewriter method to it. When he gets to the end of a row, we even HEAR the BING! DOLORES He's a riot. VALIANT Oh, yeah? Well, you're not handcuffed to him. (holds up cuffs) Anybody in the back room? DOLORES It's all yours. We FOLLOW Dolores as she leads Valiant and Roger across the hall. She stops at a door, unlocks it, and leads them in. INT. BACK ROOM It's a tiny storage room/office with an institutional metal desk, a cot, and assorted janitorial supplies stacked around. Dolores shuts and locks the door behind her. Valiant goes to a metal locker and digs through some tools, coming out with a hacksaw. He sits on the cot and starts working on the cuffs. DOLORES So you decided to help him after all? VALIANT I oughta have my head examined. (to Roger) Will you hold still? Roger quiets like a child for a moment as Valiant saws feverishly. Then Roger slips his hand out of the cuff and holds his side while Eddie keeps sawing. ROGER RABBIT Does this help? VALIANT Yeah, that's better. Valiant saws a couple more strokes before the realization of what Roger's done hits him. His face darkens. Roger sees the look and sheepishly tries to recover by sticking his hand back in the cuff. VALIANT You mean to tell me you coulda taken your hand outta that cuff at any time? ROGER RABBIT Well, no, not any time. Only when it was funny. Valiant looks at Roger like he's about to brain him. Roger pulls his hand free again, and cowers out of range. Valiant just rubs his forehead. VALIANT Are you always this funny, or only on days when you're wanted for murder? ROGER RABBIT My philosophy is if you don't have a sense of humor, you're better off dead. VALIANT Yeah... well you just might get your wish. DOLORES Can you get him out of it, Eddie? VALIANT If I can find whoever wanted to kill Acme bad enough to get this. Valiant throws the pattycake picture down on the table. Dolores and Roger both examine it closely. DOLORES Acme's will. ROGER RABBIT So that's what this little drama is all about. VALIANT Yeah. I think Maroon plays the part of the sound mind, your wife the sound body. ROGER RABBIT I resent that innuendo! My wife is completely innocent. VALIANT Your wife may be a lot of things, pal, but innocent isn't one of them. DOLORES So what's the scam, Eddie? VALIANT Maybe Baby Herman was right. Somebody wants Acme's property. Cack the old man, pin it on Roger, and destroy the will. ROGER RABBIT The habeus corpus is thickening. VALIANT Yeah. Except they screwed up. I don't think they got the will. ROGER RABBIT How do you know that? VALIANT Well, Acme had the will in his pocket that night at the club. It was gone in the morning when the cops found the body. DOLORES Maybe they just took it out of his pocket. VALIANT Then why'd they bother to crack the safe? You can drop a Mosler 90 from Mount Baldy and it won't open. ROGER RABBIT Well, Mr. Smarty-Pants Detective, your logic is specious. What prevented Mr. Acme from putting the will back in the safe before they killed him? VALIANT Because he's not forty feet tall. The safe was up on the ceiling, remember? Dolores whistles over his deductions. DOLORES Eddie, you still got it. Hey, tomorrow maybe I'll go down to probate court and see who's sniffin' around Acme's estate? VALIANT Yeah, do that. I'm gonna go rattle Maroon's cage. Valiant finishes sawing the cuffs. He stands and throws the cuffs aside. Valiant and Dolores go to the door. Roger follows them eagerly. ROGER RABBIT What should I do? Who should I see? Where should I go? Valiant turns. VALIANT Nothin', no one, nowhere, He slams the door. INT. POLO LOUNGE - CLOSE - MAROON He's in a booth in the middle of a business lunch. MAROON Maybe money grows on trees in Toontown, but not at the Maroon Studio. WIDEN THE SHOT to REVEAL that Maroon's sharing a booth with BUGS BUNNY and his AGENT. Bugs is chewing on a carrot. BUGS BUNNY Look, Doc, fiduciary considerations aside, Roger Rabbit may have been willing to play second banana to an ankle-biter, but I ain't. ACROSS THE ROOM A MAITRE D' is leading Valiant and Augie, the deaf-mute to a table by the door. VALIANT This'll be fine, huh, Augie? Augie nods his head. They sit and pick up the menus. Augie takes one peek and looks at Valiant, alarmed. He scribbles a note. Valiant reads it. VALIANT Forget about the prices, pal. If you want the shrimp cocktail, you have a shrimp cocktail. (puts menu down) Excuse me, Augie, I've got a little table-hopping to do. Valiant gets up from the table and starts across the room. AT MAROON'S BOOTH AGENT I think you should know, R.K., we're in negotiations for Bugs to star in his own series at Warner Brothers. MAROON Trying to scare up a bidding war between me and Jack Warner, eh? Well, it won't work. I'll call William Morris and I'll have 'em put out a rabbit call the likes of which this town's never seen! BUGS BUNNY It's your dime, Doc. MAROON And stop callin' me Doc! BUGS BUNNY Eh, sure, Doc. Now Valiant arrives, pulls up a chair from next table and sits down. VALIANT Hi, Mr. Maroon. Remember me? MAROON Valiant? What're you doin' here? VALIANT I Just thought I'd drop by and show you a photograph. MAROON I've already seen your photographs. VALIANT Yeah, but I enlarged this one. Thought you might be interested. Valiant takes an enlargement of the pattycake shot and puts it on the table in front of Maroon. We can clearly see the will sticking out of Acme's pocket. VALIANT Anyway... enjoy your lunch. Valiant stands and departs. But his visit has done it's trick. Maroon looks l'ike he's seen a ghost. We FOLLOW Valiant across the room to his table where Augie is blissfully attacking a shrimp cocktail. VALIANT How is that, Augie, pretty good? Augie nods enthusiastically. Valiant keeps an eye on Maroon's booth. Now he nudges Augie as Maroon excuses himself and goes into the phone booth just outside the door. Augie puts his shrimp fork down and picks up his pencil. AUGIE'S POV We see Maroon talk on the phone MOS. As his lips move, Valiant supplies his words. VALIANT (V.O.) It's me. Valiant says there's a will. I don't know what he's trying to pull... BACK TO SCENE Valiant is reading of Augie's pad as Augie reads Maroon's lips, and scribbles down what he says. VALIANT (reading) Somebody's gonna have to take care of him. Augie looks up from his scribbling to exchange an eyebrow raising glance with Valiant. Then he turns back to Maroon again. VALIANT (reading) The old man had it at the club that night. That's right. Yeah, I'm sure. I'll be there. Augie stops writing as Maroon hangs up the phone. VALIANT (continuing; to Augie) Where? Augie shrugs his shoulders. Disappointed, Valiant lights a cigarette. Now Augie elbows him and gestures across at Maroon, who's making another call. Augie starts writing again. VALIANT (continuing; reading) Iris... cancel my appointments this afternoon. I'll be at Forest Lawn. Maroon hangs up the phone and comes out of the phone booth. He hustles out of the room. Valiant stands. VALIANT You did great, Augie. Have another shrimp cocktail. Valiant drops a twenty on the table and pats Augie on the back. EXT. BEVERLY HILLS HOTEL A CARHOP wheels a yellow Packard up in front. Maroon climbs in and ROARS off. Valiant ENTERS THE FRAME. He looks after Maroon, then calmly starts walking down the driveway. EXT. FOREST LAWN CEMETERY - RED CAR STOP - DAY A Red Car pulls up. Valiant climbs off. He calmly crosses the street and ducks behind the cemetery entranceway as Maroon's Packard ROARS through. VALIANT (impressed) Love that Red Car. As Valiant starts to walk up the hill... CUT TO: THE ACME FUNERAL SITE - LONG SHOT - DAY A hearse, and a line of black limos are parked in the lane. Nearby, Marvin Acme's funeral is in progress. Clustered around a gravesite are the mourners... TOONS of every stripe. There's MICKEY MOUSE comforting MINNIE. TOM AND JERRY. HECKLE AND JECKLE. CHIP 'N DALE. Everyone from the famous to the not so famous is in attendance. The eulogy is being delivered in a familiar blustery Southern VOICE. It's FOGHORN LEGHORN. FOGHORN LEGHORN Today we commit the body of brother Acme to the cold, I say cold, cold ground. We shed no tears for we know that Marvin is going to a better place. That high, high, I say that high-larious place up in the sky. Foghorn Leghorn dramatically points skyward. TOONS (in unison) A-men! NEW ANGLE - VALIANT is leaning up against a palm tree on the hill. We have been watching the proceedings from his POV. Now he sees Maroon's car pull up. He moves around to the other side of the tree as Maroon passes and starts wending his way through the crowd. AT THE GRAVESITE Foghorn Leghorn nods to the funeral DIRECTOR, a pasty-faced human in a black mourning coat. The Director starts to turn the crank lowering the coffin into the grave. FOGHORN LEGHORN Give us a sign, brother Herman, that you've arrived... Much to the funeral Director's amazement, the crank starts PLINKING Out the tune to "POP GOES THE WEASLE". Now the Toon mourners pick up on it and join in. TOONS (singing) Round and round the mullberry bush, The monkey chased the weasle... The crank and SONG start going FASTER AND FASTER. TOONS (continuing; singing) The monkey raid it all was in fun. POP! Goes the weasle. Suddenly half of the lid to Acme's coffin flies open and a harlequin CLOWN BOI-YOI-YOINGS out. The funeral Director faints dead away as the Toon SOBS turn to LAUGHTER. The Toons turn and head away from the grave comforted by a funeral befitting a gag king. They climb into their cars and SCREECH off like the start of the Indy 500. One mourner is left at the gravesite. Sitting in a chair dabbing at her eyes with a handkerchief is Jessica Rabbit. Maroon walks up behind her. MAROON So... trying to pull a fast one on me, huh? Jessica turns, startled. She stands and faces Maroon. VALIANT smiles and leans in. This is the moment he's been waiting for. Now just as the conversation begins, it is drowned out by the NOISE from a LAWN MOWER. Valiant turns to see a GARDENER riding around on a small tractor cutting the grass. Valiant tries to flag him down as he watches Maroon and Jessica having an arguement. There's accusatory finger pointing. In pantomime, Maroon gestures into his pocket as if describing the position of Acme's will. Jessica tries to leave. He grabs her arm. They're screaming at each other but we don't hear a word. Valiant waves frantically for the Gardener to cut the machine. But the Gardener misconstrues it as a friendly greeting and waves back. Valiant turns in time to see Jessica kick Maroon in the groin and stomp off to a red Auburn Speedster. She jumps in and speeds away as Maroon staggers back to his car. The Gardener stops the tractor next to Valiant. He SHUTS OFF THE ENGINE. The cemetery is completely still again. GARDENER Somethin' you want, mister? VALIANT Not anymore... EXT. INK & PAINT CLUB - ALLEY - NIGHT A Steinway piano truck is parked next to the stage door. TWO husky PIANO MOVERS are rolling a baby grand up the ramp to the stage door. They knock on the door. The Gorilla opens it and they muscle the piano inside. After a moment, they reemerge. We FOLLOW them back to the truck where a second baby grand stands ready to be moved. MOVER #1 I don't know about you, but it makes me sick to think of these beautiful pianos gettin' chopped into match sticks every night by those screwy ducks. Struggling, they push this second piano into the club. INT. CLUB - BACKSTAGE They roll the piano over to the wall and park it next to the first. MOVER #2 (shakes head) And they call it entertainment. As they go out the stage door, MOVE IN on the baby grand. INSIDE THE PIANO - VALIANT is lying prone -- using the Steinway as his own Trojan Horse. He lifts the piano lid to climb out, but then HEARS FOOTSTEPS approaching. He lowers the lid again. Now someone starts testing the keys. We see the hammers strike the strings, RUNNING UP THE SCALES until they reach the one under Valiant's nose. The hammer whacks Valiant's nose on the backswing and strikes the string making a terrible SOUR NOTE. DONALD DUCK (V.O.) (exasperated QUACK) Phooey! Out of tune again! DAFFY DUCK (V.O.) Not to worry, Donald. We can fix that with my sledgehammer. DONALD DUCK (V.O.) Never mind, Daffy. I've got an axe in my dressing room. Valiant's eyes widen. ANGLE ON PIANO as the VOICES of Daffy and Donald recede, Valiant raises the lid and quickly climbs out. He eases over to Jessica's dressing room. As he starts to open the door, he HEARS SCUFFLING from inside. Valiant puts his ear to the door. More SCUFFLING. Valiant straightens, then suddenly whips the door open and flicks on the light. INT. DRESSING ROOM Nobody's there. Perplexed, Valiant closes the door behind him and checks behind the dressing screen. In the closet. No one. He shrugs and starts to search the room. He goes to Jessica's dressing table and rifles the drawers. In her purse he discovers a Toon revolver. He examines it. VALIANT Girl's gotta protect herself. Valiant puts the gun back in the purse and closes the drawer. As he stands, he pauses to consider a Hurrel-like black-and-white photo of Roger Rabbit in a silver deco frame. He's dramatically posed with a cigarette like he was Tyrone Power. Valiant shakes his head and turns from the table. Something catches his eye. ANGLE ON FLOOR Behind the dressing table, the corner of a piece of blue paper peeks out. Valiant stoops down and fishes it out. It's a cover for a legal document -- "Last Will and Testament -- Marvin Acme". VALIANT stands, pleased. He opens the blue folder. But it's empty. Valiant puts it in his inside pocket and turns to go when suddenly an unseen hand flicks the lights off. VALIANT Son of a bitch... We can't see anything in the darkness. But we hear the SOUND of A FISTFIGHT. There's the CRASHING of lamps and furniture breaking. Now the door opens for a second as the assailant escapes. Light floods in the room, illuminating Valiant on the floor with a curtain wrapped around his head. As he struggles free the door closes. The room is dark again. Valiant scrambles to the door. When he whips it open, REVEAL the Gorilla framed in the doorway. Valiant is frozen. The Gorilla flicks on the light. He smiles wickedly. GORILLA And here I tought we had mice. Valiant tries to make a break for it. WHAM! The Gorilla lays him out cold with a right cross. BLACKOUT. FADE IN: VALIANT'S POV FROM FLOOR As his vision comes INTO FOCUS, Valiant sees the Gorilla, Jessica Rabbit, the Weasles and Judge Doom are standing over him. GORILLA ... I caught him rummagin' around in here. Then I called you, Judge, on a counta you be da one we pay juice to. DOOM (clears throat) You did the right thing, Bongo. THE WEASLES pull a groggy Valiant upright and plop him in a chair in front of Doom. DOOM Being caught breaking and entering is not very good advertising for a detective. What were you looking for, Mr. Valiant? VALIANT Ask her... Valiant nods toward Jessica, who stands coolly smoking a cigarette. JESSICA RABBIT Last week some heavy breather wanted one of my nylons as a souvenir. Maybe that's what he was after? VALIANT Look, doll, if I wanted underwear, I woulda broken into Frederick's of Hollywood. I was lookin' for Marvin Acme's will. DOOM Marvin Acme had no will. I should know, the probate is in my court. VALIANT He had a will, all right. She took it off Acme the night she and R.K. Maroon knocked him off. Then she set up her loving husband to take the fall. JESSICA RABBIT You, Mr. Valiant, are either drunk or punch drunk. Probably both. DOOM These are bold accusations, Mr. Valiant. I hope you have some proof? VALIANT I found the cover the will came in behind the dressing table. Valiant reaches into his pocket. But the blue envelope is gone. VALIANT (continuing) They must've taken it off me. DOOM They? VALIANT The other people who were in here lookin' for the will. I woulda caught 'em if Cheetah here hadn't interrupted me. The Gorilla makes a move for Valiant. Doom stops him. DOOM Take it easy, Bongo. We'll handle Mr. Valiant our own way... downtown. VALIANT Downtown? Fine. Get a hold of Santino, I'd be more than glad to talk to him. DOOM Oh, not that downtown. Toontown. The mention of Toontown has a visible impact on Valiant. VALIANT (nervous) You're not takin' me to downtown Toontown? DOOM Indeed we are. We'll continue the interrogation there. VALIANT (very agitated) I ain't tellin' you nothin'! Get me Santino. DOOM You're a very stubborn man, Mr. Valiant. Very pig-headed. Boys, show Mr. Valiant how we handle pig-headed men at the Toontown station... As the Weasles drag Valiant out of the room... VALIANT (screaming) No... you bastards! Leggo of me! EXT. STREET - NIGHT The Toon Control Wagon streaks along with the cat SIREN WAILING. It flashes by then slams on the brakes at the entrance to an eerie tunnel. A sign next to the tunnel says: "Toontown". INT. WAGON The Weasles look over at the bound and gagged Valiant. One of them turns Valiant's head to look at the Toontown sign. WEASLE #1 What're you shakin' for? Didn't you have a good time last time you were here? With a wicked WHEEZE, the driver floors it. EXT. TUNNEL The wagon disappears into the murky darkness. PAN UP to the night sky. DISSOLVE TO: THE SKY - MORNING PAN DOWN to the tunnel. We can't see into the darkness but we HEAR HOOTING and HOLLERING from within. GUNS going off, FIRECRACKERS EXPLODING, WHIPS CRACKING, all accompanied by the WHEEZING LAUGHTER of the Weasles. WEASLE #1 (O.S.) Soo-eey! Soo-eey! WEASLE #2 (O.S.) Let him go, boys. I think he's got the message. After a beat, Valiant comes staggering out of the tunnel. He's got a burlap sack over his head tied around his waist. Behind him, the Weasles emerge holding paint cans and brushes. They watch as he trips and falls by the side of the road. The Weasles GIGGLE victoriously and head back inside. Valiant lies there for a moment, catching his breath. Then he struggles to free his hands. Finally he rips the sack off his head and sits up. CLOSE - VALIANT We see he's got a huge Toon pig with a goofy grin painted over his head. Valiant pulls and tugs on it, but this is a costume that won't come off. Valiant curses, gets to his feet and stumbles down the road. EXT. RED CAR STOP Valiant gets in the back of the line of PASSENGERS boarding the Red Car. INT. RED CAR - VALIANT steps aboard. The Trolleyman, who we recognize as Earl from the Terminal bar, does a double-take when he sees the ridiculously silly looking man/Toon. EARL Here's one for the books... a Toon wearin' human clothes. VALIANT Earl... it's me, Valiant. EARL Eddie? Jesus, what happened? VALIANT Toon cops worked me over. EARL Boy, I'll say. They gave you a real Toon-a-Roo. VALIANT (apprehensively) What am I, Earl? Earl breaks the news to Valiant soberly. EARL You're a pig... a happy-go-lucky pig. VALIANT No... EARL Does it hurt? VALIANT Not much. It's hard to talk. EARL Uh, Eddie, do me a favor. Could you sit in the back so you won't cause as much of a commotion. Valiant tries to pull the brim of his hat down. But it's comically small on the huge head. He makes his way down the aisle past a veritable gauntlet of RAZZING, poking, tripping PASSENGERS. Finally he finds an empty seat in the back as the Red Car starts up. A LITTLE KID wearing a baseball cap is sitting a few seats away with his MOTHER. The Kid looks back at Eddie and laughs. He leans over and whispers something to his Mom. KID Can I, Mom? MOMMY Go ahead, darling. Take your bat. The Kid takes his baseball bat and approaches Valiant innocently. KID Hi, Mr. Pig. If I hit you on the head, will you make me a cuckoo bird? The Kid starts to take a swing with the bat. VALIANT Kid, if you hit me on the head, I'm gonna throw you out this window. The Kid's eyes widen in terror. This is not a typical Toon response. KID (crying) Mommy! INT. VALIANT'S APARTMENT - BATHROOM - DAY We hear the SOUND of the SHOWER. Valiant's hand reaches out past the shower curtain and grabs for a bottle. But it's not shampoo. It's turpentine. VALIANT (O.S.) Dammit! CLOSE - TUB DRAIN The water swirling down the drain is tinged with paint of different colors. CLOSE - VALIANT He scrubs manically until the last of the pig head is gone. He rinses off and he feels around his face. The absence of the Toon mask seems to bring him some relief. He shuts off the shower and slides the shower curtain back. VALIANT'S POV - JESSICA RABBIT is leaning up against the doorjamb, dressed as usual, in a black cocktail dress with elbow length gloves and pearls. JESSICA RABBIT Hello, Mr. Valiant. I rang the doorbell, but I guess you couldn't hear it. VALIANT That's because I don't have a doorbell. Jessica, caught in her lie, flutters her eyelids nervously. JESSICA RABBIT Oh... well, I... I just had to see you. VALIANT Okay, you've seen me. Now give me a towel. As she hands him a towel, she stares down at his anatomy. JESSICA RABBIT What's that thing? Valiant looks down at what she's referring to. VALIANT Come on, lady, haven't you ever seen a mole before? JESSICA RABBIT Toons aren't given imperfections. VALIANT No? I guess we're not counting lying, stealing and murder. JESSICA RABBIT You've got the wrong idea about me. I'a a pawn in this just like poor Roger. Can you help me find him? I'll pay you anything. VALIANT Yeah, I'll bet you would. You gotta have the rabbit to make the scam work. JESSICA RABBIT No, no, no... I love my husband. VALIANT Oh, sure. I can just feature you standin' outside your little hutch, holdin' a carrot cake waitin' for hubby to come home. JESSICA RABBIT Oh, please don't make fun of me, Mr, Valiant. You don't know how hard it is being a woman looking the way I do. VALIANT Yeah, well, you don't know how hard it is bein' a man looking at a woman looking the way you do. JESSICA RABBIT I'm not bad, I'm just drawn that way. VALIANT I'm not complainin'. But give me credit. I'm the guy who took the pictures of you and Acme playin' pattycake, remember? Jessica takes a cigarette out of her purse. She lights it and blows a cloud of Toon smoke. It forms a recreation of what she describes. JESSICA RABBIT Maroon came to me. He told me he'd fire Roger if I didn't do it. I went along with him for Roger's sake. It was only pattycake, after all. Valiant waves at the smoke scene, dispelling it. VALIANT So altruistic. JESSICA RABBIT It's the truth. Why won't you believe it? VALIANT Cause I don't take Acme Dumb Pills. I don't know what you're up to, lady, but I'm gonna nail you for the Acme murder. JESSICA RABBIT If I'm as bad as you think, what's stopping me from just killing you right now? Valiant reaches behind him and picks up a small cup on the sink. VALIANT This cup of turpentine right here. Go for that gun in your purse and I'm gonna let you have it. Jessica breaks down and starts sobbing. JESSICA RABBIT Oh, Mr, Valiant, please... you're my only hope. She comes to Eddie and hugs him, burying her head in his shoulder. JESSICA RABBIT I'm weak... you're strong. Can't you find a place somewhere in your heart to help me? Valiant looks down at the luscious creature in his arms, considering the request. The moment is interrupted by the CLEARING of a VOICE. DOLORES (O.C.) Dabblin' in watercolors, Eddie? Valiant, still in just a towel, sheepishly turns to face Dolores, who's standing in the doorway. VALIANT Dolores... Dolores regards Jessica with undisguised contempt. DOLORES Lemme guess... your cousin from Des Moines? Jessica straightens her dress. JESSICA RABBIT Perhaps I should go. DOLORES Must you? JESSICA RABBIT Goodbye, Eddie... don't hate me. Jessica blows Eddie a TOON KISS which flies across the room, landing on Eddie's cheek. She saunters past the smoldering Dolores and out the door. Dolores walks to Eddie and peels the kiss off his cheek. She crumples it up and throws it down in the wastebasket. DOLORES What was that? VALIANT That was the rabbit's wife. DOLORES The rabbit's wife? Wanna tell me what she was doin' with her arms around you? VALIANT Probably lookin' for a good place to stick a knife. DOLORES I just stopped by to tell you that I checked out the Acme probate. VALIANT Maroon, right? DOLORES Nope. It's that Cloverleaf outfit again. VALIANT (startled) What the hell would they want with a gag factory? DOLORES Got me. But unless the will shows up by Friday midnight, it's theirs. As Valiant considers this new development, he cocks an ear. In the distance, we HEAR FAINT SINGING. VALIANT What's that comin' from the bar? DOLORES (listens) Sounds like singin'. VALIANT Oh, no... As Valiant grabs his pants... CUT TO: INT. TERMINAL BAR - DAY Roger's out all right. In fact, he's using the bar as a stage for a song and dance number. The tune is extremely familiar. In fact, it's the one that opens every Warner Brothers cartoon... The Looney Tune Anthem. But we've never heard words to go with it. ROGER RAB3IT 'The merry-go-round broke down But you don't see me frown...' Roger grabs Augie's pad and pencil, scribbles some drawings lightning fast. ROGER RABBIT (continuing) 'Things turned out fine And now she's mine...' Roger flips through the pad which in crude animation, shows the story of Roger and Jessica getting back together, culminating in them kissing in a heart. Augie's delighted. ROGER RABBIT (continuing) '... Cause the merry-go-round Went round... Hoo-hoo, Hoo-hoo...' Roger does backflips and acts like an escapee from the acute ward. THE DOOR OPENS Eddie and Dolores enter. Valiant stops in his tracks at the sight of Roger's performance... and the smiles on the faces of the sourpusses. CLOSE - ROGER doesn't see Eddie. He moves into the next verse. He twirls around on the post. ROGER RABBIT 'My name is Roger Rabbit I've got a crazy habit I like to sing and dance and yuk...' Roger goes to Angelo, lifts off his cap, and whacks his toupee, making it spin like a top. ROGER RABBIT (continuing) '... So brighten up and smile You schmuck'. All the regulars in the bar have a good laugh at that one. Now as Roger twirls around on the post, he smashes into a bar tray held by Eddie. Valiant carries him toward the back room, but the irrepressable entertainer gets on his knees Al Jolson style and blows kisses to his audience. The regulars are HOWLING as Roger is carried out. INT. BACK ROOM Valiant flings Roger into the room and slams the door behind him. ROGER RABBIT Hey, don't I get an encore? VALIANT Why, you crazy Toon... I've been out there riskin' my neck for you. I come back here and you're singin' and dancin'. ROGER RABBIT But that's my calling, my purpose, my raison d'etre. Toons are supposed to make people laugh... and believe me, those people needed a laugh. VALIANT And when they're done laughin' , they're gonna call the cops. That guy Angelo would rat on you for a nickel! ROGER RABBIT Angelo? He's a pal, a chum... VALIANT An arsonist and a kidnapper. He just got outta prison. ROGER RABBIT Well... I still don't think he'd turn me in. VALIANT Just because you got 'em to laugh? ROGER RABBIT A laugh can be a powerful thing, Eddie. Sometimes it's the only weapon we have in life. VALIANT I think I prefer the Smith and Wesson variety. ROGER RABBIT I've met some cynical and miserable humans in my time. But you, Edward Valiant, are positively funereal! VALIANT Well, right now it's gonna be your funereal. Valiant takes his fist back to belt Roger. Roger stands stoicly, jaw thrust forward, eyes closed. ROGER RABBIT Go ahead and throw that punch. (opens one eye) But you'd be more successful with a punch line. Valiant drops his fist and rubs his temples with frustration. VALIANT You're driving me crazy, you know that? Let's go... you ruined this as a hiding place. Valiant grabs Roger by the scruff of the neck and opens the door. But he ducks back in quickly. VALIANT'S POW - THROUGH DOOR - JUDGE DOOM has entered the bar. He stands FRAMED in the doorway, Voltaire perched on his shoulder. The red light of the neon sign flashes on his glasses making him look like he's got burning coals for eyes. With the Weasles at the door backing him up, the satanic Doom walks to the bar, his FOOTSTEPS CREAKING along the wooden floor. He surveys the scene, leans over the bar for a glass. Doom holds the glass up to the light and looks at it disgustedly. He picks up a bottle of scotch and carries it down to where the one-armed Soldier is sitting. Doom stares at him, then pulls the empty sleeve out of the amputee's pocket. He uses it to wipe the inside of the glass. DOOM I'm looking for a rabbit. He was last seen in this neighborhood. The barflies avoid Doom's stare and shoot covered glances to one another. But nobody says a word. Doom pours a drink into his newly cleaned glass... then gently pours it down Voltaire's gullet. DOOM (continuing) You couldn't miss him. Buck teeth. Orange pants. About yea big. Doom squashes the Midget's head down to approximate the size. DOLORES There's no rabbit here, so don't harass my customers. Doom turns to Dolores. DOOM I didn't come here to harass. I came here to reward. Doom walks around Dolores toward the back. But Doom stops next to the blackboard. On it is written: "Today's Special - French Dip - $ .50". Doom erases the "French" and the decimal point in front of the "50". Then he picks up the chalk and starts to write. The CHALK SQUEAKS excruciatingly on the blackboard. Everyone winces but watches anyway, as Doom writes "Rabbit" where the "French" was, and adds the zeroes to the "50". It now reads: "Rabbit Dip - $5000". AT THE BAR - ALL EYES are fixed on the figure on the blackboard. Angelo licks his lips. ANGELO Hey, I seen a rabbit... Angelo looks defensively at all his cronies and back to Doom. ANGELO (continuing) He's right here in the bar. But instead of pointing to the back of the bar, he talks to the empty barstool beside him. ANGELO (continuing) Say 'ello, Harvey. The tension is broken. Everybody at the bar starts HOWLING. INT. BACK ROOM Roger turns to Eddie victoriously. ROGER RABBIT My pal. IN THE BAR Doom stares down the regulars until the laughter stops. Meanwhile, a Weasle has started sniffing around the bar where Roger was dancing. As Doom turns to leave, the Weasle whispers in his ear as he points to the back. Doom smiles and pats the Weasle on the head. He turns to Angelo and the others. DOOM Now we'll see who laughs best... The Weasle bloodhounds through the bar with Doom striding after him. We FOLLOW them to the door to the back room. Doom rips the door open. INT. BACK ROON It's dark. Doom flicks on the light. REVEAL Valiant on the cot, his pint bottle cradled in his arm. He blinks as if awakened from a drunken slumber. DOOM Valiant? Why is it that whenever my men smell a rabbit, you're there? Valiant plumps the pillow behind his head. VALIANT Must be my cologne... Eau Dc Carrot. WEASLE #1 (sniffs) He's in here all right, boss. Suddenly the Weasle grabs the pillow from under Valiant's head and carves it to shreds with a switchblade. Feathers fly. But no rabbit fur. WEASLE #2 Youse want we should take the place apart? The rest of the Weasles are arrayed behind Doom with Toon crowbars, picks, and a jackhammer. DOOM No, Sergeant. That won't be necessary. Doom walks over to the locker. DOOM (continuing) I know a trick that no Toon can resist. Doom raps on the locker with his knuckles. Da-da-da-da-da... It's a familiar pattern that demands a Da-da response. Doom moves to the desk and tries it again. Da-da-da-da-da... INSIDE A MAXWELL HOUSE COFFEE CAN Roger is hiding while sweating out the urge to finish the familiar coda. We HEAR the RAPPING again, closer. Da-da-da-da-da... Roger's biting his nails. DOOM moves to the milk crate the coffee can is on. Valiant gets up off the cot. VALIANT You know, Doom, I don't know who's Toonier, you or the rabbit. Doom just smiles and knocks the pattern out on the crate. DOOM Shave... and... a haircut... Roger bursts out of the can with the lid on his head. He responds con brio. ROGER RABBIT Two... bits! (looks around) Uh... oh... PSSSHEW! Roger flies out the door. INT. THE BAR He streaks across the bar and out the front door. After a beat, two Weasles step into the bar holding the butterfly net they had stretched across the door. They WHEEZE with glee at the struggling Roger trapped inside. A third Weasle carries the Judge's briefcase. Doom strides confidently into the bar. WEASLE Oyez... oyez... oyez... court is now in session. Valiant and Dolores are led out by a couple Weasles holding guns on them. As Doom snaps the briefcase open on the bar, the twelve Kangaroos pop up in their jury box. Doom raps on the bar with his gavel-headed cane. The regulars watch the bizarre scene in stunned silence. DOOM Roger Rabbit is charged with the cold blooded murder of a human... Marvin Acme. The jury will direct their attention to exhibits A, B, and C. The Weasles display photographs of Jessica and Acme playing pattycake, a blow-up of his fingerprints spelling RogerRabbitRogerRabbit in the whorls on the photographs, and a picture of Acme lying under the safe. DOOM (continuing) Motive, evidence, modus operandi. How do you find the defendant? Once again the Kangaroo court wastes no time delivering the verdict. The Baby Kangaroos pop up with their Y-O-U A-R-E G-U-I-L-T-Y signs. DOOM (continuing) Guilty as charged. Case closed! Doom slams the briefcase shut. Now two Weasles wheel the stainless steel tub filled with dip into the bar. Another hands Doom his black rubber gloves. DOOM (continuing) For this heinous crime, I sentence you to the dip! ROGER RABBIT No, no. not the dip! Eddie, tell him I didn't do it! VALIANT I don't think it's gonna matter. Sorry, pal, I tried. DOOM Yes, and for that you're charged with aiding and abetting. But we'll let Santino handle that. Doom pulls on the rubber gloves. VALIANT Hey, doesn't the rabbit even get a last request? ROGER RABBIT A blindfold, cigarette, noseplugs? Just kidding. VALIANT I think you want a drink. (to Doom) How about it, Judge? DOOM Well, why not? I'm feeling magnanimous tonight. The successful conclusion of this case draws the curtain on my career as a jurist. I'm retiring to take a new role in the private sector. VALIANT Yeah? Well, don't expect the Toons to give you a gold watch. Valiant pours a glass of whiskey filling it all the way to the rim. He holds it out to Roger. VALIANT (continuing) Here you go, kid... say hi to Casper for me. ROGER RABBIT But, Eddie, you know what happens when... VALIANT Drink it, jerk. All of it. He grabs Roger's hand and forces the drink into it. Roger shrugs his shoulders and shoots the drink down. We've seen the reaction before. Suddenly Roger's head turns into a STEAM WHISTLE emitting such a PIERCING BLAST that is sends everyone into ear-grabbing agony. Glasses, bottles, mirrors, even Doom's glasses SHATTER. Valiant uses the distraction to punch the Weasles holding Roger. He grabs the rabbit by the scruff of the neck. He gets as assist from Augie, who couldn't hear the noise. Unfazed, Augie whacks a Weasle on the head with a barstool. The Midget crawls behind Doom, who's been momentarily blinded. The one-armed Soldier pushes him over. Angelo is turning one Weasle's head around and around like a cruller. Finally, Doom gets to his feet. DOOM After them you fools... As the Weasles regroup, Valiant tips the stainless steel tub over sending the dip spilling toward them. The Weasles recoil from the liquid. Even Doom takes a step backward. EXT. TERMINAL BAR Eddie and Roger race down the stairs and toward the Toon Control Wagon which is parked in front of Doom's Lincoln, ROGER RABBIT Oh, Eddie, that was quick thinkin'. Nothin' like usin' the old noggin, the noodle, the grey matter... VALIANT If I'm so smart, how come I'm runnin' from the law with a Toon? Valiant opens the door of the Toon Control wagon, and flings Roger inside roughly. INT. CAB Eddie goes to start the vehicle but the key is gone. Now from behind them comes a DEEP RUMBLING VOICE somewhere between Lord Buckley and Barry White. VOICE Excuse me, gentlemen... Eddie and Roger turn. A snazzy TOON ROADSTER whose grill functions as it's mouth is talking from behind the liquid bars. ROADSTER If you effect my extrication, I could offer you some carburetion. Valiant sighs with resignation and slides out of the cab, Roger in tow. EXT. REAR OF WAGON Eddie and Roger come racing around the side of the wagon. Valiant searches the back of the truck for the on/off switch. He finds it and turns off the flow of acetone. The Roadster zips out of the truck and lands on the pavement, already flexing and limbering. Behind him, a comical number of other TOON DETAINEES hop out like midgets out of a Volkswagon. They all head for the hills. ROADSTER Well... what're we waitin' for, the William Tell Overture? ANGLE ON TERMINAL BAR - THE WEASLES come piling out. They stack up like an Indian totem pole searching every direction. One of them spots Eddie and Roger. The Weasles stumble all over themselves in a mad scramble down the stairs. EDDIE AND ROGER hop into the sleek two-seater. Valiant looks at the myriad of goofy cartoon gauges and switches on the Roadster's dashboard. VALIANT What do I do? ROADSTER You don't have to do nothin'... With a ferocious RUBBER BURNING SQUEAL, the Roadster ROARS off in "no frames". The exit is so fast that Eddie and Roger are left behind, hanging mid-air. But before they hit the ground, the Roadster zips back INTO FRAME. Eddie and Roger fall back into their seats. The Roadster bends around so his grill is facing them. ROADSTER (continuing) Uh... except hang onto your hat. The Roadster ROARS off again in a cloud of Toon dust. INT. SANTINO'S COP CAR coming the other way. It's followed by another squad car, both with SIRENS BLARING. When the red blur streaks by, Lt. Santino turns to his PARTNER. LT. SANTINO What the hell was that? PARTNER Speeding rabbit, Lieutenant. LT. SANTINO That's what I was afraid of. EXT. STREET Santino's car does a 180 degree spin, and goes after the Roadster. The second squad car follows. The Weasles pile into the Toon Control wagon and join the chase. INT. THE ROADSTER rockets down the street, then takes a turn so wide that it drives up the front of the corner building, then back down on the sidewalk, just avoiding a newsstand. The squad car following is not so dexterous. It CRASHES into the stand, sending newspapers flying. THE ROADSTER looks back over it's shoulder, admiring his handiwork. ROADSTER Read all about it, Benny's back in town! Up ahead, an egg delivery truck is double-parked in their lane. Benny snaps around just as they're about to crash into the back of the truck. There's nowhere to go. But Benny's cool. ROADSTER Going up... Suddenly, just before impact, the Toon suspension on the car accordions up, giving it a clearance of about fifteen feet... just enough to get over the truck. THE TOON CONTROL WAGON doesn't come with this unique feature. It tries to avoid the truck but SMASHES into the back, splattering hundreds of eggs and sending the Weasles flying. EDDIE AND ROGER look down from their suspended position at the chaos behind. ROADSTER Next floor, sundries, knick knacks, escaped convicts. Watch your step. The Roadster accordions back down to it's original height and speeds past TWO MOTORCYCLE COPS. The motorcycles ROAR after them. ROGER RABBIT Hey, Benny, what were you in for? ROADSTER Reckless driving. Do you believe that? VALIANT Hard to imagine. Benny zig-zags through traffic, scooting between cars, but the Motorcycle Cops manage to stay on his tail. Up ahead, traffic is stopped in his lane. With nowhere to go, Benny passes a trolley car moving down the center of the street. Suddenly, he swerves in front of the trolley to elude the Cops... only to see another Red Car coming the other way. ROADSTER Hold your breath, babies... Benny sucks in his girth and gets on his tip-toes as the trollies pass on either side of them. WIDE SHOT When the trollies clear, Benny staggers out from between them still on tip-toes. Benny plops down, squashes, then pops up to his old self again. BEHIND THEM The crippled Toon Control wagon is struggling to keep up. Voltaire circles above the truck and picks two Weasles up off the roof. They're each carrying several sticks of dynamite. FROM THE AIR We see Voltaire flying after the Roadster, which is speeding along the palm-lined Elysian Park Drive. The Weasles light the dynamite sticks and with WHEEZING delight, bombard the car below. BENNY swerves right and left dodging the EXPLOSIONS. Now a stick of dynamite falls into the back seat, fuse burning. Benny looks back. ROADSTER Hate to sound like Chicken Little, but is the sky falling or what? Eddie and Roger turn to see the dynamite, fuse burning low. Valiant makes a desperate grab for it. But it rolls under the front seat. Roger jumps in Eddie's lap. ABOVE - VOLTAIRE AND THE WEASLES satisfied that they've hit their target, swoop back to the Toon Control wagon. IN THE ROADSTER Valiant tries to untangle himself from Roger. VALIANT Grab it, you idiot! Finally, at the last second, Roger reaches down and picks the dynamite up like a hot potato. He flips it out of the Roadster. THE DYNAMITE spins through the air, finally landing on the roof just as Voltaire and the Weasles arrive. BOOM! The Toon Control wagon is demolished. When the smoke clears we see the Weasles and Voltaire scattered roadside, faces blackened, feathers smoking. EXT. ECHO PARK STREET Benny is leading a merry chase up and down the hills. Beside the two Motorcycles, there are half a dozen squad cars. But as Benny comes over the last rise, we see the road deadends at Echo Park Lake. The police have blocked off the perpendicular streets with squad cars. Eddie and Roger see the deadend fast approaching. Roger covers his eyes with his ears. Valiant braces himself. VALIANT The brakes! The brakes! Benny hits the brakes. Smoke pours out as they burn up and the momentum is barely broken. ROADSTER Forget the brakes, who brought the water wings? The Roadster SMASHES through the wooden guard rail and sails out over the water. KERPLOP! It splashes down in the lake. THE POLICE CARS SCREECH to a stop at the edge of the lake. Santino jumps out and regards the floating Roadster. He turns to the other cops with a smirk. When he turns back again, the smirk disappears from his face. ANGLE ON LAKE Benny is calmly swimming away using his fenders to do the crawl. Now they pass a spooning COUPLE in a rowboat. The couple regard them open-mouthed. THE EDGE OF THE LAKE Benny nears the shoreline, touches bottom and wades out. When they hit dry land, Benny shakes off like a dog. He REVS HIS ENGINE. ROADSTER Maybe it's my imagination, but I always seem to run better after I've had a wash. (turns) Now where can I drop you cats? As Benny ROARS off... CUT TO: EXT. ALLEY - DAY Benny peeks around the corner, then tip-toes into view. down the alley until he stops in front of a back door. Eddie and Roger climb out. VALIANT Thanks, Benny. ROADSTER If you ever need me, just stick out your thumb. WHOOSH! Benny is gone. Valiant goes to the door and unlocks it. As he and Roger head up the back stairs... CUT TO: INT. BUILDING - CLOSE - DOORWAY A hand painted design on the rippled glass shows a knight on a white charger. On the shield in bold letters it says, "Veritas". And lettered around it -- "Valiant and Valiant - Private Investigation". VALIANT sticks his key in the door and unlocks it. Roger studies the banner. ROGER RABBIT Valiant and Valiant? Who's the other Valiant? VALIANT My brother. Get inside. He pushes Roger into the office. INT. OFFICE It's a typical detective office -- a couch, a sink, a window -- except for the partner's desk in the middle of the room. There's a chair on each side. Valiant closes the door and locks it. ROGER RABBIT So what's our plan, our scenario, our modus operandi? VALIANT We can't do anything till it's dark. Valiant picks up some yellowed newspapers off the couch and dumps them on the floor. They leave a clean spot on the couch. ROGER RABBIT Guess you haven't been here in a while. (reads headline) 'Japs Bomb Pearl Harbor'. Roger walks over to the wall. He takes a framed picture off the wall which shows two guys clowning with Mickey Mouse. ROGER RABBIT Say, who's this guy laughin'? VALIANT Me. ROGER RABBIT Gee, I didn't recognize you... I've never seen you laugh before. That your brother makin' the rabbit ears? VALIANT What is this, Twenty Questions? Valiant grabs the picture from Roger and re-hangs it. VALIANT (continuing) I'm gonna get some sleep. I suggest you do the same. Valiant stretches out on the couch. Roger nudges him to move over so he can lie down. Grudgingly, Valiant slides over a fraction giving Roger a tiny piece of the couch. They lie head to foot. CLOSEUP - VALIANT The problems of the day are knitting his brow. Finally his eyes close. After a beat, we HEAR Roger SNORING. It's LOUD. Valiant's eyes pop open. He rolls over. WIDEN THE SHOT to see what he sees. ABOVE ROGER'S HEAD - A TOON DREAM BUBBLE has appeared. Inside the bubble is a saw sawing back and forth through a log. It is SYNCHRONIZED to the SOUND of Roger's SNORE. Valiant kicks Roger, trying to stop the infernal SOUND. Roger sits up. ROGER RABBIT Huh? In the dream bubble, the saw cuts through the log. One end of the log falls out of the bubble and BONKS Roger on the head, knocking him unconscious. Valiant shakes his head and closes his eyes again. We PAN UP off his face and PAST the window where the sun is setting. As the CAMERA MOVES ALONG THE WALL, we see a gallery of framed newspaper clippings. "Valiant and Valiant Crack Popeye Kidnapping - Return Sweepea to Loving Arms of Parents". And... "Brothers Find Brothers: Heckle and Jeckle Rescued From Redwood Forest!" And... "Goofy Cleared of Atomic Spying Charges". The PAN CONTINUES until we get to the window again. Now it's dark outside. MOVE DOWN to Valiant's sleeping face. He stirs. then opens one eye. Now they both pop open at what he sees. VALIANT'S POV Roger has a magnifying glass an inch in front of his face that distorts his grinning face hideously. VALIANT startled from his sleep, reflexively shoves Roger away from him. He flies into a swivel chair and goes spinning around. VALIANT You damn Toon! No wonder they picked you for the patsy. Always gotta play the fool. You make me sick! ROGER RABBIT Gee, you shamuses are a tough audience, but what happened to you that was so dark, lurid, embittering? VALIANT You wanna know? Well, since you're so goddamn curious, I'll tell ya. One of you Toons killed my brother. ROGER RABBIT A Toon? Noooo. VALIANT Yeah, a Toon. It was the guy who killed Bambi's mother. ROGER RABBIT Him? Oh, he was vile, heinous, despicable... a smear on the drafting board. VALIANT Yeah, everybody thought so. But me and Teddy got a kick out of Toons. All Toons. We couldn't see the bad in 'em. And when this guy was accused of knockin' over the First National Bank of Toontown, we took his case. But when we looked into it, we found out he did do it after all. We went to his house to take him in. But he was wise. He got the drop on us... literally. ROGER RABBIT (wincing) Safe? VALIANT Piano. Guy got away, disappeared into Toontown. Nobody ever saw him again. Now the PHONE on the desk RINGS. Roger makes a move to it. ROGER RABBIT I'll get it. VALIANT Get away from there. The PHONE RINGS TWO MORE TIMES and stops. ROGER RABBIT Wrong number? VALIANT No, it's not. Valiant goes to the phone anticipating a RING which comes after a moment. Valiant picks up the receiver. VALIANT (continuing) Dolores? INTERCUT: DOLORES on the phone in the Terminal Bar. DOLORES I was hopin' you'd be there. Maroon's called here about four times. He says he's gotta talk to you tonight. He says he can help you. VALIANT I'll bet. DOLORES Are you gonna call him, Eddie? VALIANT What've I got to lose? You okay, Dolores? DOLORES Yeah... they closed me down for a coupla weeks. VALIANT That'll work out just fine. When this thing is over, I'll take you to Catalina. How does that sound? DOLORES Familiar. Be careful, Eddie. Dolores hangs up the phone. INTERCUT TO: VALIANT He CLICKS the switchhook and dials. VALIANT Maroon? Whaddaya want? MAROON (on phone) Have you got the will? VALIANT Maybe. Why? MAROON (on phone) Meet me at my studio at nine o'clock. If you've got the will maybe we can stop this thing. VALIANT Stop what? CLICK. Maroon has hung up. Valiant hangs up the phone and goes to a wall safe. He spins the combination. ROGER RABBIT Gee, Eddie, you're not gonna go, are ya? Maroon'll be layin' for ya at nine o'clock. VALIANT That's why I'll be there at 8:45. ROGER RABBIT I tell you what, maybe I better come with you. VALIANT Forget it. Valiant reaches into the safe for a .38 revolver. He checks the cylinder. Then he takes out a wooden box about 8" X 12". He closes the safe, picks up a black doctor's bag and puts the box and the revolver into it. ROGER RABBIT You know, Eddie, I'm not as much of a chump, and a patsy, a yokel as you think. VALIANT How much is a shave and a haircut, Roger? ROGER RABBIT (sheepish) Two bits. VALIANT I rest my case. Valiant goes to the door, pauses. VALIANT (continuing) If I don't make it back here by ten... ROGER RABBIT Yeah? VALIANT ... I'd head for Cucamonga. Valiant closes the door, leaving Roger alone. Roger paces back and forth manically. ROGER RABBIT Cucamonga? I don't know anybody in Cucamonga. EXT. MAROON STUDIO - NIGHT The lot is dark and deserted. Now headlights cut through the darkness as Maroon's Packard pulls up in front of the Administration building. INT. CAR - MAROON reaches over and opens the glove compartment. He takes out a small automatic. But his hands are so slippery with perspiration, it falls to the floor. Cursing, he takes out a handkerchief, wipes his hands and his face and picks up the gun again. As he gets out of the car, we see the clock says 8:55. INT. ADMINISTRATION BUILDING - NIGHT Maroon hustles up to his office door. He looks nervously over his shoulder, then goes inside. INT. MAROON'S OFFICE Maroon switches on the lights. He goes to his desk. He takes out the gun and puts it in the left hand drawer. Then he takes it out and puts it in the right hand drawer. Then back to the original drawer. Finally satisfied, he goes to the bar to calm his obviously shattered nerves. As his shakey hand starts to pour from the decanter, another hand comes INTO FRAME. VALIANT Steady, R.K., that stuff's eighteen years old. Maroon jumps back as Valiant steps from behind the curtain, holding his black bag. MAROON Valiant! You surprised me. VALIANT That was the idea. Valiant takes over the pouring duties. He turns and carries Maroon's drink to him. Maroon goes and sits down in his chair. He looks to the pistol hiding place. Valiant casually sits on the desk, putting his legs over the drawer. VALIANT You're not too good at this, are you, R.K.? MAROON No... I'm not. I'm a cartoon maker, not a murderer. VALIANT Well, everybody needs a hobby. MAROON No, you gotta understand, Valiant, I had nothin' to do with Acme gettin' killed. I just wanted to sell my studio. But they wouldn't buy my property unless Acme would sell his. And he wouldn't. So I was gonna blackmail Acme with pictures of him and the rabbit's wife. Maroon gets up from his chair, highly agitated. MAROON (continuing) But then it all went to hell. I been around Toons all my life. I can't sit around and see them all destroyed. Maroon eyes Valiant's black bag. MAROON (continuing) You got the will in there, don't ya? VALIANT No, I don't. MAROON You tricked me, damn you! VALIANT Take it easy. MAROON There's no time to take it easy! You don't realize the diabolical mind we're dealing with! ANGLE ON WINDOW A gun pokes through the open window past the curtain. It's a Colt .45 Buntline -- an unmistakeable gun with an extra long barrel. MAROON If I don't get that will by midnight tonight, Toontown's just gonna be land for the free... VALIANT sees a reflection of the gun on the glass on a movie poster on the wall. He turns. But it's too late. BANG! BANG! BANG! Maroon crumples, caught mid-sentence. Valiant dives behind the desk and draws his gun. He looks over at Maroon's dead body on the floor. VALIANT And the home of the brave? Valiant crawls to the window where the shots came from. He looks out. VALIANT'S POV The comely silhouette of Jessica Rabbit runs to her car, jumps in and ROARS out the the studio gates. VALIANT grabs his black bag, climbs out of the office window and jumps off the fire escape to the lot below. EXT. STUDIO LOT Valiant hops into Maroon's Packard. He hits the starter button and takes off after Jessica. NEW ANGLE as the car pulls away, the trunk lid lifts. Roger Rabbit peers out, disoriented. Then closes it. EXT. STREET - NIGHT Jessica's car speeds along. Valiant is in close pursuit in the Packard. He's about to catch up on the straightaway when Jessica's car disappears into a tunnel. VALIANT slams on his brakes. The Packard goes fishtailing, finally spinning to a stop at the foot of the "Toontown" sign. Valiant gets out of the car. He looks down the tunnel. He's sweating. He loosens his necktie. He paces back and forth at the tunnel mouth. He looks up at the Toontown sign and suddenly smashes it with his fist. It spins around like a weathervane. Valiant walks to the Packard with purpose. He grabs the black bag and puts it on the hood. He opens it and takes out the wooden box. CLOSE - BOX as the clasp is popped and the box opened, REVEAL a stunning presentation model TOON .38 resting on crushed velvet. It's everything a real gun could be... and more. Each feature is exaggerated... the barrel, the cylinder, the ivory grips are all Toon-sized. VALIANT picks the gun up and hefts it respectfully. Then he opens an ammo section in the wooden box. SIX TOON .38 DUM-DUM BULLETS are in velvet creases. The Toon Bullets blink to life as if awakening from a long sleep. DUM-DUM #l (rubbing eyes) Eddie... is that really you? VALIANT Uh-huh. DUM-DUM #2 What year is it? VALIANT '46. DUM-DUM #3 Who won the war? DUM-DUM #4 Who do you think, dummy? DUM-DUM #5 Welcome back, Eddie. DUM-DUM #6 Where you been the last five years? VALIANT Drunk. He opens the cylinder. VALIANT (continuing) Feelin' frisky tonight, boys? DUM-DUMS Yeah! The Bullets eagerly dive into their respective chambers. He snaps the cylinder closed, reaches into his shoulder holster and takes out the pint bottle. He unscrews the cap and pours the rest of the booze onto the ground. When it's drained, he flings the bottle in the air and FIRES the Toon .38. KA-POW! It makes a SOUND like a CANNON. THE TOON BULLET climbs like a rocket into the dark sky. It SCREECHES up to the bottle, puts on the brakes. The Bullet puts on a jeweler's eyepiece, then it whips out a little hammer and chisel acd delivers one delicate tap. VALIANT watches as a cut glass chandelier falls out of the sky and CRASHES at his feet. Valiant holsters his weapon and climbs into the Packard. He puts it in gear and pulls into the tunnel. IN THE TUNNEL - DRIVING As Valiant heads toward the proverbial light at the end of the tunnel, suddenly the CAR RADIO COMES ON. RADIO ANNOUNCER ... From the tippy tip top of Toontown's Tip Top Club, this is Mellow Melody Matinee. Here's our favorite cricket, Jimmy, with 'Give A Little Whistle'. JIMINY CRICKET (on radio) 'When you get in trouble, and you don't know right from wrong...' Valiant turns the on/off switch, then punches all the buttons but to no avail. The SONG PLAYS ON anyway. JIMINY CRICKET (continuing) '... Give a little whistle Give a little whistle...' VALIANT I hate Toontown... As Jimmy croons on, Valiant emerges from the tunnel. VALIANT'S FOV Through the windshield we see we have arrived in Toontown, where it's a beautiful sunny day. Eddie is now driving down a phantasmagorical boulevard in a completely animated world. It's a Max Fleischer version of a city neighborhood. The trees and buildings are swaying in time with the MUSIC. Eddie looks to his left and sees a huge Aphrodite-like hood ornament on the front of a TOON CAR. Then as the car starts to pass him he sees hood... hood... hood... more hood then a CHAUFFEUR, then more car, and finally the Wolf we remember from the Ink & Paint Club. He's in top hat and tails, a TOON LAMB in the passenger seat. He tips his hat. WOLF Helloooo, cousin. Now he drives past a Toon building under construction. Like everything else in Toontown. the construction company sports the name "Acme". The sign out frontsays: WATCH OUR PROGRESS. Eddie looks up, and before he can drive by, the building gets built floor by floor with accompanying SFX in about two seconds. Up ahead, the street is clear for blocks. Then suddenly cars pour out of all side streets at once, clogging the boulevard like arteriosclerosis. There is mad HONKING in this cartoon traffic jam. Eddie shakes his head. He pulls over, parks and gets out. Valiant pulls out his Toon .38. Suddenly, the street empties in the blink of an eye. Shutters close, and the sidewalk rolls up like window shades. It's so quiet you could hear a pin drop. In fact, a PIN DROPS from a second story window, landing with the CLANG! of a manhole cover. All is quiet again. Valiant starts across the street -- there is a CREAK behind him. Valiant whirls around, levelling his pistol at the sound. ANGLE ON PACKARD - ROGER peeks out of the trunk of Maroon's car. ROGER RABBIT Don't shoot, Eddie. It's me. Valiant lowers the gun as Roger emerges. VALIANT What the hell are you doin' in there? ROGER RABBIT I followed you to the Maroon Studios. When I heard those shots, I thought I'd help you and investigate the inside of this trunk. Valiant reaches into the black bag in the car. He comes out with a pair of TOON HANDCUFFS. He slaps one on Roger's wrist. ROGER RA13BIT (continuing) Hey, what're you doin'? Valiant drags Roger to the steering wheel. VALIANT I'm making sure you don't help me anymore. He locks the cuff to it, and heads across the street. AROUND THE CORNER - VALIANT stops at a street sign. The post is bristling with fingers pointing in different directions; i.e., Poughkeepsie, Transylvania, Walla Walla, South Pole (the finger points down of course), and finally a finger which says: The Dame. Eddie follows the finger down the side street to a high rise building. He catches a glimpse of Jessica darting into the elevators. Valiant hustles inside after her. Valiant goes to the elevators, and watches the floor indicator spinning round and Round, finally stopping with a BING at the 125th floor. The elevator doors open and Valiant steps on. IN THE ELEVATOR Valiant punches 125. Suddenly the elevator takes out with such velocity that Valiant is thrown to the floor. After a moment, it stops so fast that he hits the ceiling. Then bounces back to the floor as the doors open. He picks himself up and steps off the elevator. He's in a foyer with four doors. Valiant opens the first and steps inside. He disappears. NEW ANGLE Valiant is on the outside of the building hanging onto a flagpole for dear life. He looks down at the street which looks miles below. Valiant inches back along the flagpole to the door and pulls himself to safety. INSIDE - VALIANT tries the next door. This time more carefully. A SPEEDING TRAIN is coming right at him. He slams the door. He tries the next one. A homely OLD TOON LADY is in a bathtub. She lets out a BLOODCURDLING SCREAM. Valiant closes that door quickly, and turns to the last. When he opens this one, we HEAR FOREBODING MUSIC. We see... A DARK ALLEY Warily, Valiant walks into the alley, gun drawn. There's a NOISE behind the garbage cans. Valiant turns as a DEAD BODY with a knife in his back falls out of the shadows at Valiant's feet. A SQUEAKY VOICE comes from behind Valiant. VOICE I guess they didn't clean up after the last moider. Valiant whips around to see a TOON RAT perched on a skull picking his teeth. Valiant kicks the skull. The rat scrambles for cover. As Valiant continues on, we see... JESSICA RABBIT Steps out of the shadows behind him and aim the gun at his back. JESSICA RABBIT Don't move, Valiant. Valiant turns slowly to see Jessica's got a bead on him with her revolver. VALIANT Well... I always figured I'd get it in Toontown. BLAM! She fires. But Valiant's still standing. We HEAR a CRASH behind Eddie as a figure falls into some boxes from a fire escape above. JESSICA RABBIT I think I got him. Jessica runs past Valiant to the figure. He follows, bewildered. ANGLE ON GROUND We can see two rabbit ears sticking out from behind a box VALIANT You shot Roger. JESSICA RABBIT That's not Roger. It's one of Doom's men. He killed R.K. Maroon. Jessica moves the box aside and tugs on the rabbit ears. The rabbit head pops off. Underneath is a Weasle. In his hand is the Colt .45 Buntline. VALIANT Lady, I guess I had you pegged wrong. JESSICA RABBIT Don't worry, you're not the first. We better get out of here. As they run down the alley... CUT TO: THE PACKARD - ROGER is behind the wheel making ENGINE NOISES like a little kid. He pushes all the buttons, windshield wipers, convertible top, etcetera, until he accidentally hits the starter button. VROOM! The Packard fires to life. Roger's startled for a moment, but quickly regains his composure. ROGER RABBIT Hmmm... What would be the harm if I took her for a spin? He throws it into gear. The Packard bucks into the car in front of it. Then Roger shifts again. The same process is repeated in reverse. He SMASHES back and forth. BANG! BANG! ROGER RABBIT (continuing) Ah... the open road. AROUND THE CORNER - EDDIE AND JESSICA come racing down the street. JESSICA RABBIT It was Doom who killed Acme, you know? VALIANT Why didn't you tell me? JESSICA RABBIT I didn't know who I could trust. VALIANT We're even. By the way, I did find your husband. JESSICA RABBIT (excited) Where is he? VALIANT He's right here in the... Valiant rounds the corner and points toward the spot where the car used to be. But all that remains is a crumpled bumper. VALIANT (continuing) ... car. He shakes his head and looks around for signs of Roger. INTERCUT TO: THE PACKARD is careening down Toon streets totally out of control. Panicked, Roger is spinning the wheel as if it were a motorboat. He drives in one side of Mother Goose's Shoe and out the other, diapers all over the windshield. Unable to see, Roger steers right off the road. The car hurtles through space. As it starts to fall, we see it's Toon Monument Valley. The Packard passes a promontory on which WILE E. COYOTE is perched. As Roger passes, he waves to the Coyote. ROGER RABBIT Hi, Roger Rabbit. Love your work. INTERCUT TO: EDDIE AND JESSICA who are now facing a squad of TEN Toon Control Weasles. They unleash a fusilade of bullets. Valiant knocks Jessica to the ground. The bullets pass harmlessly overhead going into the window of the Acme Cheese Shop, riddling a round of cheese. The CHEESEMAKER'S hand comes INTO FRAME changing the sign that says "Gouda" to "Swiss". Valiant rolls and FIRES his Toon .38 Special. The Toon Bullet turns into a cannonball, which rolls down the street busting up the Weasle squad like a bowling ball through ten pins. As Eddie pulls Jessica to her feet, two more Weasles descend on them. They fling Toon knives, which pin Eddie to a wooden fence. Valiant rips one hand free, and BLASTS two shots at them. The Toon Bullets get to the Weasles, and open their nose cones. Two frying pans emerge and BONK the Weasles on the head. Jessica starts to pull the knives out, releasing Eddie. VALIANT How did you get onto Doom? JESSICA RABBIT Marvin told me. Doom was after his land. Ne was afraid. That's why he brought me his will. Valiant sees a Weasle skulking at them with a tommygun. BLAM! Valiant fires at him. The Weasle ducks back around the corner. But Valiant's Dum-Dum SCREECHES to a stop and goes around the corner, too. We HEAR an EXPLOSION. The Weasle come staggering out and falls in the street. VALIANT So where is it? JESSICA RABBIT When I opened up the blue envelope, all that was inside was a blank piece of paper. VALIANT A joker to the end. Now Weasles are coming at them from every direction. Valiant aims the Toon .38 at a Toon tank rolling their way. But when he pulls the trigger, the gun just CLICKS. Empty. JESSICA RABBIT Looks like our goose is cooked, our hash is slung, our fait is accompli... VALIANT Lemme guess where you got that from. Tell me somethin', what'd you ever see in that guy anyway? JESSICA RABBIT He made me laugh. Valiant shakes his head. Now they are completely surrounded by Weasles. The situation looks bleak. VALIANT Well, do you prefer to die this way or that way? Valiant jerks his thumb indicating the direction behind him. Suddenly, there's a rubber-burning SCREECH as Benny the Roadster arrives next to Valiant's hitchhiker-posed thumb. ROADSTER Need a lift? Valiant does a take. VALIANT Benny. The Roadster looks back approvingly as Jessica climbs in with Eddie. ROADSTER Mr. Valiant, you've made a vast improvement in the company you keep. Benny blasts through a couple of Weasles. They swing back and forth like tavern doors, then topple. He takes a hard right into the next block which is the Toon Arctic. His tires turn into skis. He slaloms back and forth between trees. The Weasles pursue on dogsled. Benny grabs a striped barber's pole -- the North Pole -- and slides down it. They land in the Toon Sahara. Benny crawls up a large sand dune, his tongue hanging out of his radiator. He glances back at the Weasles who are mounted on camels, waving scimitars. When they reach the top of the sand dune, we see they're on the precipice of a bottomless chasm. ROADSTER Look, the drawbridge -- we're gonna make it. VALIANT I don't see any bridge. ROADSTER That's because you gotta draw it first. Benny takes a pencil hanging from a post lettered "Draw Bridge". He wets the pencil point and in a flash draws a bridge. It's a rickety rope bridge. Using the pencil as a balancing pole, Benny starts to tiptoe across. The Weasles jump off t'heir camels and start filing onto the bridge after them. When Benny finally reaches the other side, Valiant grabs the pencil from him and gets out of the car. VALIANT Hold on a second. JESSICA RABBIT Eddie, come on. But Valiant stands facing the Weasles, who are charging at him, swords raised. With a sly smile, Valiant holds up the eraser end of the pencil. This freezes the Weasles. But as Valiant starts to erase a rope support, the eraser breaks off the pencil and falls down into the chasm. The Weasles WHEEZE with relief and advance for the kill. At the last second, Valiant takes the business end of the pencil and scribbles a handsaw. He grabs it by the handle and saws the rope. The bridge swings away, smacking the Weasles into the opposite canyon wall. One by one, they slide off and disappear into the abyss. VALIANT climbs back into Benny. The Roadster takes off again, making a skidding left turn onto the main drag. As they make their break into the Toontown tunnel... EXT. TOONTOWN TUNNEL - L.A. SIDE - NIGHT A ten gallon drum is sitting by the side of the road under the Toontown sign. From in the tunnel we hear the SOUND of Benny's ENGINE coming closer. Now a foot comes out of the shadows and rests on the ten gallon drum. As the SOUND of the ROADSTER gets VERY LOUD, the foot kicks the drum over, spilling a clear liquid across the road. NEW ANGLE - THE FOOT belongs to Judge Doom. Doom smiles sadistically as the Roadster with Eddie and Jessica aboard comes shooting out of the tunnel. When Benny hits the liquid, he starts to skid. ROADSTER Uh-oh... whoaaa...! Look out! His tires smoke, then disappear. It's a dip slick. Without tires, Benny spins out of control, finally ending up in the bushes roadside. Before Eddie and Jessica can make a move, they are surrounded by a horde of Weasles pointing what looks like a hundred guns at them. DOOM Are you two all right? Doom opens one of the Roadster's doors and helps Jessica out. Valiant climbs out after her. The Weasles quickly relieve him of his Toon pistol. DOOM (continuing) These roads can be very treacherous at night, especially in a maniacal Toon vehicle. VALIANT The pot's callin' the kettle maniacal. DOOM I've had enough of your insolence! (to Weasles) Put him in my car. I think they'll enjoy attending our ribbon cutting at the Acme factory. The Weasles prod Valiant and Jessica into Doom's Lincoln. A Weasle refers to Benny WHIMPERING in the bushes. WEASLE What about him? DOOM He's not going anywhere. We'll send the mobile unit after him. Doom climbs into the car and it zooms off, Weasles jumping onto the running boards. BENNY crawls out of the bushes on his axles. ROADSTER The boinin', the boinin'... He makes it down into the drainage ditch, dipping his tootsies one by one. There's a HISS as they hit the water and the chemicals from the dip are extinguished. ROADSTER (continuing) Oh, yeah... that's better. Now Benny hears the SOUND of another VEHICLE COMING out of the Toontown Tunnel. He ducks down and peeks over the ditch to see... ROGER IN THE PACKARD come SCREAMING out of the tunnel backwards. Maroon's Packard looks like the winner of a demolition derby. Benny stands and waves to him. ROADSTER Roger! Roger sees him and slams on the brakes, skidding the Packard into the Toontown sign. ROGER RABBIT Benny? Benny hobbles over to the Packard. He pops his trunk and rummages around. He comes out with Toon boltcutters. He clips Roger's cuffs off. ROADSTER Doom's got your wife and Valiant. He took them to the Acme factory, ROGER RABBIT Let's go! Benny nudges Roger to the passenger side. ROADSTER Slide over, son. It looks like you've done enough drivin' for tonight. Now the Toon Roadster gingerly gets behind the wheel of the Packard. He hits the gas and the Packard lurches down the road. INT. ACME FACTORY - NIGHT Doom's car is parked inside. There are several other vehicles as well. There's a steamroller, a road grader, and a huge modified tanker truck. It's mounted with a thousand gallon vat, the contents of which are being stirred by a motorized unit. All the vehicles are marked with a large green four-leaf clover logo. VALIANT AND JESSICA are held at gunpoint by a couple of Weasles, while several others are busy JACKHAMMERING the brick wall at the far end of the factory. Doom pulls on his rubber gloves, turns to the Weasles. DOOM Frisk them. See if they have the will. Several Weasles rush for the opportunity to frisk Jessica. The head Weasle slaps the others away. Then WHEEZING laciviously, he turns to the task. He starts to move his hands over her body when Jessica stomps her heel on his feet. JESSICA RABBIT Get your hands off me, you little rodent! The Weasle hops away angrily and quickly frisks Valiant. He turns to Doom and shakes his head. DOOM No matter. (checks watch) I don't expect the will to show up in the next fifteen minutes. By then Cloverleaf will own Toontown quite legally. VALIANT So you're Cloverleaf? DOOM No one person is Cloverleaf. We're a vast company with diverse interests... gasoline, tires, automobiles. AT THE BRICK WALL The jackhammering has stopped. A Weasle plucks one brick out of the wall. Toon light beams through. He reaches into the hole in the wall and comes out holding a bunch of Toon bananas. WHEEZING wickedly, he passes them out to his compatriots. They devour the bananas, throwing the peels helter-skelter. VALIANT turns his attention from the brick wall back to Doom. VALIANT Come on, Doom. What would a company like that want with Toontown? DOOM It wasn't Toontown they wanted. It was my idea of how to put the land to better use. Doom goes to the truck and starts turning on valves and starting compressors. DOOM (continuing) In fact, they thought my concept so brilliant, that they offered me the Directorship of Transportation. I've accepted. (to Weasle) Bring me Mr. Valiant's gun. The Weasle trots over and delivers Valiant's Toon .38. Doom inspects it. He reads an engraving on the frame. DOOM (continuing) 'Thanks for getting me out of the hoosegow. Yosemite Sam'. (looks up) How sweet. Doom throws the gun on the ground. He pushes back a long lever on the truck, letting loose a tiny spurt of fluid from the discharge valve. The gun disappears. JESSICA RABBIT Dip? DOOM That's right. Enough to dip Toontown off the face of the earth. EXT. ACME FACTORY - ROGER AND BENNY have been watching the proceedings through a window. They turn to each other stunned. BENNY/ROGER RABBIT Dip Toontown? ROGER RABBIT We gotta do something! Roger scurries back to the Packard hidden outside the gates. He opens Valiant's black bag and comes out holding Eddie's real pistol. Benny comes tenderfooting up. ROADSTER Roger, what're you gonna do with that gun? ROGER RABBIT I'm gonna save them, of course. You go for help. Find Dolores at the Terminal Bar. She'll know what to do. ROADSTER Well... all right... Reluctantly, Benny gets behind the wheel of the Packard. ROADSTER (continuing) But you be careful now with that gun. This ain't no cartoon. Benny pulls away. Roger turns with determination and zips back to the window INT. FACTORY Doom pulls the tarp off the top of the truck, revealing a modified water cannon. JESSICA RABBIT You're sick, Doom. Where do people like you come from? DOOM Never mind where I come from. Just watch where I'm going. VALIANT Don't you think anyone's gonna notice that Toontown's gone? DOOM They won't care. Who's going to miss some ridiculous talking mice when they can have the future? EXT. BACK OF FACTORY - ROGER is trying to jimmy open a window using his whole body for leverage. He finally pops the window open. Gun drawn, he climbs over the sill. And falls head first. INT. BATHROOM Roger splashes into the toilet bowl in the Acme washroom. He bobs up. He drains the water out of the pistol barrel and peeks over the bowl. He gets a determined look in his eye. ROGER RABBIT It's time to make my move. Roger starts to climb out of the toilet. He reaches for something to grab onto. Unwittingly, he gets the toilet chain hanging from the tank above. As he pulls himself out, the toilet flushes. Roger has only a moment to register a dumbfounded expression before he is sucked down the john. IN THE FACTORY - DOOM continues expansively. DOOM Right here where we're standing, will be the cornerstone of my idea... the cloverleaf -- an elegant cement structure that intertwines freeways. VALIANT What the hell's a freeway? DOOM A freeway, Mr. Valiant, is eight lanes of asphalt running uninterrupted from L.A. to Pasadena. Pasadena to Hollywood. Hollywood to Santa Monica. Someday everyone will be in cars driving happily, non-stop from one end of the L.A. Basin to another. VALIANT That's what this is all about? Tell me, who's gonna use your lousy freeway? We got the Red Cars, the best public transportation in the country. DOOM Not for long. We're retiring the Red Cars. People will drive, Mr. Valiant, because they'll have to. And when they drive, they'll have to buy our cars, our tires, our gasoline. JESSICA RABBIT Why'd you bother to call it a freeway? Doom steps up into their faces. Behind him, several Weasles are fashioning a noose. DOOM Has a nice ring. Too bad you two won't be around to enjoy it. Suddenly Roger EXPLODES out of the drainage grate in the floor. His entrance sends the Weasles flying. Roger lands on his feet, James Cagney-like, levelling his gun on Judge Doom. ROGER RABBIT Get 'em up. All of you! Or I let the Judge have it! JESSICA RABBIT Roger, darling! ROGER RABBIT Yes, it's me, my dearest. I'd embrace you but first I have to take care of some unfinished business. DOOM Put that gun down, you buck-toothed fool. ROGER RABBIT Go ahead. Give me an excuse to fill you full of holes, pump you full of lead. (over shoulder) How'm I doin', Eddie? VALIANT Real good, Rog... but maybe you better let me take over. ROGER RABBIT Not before I satisfy my sense of moral outrage. Milking the moment, he shifts the gun from one hand to another. He circles Doom, poking and prodding him with the gun. ROGER RABBIT (continuing) You think you could get away with this? Hah! We Toons may be idiotic, but we're not stupid! POV OVERHEAD We LOOK DOWN on the proceedings from high in the rafters. PULL BACK TO REVEAL we're watching from the POV of Voltaire, who's perched on the top inventory rack. Voltaire cleans his fingernails, casually. ROGER RABBIT Yes, justice, Judge Doom. The real meaning of the word probably hits you like a ton of bricks! Voltaire calmly nudges an Acme Ton-Of-Bricks off the shelf. CLOSE - ROGER He never sees it coming. SMASH! The bricks land on his head and bury him. The only thing we can see of Roger is his hand with the gun in it. DOOM Well, this is turning out better than I thought. Doom picks the gun up. The Weasles drag Roger out from under the bricks. Big bright stars are circling his head. ROGER RABBIT (delirious) Look, stars! Ready when you are, Raoul. Valiant shakes his head, but Jessica starts to laugh. JESSICA RABBIT I have missed you, Roger. DOOM Tie the lovebirds together. The Weasles twirl Toon rope around Roger and Jessica like a cocoon. They hook them on a power winch. Then hit a button and raise Roger and Jessica until they're suspended fifteen feet above the floor... right in the path of the Dipmobile. Doom hands Valiant's gun to the head Weasle. DOOM (continuing) Let him watch his Toon friends get dipped... then shoot him. Doom turns and starts to walk away. ANGLE ON GROUND He steps on a Toon banana peel and goes flat on his keester. THE WEASLES always quick with a laugh, BREAK UP at their boss' misfortune. The one guarding Eddie is so overcome with LAUGHTER that he's slapping his thigh with his gun hand. Valiant sees his opportunity. He starts to make a move toward the distracted Weasle and almost gets his hands on the gun when: DOOM Watch out, you idiot... he's going for the gun! The Weasle turns at the last second, sticking the barrel up against Valiant's nose. Doom gets to his feet. He glowers at the Weasle and knocks him on the head with the gavel head of his cane. Doom stalks out of the room. The Weasles scramble to positions on the Dipmobile. One FIRES UP the ENGINE. The streetcleaner brushes start to turn. The vehicle starts to creep forward. Another Weasle climbs into the turret. He puts Roger and Jessica in the crosshairs of the cannon. Beads of sweat break out on Valiant's face. The Weasle, WHEEZING with evil glee, starts to press his finger to the trigger. ROGER RABBIT You guys think this is real funny, doncha? (to Valiant) Eddie, do somethin'! At the last second, Eddie shouts at the Weasle. VALIANT Hey! The Weasle turns to him. VALIANT (continuing) Before you pull the trigger, I want you to know somethin' about the guy you're about to dip. Suddenly, Eddie breaks into the "Looney Tooney Song". The song Roger had sung in the bar. The silly voice that comes out of his mouth surprises everybody, especially Roger. VALIANT (continuing; sings) 'His name is Roger Rabbit He's got a crazy habit...' Valiant starts skulking across the floor. It's a cross between Groucho Marx and a Chuck Berry Duck Walk. VALIANT (continuing; sings) 'He likes to sing and dance and yuk So brighten up and smile you schmuck...' Valiant starts "hoo-hooing", slapping himself in the forehead. Now the Weasles start GIGGLING. They've never seen a human do this before. VALIANT 'Now my name's Eddie V I'm looney too you'll see' Valiant flips into a handstand and starts walking on his hands. VALIANT (continuing) 'I walk with my hands And I shake with my feet...' He offers his foot to a Weasle who shakes it. The others HOWL. Eddie flips upright and grabs a stick of Acme dynamite. VALIANT (continuing) 'I think dynamite Is swell to eat'. Eddie takes a bite out of the Toon dynamite and acts like he's savoring it. The spectacle of this human doing this is too much to bear. Now the Weasles are rolling on the ground, holding their sides. JESSICA RABBIT He's lost his mind! ROGER RABBIT Yeah, isn't it great? Keep it up, Eddie... you're killing 'em, you're slayin' 'em, you're knockin' 'em dead. Roger means it. The Weasles are laughing so hard they're giving themselves heart attacks. Valiant spins around on the floor like a clock dial gone berserk. VALIANT Hoo-hoo-hoo-hoo... One by one, the Weasles keel over... dead. Opaque WEASLE SPIRITS leave their bodies with wings and harps, and float heavenward, still laughing. VOLTAIRE alarmed at the scene below, grabs a brick and flaps toward the ceiling. He throws the brick through the skylight and flies out. VOLTAIRE Doom! Doom! ON THE DIPMOBILE The Weasle on the turret collapses onto the trigger. The unmanned dip cannon starts spraying, as the arm sweeps slowly back and forth like an, automatic lawn sprinkler. VALIANT hitches a ride on the last ascending Weasle Spirit, letting it hoist him to the top of the truck. As he moves the Weasle body off the trigger... VOLTAIRE CRASHES back through the skylight and swoops down on Eddie. He sinks his talons into Eddie's back and lifts him into the air. As Valiant is being pulled skyward he reaches for something along the wall of inventory. He grabs a handful of Acme Small Pills and jams a couple dowm the buzzard's mouth. Instantly, Voltaire starts to shrink. As he gets smaller, he can no longer hold Eddie up. They both descend as Voltaire shrinks to the size of a chick. The sprayer is swinging back towards Roger and Jessica. At the last second, Valiant reaches up and blocks it. It swings back the other way. As Valiant scrambles up on the vehicle to turn it off, Voltaire has found a box of Acme Big Pills. He pecks into it... and after a beat, EXPLODES out of the box. He's now three times the size he was before. Voltaire flaps in for the kill. Valiant reaches the turret just in time to swing the cannon around. The spray of dip blasts one of Voltaire's wings off. He spins earthward like a flaming Messerschmidt, finally landing in the dip vat and dissolving into a black pool. Doom arrives just in time to see his pet bird dissolved. Angrily, he steps onto a giant Acme Mousetrap. He uses a piece of Acme cheese to spring it, catapulting him through the air. Just as Valiant is about to turn off the dip cannon, Doom lands on the truck. He knocks Eddie off the turret with a flying tackle. They both hit the floor. Doom gets up, leaving Eddie stunned. He sprints to where the Weasle had dropped Eddie's pistol. Finally Eddie shakes it off. He sees Doom about to reach the gun. He straps on a pair of Acme Rocket Skates, fires them up and shoots across the floor. He knocks Doom into a stack of Acme boxes, toppling the whole shelf down on top of him. As the sprayer swings back toward Roger and Jessica, they have their last moment together. JESSICA RABBIT Roger, I want you to know I love you. I loved you more than any woman has ever loved a rabbit. ROGER RABBIT Be comforted in the knowledge that as we face the Grim Dipper, our paint will be comingled for eternity. They both close their eyes, waiting for the end. But it never cames. The truck runs up on some boxes and the sprayer arm swings back the other way. Doom grabs an Acme slingshot, loads an Acme boulder and fires it at Valiant. BLAM! It whacks Valiant on the head, laying him out cold in front of the Cloverleaf steamroller, Doom climbs into the steamroller and starts it up. He puts it into gear and starts it rolling toward Valiant. Valiant comes around to see the huge roller bearing down on him. At the last second, Valiant rolls out of the way and grabs an Acme boxing glove. It accordians out and smashes Doom in the face. He goes flying out of the driver's seat, turning the wheel as he falls. The steamroller starts to turn in circles. Valiant jumps Doom. But Doom is stronger. He throws Valiant off and starts whacking him with his fist. He pummels Valiant backward toward the drum of the steamroller. Valiant grabs the nearest thing for defense. It's a can of Acme Stay-Put Adhesive. He whips it up in front of his face. Doom puts his fist right through it, covering his hand with glue. He smiles at Valiant and hauls off again. Valiant ducks. Doom's fist strikes the top of the drum of the steamroller. Frantically he tries to pull it off. But it "Stays-Put". The roller starts to suck his fist down and under. DOOM Nooooo! Jessica and Roger avert their eyes as the steamroller crushes Doom. Valiant breathes a sigh of relief. He starts for the dip truck as the cannon swings back toward Roger and Jessica. But neither of them are watching the cannon. Their eyes are fixed on the ground behind the steamroller. ANGLE ON GROUND There isn't the messy pile of blood and guts you'd expect to see if a human got run over. Instead, we see that Judge Doom's remains have rolled out like a flat black pancake. After a beat, an edge curls up with a CREAK. Now the whole shape peels off the floor and wobbles to it's feet. REVEALING DOOM IS A TOON. ROGER RABBIT Eddie, look out! VALIANT turns to see Doom stick his flattened thumb in his mouth. He blows, re-inflating himself. His glasses CRACK and fall off. Then his prosthetic eyeballs pop out. His teeth shatter and fall out of his mouth like china. Underneath his latex mask we can see his Toon mouth and evil red Toon eyes. VALIANT Holy shit, he's a Toon! DOOM Surprised? VALIANT Not really. Only a Toon could think of something as goofy as that freeway idea. Doom takes the black rubber gloves off, REVEALING red hands with long fingernails. He makes his fist into an anvil and advances on Valiant. DOOM Is that so? Well, we'll see who's the goofy one. BLAM! From ten feet away, he smashes Valiant with a bone-crushing punch. Valiant staggers backwards. DOOM (continuing) By the way, when I killed your brother, Teddy, I used to talk just like this. Doom spesks in a Toony high-pitched squeak. Valiant recognizes him now. VALIANT You? DOOM That's right, me. BLAM! Doom hammers Valiant again. He's defenseless against Doom's super human strength. BLAM! Valiant goes sprawling to the ground. Now Doom's hand turns into a buzzsaw. He goes to administer the coup de grace. DOOM (continuing) Now Eddie's gonna be deady, just like Teddy. With his last ounce of strength, Valiant grabs the Acme Boxing Glove. He pops it. The glove extends across the room, punching the release lever on the dip truck. CLOSE - VALVE A flood of dip gushes out of the valve and rolls toward Doom like a wave. DOOM SCREAMS as the torrent hits him with a CRASH. But there's no escape for him this time. The flood of liquid envelopes him at the ankles. He dissolves into it like a melting candle. THE DIPMOBILE continues forward inexorably. The arm is swinging towards Roger and Jessica. It gets closer and closer... Valiant tries to get to the truck, but it's too late. The cannon has reached them. CLOSE - ROGER AND JESSICA They close their eyes, preparing to meet their Maker. But nothing happens. The spray of the cannon suddenly peters out. It dries up in a harmless drip as the tank has completely emptied. Valiant gets to the controls of the power winch. He hoists Roger and Jessica up out of the way. The Dipmobile passes harmlessly underneath them and SMASHES through the brick wall. TOONTOWN is REVEALED in all its splendor. It's a bucolic setting. A rainbow shares the blue sky with a smiling sun. Fawns and butterflies, chipmunks and flowers watch curiously as the dip truck rolls past. Suddenly it's lifted off the ground. We see it's resting on the top of a TOON GIANT's head. This Giant plucks the truck off his head, regards it, then pops it in his mouth. VALIANT lowers Roger and Jessica to the ground. We HEAR POLICE SIRENS approach. When Valiant unties them, Jessica turns and exclaims... JESSICA RABBIT My hero! Then she hugs Roger passionately. Valiant can only shrug. THROUGH THE WALL - TOONS start coming in. They look around at the scene, bewildered, then gather around Doom's robe, mask and shoes lying in the puddle of dip. There's a reddish slick floating on top. Valiant wanders over and joins them. VALIANT Hi-ho, the Doom is dead. ANGLE ON DOOR Dolores, Lt. Santino, and several other COPS rush in, guns drawn. Dolores runs to Eddie and puts her arms around him. Santino looks down at the remains on the floor. LT. SANTINO What the hell is that? VALIANT Doom. LT. SANTINO Jesus Christ... that was the Judge? Valiant takes the paint chip out of his pocket. He puts it up against the red slime on the robe. It's a match. VALIANT That was the murderer of Herman Acme, Maroon... and my brother. Dolores looks down at the front of Valiant's shirt. A dark stain is appearing. DOLORES Eddie, we better get you to hospital. You're bleedin'. Valiant looks down at the stain. VALIANT That's not blood. That's ink. That goof Acme squirted me with some the other day. Why it's comin' 'through now, I don't know. ROGER RABBIT That's because it's Disappearing-Reappearing Ink. Shows up three days later. Gives you enough time to get away from the victim so he doesn't punch you in the nose. Great gag. VALIANT Yeah... DOLORES I'll treat you to a new shirt. After all, you did save Toontown. JESSICA RABBIT Problem is without Marvin's will, the land still goes to Cloverleaf. ROGER RABBIT That's right. If only we knew what happened to that will... Valiant looks up from his shirt. VALIANT Say Roger, remember that love letter you wrote your wife at the Ink & Paint Club? ROGER RABBIT Yeah? VALIANT I think you oughta read it to her. ROGER RABBIT Good idea. He reaches in his pocket, pulls out the paper and clears his throat. ROGER RABBIT (continuing; reads) Dear Jessy... How do I love thee? Let me count the... I, Marvin Acme, of sound mind and body... Hey? CLOSE - PAPER The Disappearing-Reappearing Ink is coming up over Roger's scribbling. VALIANT Keep reading... ROGER RABBIT (reads) Hey, it's the will. I, Marvin Acme, of sound mind and body, hoo-hoo-hoo-hoo, do hereby bequeath in perpetuity the property known as Toontown to those loveable characters... PAN the Toon crowd, who are listening to the reading of the will. It is a gallery of recognizable faces. Everyone from Mickey to Bugs, Yakky Doodle to Yosemite Sam, Dumbo to Dopey, Bambi to Droopy, Tweety Bird to Tinkerbell. They're all there. ROGER RABBIT (continuing) ... who have given me and the rest of humanity so much mirth and merriment... the Toons. The Toon crowd erupts with a CHEER! Hats go in the air and they descend on Roger, slapping his back. Roger breaks away from the crowd and joins Eddie. TWO SHOT - EDDIE AND ROGER They stand side by side, looking out over Toontown. ROGER RABBIT Well, Eddie, you still think I'm a patsy, a simp, a chump? Eddie wipes the spit off his face. VALIANT No, kid, you're a real hero. ROGER RABBIT I guess I am at that. Cigar? Roger holds out a large stogie. VALIANT Why not? Roger lights Eddie's and one for himself. VALIANT (continuing) By the way, Roger, you were right about your wife. She's a good lady. I'm glad you got her back. ROGER RABBIT And I'm glad you got your sense of humor back. Think you'll keep it? VALIANT Only time will tell. Valiant puffs on the cigar. VALIANT (continuing) Pretty good cigar. Where'd you get it? ROGER RABBIT From this box here... Valiant glances down. The box says, "Acme Exploding Cigars". He looks to Roger, but it's too late. KABOOM! KABOOM! Their cigars blow up in classic Toon tradition, blackening both their faces. Roger starts laughing. Eddie stares at Roger for a moment, then he starts laughing too. They throw their heads back in a HOWL. The other Toons join in. Pretty soon the whole factory is shaking with LAUGHTER. A TOON COP dressed in blue uniform and hat with his back to us tries to restore order in the Acme factory. As soon as he talks, we recognize the stutter. It's PORKY PIG. PORKY PIG O-k-k-k, mmmove along. There's nnnothin' else to see. T-t-that's it. T-t-that's all, folks. (turns to CAMERA) Hmm, I l-l-like the sound of that. Then, savoring the phrase, Porky stutters out the famous sign-off. PORKY PIG (continuing) Eee-ba-da, eee-ba-da... t-t-that's all, folks! CARTOON MUSIC UP. IRIS OUT. THE END

Unchanged men in a changing land. Out of step, out of place and desperately out of time... Suddenly a new West had emerged. Suddenly it was sundown for nine men. Suddenly their day was over. Suddenly, the sky was bathed in blood. Bank Robbery 1 The cavalry (Credits) (The wild bunch in military uniforms rides into the town (San Rafael (name on a house), Starbuck). Children, including girls, throwing scorpions into an anthill. An assembly of the temperance union. Bounty hunters (Thornton) are lurking on the roof of a house). Pastor: (during the speach members of the wild bunch are riding into town in army uniforms, others, also in army uniforms are waiting in the town. The scene is often interrupted by credits) "Do not drink wine nor strong drink thou not thy sons with thee lest ye shall die." (Leviticus 10.9, unfair quote: "Do not drink wine nor strong drink, ... when ye go into the tabernacle of the congregation ...") "Look not thou upon the wine when it is read and when it brings his color in the cup, when moves itself aright at the last it bites like a serpent and stings like an adder." (Proverbs 23.31ff) Now folks ... that's from the Good Book but in this town it's five cent a glass. Five cents a glass. Does anyone really think that is the price of a drink? The price of a drink? Let him decide who has lost his courage and pride who lies a groveling heap of clay not far removed... 'Soldier': All's quiet, sir PIKE: Let's fall in. (We investigate with Pike's eyes the town) Follow me. (Running into an old woman) I beg your pardon, Madam. Madam: I'm so sorry. DUTCH: (smiling) Allow me Madam. Madam: Thank you. PIKE: (offers her his arm) May I. Madam: Thank you. (Cut to the Bounty hunters on the roof of a building): Harrigan: Thornton, wake up. Soldiers. Take a look (Inside the bank office): Old employee: I don't care what you meant to do, it's what you did I don't like. You inconvenienced this lady, and made a fool of yourself and this railroad. Now I want you to apologize to this ... (wild bunch entering the bank office) Yes, can I help you? PIKE: If they move kill them. END OF THE CREDITS; (Cut to the Bounty hunters on the roof of a building): Harrigan: Is he with them? THORNTON: He is there. (The bounty hunters move into their shooting position, very nervous, from the street you can see the movement on the roof.) Harrigan: Hold your fire. Get down. Wait till they come out. Coffer: (laughing) I can nail him. THORNTON: I said wait. T.C.: What if they go out the back? Coffer: It's covered. You two bit redneck peckerwood. (Inside the bank): PIKE: (organizing his men) Abe (Angel is controlling the street and the roofs) 2 Temperance parade (Angel, later the Gorch brothers detect the bounty hunters, while the temperance union is marching along the street). Pastor: I solemnly promise God helping me ... People: I solemnly promise God helping me ... Pastor: to abstain from all distilled, fermented malt liquors including wine beer and cider. People: to abstain from liquor, including wine beer and cider. (Begin of the Temperance Parade) SONG: (accompanied by music until the shooting starts) Yes we'll gather at the river the beautiful, beautiful river gather with the saints at the river that flows by the throne of God. ANGEL: People singing marching down the street. They'll pass the horses. PIKE: We'll join them. DUTCH: (laughing) The temperance union. THORNTON: They should have been told. Harrington: Told what? How long can anybody in this manure pile keep his mouth shut. [2min 23 seconds pass from here until the shooting starts] ANGEL: Rifles PIKE: One? ANGEL: No, three. (Pike goes to Angel) Maybe more, there on the roof. Pike: Son of a bitch. (Pike is organizing his men for the outbreak ...) Man: What are they? Bounty hunters. PIKE: Hell, I do not know. Buck with Ape. Ape: I kill them now. PIKE: No hold them here as long as you can until after the shooting starts. Ape: I'll hold them till hell freezes over or you say different. PIKE: When I kick him out, blast him. we'll make a run for it. Man: (to Ape) Give me that shotgun. (People singing, bounty hunters and wild bunch preparing to fight, you hear heartbeat, see faces, THORNTON, Harrigan and the wild bunch concentrated, the bounty hunters nervous.) 3 Blowing this town to hell (The bounty hunters on the roof are shooting into the people, the wild bunch is using the chaos to escape on their horses, Ape makes terror against the unarmed people in the office). (Pike throws the old employee out of the office onto the street, the bounty hunters open fire at the employee, showing themselves on the roof. The wild bunch opening fire at the bounty hunters, scoring several hits.) [3 min 36 seconds until Thornton commands ceasing fire] PIKE: Let's go. Ape: (His gun returned by the man) Good luck boys. (The wild bunch except Ape leaving the office, using people on the street as shields) (Ape's sequence is paralell to the 5 minutes of shooting. You see that now the bounty hunters score hits on the fleeing wild bunch, some men from the town participate on the shooting, but most are victims, like the temperance parade. Thornton shoots one musican when he tries to hit Pike. Horses are crashing through windows. In one scene Ethan, a member of the wild bunch is hit by a bullet shot from a man on a wagon in the face. L. Gorch reverses his horse just to shoot this man.) Ape: They're blowing this town to hell. Old Woman: (the one from the first sequence) You're trash. Ape: (kissing old woman) Now, you just hush now. They was playing 'Gather at the river'. You know that one. Sing it! 3 people in office: (singing) Shall we gather at the river where bright angel feet have trod Ape: River that flows by the throne of God PIKE: (to DUTCH, who lost his horse in the battle) Come on you lazy bastard. DUTCH: I'm coming. THORNTON: They've cleared out, for Christ's sake. Coffer: Let's go T.C. Scene sequence: 00:00 SOUND: Simulated heartbeat pounding and the music of the temperance parade. CUT: (from outside) Pike with a gun pointing at the old employee at the door. CUT: Dutch looking, automatic pistol in his hand. CUT: (from inside) Pike and employee at the door. CUT: Wild bunch members preparing their guns. CUT: (from inside) Pike and employee at the door. CUT: Dutch looking, automatic pistol in his hand. CUT: Angel and Lyle looking at the street. CUT: Man in uniform of the wild bunch combat ready. CUT: Man without uniform (Ethan) combat ready. CUT: Ape (Crazy Lee) nodding toward his hostages. CUT: Hostages frightend. CUT: (from outside) Pike and employee at the door. CUT: Temperance parade. CUT: Pike throwing the employee out of the door, Lyle and Angel in the background. 00:23 CUT: Musicans of the temperance parade looking at the employee. CUT: (seen from behind) Bounty hunters raising and opening fire. CUT: Man at a horse looking up to the roof, to the bounty hunters. CUT: Employee gets hit several times. (repeated several times, only few picures each, less than a second:) CUT: (frontal) Wild bunch opening fire at bounty hunters. CUT: Glas shatters from the shoots of the wild bunch. 00:31 CUT: (frontal) Bounty hunters raising. CUT: (frontal) Wild bunch shooting at bounty hunters. CUT: (frontal) One bounty hunter gets hit. CUT: (from behind) Dead bounty hunter falling and the others looking for cover. CUT: (Pike: "Let's go.") (frontal) Wild bunch in the office. CUT: Dutch - face. 00:37 CUT: (frontal) Wild bunch running out of the office, shooting. CUT: (from behind) Bounty hunters shooting. CUT: Gorch brothers shooting from the cover of their horses. CUT: (frontal) Bounty hunter hit - falling .... CUT: Lyle Gorch running and shooting. CUT: (frontal) Bounty hunter hit - ... from the roof. SWING: picture is swinging quickly through the street with the wild bunch... (repeated) CUT: (frontal) ANGEL shooting. CUT: (frontal) Bounty hunter hit - ... from the roof. CUT: (frontal) another bounty hunter hit. 00:47 CUT: Thornton shooting from side. CUT: (side) Bounty hunter hit - ... from the roof. (see that the street is a fake - his fall continues below the level of the street) CUT: (frontal) ... bounty hunter hit. CUT: Dutch running out of the office shooting. CUT: (frontal) old 'soldier' shooting from behind a door. CUT: (side) Thornton shooting. CUT: Dutch shooting, in the background two women. CUT: Musicans running in the background roof with bounty hunters. CUT: (Crazy Lee: "Good luck boys.") Receiving his gun again. CUT: Ethan and Pike leaving the office. CUT: T.C. shooting. CUT: ... and missing Pike. CUT: Dutch shooting, behind him women and old men looking shelter behind barrels, Pike appears behind Dutch. 01:00 CUT: (side) Thornton shooting. CUT: ... missing Dutch, who is now in between the temperance parade. CUT: (side) Pike running. CUT: (frontal) Pike running into the temperance parade. CUT: Man running into Ethan. CUT: 'Soldier' coming out of the office, shooting. CUT: Three bounty hunters, Harrigan on the roof, shooting. CUT: 'Soldier' on horse rides straight into the people. CUT: ... people stretch their arms for protection. CUT: People running, wounded, a woman holds a man, a 'soldier' shooting at the bounty hunters. CUT: Three bounty hunters, Harrigan on the roof, shooting. CUT: ... the man, who was held by the woman got hit again. 01:16 CUT: Rider under a balcony. CUT: Man on the balcony loading his gun. CUT: ... woman falls together with man on the street. CUT: (from behind) Ape (Crazy Lee) looking out to the street ("They are blowing this town to hell.") ZOOMING AWAY: A dead body on the street, people running in each direction, Pike shooting with his pistol against the bounty hunters. CUT: (from the street) Roof with shooting bounty hunters. CUT: a 'soldier' takes an old woman as cover. CUT: (frontal) Thornton looking down, shooting. CUT: ... 'soldier' gets hit. CUT: Bounty hunter beside Thornton get hit. CUT: People on the street running. CUT: Three bounty hunters, Harrigan on the roof, shooting. CUT: ... man gets hit. 01:37 CUT: (Office:) Woman to Ape: "You're trash." CUT: (frontal) Crazy Lee ... CUT: Man crawling on the street. CUT: Rider, horse neighs, shoots up straight through the boards. CUT: Man on the balcony shoots straight through the boards. CUT: Rider sees the shootin, galopps away. CUT: Man on the balcony runs to the end of the balcony to get again into shooting position. CUT: Rider in an empty street, in the background the main street. 01:49 SWING: People on the main street, running, dying. CUT: Pike gets on his horse. CUT: Ethan looking. CUT: People on the main street, running, dying, a rider. CUT: Man on the balcony shoots a rider. CUT: ... he smashes through the glas of a woman-clothes store. CUT: (frontal) Thornton shooting. CUT: (frontal) ... Dutch's horse got hit. CUT: ... man falls through the glas continued... CUT: ... Dutch falling ... CUT: ... man falls through the glas continued... CUT: ... Dutch falling (other angle) ... CUT: ... man falls through the glas continued... 02:02 CUT: Crazy Lee kissing the old woman hostage. CUT: Angel fights his way through the street. CUT: Harrigan shooting: CUT: ... a man hit in the back, a little girl knees beside him crying. CUT: Crazy Lee: They was playing "Gather at the river." CUT: (frontal) "Sing it" CUT: Hostages sing 'Gather at the river'. CUT: (frontal) Happy face of Crazy Lee. 02:24 CUT: People running on the main street. CUT: 'Soldier', behind a door shooting. CUT: (side) Thornton shooting, an empty patron rolling over his hat. CUT: Woman run to the door behind the 'soldier'. CUT: Musicans in the foreground of the picture. CUT: Pike puts the 'money' on his horse. CUT: Thornton sees Pike. CUT: Pike Recognizes Thornton. CUT: Thornton shoots ... CUT: ... and hits a musican. CUT: Pike shoots ... CUT: ... and hits the bounty hunter right side of Thornton. CUT: Pike tries to get his horse under control. CUT: Thornton wants to shoot at Pike but his gun is empty. CUT: Dutch (on a horse) shoots at the bounty hunters. CUT: Bounty hunters seek cover behind the roof and then open fire again. 02:43 CUT: People on the streets running. The old 'soldier' now on a horse got hit. CUT: Crazy Lee and his hostages "Gather at the river". (repeated) CUT: Main street. Riders and remains of the temperance parade. CUT: Thornton, looking for a target. CUT: Pike, under his horse a women, the horse moving uncontrolled, killing the woman ... CUT: ... Woman lying in the dust. CUT: Pike looks back. CUT: (side) Bounty hunters on the roof shooting. CUT: (from behind) Wild bunch riding away through the main street. CUT: Two little children at a wall holding each other while the riders pass them by and the shooting continues. 03:04 CUT: Thornton shooting. CUT: Man falls from the horse, not giving away the bags with 'the money' and being dragged by the horse through the street. CUT: (close) Two little children from before (zooming) ... CUT: Dutch grabs two bags with 'money' from the street. CUT: (close) Two little children from before, dust blows in their faces. CUT: Bounty hunters shooting from the roof. (repeated) CUT: Horse of the man, who is dragged through the street, got hit. (in the background you can see the man, who holds the horse and causes the fall of the horse ...) CUT: (close) The two children. CUT: The man standing up. CUT: Coffer firing. CUT: ... man got hit .... CUT: (close) The two children. 03:22 CUT: ... man falling. CUT: T.C. shooting. CUT: ... again hiting the man. CUT: (close) The two children. CUT: ... man still falling. CUT: Two other children behind a wall. CUT: Wild bunch under fire riding through the main street. CUT: From a side street a wagon and a man with a gun. CUT: Ethan, who is leading rider ... CUT: Man on the wagon gets ready to fire. CUT: ... gets hit in the face. CUT: Lyle stops his horse. CUT: The horses on the wagon are moving. CUT: Two children behind a wall. CUT: Wild bunch rides through the main street seen from above. 03:38 CUT: The horses pull the wagon to the main street. CUT: Lyle stops his horse. CUT: The man on the wagon does not find a good shooting position. CUT: Lyle shoots the man. (repeated) CUT: ... man falls, blood. CUT: Lyle has problems to get his horse under control. CUT: (close) Lyles face. CUT: Pike rides back... CUT: Bounty hunters on the roof shooting. CUT: Pike takes Dutch, who has lost his horse on his horse. CUT: shooting on the street. CUT: Pike, Dutch rides away, Lyle is near them. CUT: Thornton: They've cleared out, for Christ's sake. 03:59 (THE FIRST MASSACRE LAST FOR 03:36 !!) Scene sequence END 4 Blazing scorpions (The children, laughing, are burning the anthill with the scorpions.) Child: (Laughing, while putting straw on the anthill) Put some more on. PIKE: (removing woman clothes from his foot) Let's go. 5 Better'n a hog-killin' (The bounty hunters are looting the dead bodies of the wild bunch lying on the street, killing Ape. Discussion between Harrigan, Thornton and officials from the town.) [The different 'culture' of an American and a Mexican village.] Coffer: Take him. (Ignoring one of the dead bandits) He's mine. He's mine. T.C.: I shot this one. Look at the size of that hole! Coffer: You just dig out that bullet and see if it ain't my .06! T.C.: You know I shot him. Coffer: You'd claim the whole thing, wouldn't you? (Thornton going slowly along the street looking at the results of the massacre...) Child: Daddy. daddy. T.C:: Did he have any money. Coffer: Damn, I can't get his belt off! Harrigan: You stupid damned fools. Why did you shoot this employee and let the others get away? T.C.: I didn't! My first shot killed this man right here! Coffer: Liar! He shot that employee while I dropped this bandit and them others too. I must've killed all three of them. T.C.: What were we doing up on that roof? Coffer: Liar! Liar! Black liar! T.C:: Don't talk like that to me. Coffer: I'm sorry. Come on T.C., help me get his boots. T.C.: I think this will do pretty good. THORNTON: Harrigan! Next time, plan the massacre more carefully, or I'll start with you. Harrigan: Why didn't you kill Pike when you had the chance? (Ape in the office with the three hostages, still singing) Ape: Yes we shall gather at the river The beautiful the beautiful river... (Hostages escaping) Hey, stop. (shooting two times) Feathers flew like a turkey! Well, they shouldn't have run. Citizen 1: (opening the door and shooting Ape) Stay. Ape: (hit several times going to the floor) (to Harrigan and THORNTON) How'd you like to kiss my sister's black cat's ass? (Ape shoots 3 men on the street and is hit deadly by Harrigan) Man 3: This is better than a hog-killing. Citizen 2: Get them out of here! Citizen 3: (opening the door, to Harrigan) We're holding you and your railroad responsible for this carnage! Harrigan: Mr Benson... Citizen 4: Innocent people are dead. Women dying and mangled because you used our town as a battlefield! The railroad is going to pay for our loss of blood! Harrigan: We were trying to catch a band of outlaws! Citizen 4: You lured them in here. The railroad has been blabbing about a big payload for weeks! Harrigan: We represent the law! (Thornton leaving the office, the children on the street, running, play the shooting.) 6 The dear dead departed (Wild bunch riding through a sandstone desert, Ethan, whom we saw in a preceeding scene getting hit by a bullet in the face falls from his horse.) ANGEL: Ethan. (Pike riding back to Ethan, the others looking. Obviously this happend not the first time.) Ethan: Pike, is that you? I can ride. Pike. I can ride. I can't see you but I can ride. No! I can't ride. Finish it, Mr Bishop. (Pike shooting Ethan. He rides back to the group, who watch him silently. Silence.) PIKE: You boys want to move on, or stay and give him a decent burial. T. GORCH: He was a good man. We should bury him. PIKE: He's dead! He's got a lot of good men to keep him company! L. GORCH: Too damn many. DUTCH: I think the boys are right. I'd like to say a few words for the dear, dead departed. Maybe a few hymns'd be in order! Followed by a church supper with a choir! (Dutch displays absolute loyality to Pike.) L. GORCH: You crazy bastards, both of you! (They are moving on.) 7 Judas goat (Harrigan, in a wooden house speaks to the bounty hunters.) Harrigan: Bishop, Engstrom, the Gorch Brothers! Amounts to a total of 4500 Dollars and you let them ride out on you! When the hard-money value of these men you killed less my commission adds up to 500 Dollars! And one of those pelts would've not only cleared you with the company but given you money to raise hell with. Coffer: We'll do better next time! T.C.: We'll do anything you say, but we'd appreciate liquor money tonight. Harrigan: There won't be any tonight! You go after them in 10 minutes. Get them! Get Pike and you'll be rich! If one of you tries to auit on me I'll pay a bonus of 1000 Dollars to the man that kills him. (Thornton and the Harrigan exit) Coffer: Well, lets pack it up then! (Thornton and the Harrigan outside the house) THORNTON: Mr Harrigan. Harrigan: Why should I let you go with them? THORNTON: We've been over that. Harrigan: You might join them again. You'd like that, wouldn't you? THORNTON: What I like and what I need are two different things. Listen Mr Harrigan. I don't want to go back to prison, never again. It's got to be my way! I need some good men! You saw what happend out there! Harrigan: Use what you have and see that it does not happen again or I see you spend the rest of your life behind bars. Try to run, I'll be after you and so will they. THORNTON: I gave you my word. Harrigan: We'll see what it's worth. Six minutes. THORNTON: Tell me, Mr Harrigan, how does it feel, getting paid for it. Getting paid to sit back and hire your killings with the law's arms around you? How does it feel to be so goddamn right? Harrigan: Good! THORNTON: You dirty son of a bitch. Harrigan: You've got 30 days to get Pike or 30 days back to Yuma. You are my Judas goat, Mr Thornton. I want all of them back here, head down over a saddle. Thirty days to get Pike or 30 days back to Yuma. (In Thorntons mind a whipping sequence in Yuma prison) [The techniques of leadership: Harrigan, General Mapache and his officers, the company leader in the train, Bishop, Thornton, Mexican village, town officials, Pastor...] New Horses 8 Across the border (The horses of the wild bunch are swimming through the Rio Grande.) ANGEL: Mexico lindo. L. GORCH: I don't see nothing so lindo about it. T. GORCH: Just looks like more of Texas for me. ANGEL: You have no eyes. (The bounty hunters are passing the dead body of Ethan, who was shot by Pike) THORNTON: Got a half hour of light. Let's go. 9 Dreaming of washers (Mexican farm in the desert. Sundown.) SYKES: Hello little fella. (SYKES chuckles, caressing a baby. Mexican women, old. wild bunch arriving.) (Conversation (women, children, men, boys) continues in Spanish in background) (The wild bunch arrives.) SYKES: Them other fellas. PIKE: They are not coming. SYKES: None of them. PIKE: No. SYKES: But I got horses and saddles for them. PIKE: We'll need them, they won't. L. GORCH: Now about sharing up. PIKE: Sharing up will be the same as always. L. GORCH: Me and Tector don't think that he (pointing at Angel) ought to get the same amount. He's just starting out, and this is our opening for a new territory. T. GORCH: That's right. I figure a share to that old goat (pointing at Sykes) for watching the horses is a share too much. (Sykes spitting at the ground) L. GORCH: So, we decided, it ain't fair. PIKE: If you two boys don't like equal shares, why the hell don't you just take all of it? (Tector and Lyle look dazzled) PIKE: Why don't you answer me, you damned yellow livered trash? L. GORCH: Now Pike, you know... PIKE: I don't know a damned thing except I either lead this bunch or end it up right now. L. GORCH: We divide it up just like you say. ANGEL: Chick, chick, chick, chick... (They open the bags with the 'money' with their knifes, washers are falling out) L. GORCH: Silver rings... DUTCH: Silver rings, you butt! Them's washers! Damn! PIKE: Bastards1 (Sykes laughing) L. GORCH: Washers! Washers. We shot our way out of that town for a dollar's worth of steel holes! PIKE: They set it up. L. GORCH: They? Who the hell is "they"? SYKES: (laughing hysterically) "They"? "They" is just plain and fancy "they". That's who "they" is. Caught you, didn't they? Tied a tin can to your trail! Led you in and waltzed you out again! Oh my, what a bunch! Big tough ones. Here you are with a handful of holes, a thumb up your ass, and a big grin to pass the time of day with. "They"! (more angry) Who the hell is "they". PIKE: Railroad men. Bounty hunters. Deke Thornton. SYKES: (looks shocked) Deke Thornton? He was one of them? L. GORCH: How the hell come you didn't know that! ANGEL: Hey, gringo. (laughing) You can have my silver. (Tector tries to pull out his gun, but Angel is faster.) Come on, gringo, don't kill me. Por favor. You can have the silver. (Sykes taking his rifle) But don't kill me. Please. PIKE: Go on, go for it. Fall apart. DUTCH: Walk softly, boys. (They are sitting down. Sykes giving Tector a bottle of whiskey) DUTCH: What's our next move? PIKE: I figure Agua Verde is the closest. Three days maybe. We'll get the news and go to the border. Maybe a payroll, maybe a bank. L. GORCH: Maybe that damn railroad! DUTCH: That damn railroad you're talking about sure isn't getting no easier. SYKES: And you boys ain't getting any younger either. PIKE: We must start thinking beyond our guns. Those days are closing fast. L. GORCH: (calm) All your planning and talking damn near got us shot over a few lusy bags of washers. This was going to be me and Tector's last job befor we quit heading south. We spent our time and money getting ready for this! PIKE: You spent time and money running whores while I spent my stake setting it up! (Lyle throwing a washer at Pike, he catches it) Hell I should have been running whores instead of steeling army horses! (All laughing) L. GORCH: While you did the planning me and Tector was getting our bell rope pulled by two, two, mind you, Hondo whores! (All cackle until end of scene) DUTCH: And Pike was dreaming of washers! L. GORCH: He was. DUTCH: You were matching whores in tandem. L. GORCH: What's that. T. GORCH: One behind the other. L. GORCH: That's right! That'S what we was doing! (Also children who watch the scene from a distance, laughing) 10 "Being sure is my business" (Night in the desert: Thornton and the bounty hunters) Coffer: Mr Thornton. You rode with Pike. What kind of man are we up against. THORNTON: The best. He never get caught. [For Thornton being seperated from Pike, Pike already became a kind of legend, maybe by knowing the alternatives.] (Night in the desert: Pike and Dutch) (Night in the Mexican farm, Angel with guitar singing, Mexican women watching, Dutch and Pike sleep in their clothes under a blanket near the fire.) PIKE: This was going be my last. Ain't getting around any better. I'd like to make one good score and back off. DUTCH: Back off to what? Have you got anything lined up. PIKE: Pershing's got troops spread out all along the border. Every one of those garrisons will get a payroll. [The US goverment called out it's army, led by General Pershing, to defend its border against the raids of Pancho Villa.] DUTCH: That kind of information is kind of hard to come by. PIKE: I didn't say it's going to be easy, but it can be done. DUTCH: He'll be waiting for us. PIKE: I wouldn't have it any other way. (Remembering sequence Pike, how Thornton get caught) (Women, laughing, obviously a noble whorehouse) THORNTON: (Correctly dressed) Come on Pike, let's go. PIKE: (Half naked, with two women) You sound like you're all caught up. THORNTON: (Pushing away a beautiful woman) Enough to know we've overstayed our welcome. PIKE: What's wrong with you? We've got plenty of money to spend and no worries in the world. They're not going to look for us in their own backyard. THORNTON: How can you be so damned sure? PIKE: Being sure is my business. (sentence echoes) (knocking on the door) THORNTON: (To the woman who wants to open the door) Hold it. PIKE: Relax. It's just some champagne we ordered. (sentence echoes) (The door opens, men enter with guns, shooting, Thornton got hit, Pike escapes. The last sentences of Pike echo through the scene.) Man 1: Did you get him. Man 2: No, he got away. (end of remembering sequence) 11 Learning from being wrong DUTCH: Man, you sure must have hurt that railroad. They spent a lot of money setting up that ambush. PIKE: I caught up with them. Two or three times. There was a man named Harrigan. He used to have a way of doing things. I made him change his ways. And a hell of a lot of people just cann't stand being wrong. DUTCH: Pride. PIKE: And they cann't forget it. That pride, being wrong, or learn by it. DUTCH: How about us, Pike. You reckon we learned being wrong today? PIKE: I sure hope to God we did. (Sykes brings coffee) SYKES: Them's hot. DUTCH: (burning his fingers receiving the cup) Damn. Where in hell did you find him? PIKE: He run with Thornton and me. Did his share of killing and more. Around Langtry. DUTCH: Now he does his killing with a coffee cup. (pouring away the coffee. Drinking whiskey from the bottle.) (Angel still singing and playing guitar) DUTCH: Pike? I wouldn't have it any other way either. 12 When you side with a man (riding through the sand in a desert, horses and package horses. ) Sykes: Watch out boys. (They are going down a steep sand slope with the horses) PIKE (?): Take it easy. (Sykes is falling from his horse and causes allt he others also to fall into the white sand. Only Angel with 5 package horses stays at the top of the slope smiling) PIKE: That goddamned son of a bitch! Get those horses up. L. GORCH: What the hell is going... T. GORCH: (standing up, to Sykes) Damned old punk! Bastard! PIKE (?): (to a horse) Get up now! Get up there, goddamn it! (sounds and words of people working the horses out of the sand and catching horses, that ran away.) T. GORCH: What the hell is the matter with you, old man? (throwing a stone at Sykes) PIKE: Leave him alone. T. GORCH: He'll gonna get us all killed! I'm going to get rid of him! PIKE: No you're not! We're sticking together, like it used to be! When you side with a man you stay with him. If you can't do that you're like some animal! You're finished! We're finished! All of us! Mount up! (Pike's stirrup tears and he falls trying to get up his horse.) T. GORCH: Appears brother Pike needs help. L. GORCH: That brother Pike and the old man Sykes makes a man wonder if it ain't time to pick up his chips and find another game. T. GORCH: How the hell can you side anybody when you can't get even on your horse. (The wild bunch moving on) SYKES: That was a fine talk you gave the boys about sticking together. That Gorch came near killing me. Or me him. Damned old fool like me's not worth taking along! PIKE: We started together, we'll end it together. SYKES: That's how I see it. That's the way it's always been with me. Sorry about Deke. I never figured him that way. SYKES: Hey. Back there in Starbuck how did my boy do? PIKE: Your boy? Crazy Lee? SYKES: Yes, C.L., Clarence Lee. My daughter's boy. Not to bright, but a good boy. (Remember sequence of Ape holding the three unarmed people in the office. "I kill'em now? I kill'em now?" "No you just hold them here") PIKE: Why didn't you tell me, he was your grandson. SYKES: You had enough things on your mind. Besides, he had to pull his own weight, like the rest of us. I just wanted to make sure he didn't let you down, run, when things got hot. PIKE: No, he did fine. Just fine. (Happy expression in Sykes face) 13 Turning back (The bounty hunters reaching the Rio Grande) Coffer: All clear. T.C.: From here on it's Mexico, Mr Thornton. THORNTON: What's the closest town of any size? Coffer: Agua Verde. THORNTON: What's in Agua Verde? Coffer: Mexican's, what else. (laughing) Coffer: A headquarter for regulars fighting against Villa. Mapache territory. (Thornton changing the headin of his horse) Coffer: Don't we follow... THORNTON: No, we go back and wait. Man 3: We're supposed ... Coffer: Shut up! Angel's village 14 Sadness and celebration (The wild bunch riding into Angels hometown, a poor mexican village. Outside of the town, dust, a dog looking like a skeletton.) L. GORCH: Why the hell won't you tell your folks to feed them dogs. DUTCH: Won't find very much around here. That damn Huerta's scraped it clean. ANGEL: I have invited you to my village, to my home. Any disrespect to my family or to my people I will kill you. PIKE: Ashamed of having us meet your people? ANGEL: Yes. They don't know about my life when I leave the village. (Old man watching the riders) L. GORCH: You got a sister? ANGEL: Yes. L. GORCH: I'd be proud to make her acquaintance... T. GORCH: And that of your mama too. SYKES: That goes for your grandma too, sonny. (All cackle) (Children playing, women making bread, cooking, a girl explains some game with a thread to the Gorch brothers in Spanish...) PIKE: How bad was it. Don Jose: Seven of the villagers were killed. Two of them hung. Our horses, cattle and corn, stolen. PIKE: What about the federal troops? Didn't they protect you? Don Jose: They were federal troops, commissioned by the traitor, Huerta. ANGEL: And the soldiers who shot my father? What was his name PIKE: What does it matter? Don Jose: Your father died like a man. The names are not important. ANGEL: How was he called? Don Jose: Mapache. ANGEL: That is name enough. Don Jose: In Mexico, senor, these are the years of sadness. But if we had rifles like these... ANGEL: And Theresa? Did they molest her? Don Jose: No. She went with them because she wished to. She became the woman of Mapache and the others. She went with them laughing. Drunk with wine and love. (Angel leaving) To him Theresa was a goddess, to be worshipped from afar. I tell you, she was a mango, ripe and waiting. PIKE: Angel dreams of love and Mapache eats the mango. (Sykes laughing) L. GORCH: (To the girl with the thread) That's a good trick. (Woman in Spanish calls something to the girl) (Pike see the Gorch brothers playing with the girl) PIKE: Now that I find hard to believe. Don Jose: Not so hard. We all dream of being a child again. Even the worst of us. Perhaps the worst most of all. PIKE: You know what we are then. Don Jose: Yes, just so, the both of you! (Sykes and Pike) PIKE: And you. (All laughing) ANGEL: Where is Mapache! (Night: festive music plays, clapping and cheering) DUTCH: All right Pike? All right? L. GORCH: Tector, let's swap. (both dancing with Mexican girls) Come on let's swap. (Excited hollering and chattering) ANGEL: You must tell me. Where is Mapache? Don Jose: Why do you wish to know? For your father? Or the whore? PIKE: Either you learn to live with it or we leave you here. ANGEL: I go with you. (Dutch asks a woman sitting between him and Pike to start dancing with him) SYKES: You know, what I'm going to do? Steal his girl. Don Jose: You are? SYKES: Here I go. Dutch, I'm cutting in. Come on lady. (Music, laughter and cheering continue) (At last Pike and Angel are the only ones not dancing) 15 Farewell to the bunch (All sing traditional folk song in Spanish) (Men taking their hats from the head while the wild bunch on their horses is leaving the town) (A woman gives Dutch a red flower) (L. GORCH gets a Mexcican hat. He wears it until the end of the movie) (Angel gets, from his mother(?) a bag with food) General Mapache 16 The General drives in (a woman giving her breast to a baby. Soldiers marching. A man making tortillas. The wild bunch enters a Mexican garrison town. Chicken. A market, onions, not plenty. Women sitting on the ground.) DUTCH: No gringos. ANGEL: Only federales. DUTCH (to Pike) Only soldiers, not a bounty hunter in sight. (The General drives in in a red car) DUTCH: Now, what the hell is that? Zamorra: Attention (Soldiers saluting the General in the car.) PIKE: I saw one just like it in Waco. L. GORCH: Running on steam. PIKE: No, on alcohol or gasoline. SYKES: You know what I heard? I heard they got one of those things up to north that can fly. T. GORCH: That was a balloon, you damned old fool. PIKE: No, the old man is right. They've got motors and wings and go 60 miles in less than an hour. Going to use them in the war. Let's talk to the General about his automobile and our extra horses. Nice and easy. 17 Angel's woman no more (The wild bunch enters the poor Mexican town of Agua Verde. Soldiers are patroling on the arcs, which seem to be the remains of an cathedral. Despite of the poorness and the rotten buildings an everlasting feast is going on. Obviously Mapache can not exist without music, wine and women. He, his officers and the germans are sitting on a higher floor eating, drinking, watching the scene.) Comm. F. Mohr: Do you know, these Americans, General? Mapache: (Spanish) No, I don't know any Americans, and these men even less. (The wild bunch sitting on a dirty (but empty of glasses or bottles) table. In the background children behind bars which are in front of the windows. The walls are loosing plaster. Civilians, especially women, children, and soldiers are mixed up.) DUTCH: Six cervesas, perfavor. (The two german officers are talking silently.) T. GORCH: Probably talking about us behind our backs. DUTCH: I'm down to about twenty in silver. PIKE: Since the Generalissimo cleaned out this area, he ought to have a lot to spare. DUTCH: Generalissimo, hell. He is just another bandit grabbing all he can for himself. PIKE: (laughing) Like some others I could mention. DUTCH: Not so as you'd know it, Mr Bishop. We ain't nothing like him. We don't hang nobody. I hope someday these people kick him and the rest of that scum like him into their graves. ANGEL: We will. If it takes forever. (Looks between Pike and a girl) (WHOLE DIALOGUE IN SPANISH:) Theresa: General! General! Look what I brought you. Mapache: What a beautiful horse. Theresa: It's for you. Mapache: For me? Theresa: It's my gift to you. A thoroughbred. Mapache: Send him off to mate with my mare. (Applause from the people) Then he'll be in shape to mate with all the other mares. And you, pretty brunette, come with me. (Theresa is passing by the desk of Angel and the others) T. GORCH: (about the horse) Well good looking old pony, ain't he. ANGEL: Theresa. (Some spanish words between Theresa and another girl) T. GORCH: Boy do you know those beauties. (WHOLE DIALOGUE IN SPANISH:) ANGEL: You left the village. Theresa: So what. Si. I left your stinking village so I would not starve. Look at me now. I'm happy. Very happy. I'm living with the big boss of this place General Mapache. (Angel wants to grabb the girl) PIKE: (holding him) Come on. ANGEL: She was my woman. PIKE: I know, I know. Theresa: (kissing the General) General. T. GORCH: Sure ain't your woman no more. L. GORCH: Just look at her licking inside that General's ear. ANGEL: Whore. (Shooting Theresa with a single shot) (T. Gorch immediatly beat down Angel. The wild bunch surrenders in front of the from all sides approaching soldiers.) Zamorra: What's going on here. Why did he try to kill his Excellency? PIKE: He didn't try to kill His Excellency. He was after the girl. DUTCH: (in spanish) He was his fiancee. PIKE: He went a little crazy when he saw her with you. (all laughing at putting away arms. Also the wild bunch, laughing, somehow false, gets back his arms.) Comm. F. Mohr: Are you associated with the American Army? DUTCH: No. No, we're not associated with anybody. Comm. F. Mohr: I see. I was curious about the equipment which aou are carrying. That pistol is restricted for the use of army personell. It can't be purchased or even owned - legally. PIKE: Is that so? Comm. F. Mohr: Weapons are my speciality. I am Commander Frederick Mohr of the Imperial German Army. It would be very usefull for us, if we knew of some Americans, who did not share their goverment's naive sentiments. PIKE: We share very few sentiments with our goverment. Comm. F. Mohr: (in spanish to Mapache) Perhaps we should invite these gentlemen to have a drink with us. DUTCH: (to Pike) He's inviting us to have a drink with them. Mapache: Porque non. Let's have a drink. PIKE: Good. (He looks at ANGEL lying on the ground, taken high by to Mexicans) (Sequence with the bounty hunters) T.C.: Shoot him. (Making the noice of taking the gun and provoking a response by Thornton) Coffer: I gave it to him, T.C. (Thornton let them pass by not wanting them in his back... The bounty hunters laughing.) 18 Target: an arms shipment (Mapache is correcting his outfit in front of a mirror, in the background the muffled voices of woman praying) Mapache: (speaking angrily in Spanish) Out! Stop praying! Enough! You old hags! Out! (Procession of women carrying the dead body of Theresa continues, without even noticing Mapache's protest.) (A table with silver dishes, noble) PIKE: Here? Comm F. Mohr: No, no, not there! (Angel is sitting at the door, guarded by men who point at him with pistols) (When the procession enters Lyle Gorch raises taking a handle in his hand...) T. GORCH: Wait, what are you going to do? We got to show a little class here. (Zamorra shrieks, women continue praying, Mohr remains silent.) Comm F. Mohr: Right here! It must be that garrison rail spur. PIKE: It's the easiest to hit, but I must find a way to get it out of there. (to Dutch) What do you think? DUTCH: Getting pretty close to home. (On the table of Sykes, Lyle and Tector there are bottles of wine and tequila, but no silver dishes...) L. GORCH: Look at them gathered around the table. Here we sit like kitchen help. DUTCH: Why do you want us to hit that train right there at the border? PIKE: Can't the General take over the whole thing? Comm F. Mohr: (with a glas of red wine) General Huerta is anxious to better relations with the US, not to cross the border and destroy them. PIKE: Usually these arm shipments are kept pretty secret. How'd you find out about this? 2nd German: Mapache has a superb intelligence force organized under supervison by my commanding officer. Zamorra: Now gentlemen we are quite well organized and able to pay 10000 US Dollar in gold. If you are not able to do the work, we'll find someone else. PIKE: We can do it. But we're going to need equipment. Zamorra: Do not worry. Our accountant will take care of it. (Mapache entering) Comm F. Mohr: My General, soon you will be the best equipped General in Mexico. (People at the big table raises from their seats, the Gorch brothers and Sykes ignore it) L. GORCH: Look here, ain't he the one. (Mapache is obviously totally drunken) (All call a toast, Lyle and Tector respond to the toast, unfittingly) PIKE: With your permission. I need a bath. 2nd German: With my permission. I think you all need a bath. L. GORCH: (alound from the background) I don't need no bath. What me and Tector need is a couple of them women you're hogging. Can you fix that up for us, boy? (Everyone is looking irritated) Comm F. Mohr: Gentlemen, you will excuse me. DUTCH: Oh, I'm sure. Zamorra: Herrera. PIKE: Let's get Angel. DUTCH: Yeah. (Zamorra crying angrily at Herrera. Herrera calling the name of women.) (They take Angel) Mapache: Un Momento. PIKE: Por favor. I need him. Mapache: I give you someone much better than that. PIKE: If you don't mind I'll make my own choice. Zamorra: (in Spanish) Let them take him away, General. Mapache: All right. He is not important to me. Take him. 19 Rest and recreation L. GORCH: I think we're gonna get on the wagon now. Hey, here come our sweeties. (Three women appear) T. GORCH: Ain't them pretty. (Lyle who flirted with a real Mexican beauty looks a little bit disapointed, but this immediatly vanishes) [Like so often conventional western aesthetics are ignored. What is shown are not Mexican beauties, but normal Mexican woman, somehow old, fat. But there is one thing: Obviously the Gorch brothers will have a real nice time with them. It is the action and not the surface that counts.] I don't know about yours, Lyle, but I think, I got more than I can handle. (The Gorch brothers with their women are running through the cellar and the wine storage, kissing, woman giggling.) T: GORCH: Hey get out of them. L. GORCH: You know what they told me? The dons of Spain built this over 300 years ago. T: GORCH: Is that right? L: GORCH: That's right. T: GORCH: I tell you, Lyle, I'm all for them dons. Let's have a little target. She won't get away. Turn her loose. L: GORCH: Why not. (First Tector, thean Lyle shoot holes into a barrel of red wine and all take a shower and drinking the red wine coming out.) L: GORCH: Hey Tector, look at them beauties. (Uncovers the breast of one of the woman) (Meanwhile Sykes, Angel, Dutch, Pike in a sauna, hooting and hollering. And old woman brings new hot stones. They are drinking Tequila from a bottle, Pike is inspecting his scar on his left leg.) DUTCH: How the hell can you stand it that hot? PIKE: I'm going to build me one of these some day and live in it. (Meanwhile the Gorch brothers are taking a bath in a barrel of red wine with their beauties.) T: GORCH: Hell Lyle, look here. (Giggling and splashing) Come on, sweetheart, let me see your teatsies. PIKE: (to Angel) I don't know why the hell I didn't let them kill you. ANGEL: I'm going to steal guns for that devil to rob and kill my people again. DUTCH: Noble, noble. Very noble. SYKES: I didn't see no tears on your cheeks when you rode in from Starbuck. ANGEL: They were not my people. I care about my people, my village. Mexico. SYKES: Listen boy, you ride with us, your village don't count. If it doesm you don't go along. ANGEL: Then I don't go along. DUTCH: Angel, one load of guns ain't going to stop them raiding villages. Think about all the money you'll have. PIKE: Buy them a ranch. Move them 1000 miles. Buy them two or three ranches. DUTCH: One. A very small one. (Sykes giggling) ANGEL: Don't you see? This is their land. No one is gonna drive them away. SYKES: I'll drink to that sentiment. And to love. But most of all, I'll drink to gold! (Men laugh and call a toast) PIKE: Angel. You're a pain in the ass. ANGEL: Would you give guns to someone to kill your father or your mother, or your brother? PIKE: Ten thousand cuts an awful lot of family ties. ANGEL: My people have no guns. But with guns my people could fight. If i could take guns i would come with you. DUTCH: How many cases of rifles did Zamorra say was in that shipment? PIKE: Sixteen. DUTCH: Give him one. (All thinking) PIKE: All right. One case and one case of ammo. But you give up your share of the gold. ANGEL: I will. PIKE: We know you will. SYKES: Sure glad we got that settled. DUTCH: Why, you reprobate. (Pouring a bucket of water at Sykes) (All cackle happily. The Gorch brothers arrive with their women.) L: GORCH: Boys. I want you to meet my fiancee. (Pike and DUtch giggles) T: GORCH: They just got engaged. SYKES: I'm a son of a bitch. Trot them on in, fellas. I'm hell on packing mules, but I'm a delight with a pretty girl. (Laughing) 20 Pike's lost love Harrigan: You want to gamble everything that this one shipment will be attacked?. THORNTON: If they are in Agua Verde, they'll try for it. Harrigan: If? What about Juarez? THORNTON: If he was, we'd have heard. If they are in Agua Verde, they will have seen Mapache. Harrigan: And who in hell is Mapache? THORNTON: A killer for Huerta who calls himself a General. He's been fighting Villa and losing. But with enough guns, he could become a power in northern Mexico. Pike will try to get them for him. Harrigan: How? The train will be guarded by regular troops. THORNTON: Not regular troops, green recruits not worth a damn. I need 20 trained men, not recruits. And not this gutter trash you've given me. (The 'gutter trash', in the same room, hearing this) Harrigan: What you've got is 24 more days. (Train whistle blows in a distance) (The wild bunch with horses, Sykes on a wagon, is riding through a plain desert.) DUTCH: Never told me how you got all torn up like that. (Speaking about the scar on Pike's left leg.) PIKE: I met a woman I wanted to marry. (Remembering sequence) (Pike brings flowers to a dark skinned woman, who beats him in his face.) PIKE: Is your husband coming back? Woman: (Angrily) No. He is never coming back. But you are late. Two days late. PIKE: She had a husband. If I had any sense, I'd have killed him. He wasn't around. I got careless. One night he walked in on us. Caught her with the first shot, and got me here with the second. Then the damned coward turned and ran. DUTCH: Ever catch up with him? PIKE: No, but there isn't a day or an hour that passes that I don't think about it. (turning back) Come on! We've got a long way! (to Dutch) This is our last go around, Dutch. This time we do it right. (While riding Pike drinks whiskey out of a bottle) Train Robbery 21 Catching a train (Train whistling approaching a water reservoir in the middle of a deserted country. Soldiers and bounty hunters inside the train, sleeping.) (The train (P.S.T.R.R. nr 650), soldiers, the bounty hunters, stops for filling water. ANGEL hide in the water pump. LYLE GORCH, PIKE and DUTCH under the bridge. One soldier leaves the train, investigating the small buildings and possible hiding places, but they don't find the wild bunch. No words. Everyone knows his job.) (Rhythmic repetition of steam blowing from train engine) ANGEL: (to the man handling the water pump) Just do your work. (Lyle controls the front of the train, Angel and Pike the engine, Dutch the rear part. Angel goes back to the wagon with the soldiers.) (ANGEL uncouples the wagon with the soldiers (the seats have leather furniture) and they go with the guns. THornton gets aware of the manoevre.) 22 The Wild Bunch Express Thornton: (seeing the departing front part of the train, after looking at the soldiers - nearly children, to his men) Let's go. DUTCH: (seeing the bounty hunters leaving the train on their horses) They are coming. (Officer wakes up and recognizes that the front part of the train is running away and the bounty hunters are not here anymore.) DUTCH: They are coming. PIKE: (to the man at the engine) Faster. (Accelerating the train causes Dutch to stumble and fall. He catches hold between two wagons but the two soldiers, whom he previously guarded now opened fire at him.) PIKE: (to the machine man) Get over. (Lyle shoots the two soldiers who tried to raise weapon against him) (Angel shoots the soldiers who fire at Dutch and helps Dutch out of his dangerous position.) (The young soldiers are not able to get the horses out of the wagon and start the pursuit.) Officer: Get that ramp up! Get that horse out of here! Bring them all out! Get them out! Get over here! Get them over here! Get those horses! (Tector and Sykes waiting beside the tracks with the wagon, the train arrives.) (Soldiers:) Officer: Hurry up. Recruit: Your horse kicked me. Officer: Run them up along here! Where the hell is my horse? (Wild bunch:) (unloading the train loading the wagon) DUTCH: Hey, we got grenades! PIKE: Hurry up! We gotta get out of here! DUTCH: Be careful! (Soldiers:) Officer: Line up in two columns! Corporal, give us a hand here! (Wild bunch:) DUTCH: Hey Pike, we're all ready! 23 Backtrack (Pike lets the train move back...) PIKE: Let's go! (The train passes by the bounty hunters, horses neigh, black smoke comes out of the train...) Officer: Get after that horse. That was my horse! Get after him. Get out. (sees the train coming) Recruit 1: Get that damn horse off my butt. Officer: Get those horses out of here. The train is coming. Recruit 2: Train? Recruit 3: Where? Recruit 4: What train? I don't see any. Get that goddamn horse off my foot! (Train crashes into the wagon, a horse and two soldiers are falling...) 24 Standoff at the bridge (The bounty hunters reach the place where the wild bunch unloaded the train) Coffer: (Catching the track of the wagon of the wild bunch) Hey T.C. Officer: Corporal, ride back to the telegraph at Todos Malos and tell them the railroad deputies robbed the train and we're in pursuit! Corporal: Yes sir. (Shield at the bridge: You are leaving the United States) (While the wagon is crossing the bridge Angel is lightning the dynamite fuses.) (The bounty hunters arrive. Rapid exchange of gunfire, horses neigh and shuffle. One wheel of the wagon breaks in the wooden boards of the bridge.) ANGEL: Come on, it's lit. (Bridge creaks, men grunt. Lyle and Dutch tries to lift the wagon, while Sykes tries to get the horses going. Pike is firing at the bounty hunters, who get off their horses and also go into firing position. The soldiers arrive. The bounty hunters open fire at the soldiers.) THORNTON: (yells) Don't shoot! It's the army! (Meanwhile the wagon was lifted and continues to roll.) DUTCH: Come on, Pike! 25 Tip of the hat (While the wagon of the wild bunch is rolling along the bounty hunters and Thornton are on the bridge opening fire from their guns. The bridge explodes and the bounty hunters fall with their horses into the river. One horse is galopping over the bridge. The soldiers are looking.) PIKE: Let's go! (Dutch has some problems with his horse) Come on you lazy bastard. DUTCH: I'm coming, damn it. Through the Mountain Desert 26 Bottom of the bottle (Greasing the wagon) PIKE: IS it allright? DUTCH: Yes. SYKES: Where are they supposed to meet us? PIKE: Agua Verde or before. But when we do meet them, don't expect any open arms. DUTCH: Least we won't have to worry about Deke Thornton. PIKE: (laughing) Hell no. Not after riding a half case of dynamite into the river. SYKES: Don't expect him to stay there. He'll be along and you know it. (They are drinking a quarter-full bottle of whiskey, Pike starts, everyone gets his share, exept Lyle. Everyone is laughing.) 27 Mapache under attack (Bounty hunters) Man: Besides my hair is wet. (The village is under mortar fire and cavallery attack. The red car of the General is placed on a wagon of the train, a woman is singing. A telegram arrives at the telegram station.) Man: Pancho Villa sont attacka. Boy: A telegram from San Antonio. General: The gringos assaulted the train. They got the guns. Zamorra: We must go. General: (To Herrera) Take the necessary people and take the road to Agua Verde. Convince the gringos to give you the guns. I'll wait in the village. Herrera: If the gringos refuse. General. Matalos. (to the Pancho Villa troops) The next time we meet I'll destroy you. (The little boy still standing proudly beside the General. Obviously the General said the sentence just to impress the boy.) Zamorra: Let's leave General. General: Vamonos. 28 "We're after men" (We see through Dutch's looking glass Thornton and the bounty hunters riding through a desert valley.) DUTCH: He's still heading east. PIKE: Are they bluffing, or did they really miss it. DUTCH: I'd say they missed it. Take a look. There's only five left. Coffer: Hell, we lost them. Man: I don't see how. Unless it was in the big valley where the ground was hard. T.C.: There was but one way they could take a wagon out of there, and this is it. THORNTON: They didn't take it out. We haven't lost them. I could point to them right now. Sit still damn it! You think Pike and Sykes haven't been watching us? They know what this is about. What do I have? Nothing but you chicken stealing gutter trash with not even 60 rounds between you. We're after men. And I wish to God I was with them. The next time you make a mistake, I'll ride off and let you die. Come on. 29 Robbery proof guns (Dutch and Pike through a looking glass observing Thornton) DUTCH: I never figured they'd come down here after us. How much you reckon we could be worth. PIKE: Depends on how hungry they are. You better stay here and look out for big hats. I'll go down and start rigging the fireworks. DUTCH: All right. (Pike goes to the wagon, the wild bunch sitting in the shadow of the wagon) PIKE: Angel. Get that case of esplosives off hte back there. Lyle! Hand me down those blasting caps. L. GORCH: What're you gonna do with the dynamite? PIKE: I figure that General will try to take this load without paying for it and shoot us in the bargain. The only thing to change his mind is if something happened to these guns. I'm gonna make sure something could happen. T. GORCH: Hey Pike, take a look at this. (showing a machine gun) L. GORCH: Can you handle that? PIKE: What I don't know, I sure as hell am going to learn. (The wagon moving through rocky desert. Angel and Tector do reckon jobs, Lyle stands at the machine gun, Sykes handles the wagon.) 30 Angel's friends (Evening. Pike from behind, then you see a Mexican appearing with a machete. Suddenly they are everywhere.) ANGEL: My people are here for their guns. PIKE: (to Tector) Where the hell you were supposed to be guarding us. T. GORCH: I never heard them, didn't even see them. (Angel and his friends speaking in Spanish) ANGEL: They apologize and ask you to forgive them for their lack of trust. But only by caution do they remain alive. PIKE: Tell them not to break that fuse. (Angel and his friends speaking in Spanish) These people from your village? ANGEL: They are part of the village, but not from it. They are puro Indio and these mountains belong to them. ("Anchel, grazias" "we meet again soon." "Adios") DUTCH: I'd say those fellows know how to handle themselves. SYKES: They fought Apaches for 1000 years. That's a sure way to learn. PIKE: If they ever get armed, with good leaders, this whole country will go up in smoke. SYKES: That it will, son, that it will. L. GORCH: They made damn fools out of us, Mr Bishop. A man can't sleep with both eyes closed for fear of getting his throat cut. (to Tector) Where the hell where you? T. GORCH: You listen to me. If you got up and helped once in a while, I wouldn't have got caught so easy. (All cackle) (Mapache. Church bell ring in a distance. A well. People are washing blood into the well.) Zamorra: With the new guns and ammunition, this couldn't have happened. (Mapache with a cigar, in the background the german officers.) 31 Trust between partners (The wagon moves at dawn through high plains, view from the ground, the wagon disappears into the rising sun ...) L. GORCH: Swings your leaders wide, old man! Bring them on. (The wagon enters a valley, surrounded by rocks, about 30 meters.) SYKES: Come on, horse! (Sykes continues hollering commands) PIKE: Hold up! SYKES: Whoa there! DUTCH: Mapache's? PIKE: Let's hope they don't belong to Villa. (Everywhere Mexican soldiers emerge out of their hiding places, a group of riders, lead by Herrera approach the wild bunch.) Herrera: We are friends. (Broad Mexican accent) We are from el General Mapache. PIKE: Tell the one in front to come here. Alone. (Dutch translates this into Spanish) Herrera: I am coming. I am your friend, remember? We are friends. All of us. I bring you love and affection from el General. Eh. You bring the guns with you. Bravo! Bravo! What bravery you have done! (Drying the sweat from his head) I am to escort you to the General. PIKE: Tell him to come closer. (Dutch starts speaking, but...) Herrera: I hear. I am coming, my friend. PIKE: You know, what this is. (Showing Herrera the fuse) (Herrera recognizes the dynamite) Any trouble, no guns for the General. Herrera: (cackles) Very smart! That's very smart for you damn gringos. So nobody can rob the guns. PIKE: Nobody. Herrera: I am not afraid. They are not afraid. You blow up the wagon, you die. Or we kill you pretty soon. But we are amigos. DUTCH: Show them boys. (The Gorch brothers uncover the machine gun) (A soldiers shoots from down the rocks at the wagon. Herrera yells commands in Spanish. Pike lits the fuse) L. GORCH: Start the ball, Tector. Herrera: Please, cut the fuse. Please. (Pike cuts the fuse) Chi en fue? Chi en fue? Matelo! (A few soldiers shoot the soldier, who previously have fired) El General waits in Agua Verde to meet with you. PIKE: Tell the General one of us will be there to trade tomorrow. Any trouble, no guns. Herrera: (Herrera cackles) (Yelling:) Muchachos! Vamonos! (To himself:) Damned gringos. (Riders retreating over the high plains above the canyon. Thornton watches the whole Scene from a distance.) PIKE: Get them up there, get them over. (Whip cracks, horses neigh. The wagon leaves the canyon, the way leads to high plain.) (Pike rides into the town of Agua Verde. Sun. Soldiers with guns ready. The Spanish and the German officers in the patio of a house, above the scene) Mapache: Gringo! Do you bring the guns? PIKE: Don't worry, we've got them. Hidden. When I get my share of the gold, twenty five hundret Dollars worth I'll tell you where four cases are. The others are waiting for me back at the wagon. If I don't show up pretty quick, they'll blow it. Mapache: You fix it goddamn good, no? You fooled me. Zammora: Our accountant will pay you immediatly. Mapache: When do we get our guns? PIKE: The quicker I get back the quicker you get the next load. (Herrera brings the bag with gold) Open it up. (Zamorra and Mapache talk in Spanish) Up the arroyo about two miles you find three cases of rifles and one of ammunition hidden in the bush behind it. Herrera: (Yells some commands in Spanish) A cavallo! Comm. F. Mohr: I understand you have a machine gun. PIKE: Our contract called for 16 cases of rifles and ammunition for 10000 Dollars. Not a machine gun. That's our present to the General. Mapache: Muchas gracias, gringo. Gringo, you fight with Mapache there (continues in Spanish) will be much money and women. PIKE: I think about it. Zamorra: Por favor. In case we don't find them. Mapache: Go. I trust him. Adio, gringo. (Zamorra and Mapache talk in Spanish and cackle, Pike riding away.) 32 Getting Sykes riled (Sykes goes shitting, not far from the wagon) L. GORCH: Why the hell don't you stir up some grub? SYKES: Why the hell don't you go to hell. (Tector lits the fuses of a package of dynamite and throws it behind Sykes. Angel and Dutch watch a little frightend.) SYKES: Damned. Damn it. (Removes the fuse) Damn it. Pike must've found you under a rock. (Sykes approaches, holding his open trousers.) T. GORCH: You gonna whip me? SYKES: Nope. But you better hope I don't get riled enough to dog you when this is over. T. GORCH. You are not going to get a chance to dry gulch me, old man. SYKES: We'll see. Se'll see. Selling the guns 33 Machine gun hayhem (Hooves clomping, Lyle approaches) L. GORCH: Pike's coming. T. GORCH: He's got it. Carrying gold. DUTCH: Any trouble? PIKE: Just from carrying this weight. (Pike throws the two bags with the gold to Dutch and Tector) T. GORCH: Pike, I want to go next. PIKE: All right. You and your brother take the next load, with the machine gun. Then Angel and Dutch. Freddy, you follow and get the pack horses. (Seven hands try to fix the ammunition supply of the machine gun, Spanish conversation, background folk music) Comm. F. Mohr: (from the background) It must be mounted on a tripod. (A woman wants to hold back Mohr telling Mapache what to do) (Mapache talking angry in Spanish in the direction of the Germans) Das ist falsch! (That is wrong) 2nd German: Der ist ja verrueckt. (He is crazy) Comm. F. Mohr: Nein! Hoeren sie auf. (No! Stop it!) (While three men hold the machine gun Mapache starts shooting uncontrolled, everywhere bullets, soldiers, also the Germans looking for cover or running away) L. GORCH: Crazy bastards. (He and his brother galloping away) (Mapache falls to the ground. Women laughing, obviously drunken, the only ones not seeking cover.) (Mapache stands up, smiling, starts the gunfire again...) Comm. F. Mohr: Sie sind ja verrueckt! (You are crazy!) (Also the three men supporting Mapache (including Herrera) look for cover and Mapache shoots the last burst holding the gun alone) 34 Angel betrayed (Mexican soldiers and Mapache opening boxes with guns, a box with the scripture: 800 cartridges, talking in Spanish, children watching the scene.) Mapache: (To Zamorra and Herrera, who are at the machine gun) Put it on the tripod. (Mapache drinking wine while Dutch and Angel arrive) DUTCH: We brought the last of it, General. Mapache: E bueno, muchas gracias (laughing) (Zamorra approaches Dutch with the money, throws both bags to him, looking angry) DUTCH: At the head of the arroyo, in the wagon. (Mapache yells some command to Herrera) You can keep the wagon, we keep the horses. Mapache: Muchas gracias (serious) Zamorra: How many cases did you take from the train? DUTCH: Sixteen cases of rifles. We lost one on the trail. Mapache: He stole it. (Pointing at Angel) The mother of the girl he killed told me so. (Angel tries to escape) (Somebody yells in Spanish "Matelo") Mapache: (In Spanish) Don't kill him! I want him alive. (Dutch just looking, soldiers bring Angels horse with a rope to a fall. Mapache smiling. The soldiers bring Angel to Mapache.) DUTCH: I am wasting time here. Adios. Mapache: E Anchel? DUTCH: He is a thief. You take care of him. Mapache: (laughing) Bon viaghe, amigo, bon viaghe. (Dutch riding away, all cackle, except some woman, the Germans and Angel) 35 Your word (The wild bunch standing in the mountain desert, on a high place, Dutch on his horse, no movement) L. GORCH: Well, he had guts. PIKE: We're just lucky he didn't talk. DUTCH: He played his string right up to the end. L. GORCH: Her own mama turned him in, like some kind of Judas. DUTCH: Sykes says, we should go after him. L. GORCH: How the hell we do that? They got guns and 200 men. PIKE: No way. No way at all. L. GORCH: (Pointing down to the valley) Is that Sykes? (Pike looks through his looking glas, sees Sykes with four package horses. Sykes starts galloping, leaving the package horses, seeing somehow Thornton and the bounty hunters, hidden between the bushes on a hill. Some bounty hunters start shooting.) L. GORCH: Mapache! PIKE: (Seeing Thornton) Thornton. (One of the bounty hunters hit Sykes at the leg.) One of the bounty hunters: I got him. PIKE: They got Freddy. He looks hit pretty bad. DUTCH: Damn that Deke Thornton go to hell. PIKE: What would you do on his place. He gave his word. DUTCH: Gave his word to a railroad. PIKE: (yelling) It's his word! DUTCH: (yelling back) That ain't what counts! It's who you give it to! L. GORCH: We can stay up here and kick hell out of them! That's what we can do. PIKE: No, we're running short of water. DUTCH: Make a run for the border? PIKE: They'd follow us every step on the way. I know Thornton. I'm tired of being hunted. Let's go back to Agua Verde. Let the General take care of those boys. L. GORCH: You're crazy. He would just as soon kill us as break wind. PIKE: He's so tickled with those guns, he'll be celebrating a week and happy to do us a favor. Thornton won't follow us in there. While they're picking over Freddy we'll find a back trail off this mountain and head for town. T. GORCH: What about our gold? PIKE: We take one sack to pay our way. Bury the rest. Together. (Sykes stepping upside a hill between stones, the five bounty hunters galloping through the sand in the valley. His leg full with blood. One of the bounty hunters fall from the horse. They see the horse of Sykes and stop there.) Coffer: Lots of blood, then it stops. No tracks. Ten dollars says he's dead by now. THORNTON: Take us a day, to find him, if he is. (The fallen bounty hunters arrives, somehow deranged.) If not, he has a gun on us right now. Let's find the others. Fallen bounty hunter: Just leave him here? He's worth money. THORNTON: Ride out tomorrow, if you can stay on your horse, and watch the buzzards. They show you where he is. Fallen bounty hunter: What if he ain't dead, Mr Thornton? THORNTON: That's your problem. let's go. (Sykes trying to treat his wound. A man with a machete behind him, coming nearer. Long looks between them.) 36 Dragged in the dust (The wild bunch entering the town of Agua Verde. Fireworks. The permanent Mexican festival, music, drinking, women. Angel is dragged behind the red car of Mapache through the dust.) PIKE: God, I hate to see that. DUTCH: No more than I do. (Crowd laughing and cheering. Especially the children appear extremly rude. The car of Mapache stops in front of the wild bunch. Herrera leaves the car, obviously totally drunken. Mapache drives. The officers have different uniforms than before, dark and more ceremonial.) Mapache: Adio gringos. Welcome amigos! You come for your friend, no? PIKE: I want to buy him back. Mapache: (In Spanish) Get him up. Quick. (Herrera and Zamorra bring Angel) I don't think he looks worth too much. Herrera: I don't think he's gonna live too long. PIKE: I give you half of my share for him. Mapache: I need no gold and I don't sell this one. PIKE: Why not? You had your fun with him. Zamorra: El General said, he was happy with the guns. Why don't you go and get a drink? Enjoy yourself. There are women everywhere. Muchas bonitas. Don't be foolish and change his mood. Mapache: (somehow angry) Vamonos! Vamonos! DUTCH: Son of a bitch. A Mexican: (In Spanish) You want girls? Dica me... PIKE: Why not? (Bounty hunters, on a desert mountain road) T.C.: There ain't nobody here! Coffer: There's wagon tracks and somebody was here! T.C.: They ain't here now! THORNTON: (Seeing soldiers on horses) Army patrol! Coming this way. Massacre 37 "Let's go." "Why not." (Herrera pouring a bottle of wine over the leg of a girl, licking it up. Woman squeals and laughs. The woman pours a glas of wine over Herrera. The machine gun on the tripod on the table. Musicans in the background, drunken boy sleeping in the foreground.) (Dutch sitting in the sun in front of a Mexican house playing with a piece of wood. Behind the corner a woman is sitting and a man sleeping in the shadow of the wall.) (Pike dressing up himself. Over the door you see a crucifix. The beautiful, soft and calm looking girl cleaning herself with a barrel of water, a baby crying in the background, Pike drinks the remaining tequila from a bottle, plays with the empty bottle. In the next room a prostitute argues in Spanish with the Gorch brothers.) L. GORCH: You said dos for two. (Pouring a bottle (water(?)) over his body) T. GORCH: (Lying on a bed, playing with some tiny bird) Here's your dos and one to grow on. That's all you get out of me. Prostitute: (in Spanish) Twelve is more than two. That's why I said twelve each. (Prostitute sobs. Pike, angry, stands up, goes to the neighbour room) PIKE: Let's go. L. GORCH: Why not? (Pike returns to his room, throws a piece of gold to the table of the girl, no words. The little bird Tector played with, lies on the floor, looks like going to die.) 38 Toward a showdown (They leave the house, Dutch stands up smiling, they take their rifles, load them. Women singing in the background. They go through the town. The walking through the town, people at their daily work, playing, dancing, sleeping, it lasts for 1 minute 41 seconds.) 29:49 Scene sequence: 00:00 CUT: Pike, Tector, Lyle are leaving the house. CUT: Dutch is putting the piece of wood into the ground, smiling. CUT: Tector, Lyle are putting their pistol-belt on. CUT: Dutch smiling. CUT: (from behind) Pike, then the others approaching their horses, putting out their guns and other equipment. CUT: (from side, then frontal) Pike, then the others loading their guns, background the desert and children, a Mexican song starts. 00:47 They start walking, an old woman crosses in the background, camera moving backwards, they pass by the camera on the left side. CUT: (from behind) the wild bunch going, soldiers with horses, men in the shadow of the walls. They go towards a gap in the wall in front. Soldiers are following them watching. Trees in the background 01:27 CUT: (frontal) Wild bunch marching, soldiers cooking, carrying wood, others just standing around. All look at the gringos. CUT: The camera approaches a group of Mexicans, including soldiers, singing. CUT: (frontal) Wild bunch marching, surrounded by soldiers, who either go in a different direction or to no direction at all. CUT: Woman with soldier cap with children, a man with a gun. CUT: (from the ground right) Wild bunch marching. CUT: Soldiers and men, one without shirt, getting a shave, looking. CUT: (frontal) Wild bunch marching, surrounded by soldiers, background the man who gets shaved. CUT: Woman sitting on the bare ground, children, looking. 02:11 CUT: (frontal) Wild bunch marching, background soldiers, Tector pushes a soldier aside. CUT: A fire burning, soldiers, walls, a tent, the wild bunch appears from the edge of a wall at the courtyard. Stops. CUT: Mapache, drunken, looking. 02:28 (THE MARCH LAST FOR 01:41) Scene sequence END 39 "We want Angel" (In quick cuts you see soldiers looking, German and Mexican officers on the table, the wild bunch, women doing something...) Mapache: Those gringos again (in Spanish, drunken) What do you want? PIKE: We want Angel. Mapache: (chuckling) You want Angel, no? I am going to give him to you. (Mapache takes Angel from the ground, talking to him in Spanish. He tells him, that he will be free now. He cuts the ropes that binds his hands with a knife. Then he uses this knive to cut the throat of Angel. Pike, then Dutch shoot Mapache. Herrera immediatly raises in hands to show surrender.) 00:00; (Wild bunch is standing there with guns ready. Soldiers raise from their seats, some raising their hands, most just looking. Some still have guns in their hands. The whole scene takes place under the arcs of a long ruined cathedral, only the arcs remain, houses are build inside the room that previously was holy.) 00:21; (Dutch starts cackling. Tector responds, they obviously understand.) 00:35; (Pike shoots Mohr) 40 The shooting starts Scene sequence: 00:00 CUT: Pike shoots his automatic pistol ... CUT: Mohr falls, hit in the breast. CUT: Dutch smiles. CUT: Herrera tries to pull his gun ... CUT: (from behind) the wild bunch looking in Herreras direction, Pike shoots. CUT: ... Herrera get shot by Pike. CUT: Pikes face. CUT: Soldiers in the courtyard are seeking cover, taking their guns. CUT: Tector smiles. CUT: Soldiers in the courtyard are seeking cover, taking their guns. CUT: Lyle smiles. CUT: Herrera dying. CUT: (from above) Soldiers and women in the courtyard, moving. CUT: Pike running, a shoot hits the wall behind him. CUT: (view from the table with the machine gun) Soldiers... CUT: Dutch running, shooting. CUT: Soldiers seeking cover. CUT: Women and children seeking cover, a table with vegetables get thrown. CUT: Tectors face. CUT: A dying soldier, Tector from behind, shooting. CUT: Soldiers lying on the ground shooting in direction of the camera. CUT: A soldiers face, shooting. 00:12 CUT: Wild bunch, shooting, running. CUT: A soldier dying. CUT: Women and children sitting under a table, looking without expression. CUT: The table of the Mexican officers, musicans trying to get away, soldiers shooting. CUT: Wild bunch, shooting, running. CUT: The table of the Mexican officers, men in clean uniform dying. CUT: (frontal) Pike's face shooting. CUT: Soldier with sombrero dying. CUT: (from behind) The wild bunch is at the table of the Mexican officers, Pike carrying the gun in his left hand shooting his pistol with his right hand. CUT: A Mexican soldier at the machine gun. CUT: Lyle shooting. CUT: Soldier at the machine gun gets hit. CUT: Pike (background) shooting, in the foreground a Mexican soldier running. CUT: Dutch shoots the Mexican soldier with his pump gun. CUT: Wild bunch shooting from the soldiers point of view. CUT: Tector enters some cover, jumping. CUT: Someone shoots at him from the dark. CUT: Tector hits him. CUT: (frontal) Zamorra shooting his pistol, missing Pike. CUT: Pike, more seeking cover than shooting back. CUT: Dutch shoots Zamorra. 00:32 CUT: Lyle follows Tector to his cover, Tector shooting. CUT: Two women entering the room. CUT: Lyle shooting with his pistol at the soldiers, then moving, shooting one of the women. CUT: Lyle shoots a soldier, who runs towards the wild bunch, from the view behind the soldier. CUT: same scene seen from behind of Lyle. CUT: Pike shooting. CUT: A soldier, surrounded by all the other soldiers, hit. CUT: Tector, moving. CUT: Dying of the soldiers in the courtyard in front, some are running, shooting towards the wild bunch. CUT: Pike shooting. CUT: A soldier, surrounded by all the other soldiers, hit. CUT: German officer at the machine gun. CUT: Tector shoots the officer. CUT: (frontal) Dying German Officer fires ... CUT: ... (from behind) into the Mexican soldiers. CUT: (frontal) Rapid machine gun blast. Dying soldiers. CUT: (frontal) Dying German Officer fires ... CUT: (frontal) Rapid machine gun blast. Dying soldiers. CUT: (side) Rapid machine gun blast. Dying soldiers. CUT: Pike shooting. CUT: (frontal) Dying German Officer fires ... CUT: Pike shooting. CUT: Soldier dying. CUT: German officer dying. CUT: Tector, running, firing. 41 Commandeering the gun 00:52 CUT: A soldier running out of a door... CUT: (frontal) Tector seeking his target, shooting. CUT: ... soldier dying. CUT: Another soldier following. CUT: (from behind) A soldier is shooting at Lyle, who shoots the soldier. CUT: The arcs in the background, soldiers running in the courtyard towards the wild bunch. CUT: A woman under a table, a soldier running by. CUT: Old soldier shooting. CUT: Dutch, you always have the impression one of the wild bunch is hit, but they are not, shooting at the old soldier ... CUT: .. who gets hit at the shoulder. CUT: A soldier shoots from one of the old windows ... CUT: Lyle shoots with his automatic pistol. CUT: ... again the impression Dutch is hit. CUT: ... the soldier gets hit. CUT: Lyle shoots with his automatic pistol. CUT: A young soldier ... CUT: ... hits the wall above Lyle. CUT: A young soldier with an automatic pistol hits ... CUT: ...Tector who falls. CUT: Lyle shoots ... CUT: ... the young soldier - the machine gun in the foreground. CUT: Lyle running towards the machine gun. 01:04 CUT: Boy soldiers behind a table shooting. CUT: Tector goes to the machine gun. CUT: An old soldier coming out of a door ... CUT: ... Lyle shoots ... CUT: ... the soldier dies ... CUT: ... hiting Lyle on the shoulder. CUT: ... dying soldier. CUT: ... Lyle falling, same as before Tector. CUT: Soldiers shooting from behind the windows, others running up the stairs to the cover of the wild bunch. CUT: (frontal) Tector shooting the machine gun. CUT: Pike shooting. 01:15 CUT: Thornton looking at the scene from a distance with his looking glass, behind him the mountains and the bounty hunters. CUT: Soldiers through the looking glass of Thornton, but the perspective (more from Pike's view and above) is impossible. CUT: (side) Tector shooting the machine gun. CUT: A soldier gets hit, around him a couple of dead corpses. CUT: Soldiers shooting from the roof of a building. CUT: (side) Tector shooting the machine gun. CUT: Soldiers at the roof get hit. CUT: (frontal) Tectors face behind the gun. CUT: Soldiers at the roof get hit. CUT: New soldiers appaearing at the arcs. CUT: (frontal) Thornton shoots at them. CUT: (frontal) soldiers at the arcs get killed. CUT: Man falling from the roof. CUT: Soldiers, between the arcs, shooting, without seeking cover. CUT: Man falling from the roof. CUT: (frontal) Tector shooting. CUT: (Zooming camera) Men at the arcs get hit. CUT: Man on the wall gets hit, falling down. CUT: Men at the arcs dying. CUT: Man falling in the middle of a table with vegetables. 01:33 CUT: Soldiers try to come nearer the position of the wild bunch. CUT: Dutch throwing a grenade (looks somehow like throwing away a cigarette). CUT: Soldiers die in the explosion of the grenade. CUT: (frontal near) Tector shooting. CUT: Man with a sombrero gets hit. (repeat) CUT: Soldiers die in the explosion of the grenade. CUT: Man with the sombrero dies. CUT: Face of Tector shooting. CUT: Man with the sombrero dies. CUT: Dutch throws again a grenade. CUT: Man with the sombrero dies. (repeat) CUT: In the roaring explosion soldiers that came nearer from under the arcs get killed. CUT: An old woman and children in the shelter of a thrown table. (repeat) CUT: Soldiers getting killed hit the ground. CUT: Soldiers that are thrown in the air by the grenade. 01:45 CUT: Lyle shooting at soldiers that come near to Tector from the side. CUT: (side) Camera zooms to Lyle who shoots. CUT: (frontal) Soldier tries to load his gun. CUT: (side) Lyle shoots soldier in the head. CUT: Soldier dies. CUT: Pike shooting, bullets, crash into the wall around him. Pike does not seek cover until now, now he enters a room. CUT: Face of a woman, zoom away, Pike from behind, the face was in the mirror. (repeat) CUT: (frontal) Pike, in the background a soldiers on the roofs. CUT: Face of the woman CUT: (from behind) Pike shoots into the mirror, a soldier got hit, falls. Woman just watching. Pike shoots again in some direction. 01:58 CUT: Thornton and the bounty hunters. CUT: Dutch throws a grenade over Tector into an open door, Tector shooting at the soldiers on the roof. CUT: A girl under a table. CUT: Explosion throws soldiers out from the open door. CUT: A girl under a table. CUT: Soldiers come out of an open door. 42 The wild bunch dies 02:05 CUT: The girl under the table starts running, camera zooms away. Dutch grabs the girl, and uses her body as a shield against soldiers coming from the side. CUT: Soldiers get killed by Dutch. CUT: A young soldier hits Tector. CUT: Tector dies. CUT: (from behind) Dutch shoots at the soldiers. CUT: (frontal) girl gets hit. CUT: (from behind) Dutch fights with a soldier. CUT: (from inside) Pike looks out of the door of the room he is in ... CUT: Dutch gets rid of one of the soldiers. CUT: Soldiers shooting from a balcony. 02:17 CUT: Dutch and the soldiers he fights with, falling. CUT: A soldier behind a wall. CUT: A soldier in the middle of dead corpses. CUT: (from behind) Tector shooting his revolver, Lyle at the machine gun. CUT: (side) Lyle shooting, Tector got hit again. CUT: (behind) Lyle shooting. CUT: (side) Lyles face. CUT: Dying soldiers. CUT: A bullet in the wall besides Tector, who shoots into the room behind him. CUT: A young soldier shooting. CUT: Lyle gets hit, continues shooting. CUT: From a door on the side a new group of soldiers arrive. CUT: Lyle brings the machine gun in the direction of the new soldiers. CUT: Bottles on the table in foreground and soldiers in background get hit by machine gun fire. CUT: (frontal) Lyle crying, shooting, Tector get hit, shooting his revolver. CUT: Bottles on the table in foreground and soldiers in background get hit by machine gun fire. (repeat) CUT: (frontal) Lyle crying, shooting. CUT: Dying Mexican soldiers. 02:37 CUT: Girl shoots Pike in the back. CUT: Pike turns around, cries "Bitch!" and shoots the girl. CUT: The bounty hunters approach galopping on their horses. CUT: (from behind) Pike goes out into the battle shooting a soldier with his automatic pistol. CUT: Lyle wailing firing the machine gun. CUT: Bullets hit the wall around soldiers firing from a balcony. CUT: (from behind) Pike shooting his pistol. CUT: Soldier gets hit. 02:54 CUT: (from behind) Pike throws a table to get cover. CUT: Lyle wailing firing the machine gun. CUT: Woman and children sitting somewhere under cover on the ground. CUT: Soldiers running out of a door hit by machine gun fire. CUT: Lyle wailing firing the machine gun. CUT: Soldiers running out of a door hit by machine gun fire. CUT: Pike and Dutch 'meet' in the cover of the table. CUT: (side) Soldiers loading their guns coming nearer. CUT: Pike and Dutch look into each others face. CUT: Lyle wailing firing the machine gun, Tector in the background with a revolver. CUT: Soldier lying on the ground gets hit. CUT: Soldier standing at a wall gets hit. CUT: Pike to Dutch: "Come on you lazy bastard." 03:06 CUT: Child soldier shooting. CUT: Lyle gets hit. CUT: Pike sees Tector and Lyle Dying. CUT: Soldier shoots from the roof. CUT: Tector gets hit. CUT: Soldier shoots. CUT: Lyle gets hit. 03:15 CUT: Pike raises. CUT: Soldiers approach from under the arcs, in the foreground bottles and boxes with ammunition. CUT: Soldier shoots. CUT: Soldier shoots behind bars. CUT: Tector and Lyle dying, still standing. CUT: Pike shoots. CUT: A soldier got hit. CUT: (from behind) Pike at the machine gun. (repeat) CUT: (side) Pike's face. CUT: Soldiers, horses. 03:26 CUT: Soldier shoots behind bars. CUT: Tector and Lyle dying, still standing. CUT: zoom nearer: dying soldiers under the arcs. CUT: (side) Pike's face. CUT: Tector and Lyle dying, still standing. CUT: Dying soldiers under the arcs. CUT: Dying soldier. CUT: Lyle and Tector on the floor. CUT: (frontal) Pike shooting. CUT: Dying soldiers. CUT: (frontal) Pike shooting. CUT: Lyle still moving on the floor. CUT: Soldier on a balcony got hit. CUT: (frontal) Pike shooting. CUT: Soldier on a balcony got hit. CUT: Dutch standing up. CUT: (frontal) Pike shooting. 03:36 CUT: A box of dynamite explodes, soldiers are thrown through the air. CUT: (side) Pike shooting. CUT: In the foreground horses, while in the background dynamite explodes. CUT: Explosion, horses, soldiers. CUT: Dutch: "Give them hell, Pike!" 03:43 CUT: Child soldier, behind bars, shoots Pike. CUT: (frontal) Pike gets hit. CUT: Man from the roof shoots. SWING: Another man on the roof shoots. CUT: Pike's death dance, shooting with the machine gun in the air. CUT: Dutch: "No Pike!" Bullets crash in the wall behind him. CUT: An old man and a soldier shoot Dutch. CUT: Dutch falling over Pike. CUT: Dutch: "Pike. Pike." CUT: Face of Pike, dying. CUT: Dutch falling. CUT: Face of Pike, hidden behind the hand that holds the machine gun, dying. CUT: Dutch, covered with blood and dust on the floor. (THE FINAL MASSACRE LASTS FOR 04:04) Scene sequence END [There is a lot of dying, but technically I would put it this way: The pictures of a battle are not objective, but subjective. You don't see, what actually happens, but what a person believes, that happens. When Lyle shoots you see his point of view, every shoot scores. A real example: US Bomber crews over Germany believed 1943 to shoot down about 10 times as many German fighters than they actually did.] 43 Taking stock (The shooting stops, soldiers, children soldiers, old soldiers, leaving their cover, children, men, soldiers, looking. No hard cuts but soft fades between the scenes. The bounty hunters with Thornton ride into the town, dead bodies all over, women in black dress praying, vultures sitting on the walls, the old walls are made of raw stones, plaster has often fallen down.) T.C.: Look at them. (Vulture is flying through the scene.) Coffer: Come on. T.C.: Wait for me. Come on, let's get all the guns. Coffer: This is fine! T.C.: This is just like a big old picknick! Coffer: Here's a rifle for you. (Thornton approaching the machine gun, finding the dead body of Pike taking his revolver (not his automatic pistol). During this sequence the sound is reduced to rudimentary filmmusic.) [Paralell sequence when Coburn took Kristoffersons gun in 'Pat Garett and Billy the Kid'] Coffer: He's got a gun. T.C.. It's him. It's the Gorches! T.C.: Get up there, Coffer. Come on. Coffer: Mr Thornton. It's them. It is them. T.C.: This boy's got gold in his teeth. Let me see your knife. Coffer: Here. T.C.: Let me see your knife. [The poor Mexicans didn't make this dead body looting. The difference between the catholic Mexican culture and the modern American culture shown in this movie] Coffer: Mr Thornton. Shall we load up? T.C.: Do we wait for Jess or meet him on the way? Coffer: If he's waiting for buzzards to lead him to Sykes, he's got a long wait. (One of the bounty hunters with a number of guns around his shoulder cackles) Look! We got them all. T.C. There he is. There is Pike. T.C.: There, you ain't so damned much now, are you, Mr Pike? 44 Death echoes in the wind (Thornton leaving the scene (and we with him) to sit at the gate in the dust, no shadows, it became cloudy, and it is not necessary to sit in the shadow...) (The bounty hunters with the corpses of the wild bunch bound over package horses leave the empty city through the gate) Coffer: You ain't coming? Thornton: No. T.C.: Maybe we should wait for Jess. Coffer: No, no, no. We pick him up on the way. I want to get out of this damn place. Anyway, these boys'll start going ripe by tomorrow. We got to move. All bounty hunters singing: I went to the river and I couldn't get across Singing 'polly wolly doodle' all the day I jumped on a buzzard 'cause I thought he was a horse Singing 'polly wolly doodle' all the day (Wind howling. People of the city, wounded soldiers, goats, leaving the town, the sky is dark, birds flying across the scene, Thornton sitting, watching, his horse on a rope in front of him. People pass him by.) (The bounty hunters in the mountain desert) Coffer: Jess! Jess! (The others continue singing) (While the people leave the town, cattle, sundown, gunfire in a distance, Thornton smiling, understanding what happens.) 45 Some work to do (Sykes with the indios and Don Jose, the old man from Angels village. They see Thornton. No preparing to fight, no bbeing angry, just approaching) SYKES: Didn't expect to find you here. THORNTON: Why not? I sent them back. That's all I said I'd do. SYKES: They didn't get very far. THORNTON: I figured. (Soldiers passing by, carrying the machine gun and ammunition out of the town) SYKES: What are your plans? THORNTON: Drift around down here. Try to stay out of jail. SYKES: Well, me and the boys here, we got some work to do. Want to come along. Ain't like it used to be, but it'll do. (Sykes cackle, Thornton smiles, gets up his horse.) 46 A last glimpse (The new wild bunch leaves, camera rises up, gives a view of the wide plain. A traditional spanish folk song. Pictures of Pike, Dutch, the Gorches, Angel, laughing, credits running. The last picture is Pike and the wild bunch leaving Angels village...) All movie scripts and screenplays on «Screenplays for You» site are intended for fair use only.

FADE IN: MAIN TITLE SEQUENCE -- BLACK INTERCUT -- QUICK FLASH-FORWARDS INSIDE A STEAMY SHOWER -- A wet naked woman and man wrapped around each other in ecstasy -- legs, arms, hair, mouths. BLACK -- MORE TITLES -- then Moonlight reflects on a vehicle's shiny surface. FISTS THUD into flesh. O.S. -- a man slams of the hood, rebounds away. BLACK -- MORE TITLES -- then LOVERS -- caught in FREEZE-FRAMES of green neon -- off, on, off, on -- like a strobe's instant-images -- of gasping, tough sex. BLACK -- MORE TITLES -- then ON A GLEAMING POOL DECK of black-and-white tile -- two women in soaked, clinging clothes -- fight -- hands squeeze a throat. BLACK -- MORE TITLES -- then A SCREAM -- a sickening hollow THWACK -- an arc of blood, two teeth fall on dark stone. BLACK -- MORE TITLES -- then GUNSHOTS -- Blood sprays across the glass of a picture frame -- obscures the photo inside. BLACK -- MORE TITLES -- then THE SURFACE OF A SPARKLING SEA -- a distant emerald island. A 40-foot sloop APPEARS -- shapes on deck -- we are about to SEE -- BLACK -- MORE TITLES -- then SHARKS -- underwater -- rip something into a bloody cloud. END MAIN TITLES. FADE TO: EXT. BLUE BAY SCHOOL - DAY A place of money and privilege. White coral buildings surround an open yard. Tile roofs rise among banyan trees and banana palms, shimmering before a blue blaze of sky. Beyond the yard is the school's playing field and beyond that the waters of Biscayne Bay, dappled in sunlight where the sloops of the school's sailing class bob at their moorings. For a moment all is quiet. Then, faintly, the HUM of many VOICES, rising and falling, LAUGHTER. The CAMERA PANS to the open windows of a building somewhat larger than the others. The SOUNDS grow louder. INT. BLUE BAY AUDITORIUM - DAY A hundred high school kids sit before a raised, hardwood stage. The students are not unlike the campus, radiant, well-tended -- a veritable sea of adolescent sexuality -- bronze boys who seem to have just come from the boats or tennis courts -- girls in tight shorts riding high up shapely thighs, as... SAM LOMBARDO strolls out onto the stage. The man is thirtyish, drop-dead handsome. Dressed not that differently from the kids, in an Izod polo shirt, khakis and boat shoes. His entrance has an effect upon the audience, particularly upon the girls. KAREN and JANELLE, 16, pretty blondes, whisper then giggle. NICOLE, a dark-eyed beauty, 17 but going on 25, watches Sam's walk, then turns to the girl at her side... KELLY VAN RYAN, 17, a fully-developed knockout. NICOLE When we graduate the only thing I'm going to miss is... (with a nod to the stage) Know what I mean? Kelly's eyes are locked on Sam. Nicole has to nudge her. NICOLE (CONT'D) Kelly? KELLY (still staring) Oh yeah. Sam is at the podium. He looks out across the audience. There are a couple of flirtatious whistles, laughter. Sam smiles, silencing them with a wave of his hand. SAM We've come to the halfway point in my senior seminars... Cheers, applause. Sam waits for the kids to settle. SAM (CONT'D) Come on. Beats study hall, doesn't it? JIMMY (O.S.) No! Boos as we FIND... JIMMY LEACH, 18, grumge look, long hair. He sits with a clique of white trashy types, or at least what passes for such at Blue Bay School. Jimmy appears a bit more genuine, as does... SUZlE TOLLER, a boyish brunette, seated nearby, but with just enough space between her and everyone else to mark her as a loner. She studies Sam Lombardo with a dark, sullen stare. SAM Thank you, Jimmy. JIMMY Hey, man, at least in study hail I could meditate. KIRK (O.S.) He means masturbate... This remark is greeted by a chorus of laughter as we FIND... KIRK, one of the golden boys, seated with Kelly and Nicole. SAM Something Kirk with which I'm sure you have hands-on experience. Loud laughter. Sam quiets them again, then turns to the blackboard, where he begins to write, in big letters -- S-E-X. The kids start to cheer. Sam writes another word -- C-R-I-M-E-S. The cheering fades into silence. SAM (CONT'D) We've all heard the words, date rape, sexual harassment. We've talked about some of these things in this room. (beat) Our speakers today head up the Blue Bay Police Sex Crimes Unit -- Detectives Ray Duquette and Gloria Perez. (beat) They're here to give you what we hope will be a fresh perspective on these subjects, and to answer any questions you night have. Sam turns to the wings, his hand out to welcome the visitors... RAY DUQUETTE, mid-thirties, with the lanky build of a light heavyweight, walks out onto the stage. He's dressed in a dark suit, dark hair combed straight back above steel-rimmed glasses. GLORIA PEREZ walks at his side. She's a good six inches shorter than Ray, with a sweet face. Attractive but no stunner. About five kids applaud. Ray takes the podium. RAY Thank you for having us. We'll each talk for ten or fifteen minutes, then open it up to your questions... IN THE AUDIENCE Suzie Toller suddenly gets to her feet. As she passes behind Jimmy, we HEAR her VOICE, beneath her breath. SUZIE I'm not going to listen to this jack-off. She marches down the aisle and bangs out the rear door.. Ray pauses, a dark look on his face, then goes on... RAY Let's begin with a question. What is a sex crime? A moment. JIMMY Not getting any. This draws a few laughs from the kids, a couple of thin smiles from Sam and Gloria. And none at all from Ray Duquette. EXT. AUDITORIUM - DAY The kids change classes. Sam, Ray and Gloria CROSS the grass. The kids swarm past. A pair of girls flash by. CAROLE Have a nice weekend, Mr. Lombardo. SAM Hey, Carole, you too. And be good. CAROLE (beneath a pouty look) I hate to be good. The three adults ENTER an old wooden building. INT. BUILDING - DAY SAM This is one of the original buildings. We have the offices here now. The walls are paneled in wood, decorated with framed photographs. Gloria stops before one of the photos. ANGLE ON PHOTOGRAPH An old black-and-white, with that sepia caste harkening back to another age. A handsome young man of perhaps 14 stands at the helm of a boat under sail. His hair is swept back, his eyes fixed upon an unseen horizon. There is something in this boy's pose, in the line of his jaw, in the clarity of his gaze, as if what he has fixed upon is the future itself. GLORIA Anybody in particular? When no one answers, she turns to find Sam at her side. He stares at the picture, then looks at Gloria. SAM Sam Lombardo. The first. Class of 'Forty-Two (beat) My father. Gloria does a slow double-take, looking from Sam to the photo and back again. VOICE (0.S.) Can't seem to get rid of the Lombardos around here. Sam and the detectives turn as a professorial-looking guy in a baggy brown suit (ART MADDOX) arrives on the scene. SAM Art. Say hello to Detectives Perez and Duquette. (to the cops) Art Maddox. A fellow guidance counselor. Art and the detectives shake hands. ART So, did you set 'em all straight on the ugly facts of life? SAM I have the feeling, they got it down already. They're a step ahead of us, Artie. Gloria seems to find this amusing. Ray stands at her side, looks at Sam. Sam feels it, makes eye contact with Ray -- a beat -- at which point, Ray puts a hand on Gloria's back. RAY I've got that two o'clock in town. GLORIA (nodding) Back to the land of grownups. The detectives shake hands once more with San and Art. SAM (to Gloria) If old pictures interest you, come back some time, there's quite a collection down in the pagoda. I'll see you get a proper tour. GLORIA (smiling) I'd like that. Ray opens a door for her. The detectives pass through it. Art claps Sam on the shoulder, then walks off down the hallway. Sam remains near the doors, watching as... ANGLE ON THE DRIVE LEADING TO THE SCHOOL Ray and Gloria walk past half a dozen expensive cars -- Range Rovers, Beamers and Mercedes, to a plain, white Ford Taurus, which they get into and drive away. EXT. BLUE BAY SCHOOL - LATER Cheerleaders perform a sensual dance on the porch of a wooden pagoda. A rugby team runs drills on the grass, as out on the bay, six tiny racing sloops tack toward the docks. ANGLE ON DOCKS As the sloops enter the narrow channel between the slips one student from each boat jumps onto the dock where he or she sets about tying off the boat. Sam is on one of the boats. Jimmy Leach is at the rudder. SAM (loud enough to be heard by his class) Okay, you guys. Good work. Now coil those dock lines and I'll see you all on Monday. He watches his class clamber up the docks. His eye falls upon the pagoda, the dancing cheerleaders -- Kelly Van Ryan in work-out tights -- bare arms reaching for the sky. EXT. SCHOOL DOCKS - SAM & JIMMY - LATER hosing down boats, stowing sails. They look up as... A HUGE POWER BOAT glides past. The docks rock in its wake. JIMMY All right. I could party on that. Sam just laughs at him. SAM That's about all it's good for. (beat) That's the one to have. He points to a beautiful triple-masted schooner headed out of the bay, under sail. SAM The Windward Passage. I crewed on that one summer. (beat) Long time ago. He pulls his eyes from the boat, sets about coiling a line. JIMMY You know, I want to thank you for getting me into this class... No way was my old man going to spring for the fees... SAM Hey, you're working for it. (beneath a laugh) Least you're supposed to be. He tosses Jimmy the coiled line. Jimmy's caught off-guard, but catches it at the last second, then shares the laugh with Sam. VOICE (O.S.) Can I play too? Or is it just for boys? Sam and Jimmy turn to find Kelly Van Ryan at the far end of the dock. She's fresh from cheerleader practice, in a white blouse knotted at the bottom to REVEAL a flat, tanned stomach; open at the top to REVEAL the swelling of her breasts. She favors Sam with a coy smile. KELLY So who's washing your car this weekend, Mr. Lombardo? (off Sam's blank look) The senior car wash, remember? (beat) Tamara's making a schedule. She said you bought a coupon but you're not on anybody's list. Sam smiles, remembering. SAM Well, you know. Figured I'd buy a Washing ticket, support the effort. That old Jeep of mine's kind of a waste of time, don't you think? Sam places the coiled hose on top of a locker then starts up the dock, Jimmy at his side. Kelly falls in with then. KELLY Not at all. How about if Nicole and I do it? We're working as a team. Sam just looks at her. She looks back -- big, pleading eyes. SAM Okay, try me on Sunday. I'm going out to the Everglades on Saturday. You guys can wash the mud off. KELLY Deal. (beat) You know, I just looked out front. My ride wasn't there. You suppose you could give me one? Sam doesn't answer right away. He looks toward the school. KELLY (CONT'D) You wouldn't want me to walk, would you? I mean like, something bad might happen. Sam hesitates, momentarily at a loss, then turns to Jimmy, who seems to regard Kelly with something akin to physical pain. SAM What about you, Jimbo, you need a ride? JIMMY (still looking at Kelly) What? SAM A ride. You want one? JIMMY Yeah. But I got my bike. EXT. BLUE BAY SCHOOL - DAY Sam's Jeep rolls out of the drive, Jimmy's bike in back, meaning that Jimmy and Kelly are squeezed into the passenger seat, which is fine with Jimmy. Kelly's thigh is pressed against his. His arm pushes against her breast. Kelly is not so happy. As they near the school's entrance, they come upon a beat-to-shit VW bug -- stalled at a stop sign. A John Deere tractor mower sits nearby. A groundsman -- a tall black guy with a shaved head, waits at the wheel of the bug as... Suzie Toller -- in black platform shoes, a T-shirt and cutoff jeans, leans over the engine, fiddling with the car's linkage. Sam pulls up next to the bug and stops. SAM We got room for one more, Suzie. You need a ride? Kelly rolls her eyes as Suzie turns to look at them. KELLY Jesus. Where'd she get those shoes? Whores-4-Less? Suzie's eyes go cold. She signals the groundsman, who turns the key. The CAR SPLUTTERS to life. Suzie flashes a smile, then sticks out her tongue -- which has been pierced by a silver stud. KELLY (CONT'D) That's cute. Suzie gives her the finger. Sam makes eye contact with Suzie, offers a sad smile, while putting the Jeep in gear. KELLY (CONT'D) (to Suzie) I hope you swallow it. Jimmy turns, waving to Suzie as the Jeep pulls away. EXT. UPSCALE NEIGHBORHOOD - DAY Magnificent old mansions occupy five-acre bay-front parcels amid lush, tropical settings. Sam's Jeep stops before a pair of gates with the words "VAN RYAN" woven into their wrought-iron design. Beyond the gates a long drive leads toward a huge stone house. Kelly jumps out, punches in a code. The gates swing open. KELLY Don't forget the car wash. SAM I won't. SANDRA VAN RYAN, Kelly's mom, big, sexy, aggressive, a young 42 in a string bikini, comes out from the side of the house. When she sees the Jeep, she starts down the drive. Kelly waves to Sam, then walks up the drive. When she sees her mother coming toward her, her face hardens. SANDRA Is that Sam Lombardo? KELLY (sarcastic) Hi, Mon. SANDRA Sam! Hi! Sam has already hung a U. Sandra comes through the gate and up to the Jeep. Jimmy is checking her out. All eyes. SANDRA (CONT'D) (to Sam; as if Jimmy wasn't even there) What? You're going to drive off without even saying hi? SAM Hi, Sandy. SANDRA Why don't you come in, have a drink? SAM Can't. Got a passenger. Sandra looks down her nose at Jimmy. SANDRA He can wait. Sam glances past her, to Kelly, who stands languidly at the front of the house, watching. SAM I can't, Sandy. I've got to run. SANDRA I'll bet. (then, softening) Look, Sam. Why don't you come by this weekend. We'll take the boat out... SAM (cutting her off) Sorry, Sandy. I've got plans. SANDRA What? Running over alligators with that silly swamp jalopy when you could be sailing a real boat... SAM Swamp's where it's at, Sandy. Gives you a look into the muck we all crawled out of. You ought to try it some time. Sandra gives him a hard stare, then marches off toward the house. CLOSE ON KELLY still at the door, a cold smile on her face. FADE TO: EXT. SUBURBAN CUL-DE-SAC - DAY Neat little stucco houses -- some not so neat -- simmer in tropical heat. A BMW Z-3 Roadster stops at the head of the cul-de-sac. Nicole is driving. Kelly sits beside her. NICOLE This is it? Kelly looks at a pad of paper, nods. KELLY Four-thirty-seven. They pass a couple of teenagers playing basketball in a driveway, a guy mowing his yard. NICOLE Nice. KELLY What do you want, he's a teacher for Christ's sake. (beat) It's here. Pull over. Nicole does, before one of the not-so-neat houses. Sam's muddy Jeep Wrangler is parked in the drive. Behind that is a red Mercedes convertible. INT. SAM'S HOUSE - BEDROOM - SAME Sam and BARBARA, 28, a lean, beautiful country-clubber roll on the bed. Barbara is dressed for tennis. Sam wears a baggy pair of khaki shorts. Barbara struggles to escape. Sam grabs a leg, kisses the back of her knee. He pushes up the little white skirt, kissing her between her thighs. BARBARA (getting just a little breathless) Sam, come on... I'm gonna be late for my game... Sam keeps at it. She's starting to weaken. BARBARA (CONT'D) Not that I'm going to be much good after last night... SAM Eat a power bar. Barbara starts to giggle. He's just about got her when... The DOORBELL RINGS. Sam lets go. Barbara sighs. INT. LIVING ROOM - SAME Sam goes to the front door, opens it, to find... Kelly and Nicole, holding plastic pails full of rags. The girls are dressed in Blue Bay High T-shirts, cropped to REVEAL flat tummies, shorts and running shoes. GIRLS Hi, Mr. Lombardo. Sam looks over the girls -- a small, exasperated smile. KELLY Look, he forgot. I knew it. SAM No I didn't. Check out the Jeep. It's nice and dirty for you. (beat) But you might want to wait a minute. The Mercedes is leaving. NICOLE You mean that isn't yours too? The girls giggle. Sam smiles. KELLY Where's the hose? We can set up. SAM In back of the garage. As they walk away, he is joined by Barbara. She watches the girls with an appraising eye. BARBARA Is that Sandra Van Ryan's kid? SAM Kelly. BARBARA She's going to wash your Jeep? SAM Senior class fund-raising gig. I told 'em they could hose down the Jeep. (off Barbara's look) Hey, come on. It's for a good cause. Barbara laughs at him. BARBARA Sam the philanthropist. (a beat) Tomorrow, right? Sam nods. Another kiss. EXT. SAM'S DRIVEWAY - SAME As Barbara goes to her car she sees the girls coming from behind the garage. She looks at Sam, standing in his doorway, watching the girls. When he sees Barbara looking at him, he shrugs, then waves. EXT. FRONT DOOR - SAM'S HOUSE - LATER Kelly and Nicole, looking very much like the finalists in a wet T-shirt derby, ring the bell. Sam answers. He looks them over. A couple of houses down he can see the guy with the mower, dumping grass into a can, watching the girls, then turning to walk back to his house. SAM So, where you off to now? KELLY Aren't you forgetting something? (off Sam's look) Your coupon. We gotta have it. SAM Jeez, that thing... Can't you... KELLY (smiling) Rules are rules, Mr. Lombardo. Nicole laughs. SAM All right. I'll have to look for it. KELLY (as he starts to go) Mr. Lombardo. (as he stops) We're running kind of late. How about if Nicole goes on to the Mansons? You could give me a ride when you find the ticket. Sam looks at her, as does Nicole. SAM Give me a minute. He hurries from the room. Kelly turns to Nicole, giving her the eye, pointing toward the drive. NICOLE (mouthing the words) Are you sure? Kelly nods, a mischievous smile on her face. INT. SAM'S BEDROOM - SAME Sam is rummaging through drawers. He stops when he hears the SOUND of a CAR. He goes to the window in time to see Nicole's BMW headed down his street. INT. SAM'S LIVING ROOM - SAME Sam ENTERS the room to find Kelly just inside the doorway, where the water from her wet clothing has formed little pools on the linoleum. Sam looks at the water. He looks at Kelly. She moves a step closer, allowing the door to SWING shut behind her. EXT. SAM'S NEIGHBORHOOD A long, slow, Antonioni PAN -- time passes -- the cul-de-sac -- the sparkling lawns -- the kids with the basketball -- a jogger passing by... DISSOLVE TO: EXT. SAM'S PORCH - LATER The front door. The door opens. Kelly comes out, fast, slamming the door behind her. She walks down the drive. There are tears on her face. As she hits the street, she begins to run. The man with the mower is now seated on his parch, drinking beer. He watches as the girl runs by. The teenagers are still playing hoops. They stop as Kelly jogs past, sobbing. They watch as she hits the end of the cul-de-sac and DISAPPEARS around a corner. EXT. THE EVERGLADES - DAY Sam, perched in the pilot's seat of a beat-to-shit old air boat, rips through the Florida swamp land. He glides across channels of water, then turns into the tall grass which whips at the hull of his boat. Bits and pieces of debris fly through the air. Sam smiles, swinging the boat through a series of wide, sliding turns. Suddenly he spots something. He throttles down gliding into a shallow pool where... A HUGE ALLIGATOR, aware it has been found out, whips about, stirring up mud, then scuttling OUT OF SIGHT SAM Sly old fucker. How you got so big, wasn't it? Sam sits for a moment in the silence. He pulls a pair of binoculars from beneath his seat and looks through them. ANGLE ON HORIZON All we SEE is a shabby collection of whitewashed buildings shimmering in the last long light of afternoon. Sam watches for some time. At last he lowers the binoculars, revs up his engine and leaves. ANGLE ON SAM'S BOAT as it moves away, as SEEN from water level where... The old gator has risen once more -- just the eyes -- a cold primordial intelligence, gazing out, unblinking across the murky waters of the swamp. EXT. SAM'S HOUSE - NIGHT Sam's Wrangler pulls in next to Barbara's Mercedes. The Jeep is muddy once more. So is Sam. He gets out. INT. SAM'S HOUSE - SAME Sam ENTERS. The house is dark. SAM Barbara? Nothing. Me CROSSES the living room and starts down the hallway, where a faint light issues from beneath the bedroom door. INT. BEDROOM - SAME Sam opens the door. He hears the SOUND of RUNNING WATER. He walks across the room and into the bathroom. INT. BATHROOM - SAME Clouded mirrors, a shower stall full of. steam. Behind the glass door we SEE an indistinct shape, moving about in the hot water. Sam opens the shower door. The steam clears to REVEAL Barbara's gorgeous athletic body. BARBARA It's hot in here, just the way you like it. She grabs his shirt, pulling him into the shower's flow. They kiss. She pulls his shirt open, loosens his pants. His clothes fall away. Sam pushes her up against the tile wall, hard. She holds to his shoulders, nails sinking into his flesh, wrapping her legs around his hips as... The water, dark with swamp mud, spirals down the drain. EXT. VAN RYAN ESTATE - NIGHT Kelly Van Ryan sits on the dock, looking back toward the huge stone house, where... A YELLOW LIGHT burns in one of the upstairs windows. Kelly has a shotgun laid across her knees. Slowly, she raises the gun, pointing at the yellow window. She holds it there for some time, then, softly, to herself... KELLY Bang... INT. MASTER BEDROOM - VAN RYAN ESTATE - NEXT DAY Sunlight streams through open windows, mingling with loud sighs of pleasure... Sandra Van Ryan on top of FRANKIE CONDO, a big, buffed-out Cuban. They're making love on the bed. She throws her head back -- an explosion of hair -- gasps -- an orgasm is near, as... A cordless PHONE RINGS on the night table. They try to ignore it. No dice. Sandra groans, finally pulling away. SANDRA Goddamnit! (she answers) Hello. COMPUTER VOICE (V.O.) Hello, this is the attendance office at Blue Bay School. Your son or daughter is absent today, Monday... SANDRA Jesus H. Christ! She hangs up hard. Sits on the edge of the bed. FRANKIE What? Sandra waves him off. She pulls on a T-shirt, then grabs up the phone once more, punching in a number. INT. SAM'S OFFICE - BLUE BAY SCHOOL - DAY Desk, files, a terrarium full of swamp lizards, above which a photo of the Windward Passage decorates the wall. There's a Waterford bowl on the desk -- etched with "Sam Lombardo -- Blue Bay Educator of the Year." Sam is working on the computer. The PHONE RINGS. He answers. SAM Counseling. XNTERCUT - SANDRA/SAM PHONE CONVERSATION Sandra seated on the bed, one long leg tucked beneath her. SANDRA Sam, Sandy Van Ryan. Frankie's eyes go cold when he hears the word "Sam." In his office, Sam pushes himself away from the computer, stiffening noticeably. SAM Sandy... What's up? SANDRA Listen, Kelly skipped school. Have you talked to her? SAM No. SANDRA Shit. Here we go again. SAM Didn't you see her this morning? SANDRA To tell you the truth, I haven't seen her since Friday. BOOM -- A SHOTGUN BLASTS outside Sandra's window. She jumps. BOOM, BOOM -- more BLASTS. She jumps up to look outside. SANDRA'S POV - KELLY stands at the edge of the bay, launching skeet then blasting them high above the water. BACK TO SCENE SANDRA (CONT'D) Never mind. I found her. (a long beat) Listen, Sam. It was good seeing you the other day. (beat) I haven't found anyone else can handle the Jonathan like you can. She glances at Frankie -- who has heard enough. He gives her a long hard look, then rolls from the bed to walk from the room. Sam remains silent, watching the lizards with their blank, unblinking eyes. SANDRA (CONT'D) Look. I know you're seeing Barbara Baxter. So what? SAM So maybe I'm a one-woman man. Sandra laughs. SANDRA Right. (beat) You really think you're gonna get one of these Blue Bay women to marry you? Sandra pauses to laugh once more. SANDRA (CONT'D) Grab a clue, Sam. You're a hired hand around here. Enjoy it while it lasts. SAM Goodbye, Sandra. Sam puts down the phone, looks at it -- a long moment as -- the barest hint of a smile plays upon his face. Sandra slams down her phone. She looks to the bay, to the sleek racing sloop floating beyond the private dock. SANDRA The nerve of some people. EXT. VAN RYAN ESTATE - DAY The SHOTGUN BLASTS away. Kelly pauses to reload. She catches sight of... Sandra, approaching from the main house. SANDRA You seem to find guns therapeutic. Maybe I oughta try it. Kelly lets the gun's barrel drift over Sandra, then turns to walk away. She moves toward the guest house. A used-brick cottage tucked among the gnarled branches and roots of a huge banyan tree. Sandra follows. SANDRA (CONT'D) Let me guess, some boy didn't call and screwed up the weekend. So you're taking the day off. Kelly looks toward the main house, in time to see... Frankie walk from the bedroom and dive into the pool. KELLY Which one of your "bodyguards" is that? SANDRA Whichever one I want. Kelly turns away, starts for the guest house once more. INT. GUEST HOUSE - DAY PAN to REVEAL room -- the gun case, the animal trophies, the photos -- One of a stately old gentleman in an elaborate wicker chair, a cane at his side, a bowler on his knee. Others of Kelly and a handsome middle-aged man in safari gear, posing with their rifles above slain wildebeests and bison. Sandra and Kelly ENTER. Kelly puts down the shotgun, turns, tears in her eyes. SANDRA Okay, what's the matter? KELLY You notice my new jumper? Kelly does a three-sixty, like a model on a runway. KELLY (CONT'D) My friends buy me clothes, so I don't look like trash. SANDRA I would hardly say you look like trash. KELLY No thanks to you. She sits on the bed. Sandra moves to stand over her, angry now. SANDRA Come off of it. (a beat) You run with all these little trust fund brats... They think money grows on trees. It doesn't. Believe me. And a lot of your little friends are gonna learn that one the hard way. (beat) I'm trying to spare you that. Kelly goes to one shoulder on the bed, sobbing now. Her mother continues to stand over her, suddenly more perplexed than angry. SANDRA (CONT'D) Kelly. What is it? KELLY I miss Dad. SANDRA Jesus. (a long beat) Well, I do too, sometimes... KELLY No you don't. SANDRA He didn't have to kill himself, Kelly. He could have gone out and gotten a job. Christ, he could've found another rich woman... He never had a problem tucking my friends when we were married. She pauses as Kelly cries all the harder. SANDRA (CONT'D) I don't know why he did it. I really don't... Her voice trails away, as meanwhile Kelly has drawn herself up into a fetal position on the bed. The sobbing has stopped but her shoulders continue to shake. Sandra sits on the edge of the bed, reaches over to rub Kelly's back. SANDRA (CONT'D) Can I get you anything? Kelly shakes her head, no. Her mother looks at her, clearly at a loss. At last she stands. She is headed out of the room when Kelly says something, but the words are indistinct, as her fists are pressed against her mouth. SANDRA What, honey? I can't hear you. There is a long beat as Kelly collects herself. She stares at the wall, her eyes filled with tears, but when she speaks she enunciates each word. KELLY I said. I was raped. Sandra looks as if she has been struck. SANDRA What? KELLY I was raped. (a long beat) By Sam Lombardo. Sandra moves over to the bed, sits once more. SANDRA He... Sam Lombardo? KELLY Yes. God, Mom... Kelly begins to cry. Sandra pulls her upright, cradling her in her arms, eyes on fire. EXT. BLUE BAY POLICE STATION - DAY An old Spanish-style building sits before a neat square of grass. SANDRA (V.O.) My daughter does not get raped in Blue Bay! INT. STATION HOUSE - INTERVIEW ROOM - DAY Sandra slams a fist on the conference table. Kelly is seated between her mother and her mother's attorney, TOM BAXTER. Baxter sports an Italian suit and a lethal Alexander Haig look. Seated across from these three are Ray, Gloria and BRYCE HUNTER, the local D.A. Silence follows Sandra's outburst. Baxter reaches to squeeze Sandra's shoulder. Kelly puts her face in her hands. RAY (in a quiet voice) You're saying that Kelly was raped by Sam Lombardo. SANDRA That's right. Ray and Gloria exchange looks. Gloria in particular looks slightly stunned. GLORIA The guidance counselor at Blue Bay? SANDRA (sarcastically) The guidance counselor at Blue Bay. GLORIA We understand your feelings, Ms. Van Ryan. But please, we'd like some time with Kelly. We'd like to take her statement alone. Baxter nods, yes. Sandra looks at Kelly. SANDRA Are you okay for this? Kelly nods. SANDRA (CONT'D) The man must be insane to think he can do this to me... Tom Baxter takes her by the arm as Ray CROSSES the room to open the door. Bryce Hunter walks out with then. Gloria takes a seat closer to Kelly. When she speaks, she is very calm and quiet. GLORIA How are you, Kelly? Would you like to take a break for a minute? KELLY (shaking her head) I just want to get it over with. My mom's making me do this. I just want to forget it. GLORIA I know you do. She waits as Ray sets up a camera on a tripod. GLORIA (CCNT'D) We'd like to videotape the statement if that's all right with you. Kelly shrugs. GLORIA (CONT'D) I know this is not pleasant, Kelly. But these are serious charges and we need to know everything that happened between you and Mr. Lombardo. (beat) Are you ready? Kelly nods. CLOSE ON VIDEO MONITOR - KELLY'S STATEMENT KELLY He started rubbing my shoulders. Said must be sore after washing cars. I... let him I mean he's a nice guy. (beat) I don't know... It was so fast. I closed my eyes. I remember his hands moved to my breasts. I mean just for a second it was nice... I forgot whore I was. I mean he's so gorgeous... PULL BACK to REVEAL... INT. STATION HOUSE - DAY Ray, Gloria and Bryce Hunter stand at one end of the long conference table, watching the playback of Kelly's tape. BACK TO VIDEOTAPE KELLY The next thing... his hand was in my shorts... you know, from behind. His fingers... his fingers... GLORIA (O.S.) Take your time. KELLY They were in me. Both places... you know. GLORIA (O.S.) I understand. KELLY He said something like, "Do you want it dirty7" or something. (beat) I tried to turn away, but he pushed me to the floor. GLORIA (O.S.) Was there penetration? Did he put himself inside you? KELLY Yes. I said stop. I screamed. I mean that's how it sounded in my head. He hurt me... GLORIA (O.S.) (as Kelly breaks into tears) That's okay, Kelly. You're doing fine. (beat) But I have to ask you something here. When you say it hurt. Was this the first time a man was inside you? KELLY No. I've done it a couple of times, I mean with guys I dated. But this hurt... like, he was built... you know... GLORIA (O.S.) He was large? Kelly nods, starts to break down again, then holds it off. GLORIA (O.S., CONT'D) Did you try to fight him? KELLY I... he had my wrists pinned behind me. I remember my hands were cold.' GLORIA (O.S.) Then what? KELLY He kept saying, "Let it happen, let it happen." Then he just stopped. GLORIA (O.S.) You mean he withdrew... KELLY Not at first. He was still inside but he wasn't moving or anything... He said we had this secret. And that now he'd be able to help me... because we were close... Something like that. I don't know. It's hard to remember, exactly. GLORIA (O.S.) Try, Kelly. KELLY I know one thing he said. It was when... when he took himself out and was standing up. (beat) He said, "Don't worry, I didn't come." I can't forget that. He said, "No little girl can ever make me come." The tape is paused -- FREEZES on Kelly's face ON SCREEN. BACK TO RAY, GLORIA & HUNTER HUNTER "No little girl can ever make me come." Jesus. Too bad. We might have some physical evidence. Ray and Gloria stare at the screen. GLORIA I don't know. It feels wrong. Ray and Hunter look at her. HUNTER Why? GLORIA I think she's acting. I think she set it up to be alone with him because she wanted him to come on to her. (beat) I think maybe she's upset that he didn't... RAY Or maybe she thought that was what she wanted and she got a little more than she bargained for... HUNTER The line I get on this guy, is that he's done half the women in Blue Bay. GLORIA That doesn't make him a child rapist. (beat) There's something else. This girl's had some problems. Wrecked a couple of her mom's cars. Ran away... HUNTER Where's this coming from? GLORIA I worked Juvenile in Dade County for three years. We had a missing persons on Kelly Van Ryan for two weeks... Maybe a year ago... The family kept it out of the papers. RAY That would make it about the time of her old man's suicide. You don't think that could explain some erratic behavior? GLORIA All I'm saying is, I think we should go slow here. Hunter puts his hands together, thinking. He looks from Ray to Gloria, than back to Ray. HUNTER I want a full-scale investigation. GLORIA You know what that will mean for Lombardo. HUNTER I don't care. You heard that girl's statement. I think he's dirty. Get me a case. Gloria and Ray watch as Hunter gets up and leaves the room. GLORIA Well you were a big help. You know what's going to happen if we go full-bore on this. Ray looks at the screen. RAY It's our job, Gloria. GLORIA Hunter's making it our job because Sandra Van Ryan's got a bug up his ass. You know that as well as I do. (beat) We're gonna trash this guy's life and I keep asking myself if it's really necessary. Ray thinks this over. He continues to study the screen. CLOSE ON SCREEN - KELLY'S FACE RAY (0.S.) Yeah, well, maybe you're wrong about him. Maybe he's got it coming. BEGIN MONTAGE - INVESTIGATION EXT. CUL-DE-SAC - DAY Ray takes notes, talks with neighbors, kids, lawn mower man. EXT. BLUE BAY SCHOOL - DRIVEWAY - DAY Gloria talks with students -- Jimmy, Nicole, others. INT. SAM'S OFFICE - DAY Sam sits at his desk, toying with a pencil. He watches students pass -- no smiles, no waves, an occasional dark look. Through the press of students Sam sees Art at the door of his office. The two men look at one another. At which point... Gloria, followed by Ray, steps INTO SCENE. The detectives shake hands with Art. As Art turns to close the door, Sam falls within his line of vision. Art looks away. The door swings shut. EXT. BLUE BAY SCHOOL DOCKS - LATER The sky has begun to color. Art Maddox stands on the grass at the end of the channel separating the slips, watching as... A lone sailboat tacks toward the school. ANGLE ON BOAT - SAM & JIMMY Sam drops his sail, leaving himself just enough momentum to cruise expertly into the little channel then into the slip. Art watches as Jimmy jumps from the boat, ties it off. SAM That's good, Jimbo. I'll see you on Monday. Jimmy hesitates, he wants to say something. Sam waves him off. Jimmy gives Art a hard look and heads for the grass. SAM (CONT'D) (to Art, nodding after Jimmy) What's left of my sailing class. Art studies the dock between his feet. SAM (CONT'D) Talk to me Artie. ART Kelly Van Ryan... SAM ... is accusing me of rape. Jimmy told me. Apparently I'm the last to know... ART Sam... I... (a long beat) Sandra Van Ryan's been on the horn with every member of the school board all day long. She's pushing for suspension... SAM This is insane. Art shakes his head. ART All I can tell you Sam, is hang in there. They clear you of this mess, you get reinstated, with back pay... SAM That's great. I'll just tell my creditors I'm not a rapist. No problem... Shit. (beat) I can't believe the board's going to act without even hearing my side of it. ART The Van Ryan family created Blue Bay. They built the school... Sandra Van Ryan calls up the board and says kiss my ass, they say, left, right, or in the middle. (beat) You're gonna need some help on this one, Sam. You're gonna need a lawyer, and he'd better be a good one. EXT. STRIP MALL - DAY Typical of its kind -- a Blockbuster Video, a 7-Eleven, half a dozen small businesses, one of which, sandwiched between a donut shop and the Mongolian Beef Bowl, bears the sign: "KEN BOWDEN -- ATTORNEY AT LAW." INT. WAITING ROOM - DAY Sam sits in a cramped waiting room, leafing through a magazine. An attractive young SECRETARY sits a few feet away, behind her desk. Her PHONE RINGS. She picks it up, then turns to Sam, favoring him with a flirtatious smile. SECRETARY Mr. Bowden will see you now. INT. OFFICE - DAY Ken Bowden, a slightly oily-looking young man in a nice suit and a large, padded neck brace, rises to shake Sam's hand. KEN Sam, hey, it's been a while. (beat) Looked for you at the ten year reunion. You missed out. Three days at the Disneyworld Hotel... Partied ourselves silly. Sam nods. KEN (CONT'D) Couple of your old flames were there. You remember Jill, with the knockers. Ken holds his hands out in front of his chest. KEN (CONT'D) Blew up like the Goodyear blimp. Sam forces a smile. KEN (CONT'D) But check this... SAM (interrupting) Ken. I'm in some trouble. I need an attorney and you're the only one I know. So I figured I'd start here. Ken stops, puts on a serious face. KEN Well, I'm glad you did. And I'm sorry. (folding his hands before him) Why don't you tell me about it. Sam looks at him. He starts to speak, then checks himself. SAM What did you do to your neck? Ken puts a hand to his throat, as if aware of the brace for the first time. KEN Oh this... chiropractor did a number on me. He takes the brace off, tossing it on his desk. KEN (CONT'D) I don't really have to wear the thing all the time. (beat) A guy from the insurance was here. Ken smiles. Sam looks slightly ill. KEN (CONT'D) Go ahead, Sam. Shoot. Let's see what we've got here. EXT. A BLUE HAY RESTAURANT - NIGHT Trendy nouveau. A valet parks Sam's Jeep. INT. RESTAURLNT - SAME Sam walks across a tiled entry. He looks tired, but smiles at the maitre d'. SAM Georgie, hey. I'm meeting Barbara. She here yet? GEORGE looks stiff, maybe a little nervous. Sam picks up on it. He scans the room... ANGLE ON ROOM Dimly-lit, crowded, but we PICK OUT Barbara, stunning in a delicate white sun dress, tanned arms resting upon a table. Sam starts toward her. George reaches out to touch his arm. GEORGE Mr. Lombardo. Sam ignores him, threading his way among the people at a lavish bar, then stopping short as he sees who Barbara is with -- her father, Tom Baxter. Tom Baxter sees Sam, gets to his feet. BAXTER This is not appropriate Lombardo. Sam steps to one side, makes eye contact with Barbara. Barbara has tears in her eyes. She looks at Sam, then shakes her head, looking away. SAM Barbara... BAZTER You're finished in Blue Bay, Lombardo. You've been scratching at the door long enough... (as Sam faces him) I ever see you around my daughter, you're going to be finished, period. The two men square off, but already we can SEE Georgie, trailed by a pair of beefy characters in blue blazers making their way across the room. Sam sees them too. He takes a final look at Barbara. When she refuses to meet his eye, he pushes past Baxter, through the crowd and out of the restaurant. EXT. AN EVERGLADES ROADHOUSE - NIGHT Red neon identifies it as Jim's Recovery Room. A handful of trucks sit in a dirt parking lot, Sam's Jeep among them. INT. ROADHOUSE - NIGHT The air is thick with smoke. Locals shoot pool. The walls are decorated with dusty fishing nets and inflated blowfish. An aging BARMAID -- good-looking -- once, runs a rag around a pitcher, looks down the bar, smiles, finding... Sam, alone, awaiting service. BARMAID Sam, honey... Haven't seen you in a while. How's life treatin' you? (off Sam's look) That bad, huh? Well, you came to the right place. EXT. ROADHOUSE - LATER Sam walks outside. He stands in the red glow of neon light, looking toward the road... On the opposite side of which... ... sits a sorry little collection of whitewashed stucco bungalows, identified by a green neon sign as the Glades Motel. Beyond the motel are the Everglades, a great expanse of darkness. Sam stares at the motel. At last he gets in his Jeep. As he EXITS the lot, a second pair of headlights flashes on. EXT. EVERGLADES - NIGHT A deserted two-lane road cuts through the swamp. Trees bearded with moss appear as ghostly shapes in the lights of Sam's Jeep. INT./EXT. SAM'S JEEP - MOVING - SAME San drives -- a tired face. Soft MUSIC on the RADIO. Something APPEARS in the road, caught for a moment in the headlights. Sam swerves, whirls his head around, sees... A GATOR sliding of the shoulder and into the murky water. Sam lets out some air, relaxing a bit, then catches sight of something else -- Headlights finding reflection in his rearview mirror, coming fast. Sam watches as the lights get closer. He looks back to the road -- an approaching curve... Sam is into the curve when the lights catch him. A black Range Rover moves out to pass, then turns suddenly into Sam's lane, cutting him off. It happens quickly. Sam swerves to avoid hitting the larger car, but the road affords little margin for error. The JEEP slides across a narrow shoulder, then plummets down a steep embankment, CRASHING through cattails, rolling over to SLAM BACK DOWN on its tires in a swampy gulch. Sam slumps back from the steering wheel. Somewhere over his head he can see headlights shining into the trees. He hears a CAR DOOR SLAM, the SOUNDS of someone scrambling down the embankment. Sam tries to get out of his seat harness. Someone is approaching, splashing through the muck. Suddenly a hand reaches through the broken driver's window, helping him. MAN'S VOICE Are you all right? The hands get him loose. Sam stumbles from the car. SAM Yeah, I'm okay. He looks up to find -- Frankie Condo, looming over him. FRANKIE That's too bad. He grabs Sam, pulling him OUT OF FRAME. What we are left with is the SOUND of FISTS THUDDING INTO FLESH -- then Sam, hitting the hood of his Jeep, slumping down into the muck. Frankie is breathing hard. We HEAR him SLOGGING back up the embankment. We HEAR a DOOR SLAM, the RANGE ROVER driving away, leaving only darkness, and the EERIE SOUNDS of the swamp. EXT. THE STRIP MALL - DAY Dazzling light. Sam's smashed-up Jeep is parked before Ken Bowden's office, next door to the Mongolian Beef Bowl. INT. BEEF BOWL - SAME Sam and Ken eye one another over a green plastic table -- Ken with his neck brace, Sam with a bruised face. KEN I figured, you know, it would be darker in here. He moves a hand to his face. SAM Good thinking. KEN You can tie whoever did it to Sandra Van Ryan... SAM Forget it. KEN Lady has some deep pockets. That's all I'm saying. SAM I know how deep her pockets are, Ken. I thought I might be able to save my fucking house with an equity loan. Guess who's on the board of directors at the bank? He pauses to look at Ken Bowden. SAM (CONT'D) Can't you take that stupid thing off? KEN Not in here. Chiropractor comes in here for lunch sometimes. San sighs, slumps back in his plastic seat. KEN (CONT'D) You're not in bad shape, really. I know you think you are, but you're not. Let me tell you why. (beat) Sandra Van Ryan. SAM What's that supposed to mean? KEN For you to be getting this kind of heat, for what they have on you... It doesn't add up. Sandra Van Ryan's got 'em running scared. (beat) And I'll tell you something else, you rush, you get careless. Ken reaches into his briefcase. He pulls out some papers, tosses them on the table. Sam picks one up, starts to read. SAM Nellie Gail Ranch... KEN Sound nice? It's a fucking drug rehab farm. It's where Kelly Van Ryan went when her morn fished her out of the swamp. (beat) Meanwhile, you get educator of the year I mean there's no way they can put this thing in front of a jury. (beat) Shit, they haven't even taken your statement yet. Reason? They're still shoveling dirt and my guess is, they're coming up empty. Now tell me I'm right. SAM There's nothing for them to get. KEN Good. So what we're going to do is march right to Hunter's doorstep. We're going to insist they take a statement. We're going to tell them to charge your ass or get off your back. (beat) They're walking a fine line here. Defamation of character, malicious prosecution... SAM I just want my life back... KEN Fair enough. Let's go make a statement. INT. POLICE INTERVIEW ROOM - DAY Everyone's looking a little tired, with the possible exception of Ray. At this moment he sits back in his chair, staring at Sam. RAY Why don't you tell us one more time, how Kelly came to be with you, alone in your house. SAM (with growing impatience) Story's the same, Detective... Ken pats him on the arm. When Sam speaks again, it is in a calmer voice, calm but tired. SAM (CONT'D) I had to go look for this coupon. RAY The one you bought at school. SAM (nodding) Like I said, I hadn't really expected to use it. (beat) Anyway, I'm going through a drawer. I hear a car. I look out the window. I see Nicole driving away. I leave my room, and there's Kelly. RAY In cutoffs, a wet T-shirt. SAM Yes. RAY And she wanted to talk. SAM Yes. RAY But you can't tell us what she wanted to talk about. SAM I could, but it's confidential. Look, the point is, we didn't talk. I told her this was not an appropriate time or place. RAY And she began to cry. And you put an arm around her. SAM Yes. Mainly to turn her toward the door. I told her we would talk on Monday, in the office. GLORIA And when you turned her toward the door, where did you expect her to go, without a car? SAM Again. I think we covered this. I told her I was going to call a cab. RAY But she ran away. SAM That's right. GLORIA Did you call anyone? Did you call her house to see if she got home? Did you call the Masons? SAM No. GLORIA Weren't you a little worried about her...? SAM There's a strip mall not half a mile from my house. There's phones there. I cruised the place, but I didn't see her. I figured she was probably there but that she was angry and didn't want to be found. I don't know... Maybe I should have called. But it's not like Kelly can't take care of herself. I figured we'd just take it up on Monday, in the office. There is a moment of silence in the room. RAY But you do admit to touching her, to putting your arm around her. Isn't that against the rules? SAM It is and I don't. Ordinarily... (beat) But, I mean... there's this kid standing in front of you crying... RAY With a thirty-five inch bustline in a wet T-shirt with no bra... He is cut short as Sam shoves his chair back from the table. SAM Fuck you. This is bullshit. I'm outta here. RAY Sit down, Lombardo. Sam and Ray stare at one another. Ken puts a hand on his client's arm. KEN All right, all right... Enough. Ken stands up. He walks to the two-way mirror set in one wall, rapping on the glass with his knuckles. KEN (CONT'D) We came down here to make a statement. We've made it. (beat) If you're going to charge my client, do it now. INT. OPPOSITE SIDE MIRROR ROOM - HUNTER stares at Ken's face, about a foot away. Ken of course can't see him. Hunter gives him the finger. INT. INTERVIEW ROOM - KEN stares into the mirror, waiting. KEN I didn't think so. (to Sam) Let's go. Ken opens the door. Sam turns back to Ray and Gloria. SAM I've spent the last ten years of my life working with kids. I love what I do, and I think I'm good at it. (beat) These kids trust me, and there is no way. No way in hell I would ever betray that trust. As Ken and Sam leave, Ray and Gloria are joined by Bryce Hunter. HUNTER Nice speech. Either of you buying? Ray shrugs. RAY Not that stuff about her running away, him trying to find her. That's bullshit. HUNTER What about witnesses? RAY We've got three. Guy mowing his yard, couple of kids playing hoops. HUNTER And what do they say? GLORIA Same as him. They saw her come. They saw her go. They saw him follow. RAY Still doesn't explain why he couldn't catch up with her. I mean how long does it take to put on a shirt? At which point, a COP APPEARS in the doorway. COP Phone, Bryce. It's Sandra Van Ryan. HUNTER Christ Almighty. That woman's calling me six times a day. He starts away, then stops. HUNTER (CONT'D) I think you're onto something, Ray. Stay with it. Hunter bangs out of the room. Gloria slumps in a chair, tired, disgusted. GLORIA We failed to mention the mower guy's a drunk, that he was after more beer and never really saw Kelly go into the house, so he can't say how long she was in there. Same with the kids. They saw her running down the street, but that's it. (beat) With no physical evidence, what do we have? Her word against his. RAY You're telling me you believe the guy? GLORIA All I'm saying is, we let Sandra Van Ryan push us too hard, we're going to wind up looking stupid. Ray is paged by his BEEPER. He pulls it off his belt, looks at the number. RAY I'd better return this. Ray leaves. Gloria pulls a cigarette from her purse and lights up, rests her head back in the chair, blowing smoke at the ceiling. INT. INTERVIEW ROOM - LATER Gloria is grinding out the butt as Ray walks back in. There is something in the way he carries himself, some sense of urgency. RAY (off Gloria's look) Seen any good gator wrestling lately? EXT./INT. DETECTIVES' CAR - MOVING - DAY Ray and Gloria drive through the Everglades, past marshlands punctuated by thick stands of melaluca trees. GLORIA They say it was old man Van Ryan planted the melalucas to dry up the swamp. Ray nods. GLORIA (CONT'D) You can go up to one of those trees and peel the bark. You know what you get? More bark. And more bark. There's no core. Tree's not good tar anything but sucking up water. And now they can't get rid of them. They've tried poisons. Nothing works. They don't die. RAY Yeah, well, Van Ryan got his. I don't imagine he gives a shit now. Gloria just looks at him. Ray stares into the dusty light of an approaching sunset. At last he slows, turning off the highway and onto a narrow dirt road. A sign pokes out from the tall grass -- "SMILIN' JACK'S FISH CAMP." The Taurus bounces along the washboard road. GLORIA You're sure we're not lost? They are driving now at the edge of a canal. RAY You remember that little girl walked out of our talk at Blue Bay? GLORIA The skinny brunette. RAY This is where she lives. She wants to talk. (beat) Beats the shit out of me why she would call me at all. I busted her once for possession. she wound up doing about six months at Camp Nine. GLORIA You mean Camp Sixty-Nine. Ray gives her a look. Gloria shrugs. GLORIA (CONT'D) That's what they called it when I was in Juvenile. It's a pretty dismal place. RAY It's a shithole. But she was dirty, what was I gonna do? They pass a sagging chain-link fence, entering a quarter-mile run of shabby trailers and cheap shacks. The squalor of the buildings is seat in contrast to the beauty of the Glades where the waters have gone to the color of polished brass beneath an immense, darkening sky. Ray parks before a ramshackle building covered in vines and peeling paint. A sign reads: "NIGHT CRAWLERS $1 A BUCKET." The jawbones of numerous gators hang beneath the eaves. As they get out of the car, something catches Gloria's eye -- along the bank of the canal... ANGLE ON BANK where a tall man (WALTER) with long white hair and tattooed arms kneels inside a pen, slapping a huge gator on its snout. The reptile lifts its upper body, hissing, opening its jaws. Walter takes a stick from his hip pocket, passing it through the gator's mouth. The jaws snap shut, incredibly fast, with a hollow snapping sound. Gloria jumps instinctively, then watches, aghast, as Walter slaps the creature once more. This time moving round to the front of the gator, sticking halt his arm inside its mouth. VOICE (0.5.) He's just showin' off for you now. Gloria starts, then turns to find a woman (RUBY) has walked up beside her. The woman is in her sixties. She's dressed in polyester. Her hair is piled on top of her head -- too dark to be anything but a dye job. A cigarette bobs from her lips. Before Gloria can respond, Ray steps up behind than. RAY Evening Ruby. (beat) I see you still got Walter. I was sort of hoping something had eaten him by now. RUBY (a long beat) Can I help you with something? Ray and the old lady look at each other. RAY Suzie called. You know where we can find her? Ruby looks toward the store. RUBY You know the way. She watches as the detectives CROSS the road, then calls to them as they start up the steps. RUBY (CONT'D) You won't shoot her will you? I don't believe she's armed. Gloria turns, surprised. Ray gives the woman a long, cold stare, then opens the door for Gloria. INT. CAMP STORE - SAME It's dark inside. The main light source is a tiny, beat-up black-and-white TV. Two elderly women in colored bouffant hairdos sit on a ratty old couch watching reruns of "Family Feud." They look up as Ray and Gloria ENTER then EXIT through a door in the back. INT. SUZIE'S ROOM - SAME Black walls. Cheap bookshelves, filled to overflowing. A wire strung with dismembered doll parts runs the length of the room. Suzie is propped on a ratty futon, an open book on her stomach, her thin, white arms crossed behind her head. SUZIE Jesus. It took you long enough. What if somebody was trying to strangle me? Or fuck me in the ass, even? (beat) I mean, you guys are Sex Crimes. Ray manages a thin smile. RAY Meet my partner, Gloria Perez. SUZIE I did. At Blue Balls. GLORIA Seems to me you left early, before we could meet. But hi, Suzie. Gloria puts out a hand. Suzie looks at it, puts out a hand of her own. As the women shake, Gloria looks at the book on Suzie's stomach, turning her head as if to read the title. SUZIE It's Celine. He's okay. He had a pretty good line on what cheap fucks people are. RAY So Suzie, you called us, remember? Suzie takes a cigarette from a pack at her side, lights up, blows smoke at the ceiling. SUZIE Did they arrest Mr. Lombardo? Ray and Gloria exchange looks. RAY No. SUZIE Will they? RAY It doesn't look like it. SUZIE Then he'll be back at Blue Balls? Ray shrugs. GLORIA That bothers you? SUZIE (a long beat) Yeah, maybe, a little. GLORIA Why is that? Suzie lets out her breath. She rests her head against the wall. GLORIA (CONT'D) You can talk to us, Suzie. That's why we're here... INT. POLICE INTERVIEW ROOM - DAY Suzie, Gloria and Hunter sit at the conference table. Ray operates the video cam. GLORIA Okay, Suzie. We want you to tell us about the day Mr. Lombardo gave you and Jimmy a ride. Suzie stares at the three cops around her, then at the camera. SUZIE You didn't tell me you were gonna put me on the fucking news. GLORIA We need to tape the interview, Suzie. No one will see it but us. (beat) Now when was this, that Mr. Lombardo gave you the ride? Suzie stares at the camera. She's lost the cockiness she had on her own turf. She looks small, white and frail in the sterile room, surrounded by the detectives. SUZIE About a year ago. GLORIA He dropped Jimmy off first? SUZIE Yeah. GLORIA And when he arrived at your house, was anyone there? SUZIE No. GLORIA So you were alone. SUZIE Yes. GLORIA Did he come in with you? SUZIE I guess. HUNTER You guess? Did he or didn't he? SUZIE Yeah... okay... he did HUNTER And then what... he touched you? Did you maybe flirt a little... SUZIE I wanna go home now. Gloria glares at Hunter, shakes her head. GLORIA Suzie, look, I know you feel bad. I know it's harder to talk here than in your room, but we need to get it on tape. (beat) Just tell us what you told us before. Tell us the truth. Suzie huddles in her skinny arms, studying the detectives. SUZIE I didn't say a thing to him. He just put his arm around me. Told me I was pretty... I could be really pretty, he said. Another moment -- she looks at Ray, then at Hunter. HUNTER What did you do then? SUZIE (a long beat) Shit, what difference does it make... Nobody's gonna believe me anyway... HUNTER Suzie! Did this man rape you? SUZIE Okay! He did. He pushed me to the floor and he did it to me. Now, can I go home? She stands up. GLORIA At that point were you able to fight him off? SUZIE No. He stopped by himself. Okay? That's all. Let me go. Gloria gets to her feet as well; she tries to put an arm around Suzie. The girl jumps back as if she has been shocked. SUZIE (CONT'D) Don't touch me. Gloria's hands fall to her sides. Suzie heads for the door. The detectives exchange looks. At which point, Suzie stops, turns to face the room. SUZIE (CONT'D) He did say something. GLORIA What was that? SUZIE He said, "No little bitch can ever make me come." THE SLIDING BAR DOOR of a jail SLAMS shut on Sam Lombardo. He turns to... TWO menacing PRISONERS. PRISONER So you're the new chicken licker. CUT TO: COURT TV IMAGE The graphic -- "Prime Time Justice" -- then the anchor -- CYNTHIA. CYNTHIA (TV) Today from Superior Court in Miami, Florida -- Dade County versus Samuel J. Lonbardo. PULL BACK to REVEAL... INT. ART'S OFFICE, BLUE BAY HIGH - DAY Art, students, faculty members huddle around the TV. CYNTHIA (TV, CONT'D) The Lonbardo rape case has galvanized the upscale town of Blue Bay... EXT. COURTHOUSE - DAY Video crews surround a limo as Sandra and Kelly EMERGE. CYNTHIA (V.0., CONT'D) ... with its tabloid appeal -- Sandra Van Ryan -- jet-set real estate heiress... Tom Baxter and Barbara jostle up the steps. CYNTHIA (V.0., CONT'D) The powerful Blue Bay elite... Suzie, in the company of Ruby and Walter, pushes past the video crews. CYNTHIA (V.0., CONT'D) ... the girl from the wrong side of the tracks... INT. COURTROOM - DAY Bryce Hunter confers with his team. Ken in his neck brace, ENTERS with Sam and a bailiff. Sam wears a suit. Re's clean-shaven, recovered from the car wreck and beating. Still, there is a weariness about him we have not seen before. He makes eye contact with Sandra -- a cold stare. CYNTHIA (V.0., CONT'D) In the end, the prosecution's case will come down to... INT. COURTROOM - DAY Hunter in front of the jury. HUNTER ... what happened to Kelly Lanier Van Ryan and Susan Marie Toller that will forever change the lives of these two young women? What happened in those fifteen minutes alone with Samuel Lombardo? CLOSE ON SAM The dark, seductive eyes. INT. COURTHOUSE - WITNESS WAITING ROOM - DAY Suzie, nervous, paces the floor, stops, lights a cigarette. The other witnesses sit in chairs along the wail -- the lawn mower man, cul-de-sac kids, Barbara, Nicole, as... IN THE COURTROOM Kelly Van Ryan sits in the witness box, dabbing her eyes with a handkerchief while Bryce Hunter stands before her. The room is silent, the spectators riveted on the scene. HUNTER Do you need more time? Kelly shakes her head, no. HUNTER (CONT'D) I know this is hard, Kelly, but I have just one more question and even though its something we've been over, I want us all to be very clear about it. (a long beat) When you made the decision to stay at Mr. Lombardo's house, after he had offered you a ride. When you saw that he intended to have sex with you, what were your exact words? What did you say? KELLY I told him, no. I said stop, Mr. Lombardo, please... I screamed for him to stop... HUNTER And did he? Kelly looks defiantly at the courtroom. KELLY No. He raped me on the floor of his shitty house. CUT TO: WITNESS WAITING ROOM - SAME - SUZIE still pacing, as Ray and Gloria ENTER the room. Suzie shoots them a nervous glance, drops her cigarette, bends to pick it up, burns her fingers, drops it again. She curses beneath her breath, wrapping her fingers about her shoulders. Ray and Gloria watch her, exchange glances. Gloria picks up Suzie's cigarette for her, puts it out in an ashtray. GLORIA You've got nothing to be scared of, Suzie, just take a deep breath. INT. COURTROOM - LATER PANNING the spectators, we SEE Sandra, Baxter, Ray, Gloria. Hunter is on the witness stand. Suzie is in the box. She looks pale, even more nervous. SUZIE He pushed into me... I couldn't stop him... it hurt. HUNTER I'm sorry... you said it hurt? Why? SUZIE Because... it was the biggest I've ever seen. And I've seen a lot on their way through Jack's Fish Camp. Chuckling in the courtroom. The JUDGE glares, silencing it. HUNTER Ms. Toller, did Samuel Lombardo rape you in your family's home on the 23rd of April last year? Suzie glances at Sam, hesitates. HUNTER (CONT'D) Ms. Toller? SUZIE I said he did. HUNTER Ms. Toller. I'm asking you now, under oath, did Samuel Lonbardo rape you? Suzie looks around, as if for help. The spectators stir. Ray rubs his eyes. Gloria's are closed. SUZIE This wasn't my idea. HUNTER I'm sorry? Suzie looks at Sam once more. SUZIE Look. I just don't want to get into any more trouble... Tom Baxter rises to his feet. The Judge raises a hand, motioning him to sit back down. JUDGE (to Baxter) The Court would like to hear what Miss Toller has to say. (to Suzie) Miss Toller. SUZIE Mr. Lombardo didn't rape me. He didn't rape Kelly either. He didn't do anything. QUICK CUTS Hunter slumps back against the prosecution table. Sandra's hand covers her mouth. Baxter mumbles a curse. Sam hangs his head in relief. Ken grins above his neck brace. COURTROOM LOBBY The press corps scrambles for cameras. BLUE BAY HIGS Teachers, students, Art, Jimmy -- crammed around the TV. JIMMY I don't believe it... IN THE COURTROOM Bryce Hunter and Tom Baxter are both on their feet, trying to make themselves heard above the din. HUNTER Your Honor... I must object... JUDGE (hammering for order) I think I made it plain that the Court intends to near Miss Toller's story. The Judge turns a cold eye on Suzie. SUZIE I'm sorry. JUDGE Sorry? Just how far did you intend to let this go? SUZIE I don't know. I just wanted to hurt Mr. Lombardo. Sam looks up, confused. SUZIE (CONT'D) He was my friend at first. Then I got busted... he didn't even stick up for me. I had to go away to that hellhole. It's like, you're his favorite, then who cares? You wanna know something? When Kelly said we should do this, I thought cool, all these big shots screwing me over, like that cop, Duquette. Now they're gonna get screwed. HUNTER Your Honor... Please... JUDGE Any more interruptions Mr. Hunter, and the Court will hold you in contempt. (to Suzie) What you are telling me, Ms. Toller, is that Kelly Van Ryan is responsible for conceiving this entire charade... SUZIE Kelly's pissed at Mr. Lombardo, too. She's in love with him. I mean her whole fantasy is him since her old man died. Then she found out that Mr. Lombardo was doing her mom. I mean that was it... Gasps in the court as -- Kelly BURSTS from the witness waiting room, trailed by a bailiff. KELLY You stupid little bitch... She grabs the first thing she can get her hands on -- a glass of water from one of the tables and hurls it toward the witness stand before the bailiff can pin her arms against her sides. INT. COURTHOUSE LOBBY - LATER A mob scene. Video crews are herded to one side by bailiffs as Sandra and Baxter, with Kelly in tow, move toward a side door. Sam and Ken round a corner, followed by Ray and Gloria who walk on either side of Suzie. Kelly sees them. She makes a run at Suzie. For a moment the girls shove and kick but Ray and Gloria are between them in a hurry, pulling then apart as Baxter arrives to take charge of Kelly, pulling her toward the door. Ruby and Walter arrive now too. Suzie runs to them and they lead her through the crowd, Walter pushing people aside with his long, tattooed arms. Gloria heaves a sigh. Ray pushes a hand through his hair, then turns to find Sam looking at him. Most of the press have run off to follow the girls -- looking for more action. It is a quiet moment. The two men lock eyes. SAM I've found that adolescents make the best liars. They're old enough to be good at it, but you want like hell to believe them, because they're still children. Ray just looks at him -- a hard stare. EXT./INT. KEN'S T-BIRD - DAY top down, speeds on a highway, banana palms on one side, the blue Atlantic on the other. Wind buffets Ken and Sam -- who has a dazed look. KEN (hyped) Come on, let loose! SAM I was just thinking about where I'm gonna stay. I lost the house. It's like waking up from a goddamn nightmare. KEN You'll get over it. We've got a knockdown, airtight, motherfucker of a lawsuit against Sandra Van Ryan. SAM Just like that? KEN Just like that? These people ruined your life, bro. Ken pauses to thump the wheel with the butt of his hand. KEN (CONT'D) I told you they were going overboard and they did... They'll settle. Believe me. They'll be begging to settle... At which point Ken spots something up ahead. His smile broadens. He swerves into the other lane, tooting his horn, waving, as... The T-bird draws even with a sleek black limo. SAM You don't think you're overdoing it? He pulls off his neck brace, dangles it in front of Sam's face, then tosses it out the window. INT. LIMO - MOVING - SAME Tom Baxter watches as the T-bird rockets off into the distance, a white piece of foam rubber bouncing across the road in its wake. A console TV is on -- news of the courthouse chaos. Sandra is next to Baxter. Kelly is on the opposite bench seat. SANDRA I hope you're going to nail his scrotum to the nearest wall. BAXTER That might have been a possibility, if little miss not-so-bright here hadn't started throwing things. KELLY Fuck off. Sandra lunges to slap Kelly. Baxter stops it in midair. BAXTER See what I mean... SANDRA You're going to let them get away with this... this shit? On the word of one little white trash bitch... BAXTER You like seeing your name in the papers? Sandra glares at him. BAXTER (CONT'D) Leave town, Sandy. Go to your place in St. Barts. Let things cool down. Sandra concentrates on the TV. BAXTER (CONT'D) They'll try for twenty million. The cheaper the lawyer, the higher the demand. SANDRA You've got to be kidding. HAXTER The man's life has been destroyed. There will always be doubters, no matter what happened in court. SANDRA I'm not paying any idiot twenty million dollars. BAXTER I said that's what they'd ask for. Sandra stares from the window. At last she turns to Kelly. SANDRA I hope you're happy. Kelly seems to give this a moment's thought, then, smiling. KELLY Ecstatic. EXT. EVERGLADES - DAY Sam cruises slowly across the water in his junked-out air boat. He kills the engine, allowing the craft to glide to a stop. He's close to where he found the big gator -- the same shabby collection of whitewashed buildings we now RECOGNIZE as the Glades Motel, shimmers in the distance. Sam leans back, enjoying the silence. He reaches into a cooler, takes out a beer, opens it, takes a drink, then pulls something else from the cooler -- -- a bundle of white butcher's paper. Sam opens the paper, takes out raw meat -- something disgusting to look at -- big red turkey necks, maybe, which he tosses into the water. ANGLE ON WATER as the meat drifts down -- then, a sudden boiling, as -- quick as the strike of a snake -- the huge gator EMERGES, jaws wide, to snap up the morsel before slipping beneath the surface once mare. DISSOLVE TO: INT. LAW OFFICE - DAY Ken's Secretary opens the inner office door for Baxter. Ken rises from a desk to greet him. KEN Tom Baxter. Good to see you again. BAXTER Let's cut the crap. What does your client want? KEN Besides an apology? BAXTER Unless you're planning on leaving Blue Bay, there's gonna be other cases, other days... You might want to keep that in mind. KEN Okay Tom. My client wants your client to saddle up... so we can ride her ass all the way to the bank. EXT. BLUE BAY SCHOOL - DAY A hot morning in June. Shadows angle across the campus. Students line up at the old wooden pagoda, picking up caps and gowns. A few turn, surprised to see... SAM LOMBARDO cross the parking lot, ENTERS a building. INT. ART'S OFFICE - ART working at his desk. Sam's terrarium is behind him, his "Educator of the Year" Waterford bowl, a storage box of files. Art looks up at a KNOCK on the DOOR. Sam walks into the room. It is a slightly awkward moment. SAM Lizards don't seem to miss me. The two men smile, breaking the tension. SAM (CONT'D) How you doing, Artie? ART I... You know... I... Sam waves him off. SAM Take care of my lizards, Art. Art stands up. The two men shake hands. OUTSIDE GUIDANCE OFFICE Sam comes out, then stops suddenly. Kelly waits for him. Kirk and Nicole are with her. A long moment. SAM Kelly... KELLY Drop dead... You know where my mom is trying to get the money to pay you off? She's trying to break my trust. How do you like that? I can't touch it until she's dead and she won't give me a dime and now she's trying to break it to pay you... SAM Look, Kelly... I'm sorry... I know what you've been through... I should've seen something like this coning. Art APPEARS in the door behind Sam. Kelly cones closer. KELLY Why don't you start fucking her again. You can spend it together. Kirk tries to take Kelly's arm. She jerks away, swings at Sam. He ducks, dropping the Waterford BOWL, which SHATTERS upon the floor. Kirk bear-hugs Kelly. She throws a notebook at Sam. KELLY (CONT'D) I hate you! She starts crying. Kirk and Nicole drag her away as a crowd gathers. Sam, shaken, kneels over the broken crystal. Art bends to help him pick up the pieces. SAM You see. I couldn't stay, even if I wanted to. EXT. STRIP MALL - NIGHT Sam's Jeep is parked next to the T-bird and Jaguar. INT. KEN'S OFFICE - SAME Baxter, Ken, Sandra, Frankie stand watching, as Sam signs papers. At last Sam looks up, faces Sandra -- not a happy moment. Sandra gives him a long, hard stare, then walks from the room. Frankie prepares to follow her, then stops, looks at Sam. FRANKIE I'll be seeing you. Sam just looks at him. The big man leaves. Baxter closes his briefcase. KEN So long, Tom. Come by sometime. We'll have lunch at the Beef Bowl. Baxter stops, gives him a cold look, then a surprising smile. BAXTER I don't think you're gonna be eating at the Beef Bowl anymore, kid. He EXITS. Ken goes apeshit -- whoops, dances around the desk, drops into his chair, holds up the documents. Sam watches, smiling, finally. SAM Thanks Ken, you did okay. Both men stand, they shake hands. Ken claps him on the arm. KEN (no clowning now) Look, I know there's a part of you wishes none of this had happened. But it did. Now take the money and get out of here. Find a happy place. DISSOLVE TO: EXT. EVERGLADES - NIGHT Moonlit fog -- the vast swamp. EXT. GLADES MOTEL - NIGHT It's late. A neon palm tree flashes across an empty lot as... Sam's Jeep pulls in out of the night, parks before its bungalow. Sam gets out, lifts his storage box of files from the rear. INT. BUNGALOW - NIGHT The neon's green light slashes across the dark walls through old Venetian blinds. Sam ENTERS, puts the file box on the floor. Arches a sore back. He reaches for a bedside lamp, stops, listens, decides it's nothing, reaches again for the lamp, stops again, listening... BZZZZZ -- the high-pitched WHINE of a MOSQUITO. Then more -- a flurry of BZZZZZZZZS Sam frowns, sees... A cloud of mosquitoes circling him. He checks the front windows -- closed. He goes around the bed. The slightly ajar bathroom door with full-length mirror comes up on his right. Ahead is a rear window -- wide open. Sam stops fast. Thinks. Lets out a breath. SAM Damn maid. He steps to the window. He looks down -- Muddy footprints. Sam freezes. He whirls around -- A sudden green FACE APPEARS in the big mirror -- like a nightmare image -- lit by the neon flash, then DISAPPEARS. Sam jumps back. SAM Ahhhh! The neon green face flashes again in the mirror -- DISAPPEARS. Now the bathroom door slowly opens all the way. Sam backs up, hits the wall. Kelly Van Ryan steps out of the bathroom, a long object held at her side, wrapped in a towel. SAM Jesus Christ, what are you doing? KELLY So you got my mom's money. Sam tries to breathe, manages a nod. KELLY (CONT'D) How much? Kelly prods him with the concealed object. KELLY (CONT'D) How much? SAM About six and a half million dollars. Kelly raises the abject covered by the towel, aims it at Sam. KELLY Your turn to pay. A moment -- then she yanks the towel away to REVEAL -- -- a two-foot-long novelty penis with giant balls. Her hand grips the acrylic scrotum like the butt of a gun. KELLY (CONT'D) King Dong! That's you, Sam! She screams with joy, vaults into his arms, wraps those perfect thighs around him. The dildo goes flying. They fall on the bed. KELLY (CONT'D) It worked! We screwed the bitch! She's all over him now -- tongue kisses. KELLY CCONT'D) It worked just like you said it would. He kisses her, finally gets her to sit, straddling him. SAM God, you scared the shit out of me. You must be crazy coming here. KELLY Of course I'm crazy. Ask my mom. She kisses him again, more passionately now. He gets into it, tears her blouse open, putting his tongue to her breasts. A SHADOW moves on the wall, looming above them. Sam sees it, his eyes widen. He tries to sit up, as... BANG! -- an EXPLOSION. Sam jumps, knocks Kelly to his side. A champagne cork hits the ceiling. Suzie Toller stands over the bed with a foaming champagne bottle. SUZIE How much is about six and a half million divided by three? SAM Jesus. Two million one hundred thirty-three thousand three hundred thirty-three and change. Kelly screams in joy again. SAM (CONT'D) Now calm down. Both of you. The girls put on mock serious expressions. SAM (CONT'D) From now on, if we're seen together, it's got to be accidental. I thought that was understood... KELLY Hey, come on... We've got to have at least one victory party. Kelly grabs the champagne, takes a long gulp, pours some on her breasts as she straddles Sam once more, inviting him to lick them clean. SAM Kelly, for christ's sake... She has begun to move like a lap dancer, inviting him to take her breasts in his mouth, putting a hand to his crotch... SAM (CONT'D) The only way we're gonna blow this now, is if we do it ourselves... KELLY (her hand in his crotch) Do it to ourselves? SAM (weakening) We have to stick with the plan. KELLY Stick? Sam gives up, lays back as Kelly undoes his pants, then moves to get him inside her. Suzie watches. She takes another drink, then tosses the bottle, pulling off her top, REVEALING her small, white breasts, a couple of tattoos, a pierced nipple. She slips behind Kelly, fondling Kelly's breasts as Sam arches beneath them both -- all of them totally into it now, losing themselves in the sex... FADE TO: INT. DETECTIVZS' ROOM, BLUE BAY POLICE STATION - NIGHT The room is dark and empty, with the exception of a single desk lamp, by which halo we find... Ray Duquette, in an aloha shirt, waiting as his computer's printer finishes a job, as suddenly... ... a new light rushes into the room. Ray turns to find Gloria standing in the doorway. He stops as his printer finishes the job. He pulls out the paper, looks at it, smiles. Gloria walks to his desk. RAY You saw the news today? GLORIA Lombardo's settlement? Ray nods. GLORIA (CONT'D) Yeah, well, I told you they were gonna make us look stupid. Ray gives her a long look. Gloria waits a moment, shrugs. RAY Hey, don't back away from it, you were right. We did look stupid. (beat) What you were wrong about, is who made us look that way. Gloria just looks at him, puzzled. RAY (CONT'D) Think back, before the suit was filed, before the trial. Lombardo had an affair with Sandra, right? (Gloria nods) So why not tell us about the affair? I mean it could be a hell of a motive for Kelly to fabricate her charge in the first place. GLORIA Maybe Lombardo's attorney was saving the affair for the trial. RAY I thought of that. Then I said, come on, you're Lombardo. Your reputation is getting trashed. You want to stop the bleeding. You don't want to sit in jail for three months. Unless... GLORIA Unless what? RAY Unless you're setting up Sandra Van Ryan for the big payday. It is quiet in the office, save for the soft BUZZ of Ray's COMPUTER. RAY (CONT'D) They chumped us, Gloria, right from the start. GLORIA Why? You ask me, Lombardo had it pretty good already, nice job in a beautiful setting, popular, an active social life. (beat) He's gonna put this all on the line for some dicey play like what you're describing... RAY (interrupting) The job looks okay to us. But look at it from his point of view. The man's surrounded by wealth and privilege. But for him... it's just a reminder of what should have been his. Gloria gives this a moment's thought. RAY (CONT'D) Your old man graduates from Blue Bay School, you're not supposed to wind up there. Board of Directors maybe, but not in the lousy guidance office. Now. Point number two. (he taps at the printout on his desk) I've run a financial on Lombardo. Guy was eyeball-deep in debt before this all happened -- trying to keep up with pricey trim like Barbara Baxter. He passes the printout to Gloria. She looks at it, thinking. GLORIA So what about the girls? Suzie's poor, but why would Kelly have to steal from her own mother? Surely her father... RAY (interrupting) Her father didn't leave her squat. The kid's got money in trust from her grandfather, but she can't touch that till her mother dies and Sandra seems to have the idea that Kelly ought to learn the value of a buck. Gloria looks over Lombardo's financial once more, tosses it on the desk, then studies Ray -- long beat. GLORIA This one's got you working overtime, hasn't it? RAY I flat don't like the guy, Glory. He's dirty. And I'll tell you something else. You want to know how old man Lombardo lost his money? (beat) He was fucked out of it by old man Van Ryan, on a little item known as the Salt Creek Land Deal. (beat) It was after the war. Van Ryan set up a corporation to develop swamp land, got investors like Lombardo to put up money, then turned around and got the state to declare the area an ecological preserve, on the sly, of course, but everyone knew it was him. The freeway went to the coast, right where Van Ryan wanted it. GLORIA Eliminate the competition. RAY You got it. The rich got richer. While the saps like Lombardo went belly-up in the swamp. Gloria looks at him a long moment. GLORIA Where'd you come up with this stuff, anyway? RAY (a long beat; then beneath a smile) I net a guy in a bar. EXT. A BANK, BLUE BAY - DAY Sam walks down the steps, gets into his Jeep, and drives away. Across the street -- the white Taurus -- Ray and Gloria watch. EXT. YACHT BROKERAGE - DAY Sam comes out, rounds a corner and is gone. Ray Duquette steps INTO FRAME, turns into the brokerage. The door swings shut behind him. INT. SWIMMING POOL, BLUE BAY SCHOOL - DAY Girls in tank suits finish laps, towel off. As the girls begin to walk toward the lockers, they encounter... Ray Duquette, threading his way among the girls, his eye on... Kelly, alone on the deck, still dripping -- a Botticelli vision. RAY (O.S.) Nice stroke. Kelly, startled, turns to find Ray walking toward her across the deck. She snatches a towel from one of the racing platforms and begins to dry herself, wrapping the towel around her. KELLY Is there some reason why you're here? RAY Curiosity, I guess. KELLY About what? How to improve your breast stroke? Ray gives her a cold smile. RAY Actually, I was curious about how you see things working out, for you, Sam and Suzie. This appears to give her pause, a moment of hesitation. KELLY Excuse me? RAY You all gonna go down to the Caribbean together? Kelly looks around the pool area. A number of girls are watching from a corner of the deck, but no one is close enough to hear. RAY (CONT'D) The thing about it is, threesomes so rarely work out. KELLY You're out of your mind. RAY I've been a cop for a while, Kelly. (beat) It's hard enough for one person to keep a secret, let alone three. And then there's the love angle. I mean do you and Sam really want that little pill-head around, now that you have the money? Kelly starts to walk away. Ray cuts her off. RAY (CONT'D) Am I right, did Sam sell you on the idea right up front, of whacking Suzie? That's murder, Kelly. KELLY Police -- God -- get a life. She moves around him and walks calmly away. RAY (loud enough to make himself heard) You're good. But you don't think that little ditz Suzie's gonna hold together, do you? Kelly continues to walk, her face giving nothing away, as Ray's WORDS ECHO over the pool. EXT. BLUE BAY SCHOOL PARKING LOT - LONG SHOT - LATER Only a few cars left -- one of them Suzie's old VW bug, at the side of which Kelly and Suzie engage in heated conversation. CLOSER - SUZIE paces around Kelly. SUZIE You don't know Duquette. I'm the one he busted... He's a fucker, man... He'll fuck us both over... Kelly tries to take her by the arm. Suzie jerks away. SUZIE (CONT'D) I'm not going back to that prison. That's what it was... a fucking hell hole... Kelly looks around the lot. She takes Suzie by the arm once more, this time more firmly, pulling Suzie to her. KELLY Will you calm down. Duquette's gonna come to you just like he did to me. You're gonna have to be ready for him. SUZIE Yeah, but he can't push you around like he can me. You've got family and they've got clout. With we it's different... with me... KELLY (circling her with her arm) Yeah, I've got family and they've got clout and now you have me. Right? And Sam. Believe me, Suzie, this dickhead's not going to send you anywhere. He's gonna try and rattle your cage, and that's it. Stay strong and he can't do shit. SUZIE (a long beat) Man, I wanna smoke a joint. PULL BACK to REVEAL -- in the distance -- the white Ford Taurus at the side of the road leading to the school. The car is pulled just far enough off the road to be mostly hidden among pampas grass and oleander, but angled in such a way as to afford a view of the two girls now hugging in the lot. EXT. SMILIN' JACK'S FISH CAMP - NIGHT Suzie wanders along the canal, smoking a joint. At her back a few faint lights flicker here and there in the windows of trailers. She walks down to the little dock, sits on a rail, takes another hit. VOICE (0.S.) 'Evening, Suzie. How was school today? Suzie freezes, holds back her exhale, looking around... A shadow stirs in one of the skiffs tied to the dock. A man stands, walks up the couple of wooden stairs. The light from a trailer across the road glances off steel-rimmed glasses as Ray Duquette steps onto the dock. Suzie gags on the smoke in her lungs, coughs. She squeezes the lit roach into her palm, then tosses it into the canal. RAY You ought to watch it with that shit, Suzie. You get busted again, you go back in a two-tine loser. SUZIE You got something against cigarettes? Ray just laughs at her. RAY Yeah, they're bad for your health. (beat) I'm tryin' to look out for you... SUZIE That's cop bullshit. RAY Well, you're half right. Best thing you could do for yourself right now would be to talk to me. SUZIE About what? RAY Every triangle I've ever seen never lasts. Somebody's got to go. SUZIE Is this supposed to mean something to me? What triangle? RAY You, Kelly, Sam. SUZIE I don't have to listen to this. And you can't shove me around. I have friends now... She catches herself, falters. Ray laughs once more. RAY Is that what you think? You have friends? Is that what they told you? SUZIE I don't mean who you're thinking. I have other friends... RAY Suzie, Suzie... This is me, Ray, you're talking to. We both know you don't have shit, never have had shit, never will have shit... He takes a sheet of paper from his coat. RAY (CONT'D) Here, Suzie. I want you :o look this over. Know what it is? (as Suzie takes it) Sam deposited his check, transferred the funds to an offshore bank, a numbered account. Not even the cops can find out whose names are on it. Think one of them's yours? Suzie looks over the paper. RAY (CONT'D) He also put a down on some island property, and a lease-to-buy on a forty-foot sailboat. You're into sailing, aren't you, Suzie? Suzie thrusts the paper back at Ray. SUZIE Get away from me. RAY Don't you see what this means? You really think Sam and Kelly are gonna give you a third of the money? You, the pill-head with the rap sheet? SUZIE Shut up. Ray smiles at her. He moves up close. RAY You know, I don't think I ever told you I was sorry about your little friend... What was his name? Suzie tries to back away. She bumps against the rail. Ray reaches out, takes her hand in both of his. RAY (CONT'D) Come on, Suzie, help me out here. You know his name. Suzie looks scared, in a way she hasn't before. When she speaks her voice is scarcely above a whisper. SUZIE Davy. RAY (nodding, a scary smile) That's right. That was his name. The smile fades, as if he's thinking about something, still holding her hand, rubbing it with his fingers. RAY (CONT'D) Sometimes I wonder if you're really as dumb as you pretend to be. He looks into Suzie's eyes, slowly opening her hand to REVEAL the burn mark on her palm. RAY (CONT'D) But you know what? I'd be keeping a clear mind right now if I were you. (beat) I'd hate to see you come to a bad end. Like Davy did. He holds her hand a moment longer, then drops it. He goes back down he steps to the little skiff. An outboard MOTOR STARTS in the night. INT. SUZIE'S ROOM - NIGHT Suzie cones in fast, grabs the phone, punches out a number. SAM (V.0.) (answering machine) This is Sam. I'm not in right now... EXT./INT. RAY'S PICKUP - NIGHT parked behind some cottonwoods in a small launch area where the highway crosses both the canal and the road to the fish camp. The skiff has been shoved into the bed. Ray sits at the wheel. He removes his glasses, wipes his face with a handkerchief, then starts at the uneven 50UNDS of a tired ENGINE, looks up to see... HEADLIGHTS Suzie's VW bouncing along the dirt road, turning onto the highway. RAY'S TRUCK - RAY watching, then starting his truck and pulling out onto the highway, following the tiny red lights of Suzie's bug. SXT. VAN RYAN ESTATE - MAIN GATE - NIGHT Suzie's VW idles. She leans out the window, talks to the intercom, the gate opens. The VW ENTERS. The gate closes. Ray's pickup drives past. He drives to a big lot where one of the mansions has been torn down. He drives up onto the dirt, keeps going, right down to the water's edge where he pulls his little skiff out of the back once more. He walks back to the truck, pulls off his sport coat, hangs a Hi-8 video camera over his shoulder and wades out into the calm waters of the bay, pushing the skiff, then climbing in. EXT. VAN RYAN ESTATE, REAR OF MAIN HOUSE - NIGHT Suzie follows Kelly past the pool, which is all lit~up, and on toward the jacuzzi. The whole deck is tiled in black-and-white. Kelly's in a bikini -- the killer body. Suzie, the contrast -- pale, skinny, boyish, in a T-shirt and cutoff jeans. They argue -- we CANNOT HEAR. EXT. THE BAY - SAME Ray has arrived near the docks. He has killed his engine, maneuvering here with a single oar. He ties the skiff off behind the Jonathan, then climbs to the dock, moving around the guest house and coming close to the pool. He takes a position behind the cabanas, readies his camera. EXT. POOL AREA - SAME Kelly and Suzie continue their argument in front of the jacuzzi. KELLY I can't believe you called Sam. What's the matter with you? SUZIE I'm scared, that's what. I'm scared there's no one to trust. KELLY You can trust me. A cordless PHONE RINGS on the patio chair. Kelly and Suzie are startled by it. Kelly answers. INT. SAM'S BUNGALOW - NIGHT The bedside lamp is on. Sam is on the phone. SAM Kelly. Is Suzie there? KELLY (V.O.) Yes. SAM Shit. I was afraid of that. She left this garbled message on my machine. (beat) Can you calm her down? KELLY (V.0.) Why can't you come... SAM No! Christ. Listen, Kelly, I'm counting on you. You calm her down. I mean do whatever you have to, whatever it takes... KELLY (V.O.) You know what it takes. SAM Then do it. I need you on this Kelly. Do it tonight. We'll figure something out... Okay? EXT. JACUZZI - NIGHT Kelly glances across the steamy water at Suzie. KELLY Yeah, right. Can you at least talk to her, on the phone? NT. SAM'S BUNGALOW - SAME Sam lies on his bed, waits for Suzie's voice on the line. SUZIE (V.O.) Sam... SAM Put Kelly on too. EXT. JACUZZI - SAME The girls stand cheek-to-cheek, the phone between them. KELLY I'm here. INT. SAM'S BUNGALOW - SAME SAM Okay. I want you to hear this too. We've got to be cool. All of us. People think I'm rich, for Christ's sake. I'm doing what rich guys do. (beat) I'm spending my money. It's more suspicious if I sit around doing nothing. Now don't let this cop fuck with your minds. EXT. CABANAS - NIGHT Ray tapes the scene. The girls still hold the phone. SUZIE But I.. SAM (V.0.) Shut up. Don't fall apart. The only people who can blow this is us. Remember? KELLY Right. Suzie says nothing. Kelly nudges her. SUZIE Yeah, right. SAM (V.0.) Good. Just keep telling yourselves that, the only people who can fuck this up is us. The line goes dead. Kelly hangs up. Suzie stares into the jacuzzi. SUZIE You're gonna fuck me over, aren't you? KELLY Oh, for Christ's sake. SUZIE You are. KELLY Are you retarded, or just brain dead from whiffin' fumes out there in the swamp... Suzie's face goes hard. SUZIE That's what I am to you, isn't it? Swamp trash. It's what I am to everybody, just like my mom... Kelly tries to put an arm around her. Suzie slaps her -- a mistake -- Kelly's bigger, faster. She slaps the side of Suzie's head, then grabs her legs, dumping her on the tile deck. ON RAY focusing the camera. Suzie tries to kick Kelly. Something changes in Kelly, a scary, calm rage. KELLY Stupid bitch. She very methodically grabs Suzie's hair, dragging her into the jacuzzi, holding her under the hot water. Suzie thrashes, breaks free, gags, arches out of the water, the wet T-shirt clinging to her small breasts. Kelly is on her again, slaps her, puts her hands to Suzie's throat -- violently sexual in her wet bikini. Kelly slams Suzie back onto the black-and-white tile, gets on top of her, knees between Suzie's legs, her hands on her throat. Suzie's skinny shape writhes underneath Kelly on the gleaming tile. She gasps for air. Kelly finally lets go, but remains on her knees between Suzie's legs, breathing hard. A moment. Kelly touches Suzie's face. KELLY Why do you make me hurt you? It's like you want it or something. Suzie sobs, takes Kelly's hand. KELLY (CONT'D) God, you are scared, aren't you? Suzie runs her lips over Kelly's fingers, then pushes her T-shirt up, pushing Kelly's hand onto her breast. KELLY (CONT'D) And this is going to make you feel better, make you trust me... Suzie nods, tearing her T-shirt, getting both of Kelly's hands onto her breasts, then pushing at Kelly's wrists, getting her to pull at her nipples, hard... Kelly obliges... Suzie cries out in pain. Kelly's hands move down to pull off Suzie's bottoms... ON RAY still at it with the video, his face impassive, watching. As Kelly pulls Suzie back into the jacuzzi, as the girls' hands slide round the curves of each other's hips, pulling themselves to each other, as the layers of steam rise to envelope them... CUT TO: VIDEOTAPE Kelly and Suzie making love in the jacuzzi. PULL BACK to REVEAL -- INT. POLICE ROOM - DAY Gloria, Ray, Hunter watch the tape. Hunter's seen enough. He slams the stop/tape. HUNTER Are you crazy, Ray? RAY You heard Kelly say "Sam." That was Lombardo on the phone. And you saw the girls... HUNTER Ray. The conversation on this tape is totally unintelligible. (beat) What we have here, is you on the Van Ryan property, without a proper warrant, shooting a porn flick... RAY I don't believe I'm hearing this. A month ago you were pulling these two apart at the courthouse. (beat) They were acting. They were all acting, from the beginning. And we bought it, hook, line and sinker... And now they're home free with six million of Sandra Van Ryan's money. GLORIA Which she might have saved, if she hadn't set out to destroy the man's life. RAY (turning now on Gloria) What? You wouldn't go after some guy you thought raped your daughter? (beat) Cone on. She bought the same story we did... Ray stops as Hunter brings the palm of his hand down on the table a loud SLAP. HUNTER Listen, both of you. You're not on a case. There is no fucking case. (beat) I've had it up to here with Sandra Van Ryan. Ray, you keep mucking around like this and you are going to have her suing us for invasion of privacy. Get out of these people's lives. (beat) Am I getting through on this? Ray walks to the door, jerks it open -- INT. CORRIDOR - DAY Sam, angry, sits in the corridor with a uniformed officer. Hunter sees Sam, rolls his eyes. HUNTER Oh, Ray... no... RAY You think this is just about money, about us looking foolish? Question him. You're gonna find a stone cold manipulative psychopath. And those girls are going to wind up dead... Sam lunges at Ray. The officer and Hunter restrain him. Gloria looks on, taken aback by Ray's accusations, Sam's response. HUNTER Mr. Lombardo, please. I'm sorry about this. SAM Give this idiot something to do. Let him look into the Kennedy assassination. Ray flares, grabs Sam, shoves him against the wall, before they can be separated once again. SAM (CCNT'D) (to Hunter) Next time this guy drags me down here, I'll sue you. You're goddamn lucky I didn't sue you the first time! Sam storms from the room, followed by Hunter. Ray stares after them, finally he turns, looks at Gloria, collecting himself. RAY Guess I kind of lost it there. GLORIA You could say that. RAY Were you ever in a situation where you could see a thing coming and you didn't do what you could to stop it? Gloria studies Ray, clearly concerned. GLORIA We all have... RAY I mean something bad, Gloria, something bad you saw coning, and you didn't do anything, and then it happened. (off Gloria's silence) I did that once. I don't want to do it again. EXT. MALL ENTRANCE - LATE AFTERNOON Sam EXXTS a building, a large package of wrapped goods beneath his arm. He looks toward the parking lot where -- Barbara Baxter stands beside the red Mercedes. She tips a valet then starts toward the mall. She sees San. Their eyes meet. A moment of hesitation, as neither is quite sure what to say. SAM You look pretty. BARBARA Thanks. Sam smiles. She points to the stuff beneath his arm. BARBARA (CONT'D) Quite a shopping spree... She's kidding, then seems to consider how Sam might take it. BARBARA (CONT'D) I didn't mean... Sam laughs it off. SAM Hey, I've got it, I may as well spend it, right? I've always wanted to live where I could dive for my dinner. BARBARA And where might that be? SAM I was thinking, Antigua, maybe. BARBARA I love Antigua. (beat) Maybe I'll come visit you. SAM I'd like that. A moment, she touches his face. Sam raises a hand to cover hers, as... ... in b.g., a BLACK RANGE ROVER -- just the roof VISIBLE above the tops of the other cars, cruises the lot. INT. RANGE ROVER - KELLY VAN RYAN seated at the wheel, parks, stares toward the mall entrance. ANGLE ON ENTRANCE - KELLY'S POV Sam and Barbara stand in the orange light, hand-in-hand. Barbara leans forward, kisses Sam on the lips. CLOSE ON KELLY lost in thought, when she is startled by a sudden CACOPHONY of ENGINE NOISE. She turns to find... Suzie's BUG, SPLUTTERING and BELCHING smoke, parks next to her. Suzie opens the door of the Rover, jumps in. She's wearing a black ball cap, armed with a huge straw bag. As she settles in the seat, she lets out a long breath. Kelly makes a face, fans the air. KELLY Jesus. What are you drinking? Suzie laughs, pulls a bottle of Mad Dog 20/20 from the bag. KELLY (CONT'D) (looking at the bottle) Anybody ever tell you that stuff will rot your brain? SUZIE What brain? Suzie takes a big drink. Kelly shakes her head, looks back toward the entrance. ANGLE ON ENTRANCE - KELLY'S POV empty. Sam and Barbara are gone. Kelly continues to stare. SUZIE What are you looking at? KELLY (starting the car) Nothing. EXT. THE BEACH - NIGHT The Atlantic rolls before a long stretch of empty sand as the last red light drains from the sky. The Range Rover comes down onto the sand, parks. INT./EXT. RANGE ROVER - SAME Kelly turns off the engine. Suzie tokes on a joint, swills the MD 20/20. She gazes upon the sea, eyes at half-mast. SUZIE I thought we were goin' to a movie. KELLY I think we just need to get wasted. Suzie shrugs, gets out. Kelly gets out with her. Suzie staggers. Kelly circles her with an arm, looks nervously around, begins leading her down the beach. SUZIE I wanna live at the beach someday. KELLY Shit. She stops walking. Suzie takes a few more steps then turns to look at her. KELLY (CONT'D) I left the keys. I'll get 'em. Suzie plops down on the sand, drinks from the bottle. She watches Kelly fading into the darkness, mumbles something beneath her breath, then lies on her back. SUZIE'S POV - THE NIGHT SKY The SOUND of CRASHING WAVES. She rolls to one side, looking down the beach Murky blackness. She tries to focus, sits up. SUZIE Kelly? She stands -- wobbly -- peers down the beach. A shape EMERGES in the blackness, moving toward her. SUZIE (CONT'D) Kelly? The shape gets closer and closer, until... Sam Lombardo steps up to loom over Suzie. She takes a step back. Sam puts a hand on her shoulder. He carries something in his other hand -- hard to see on the dark beach. SAM Suzie, it's okay. It's me. Suzie steadies herself. A face APPEARS behind Sam -- Kelly. SAM (CONT'D) I was worried about you, Suzie. I decided we should all get together, one more time, before we split up. SUZIE Are you mad at me? SAM No, no. Look, I probably should have told you a little more, about the part I intended to play. (beat) We'll go through it all again tonight. Sam takes the bottle from Suzie, looks at it. SAM (CONT'D) This is a celebration Suzie, not a suicide pact. He lifts the object in his other hand -- a champagne battle. SAM (CONT'D) We'll chill out first, have a drink, watch the stars. Suzie nods. SAM (CONT'D) Kelly, there's a beach blanket in the Jeep. Could you get it for us? Kelly nods, starts back, looks once over her shoulder as... Sam leads Suzie toward a huge rock formation. SAM (CONT'D) Let me tell you about this boat I picked out for us... They move OUT OF SIGHT. Kelly continues to walk, back along the sand toward the cars. INSERT - A SCREAM A sickening hollow THWACK -- an arc of blood and two teeth fall silently on dark stone. Kelly begins to run, stumbling through the sand to Sam's Jeep, where she pulls a big roll of clear plastic from behind the seats. She stuffs it under her arm, then runs back along the beach. As she runs, she can hear them -- more THWACKS, MOANS -- it seems like forever Sam APP�ARS before her on the sand. The champagne bottle swings loosely at the end of one arm. it looks shiny now, dripping with Suzie's blood. Kelly goes to him. She looks at the bottle, then throws herself against him -- a hard kiss. SAM I'm sorry, Kelly. I'm sorry it had to happen like this. She was losing it... KELLY (breathless) There was no way. That cop would've gotten her to tell him... everything. She was weak and dumb... She kisses him again, her hands moving over his body. Sam takes a step back, looks into Kelly's face -- the parted lips, sultry eyes -- as if seeing her for the first time -- a long beat -- at which point he turns, heaving the champagne bottle as far as he can into the black waves. EXT. RANGE ROVER ON THE SAUD - LATER Rear hatch open -- overhead light on. Sam and Kelly drag Suzie's body -- wrapped in the plastic -- to the rear hatch. As they heft her inside, the light catches -- SUZIE'S FACE A mask of blood. Kelly turns away in disgust. She goes to the passenger side door, gets in. Sam gets in behind the wheel. For a moment the two of them just sit there, in the darkness, with the SOUND of the SEA, and their own BREATHING. Sam looks at Kelly. She is focused on the dark Atlantic. SAM Are you okay? Kelly turns to him -- an anxious face. KELLY (a long beat) My mom would kill me if she knew I took the Rover. EXT. EVERGLADES - NIGHT Kelly waits by the Rover, swatting mosquitoes. SLOSHING SOUNDS -- a shape approaches in the dark -- Sam in waders, muddy, tired, carrying a shovel. EXT. GALLERIA PARKING LOT - NIGHT Almost empty of cars. The Range Rover cruises past Suzie's VW, circles, comes back. Sam jumps out, pulls on latex gloves, gets into the VW and backs it out. EXT. BUS TERMINAL (MIAMI) - DAY Almost dawn. A long parking lot fronts the terminal. Suzie's VW arrives, parks, Sam gets out. He goes to the waiting Range Rover, gets in and drives away. EXT. FRONT GATE - VAN RYAN ESTATE - DAY A THIN STREAM OF MUDDY WATER flows beneath the gate, down the drive, toward the street. A HAND touches the water. PULL BACK to REVEAL the hand as that of Ray Duquette. EXT. VAN RYAN DRIVEWAY - SAME Ray kneels, fingers wriggling in the water, then straightens, looking toward the house where... On the other side of the gate, Kelly, in a tube-top and tight shorts, washes mud from the Range Rover. She looks up, sees... Ray, drying his hand on a handkerchief, walking up the drive, arriving at the wrought-iron gates. RAY Been four-wheelin'? Kelly freezes -- not so cool this time. KELLY Get off my property. RAY I'm not on your property! He grabs the wrought-iron gate -- rattles it -- harder and harder. Kelly backs away, frightened. EXT. SMILIN' JACK'S FISH CAMP - DAY Gloria and Ray stand in front of the ramshackle wooden building, talking to Ruby. Walter sits nearby, sharpening a knife. RAY You say she didn't come back last night. RUBY She's been sayin' she was going to go to L.A. But I don't know. I mean all her clothes are still here. An' she's missin' her graduation. (a long beat) She should graduate. She's a smart girl... Ray nods. He makes a note in his pad. RAY May have been she just partied too much... But we'll look into it. We find something, you'll be the first to know. Ray turns and walks to the car. Gloria follows. INT. CAR - SAME Ray sits for a moment behind the wheel. RAY It's starting, Gloria. This is how it begins... GLORIA Ray. We don't know anything yet. She could be anywhere... Ray silences her with a look. RAY I'm gonna take you back to the office. Will you put out a call on Suzie's car for me? GLORIA You have someplace to be? Ray starts the car, doesn't answer. GLORIA (CONT'D) If you want company... RAY Just check out the car. Gloria nods. She looks toward the camp store where the old lady can still be SEEN standing on the porch, beneath the jawbones. EXT. BLUE BAY SCHOOL - DAY Caps and gowns -- kids and parents on the lawn -- taking photos. Kelly poses with Sandra. Tom Baxter aims the camera. BAXTER Smile. Kelly and Sandra force miserable smiles. CLICK. BAXTER (CONT'D) That's one for the scrapbook. Baxter moves away, greets Nicole and her parents. Kelly puts some room between her and Sandra. KELLY You didn't have to fly back -- from -- wherever, for me... SANDRA I'm here to congratulate my friends and their children. I'm leaving again tonight. KELLY Don't bother. I'm taking a trip. SANDRA Where, the mall? KELLY A friend of mine bought a boat. Sandra shakes her head, walks off. Kelly turns away, freezes, as she catches sight of -- Ray talking with Jimmy. EXT. THE BEACH - DAY Ray and Jimmy walk along the sand, moving in the direction of the big rocks. Jimmy wears sagger shorts, a surfer T-shirt. Ray wears a suit. He carries the coat over his shoulder. JIMMY It's those rocks, up there. RAY You and Suzie used to come out here together? JIMMY Yeah, sometimes. Lots of the kids hang out here. (beat) You really think something bad happened to Suzie? RAY (ignoring the question) Lombardo ever come out here? Jimmy looks at him, surprised, sees that Ray is serious. Still, the idea generates a laugh. RAY (CONT'D) I say something funny? JIMMY No. But I mean... just the idea that Mr. Lombardo would... RAY Way I hear it, he was pretty tight with the kids, one of the guys... JIMMY Yeah, but... He breaks off as Ray kneels over a big flat rock. Ray brushes away some sand, drapes the sport coat over his arm, taking tweezers and latex gloves from the pockets. Jimmy moves closer, curious, seeing what Ray sees. CLOSE ON GLOVED HANDS as tweezers pick up two teeth from a crevice in the stone. Ray straightens, holding the teeth in the palm of his hand. Jimmy stares at the teeth. Ray takes a couple of bills from his pocket, hands them to Jimmy. RAY I'm going to be staying here, Jimmy. You can catch a bus up there at the lot, okay? Jimmy looks a little sick, but he takes the money. He starts toward the lot. Ray watches for a moment. Then calls out to him. RAY People aren't always what they appear to be, kid. Remember it. Jimmy looks at him, trying to make sense of what Ray is saying, clearly disturbed by the implications. But he asks no more questions. He turns, trudging alone back through the sand. DISSOLVE TO: EXT. OCEAN COVE - LATER THE TEETH go into a plastic bag. PULL BACK TO REVEAL Black-and-whites, county cars -- police tape across the site. Ray, Gloria and Hunter watch as DAVE MERRITT, a forensic expert bags the teeth. He passes the bag to Ray, then bends to the rocks where he begins to take a blood sample. RAY Lonbardo and Kelly killed her here. Hunter and Gloria exchange a look. GLORIA Two kids could've gotten into a fight, lost a couple of teeth. RAY Those are Suzie Toller's teeth. GLORIA Where's the body? RAY The swamp, most likely... Lombardo's a swamp rat, knows the body will never be found there. But he's made a mistake. He holds up the evidence bag containing the teeth. GLORIA Her grandmother said she'd been threatening to run away. And I found the car at the Miami bus terminal. RAY You don't think Sam could've put it there? HUNTER Dust it for prints. My guess is, if anybody murdered Suzie it was probably that little sociopath Kelly Van Ryan. Ray shakes his head; he turns to Dave, still working. RAY How soon can we get something? DAVE We can get blood type right away. Dental records will take longer. You want DNA, that can take weeks. Ray nods, looks out to sea. RAY (CONT'D) Poor dumb Suzie, she never had a chance. GLORIA We don't know that, Ray... Ray turns to her -- an intense look. RAY Kelly's next, Gloria. HUNTER (ice cold) Get off this Ray, now. (beat) If there is any evidence here, it's for Homicide. (turning to Dave) You get an ID, you call me. Dave nods. Hunter stalks off toward his car. Ray turns to Gloria. RAY Will you do me one favor? GLORIA Ray, you heard him... RAY What if I'm right, Gloria? What if I'm right and Hunter's wrong? (beat) What do you do if you see a bad thing coming? Gloria looks toward the highway, trying to decide. RAY (CONT'D) Stick with me on this Gloria. I need you... GLORIA And if the teeth aren't Suzie's? You'll give this up? RAY If I'm wrong about those teeth -- it's a promise. EXT. GLADES MOTEL - SUNSET Sam's Jeep -- a "FOR SALE" sign in the window -- sits in the lot. Across the road -- Gloria sits in the white Taurus. EXT. VAN RYAN ESTATE, MAIN GATE - SUNSET Ray sits in his truck, picks up his cellular, punches in a number. DAVE (V.O.) (speaker) Merritt, Forensics. RAY The teeth doin' any talkin'? DAVE (V.0.) Ray. Stop calling. I told you the dental records will take time... RAY What about the blood? DAVE (V.0.) (a beat) Could be hers. Types match. Could be a lot of other people's too... RAY (cutting him off) Second you get something on those teeth, I want it Ray hangs up without waiting for a reply. He turns to the Van Ryan house, an orange light slanting across its facade. EXT. GLADES MOTEL - NIGHT Gloria waits in her car. She looks toward the motel. Sam's Jeep is parked before one of the bungalows. There is a light on in the room. We can SEE inside. Gloria sighs, picks up a pair of binoculars and trains them on the room. ANGLE ON ROOM - GLORIA'S POV Suitcases and boxes are stacked everywhere. Sam, bare-chested, in khaki slacks, moves about the room. CLOSE ON GLORIA watching Sam, as... IN THE ROOM The PHONE has begun to RING. Sam looks at it until it stops, then picks it up and dials a number. Kelly answers. KELLY (V.O.) Hello? SAM Hello. KELLY (V.O.) God, I've been calling you. INTERCUT - KELLY/SAM PHONE CONVERSATION Kelly is in the guest house, pacing in front of the gun case. KELLY I'm really serious. That cop, he keeps watching me. SAM Duquette. Forget him... KELLY I can't help it. He gives me the creeps... I mean why was Suzie so scared of him? She's not that way. I think he did something... SAM Yeah, he got her busted for possession... KELLY I don't know... I think it was something else... Suzie says the bust was bullshit... SAM And you believe her? KELLY (a long beat -- a sigh) I don't know. (beat) I want to see you... SAM Kelly... Relax. Take one of your mom's valium or something. In another week you get on the plane. It's over. We're rich. KELLY But what if they find out... God, they'd put you in the gas chamber... Sam is about to respond, then looks out the window, sees... ACROSS THE STREET, the white Taurus. SAM So if they're tapping your phone, we're dead. Stay in the guest house. Skip the graduation parties. You'll never see Duquette. Okay? I love you. KELLY (beat) Okay. I love you too. INT. TAURUS - SAME - GLORIA sees the light go out in Sam's room, lowers her binoculars, sits for a moment, then begins to write something on a pad. She's still at it when something KNOCKS at a FENDER. She looks up, startled, to find... Sam in the street, still shirtless, his arms and shoulders back-lit by the neon light of the Glades Motel. SAM Isn't that against the law, peeking into windows? GLORIA (a long beat) Suzie Toller is missing. Sam lets out his breath, shakes his head. SAM How long? GLORIA She didn't cone home last night. We found her car at the bus terminal, but nothing to suggest she bought a ticket. SAM Maybe she used another name. GLORIA Ray thinks she was murdered. Sam shakes his head once more. SAM I don't know what to say... GLORIA You could tell me where you were last night. Sam stares at her. SAM Goddannit... I don't have to... He stops himself, calms down. SAM Come here. I want you to see something. Gloria hesitates, looks up at Sam, then puts down the phone and opens her door. INT. GLADES MOTEL - SAME Sam and Gloria walk among the boxes and suitcases. GLORIA Looks like goodbye. Sam nods. He goes to one of his cardboard filing boxes, pulls out a file, hands it to Gloria. As she takes it, he goes to the closet, takes a shirt from a hanger. SAM Kelly's file. Read it. You're going to find an angry, sexually confused girl who's made threats on her mother's life and a female lover she'd never identify. GLORIA Suzie? Sam shrugs. SAM You're telling me Ray thinks Suzie was killed. I don't have to ask you who he thinks did it, do I? (beat) All I'm saying is, read that, you'll have a new perspective on things. Gloria sits on the bed, the file in her hand. She watches as Sam pulls on the shirt. GLORIA Why didn't you tell us about this before the trial? Sam holds her eyes. SAM Then -- I still had ethical standards to protect. They meant a lot to me. Now, I don't care. And no amount of money can buy that back. Sam is interrupted by the HONKING of a HORN. He looks outside. ANGLE ON LOT - SAM'S POV A taxi waits in the glow of the green neon. Sam looks down on Gloria, seated on his bed, her skirt short enough to REVEAL shapely legs. For a moment the two hold one another's eyes. SAM (CONT'D) My ride. If you're not planning on arresting me, that is. INT. RAY'S TRUCK - NIGHT - LATER The PHONE RINGS. Ray picks it up. RAY Ray. What's happening? INTERCUT - RAY/GLORIA PHONE CONVERSATION She's still in Sam's room, the file spread across the bed. GLORIA I'm tired, Ray. I'm going home. RAY Where's Lombardo? GLORIA He's leaving the country. And I don't give a shit. RAY The blood type on the rocks matches Suzie's. GLORIA It's Homicide's job now, Ray, let 'em do it. I'll tell you something else, there's more to this story than you know, Ray... If Suzie is dead, I think Hunter may be on the right track... Ray clicks off his phone. GLORIA (CONT'D) Ray? (nothing but dial tone) Shit. Ray. EXT. VAN RYAN ESTATE, FRONT GATE - NIGHT Ray gets out of his car, presses the intercom. SANDRA (V.O.) (intercom) Who is it? RAY (into intercom) Detective Duquette, Ms. Van Ryan. Let me in. Now. EXT. POOL & JACUZZI - NIGHT Ray CROSSES the deck, Sandra at his heels. RAY Where is she? SANDRA Where she lives. In the guest house. Now will you tell me what this is about? RAY I'm placing your daughter under arrest. SANDRA You can't... RAY (turning, cutting her off) Suzie Toller is dead. You don't want Kelly to be next, then take my advice. Stay out of my way. INT. GUEST HOUSE - SAME A cap and gown lay strewn on the sofa. Kelly wears jeans and a bra. She looks up to see Ray moving across the tile. Her eyes go wide, then move to the gun case. EXT. GUEST HOUSE - SAME Sandra stands near the jacuzzi, not exactly sure what to do, watching as... ANGLE ON GUEST HOUSE - SANDRA'S POV Ray knocks at the French door. It swings open. He steps inside. A long moment, then VOI?ES, the SOUND of things being knocked about, BREAKING GLASS. Sandra starts toward the house then stops at the SOUND of a single GUNSHOT. A SECOND GUNSHOT follows, then a THIRD. The guest house door opens. Ray stumbles out, his shoulder bloody, a .357 in his hand. FADE TO: VIDEOTAPE - RAY'S STATEMENT We SEE him from the waist up -- a white T-shirt, his shoulder bandaged, his arm in a sling. There are red scratch marks on his face. His eyes look blankly into the camera. RAY I fucked up. I lost control of the situation, the one thing they train you for... God, what did I do? HUNTER (0.S.) Just tell us what happened. RAY I told Kelly Van Ryan she was under arrest for conspiracy and murder. I did her rights. INTERCUT -- EXT. CARIBBEAN BEACH RESORT - LONG SHOT - DAY Perfect crescent of sand. A man in white shorts reclines in a beach chair, beneath a gaily-colored umbrella, sipping a drink. VIDEOTAPE - RAY RAY Kelly went crazy, started screaming. I grabbed her, put her on the floor. EXT. BEACH RESORT - CLOSER SHOT - DAY Sam, in white shorts, looking good, watches a beautiful island girl in a thong bikini frolic in the surf. She seems to sense Sam watching, turns toward the beach. Her eyes meet Sam's. She breaks into a beautiful smile. VIDEOTAPE - RAY HUNTER (O.S.) She bit you? RAY Bit, scratched. But I had her pinned. She calmed down. I was going to cuff her... She said she thought she was going to be sick. She asked to use the bathroom. EXT. BEACH RESORT - DAY Sam and the island girl sit at an outdoor table. The girl wears a short, terry cloth robe, Sam the white shorts and a flowered shirt. They sip drinks. Their eyes meet. Their fingers touch. VIDEOTAPE - RAY RAY I told her I was coming with her. She nodded, like she understood. We stood up together. HUNTER (O.S.) You didn't cuff her? RAY She looked shaky, but lucid. I thought, I would just go with her, stand at the door... (shaking his head) I think I looked away. A split second. Then, bingo. Just like that. She puts a knee into my groin. (beat) There was this coffee table between us and the wall. She got one foot on that thing and launched herself at the gun case. Thing had a glass door. I could hear it breaking. (beat) I didn't go down, but she slowed me up, just enough. Before I could get to her, she'd turned on me with this small caliber handgun. I yelled at her to put it down. She got off a shot. I took it in the shoulder. I... I had no choice. I returned fire. Two rounds, I think. In the chest. INT. POLICE ROOM - SAME A moment of silence, save for the BUZZING of the MACHINE. A number of plainclothes police, Hunter and Gloria among them, watch the tape. RAY I went there to protect her... He hangs his head, then looks up, his eyes focusing. RAY (CONT'D) The teeth, were they... HUNTER (0.S.) Suzie Toller's. And that's the only thing saving your sorry ass. EXT. BOAT HARBOR (CARIBBEAN ISLAND) - DAY Brilliant sun on turquoise water. A few boats anchored in a lagoon. A quiet place. Heading out -- a forty-foot sloop, Sam at the helm. INT. HEARING ROOM - DAY Gloria, Baxter, a tearful Sandra, sit in seats, watch as -- Ray stands before a panel, A SUIT, A CHIEF in uniform, Hunter. Ray wears a suit, his hair neatly trimmed. His arm is no longer in a sling, but one of his hands is still bandaged. CHIEF Detective Duquette; our investigation concludes that this was a good shooting. But that's irrelevant. You were not assigned to this case -- whatever you imagined this case to be. And now two young women are dead. You are terminated with forfeiture of pension and benefits. Ray looks at the floor. Hunter coughs. His hands rest on a file -- we SEE the video cassette inside -- labeled "TOLLER/VAN RYAN -- CONFIDENTIAL." HUNTER Suzie Toller's teeth and blood were found near the area known as Stoner Rocks. Suzie's blood was found in the Van Ryan Range Rover. This, in conjunction with evidence obtained by Detectives Duquette and Perez has led this office to the conclusion that Susan Marie Toller was murdered by Kelly Lanier Van Ryan... Sandra chokes back a sob. She gets to her feet, to be led from the room by Tom Baxter. Gloria Perez watches, a sad look in her eye, then turns to look at Ray. His back is to her -- the broad shoulders, expensive suit. His hands are clasped behind his back. DISSOLVE TO: EXT. BLUE BAY CEMETERY - KELLY'S FUNERAL - DAY Gloria stands among a considerable number of mourners. She is just back from Sandra and Tom Baxter, who, in turn, are just back from the open grave. As Gloria watches, Sandra looks off to the side, where something catches her eye. Gloria sees her start, then follows her gaze. ANGLE ON CEMETERY - GLORIA'S POV On a rise some fifty yards from the Van Ryan plot, two people stand near an old oak -- Ruby and Walter. When Gloria looks back at Sandra, it seems to her as if the woman has slumped against Tom Baxter, who now stares at the two people on the rise as if, by doing so with sufficient intensity, he might make them disappear. Gloria turns to the grave site, her eye lingers on the open grave, then moves to the huge marker which dominates the Van Ryan family plot and, in fact, the entire scene. ANGLE CN MARKER The angel Gabriel, trumpet in hand, carved in relief upon a huge obelisk of black marble. Beneath the angel is a carved scroll and upon it the words: "I AM THE RESURRECTION AND THE LIFE," and below that: "WILLIAM TECUMSEH VAN RYAN. MAY HE REST IN PEACE." DISSOLVE TO: EXT. A BEACH - NIGHT Sam Lombardo walks along a moonlit lagoon, headed toward a lone bungalow. The bungalow is simple, picturesque -- whitewashed walls, a thatched roof. A patio opens onto the beach. EXT. PATIO - SAME As Sam steps in off the sand, he sees something and stops short. Wet spots lead toward the bungalow. Sam listens. Everything is quiet. INT. BUNGALOW - SAME Sam ENTERS in a room lit only by the blue light of a large aquarium. He listens once more, hears it -- RUNNING WATER. He moves down a short hallway, observes the light which spills from beneath a bedroom door. He pushes it open, goes inside. INT. BEDROOM - SAME He CROSSES the room. The bathroom door is ajar, the room leaking steam. INT. BATHROOM - SAME Sam steps inside, looks at the shower stall -- an indistinct shape moves there in the steam. San watches, then jerks open the shower door. The steam clears -- REVEALING a tall, athletic body, and now the face -- Ray Duquette, grinning at Sam out of the swirling steam. RAY Buy you a drink? San takes a step back. SAM Jesus. I wasn't expecting you 'til tomorrow. Ray turns off the water, steps out of the stall, wrapping himself in a towel. There's a fresh, raised scar across one shoulder and Ray winces a little as he tucks the towel about his waist. He looks at himself in the mirror, touching the scar. RAY Nice girlfriend you had there. Sam just looks at him. SAM Yeah, well, you fixed that. (beat) What the hell happened, anyway? RAY The bitch shot me, is what happened. Sam shakes his head, walks back into the bedroom. Ray follows. RAY (CCNT'D) Hey, what did you want me to do, die? SAM Well, shit, you're the cop, they don't teach you to disarm people, shoot them in the leg or something? You weren't supposed to kill her for Christ's sake. Now Ray just looks at Sam, his eyes narrowing. RAY Did you become squeamish about these things before or after you bludgeoned little Suzie Toller to death with a wine bottle? (off Sam's silence) Jesus, man. It couldn't have worked out better. They're convinced Kelly whacked Suzie. I can't talk 'em out of it. (beat) We should be celebrating. This thing worked out just like you said, only better. SAM Kelly was supposed to be framed, not killed. (beat) What I'm telling you is, I don't like surprises. Ray walks to a dresser where a bottle of champagne sits in a bucket of ice. He opens the bottle, fills two glasses. He hands one of the glasses to Sam. RAY Every cloud has a silver lining, partner. Here's to no loose ends. He raises his glass in a toast. Sam looks at it, then raises his glass as well. Ray smiles. Sam doesn't. SAM Here's to no more surprises. Ray shrugs. The two men's eyes meet. They touch glasses and drink. EXT. SMALL BOAT HARBOR (ISLAND) - DAY Sam and Ray work on the deck of Sam's sloop, stowing gear, loading supplies. The boat's mast shines in the sunlight before a brilliant sky. Palms sway. The men work in silence. EXT. SMILIN' JACK'S FISH CAMP - DAY Gloria drives up in the white Taurus. She parks before the ramshackle old building and the gator pen. Walter is in the pen. Ruby stands just outside of it. She looks toward the road as Gloria gets out, then back to the pen. Gloria comes down the bank to stand beside Ruby. She's just in time to see the huge old reptile raise itself, hissing, on its front legs, jaws sprung wide. The women watch as Walter sticks his arm into the gator's mouth. RUBY Gator can't see what's in front of it for shit. They see out the sides. (beat) That one don't even know Walter's arm's in his mouth. GLORIA What if something distracts it and it snaps anyway? RUBY Then I guess Walter can kiss that arm of his goodbye. (loud enough for Walter to hear) He don't use it for no good deeds anyway. Walter looks at the ladies, picks up the stick and sweeps it between the gaping jaws, which snap in its wake. RUBY (CONT'D) You come all the way out here to watch Walter? GLORIA I was wondering if I could ask you a few questions. RUBY About Suzie? GLORIA Actually, I was wondering if I might ask you about Ray Duquette. RUBY (a long beat) He used to come around here. He had a thing going with one of the girls over at the Glades. Ruby nods toward the motel, a bitter smile on her face. RUBY (CONT'D) Got sort of hung up on her, from what hear. GLORIA She still work there? RUBY No. Not after that night. (a long beat) I don't know what happened. Maybe he caught her with some john... All I know is, the next morning the girl was gone and there was a dead boy... Indian kid named Davy. Used to live down the road there in a wrecked car. Him and Suzie were at the Glades that night. (beat) It was right after that, Ray got Suzie busted and sent her away. That's what there is to say about Ray Duquette. GLORIA Was there ever any kind of investigation... Ruby cuts her off with a short laugh. RUBY Duquette always claimed the kid was dusted, came after him with a knife. But it was Jack's Fish Camp... This could be the moon for all most people care. (a long beat) Wasn't supposed to be like that though. This place was supposed to be something once. There were going to be roads and houses. There was going to be a town. They were going to call it Salt Creek. EXT. OCEAN - DAY From the surface of the sea -- the emerald island in the distance. The bow of the sloop comes INTO FRAME. On board -- Sam stands in the cockpit, at the helm. Ray lounges on the deck. The boat sails easily before the wind. SAM Ray... you see that winch by your head? Take a couple of turns on it for me, she's luffing. Ray cranes his neck to look at the winch. RAY You mean this thing? SAM Yes, we call it a winch. (pointing at pieces of the rigging) And these are shrouds, and these are stays. RAY I thought this was supposed to be a vacation. Why didn't you buy a nice big power boat? SAM Come on, man. I'll make a sailor out of you yet. RAY Yeah, or get me drowned. Ray kneels. He begins to tighten the winch. Sam watches him for a moment, then reaches around behind his back to unhook the short line which holds the boom. The mainsail catches wind, swinging the boom in a wide arc, directly at Ray. Ray looks up, sees it coming just in time to catch it on his arm. The blow is enough to send him sprawling through the lifelines, where he just manages to grab one of the nylon cords. Sam ducks as the boon continues to swing erratically above the deck, watching as Ray hauls himself on board. The boat no longer driven by the wind, bobs up and down on a small ground swell. The two men face each other. SAM Jesus, man... You okay? RAY That how you planned it? You take cut Suzie, get me to hang it on Kelly, then dump me in the ocean... SAM Come off it, man... It was an accident. Ray nods, then reaches down, pulls off the winch handle and starts with it toward Sam. Sam looks around. He jerks open a storage compartment. A diver's weight belt tumbles out. Sam grabs it, swings it over his head in circles, letting the weight pick up momentum, preparing to throw. Ray crouches, still brandishing the winch handle. The boom sweeps the deck. Sam throws the belt. Ray grabs a shroud, dances out of the way, then steadies himself, a mean grin spreading across his face. There's no tine for Sam to look for anything else. Ray moves quickly across the deck -- a menacing sight -- tall, well-muscled, the handle gleaming in his hand. Sam pulls himself out of the cockpit. Ray jumps in. But that's as far as he gets. WHOOSH -- A spear pierces Ray's thigh. He screams, goes down, the handle skittering across the deck. Ray follows it with his eyes, reaching out, then freezing as he sees something else. He draws in his hand as if bitten. RAY You... You're... He scuttles backward, pulling himself onto the deck, clutching at his leg which squirts blood as if an artery has been severed. But his eyes never leave the hatchway leading belowdecks. RAY (CONT'D) You're dead... for godsake... The boat heels over. The spear in Ray's thigh bangs against the edge of the cockpit. He grimaces in pain as... Suzie Toller steps up from belowdecks. She's wearing a bikini and showing a nice tan. She's carrying Sam's new spear gun, a fresh spear at the ready. SUZIE Rumors of my demise have been greatly exaggerated. (to Sam) Nice move. Good thing I was here to save your incompetent ass. Sam secures the boom. Ray stares at Suzie, his face twisted with some combination of pain, rage and fear. RAY You... I should've killed you myself. should never have left it up to him... SUZIE Shoulda, coulda, woulda... (to Sam) Get him in the water. San starts for Ray. RAY Sam, for Christ's sake... Sam's feet slide in the bloody smear. He stops. Ray clings to a safety line. SAM I can't. WHOOSH -- A second spear penetrates Ray's shoulder. He loses his grip. The boat heels over, dumping Ray into the water. Suzie puts down her spear gun. She goes to a storage locker, takes out a bait bucket. She steps up on the deck. Ray is floating not far from the boat, the water going red around him. He calls out... RAY Sam, for godsake. SUZIE Hey, Ray. Guess whose name is on the numbered bank account besides yours and Sam's? She raises the bucket, heaves bloody chum into the water. SUZIE (CONT'D) I like these joint survivorship accounts. Something unfortunate happens to one of the signatories, the others don't have to worry. Are you worrying, Ray? She heaves more chum -- a big red slurp across Ray's face. Ray gasps, goes under, thrashing around in the red slick. SUZIE (CONT'D) Men, use 'em abuse 'em lose 'em. INSERT - SHARKS from underwater, in a frenzy, rip a human body into a bloody cloud. EXT. SAILBOAT - LATER Suzie cones up from below with a champagne bottle and glasses, already filled. SUZIE Feeling better? Sam gazes out to sea. SAM That was about as grim as it gets. SUZIE The guy was history when he killed Kelly. You knew that. SAM But then you knew what he was like all along... Maybe his killing Kelly was a thing you had counted on... SUZIE But then it is better this way, don't you think? No loose ends. Sam just looks at her. SUZIE (CONT'D) What? SAM That was the same thing Ray said. Suzie smiles -- showing the big gap where her two front teeth used to be. SUZIE Poor Ray. (a beat) Come on Sam, we did it. We put the screws to the Van Ryans. We won. She hands a glass to Sam, takes the other. He puts it to his lips, suddenly hesitates, thinks, sniffs the glass. A moment. Suzie shakes her head. SUZIE (CONT'D) Talk about paranoid. Now are you gonna teach me to sail this big old boat or not? Sam downs his drink. SAM Okay. Grab that winch there. Suzie gives him a pouty look. SAM (CONT'D) What's wrong? SUZIE Fuck the winch. I wanna drive. Sam sighs. SAM Okay. Come here and take the helm. I'll get the winch. Suzie gives him her best, gap-toothed smile, then comes forward to take the gleaming chrome wheel, as Sam scrambles up on deck, kneeling where Ray had kneeled before him to set the jib. Suzie watches -- a long beat, then, slowly reaches behind her, unhooking the line which holds the boom... ANGLE ON BOOM sweeping the deck -- coming right at us, blotting out the sky. EXT. SMILING JACK'S - SUZIE'S ROOM - DAY Gloria sits on Suzie's bed, books spread out around her. Ruby stands beside her. RUBY You asked if Suzie knew about the Salt Creek land deal? Girl read every book she could find on it, the Van Ryans too. Ruby takes a photo album from among the books, opens it, tosses a photograph on the bed. It is one we have seen before. ANGLE ON PHOTO A stately old gentleman in a three-piece suit. White hair, a white handlebar mustache. A derby on his knee, a walking stick at his side. He stares out at the world from a high-backed wicker chair, flanked by potted palms and two small terriers. Across the bottom of the picture is the name -- "WILLIAM TECUMSEH VAN RYAN." And beside that, in another hand -- "Dear old Dad." RUBY Wasn't enough Van Ryan had to destroy the people who invested here. He got to be old, he and his rich cronies would come down here, hunt and whore, act like assholes. One trip he showed up with this young girl he'd picked up somewhere, gotten her pregnant then dumped her in the swamp. (indicating the photo) That came with her. GLORIA And the child... RUBY She had it, before she drank herself to death. Wasn't exactly a love child... GLORIA Suzie. (beat) Then you're not her grandmother... RUBY Raised her like she was, but no, Walter's my only child. (beat) He was a good boy, till the army took him. Gloria looks once more at the old photograph. GLORIA So Suzie and Sandra Van Ryan were half- sisters. RUBY And the other girl, Kelly. Suzie's niece. Gloria stands, a little weary. Ruby walks her from the room. GLORIA Thank you for talking to me, Ruby. I am sorry about Suzie, she... They have gotten to the main room and Gloria stops short, noticing for the first time that the beat-up old black-and-white TV has been replaced by a high-tech, giant-screen television. RUBY You okay? GLORIA I'm fine. Nice TV. The old lady nods, walks her outside. EXT. SMILIN' JACK'S FISH CAMP - DAY The dusty road, the little dock, the gator pen. RUBY There's an old saying from the Everglades -- virtue may be missed but sin can't hide. (a long beat) Folks pay in the end. Gloria nods. She is distracted by a movement in the gator pen. CLOSE ON PEN For a moment there is nothing more than a few ripples across the surface of the pond which lies inside the pen, then, slowly, the GATOR'S EYES -- cold, reptilian, unblinking, rising up to gaze across the oily waters. HARD CUT TO: BLACK. CREDITS... for about ten seconds, enough to fool the audience, then... INTERCUT - LIKE OUTTAKES... ... PIECES OF SCENES WE COULDN'T SEE, or SCENES WE DIDN'T SEE AT ALL, in reverse chronological order. INT. GUEST HOUSE - NIGHT Kelly is frantically trying to unlock the gun case as Ray comes through the French doors. She can't get it done. He's there in an instant. She screams, backs away, then watches as Ray stops, wraps a hanky around his hand and breaks the glass. He takes out a small caliber handgun, checks the clip, aims the gun at his own shoulder and fires. BLACK -- MORE CREDITS -- then EXT. EVERGLADES - DAY A Jeep and a truck parked in the mud. Sam and Ray meet under heavy, moss-draped cypress. Sam hands Ray a plastic bag -- the teeth. SAM You know the place I'm talking about -- the big rocks? BLACK -- MORE CREDITS -- then EXT. BEACH - NIGHT SAM & SUZIE behind the big rocks. He's got vise-grip pliers jammed in her mouth. Suzie moans, for real. He loosens his grip. SUZIE You've got the pressure too tight. You'll crush the fucking evidence. Sam takes a breath, prepares to try again. Suzie pops a couple of pills with gulps of wine. Sam goes to it once more. BLACK -- MORE CREDITS -- then INT. SAM'S HOUSE - DAY Kelly and Sam on the floor, naked. He's on her from the rear. It's getting wild. He suddenly stops, rolls to the floor. SAM We gotta stop. I'm gonna come. Kelly laughs, straddles him. KELLY That never seemed to worry you at the Glades. SAM That's not your line. KELLY Say you love me. SAM (a beat) I love you. Now give me the line. KELLY (a whiny voice) No little girl can ever make me come. BLACK -- MORE CREDITS -- then EXT. THE GLADES MOTEL - NIGHT Suzie's VW is parked across the street, in the shadows of tall trees. She and Sam sit inside, watching as... Ray Duquette EXITS a bungalow, a sport coat over his arm. He heads for Jim's Recovery Room. In another moment, a young hooker in a leather miniskirt walks out of the same bungalow. SUZIE Seems to like some of the same places you do. Funny you never met. SAM Yeah, real funny. You're wrong about this, I could get busted on the spot. SUZIE Trust me, the guy's dirty. He'll like it. Especially the part about offing me. (beat) Now get out of here. Go make yourself a new friend. INT. JIM'S RECOVERY ROOM - NIGHT Ray is at the bar. Sam sits down next to him. A moment of silence, the twang of a country JUKE BOX -- then... SAM Buy you a drink? BLACK -- MORE CREDITS -- then ZNT. SAM'S OFFICE - BLUE BAY SCHOOL Suzie Toller framed in the doorway. She walks in. SUZIE You like bein' a caddy for rich kids' problems? Sam just looks at her. SUZIE (CONT'D) I've seen you out there in your old air boat, thinking about what might have been, old man Van Ryan hadn't fucked you out of it. (beat) What if I told you I had a way we could get a big piece of it back? SAM We? SUZIE Well, I'd need the famous Lombardo charm, not that you'd have to do anything you haven't done already. She takes an envelope from her notebook, tosses it in front of Sam. Pictures slide onto his desk -- Sam and Kelly -- in various poses of coked-out debauchery at the Glades Motel. SAM (white-faced) How... SUZIE Walter. He's been aimin' that Brownie through knotholes for years. I saw these, I knew he'd finally struck gold. (beat) I can't decide which came out better, that little straw Kelly's got up her nose, or that vibrator you've got up her ass. What do you think, Mr. Lombardo? SAM (a long beat) I think there's some things you do, you don't want to see yourself doing them. BLACK -- MORE CREDITS -- then INT. JIM'S RECOVERY ROOM - DAY Sam lounges in a booth. He looks hot, bored. He stirs a drink. Kelly walks in out of the light. She is looking a little strung out, a big straw bag slung over one shoulder, but oh, so sexy in skimpy cutoffs and cowboy boots -- long legs flashing as she nears Sam's booth. Sam looks up, as... KELLY I'm running away. SAM (a beat) You think that's wise? KELLY (sitting next to him) Um-huh. And guess what else? (reaching into her bag) I have toys. She takes out a snail bag of white powder, taps out a line on the table top. Sam looks at it. He looks at Kelly. He's had a few drinks. SAM (a long beat) Well, Z guess one taste wouldn't hurt. END CREDITS. The seal comes up. It's over. They head for the lobby -- but -- EXT. SMILIN' JACK'S FISH CAMP - LATE AFTERNOON Gloria stands beneath the jawbones, looking toward the channel as the shadows lengthen across the dirt road. ANGLE ON CHANNEL Walter hangs a "FOR SALE" sign on a small, shabby sloop. Gloria CROSSES the road. GLORIA Selling your boat? Walter shoots her a look. WALTER This was Suzie's boat. Guess she won't be needin' it. GLORIA I wouldn't have guessed Suzie was a sailor. Walter finishes with the sign. WALTER Old lady had her tested once. They said her IQ was way up there, round two hundred or some such shit. (beat) That girl could do just about anything, she put her mind to it. Gloria has nothing to say. She stares at the little sloop bobbing in the muddy water of the swamp. EXT. THE CARIBBEAN - WIDE ANGLE - SEA LEVEL - DAY A head bobs among the groundswells. CLOSE - SAM LOMBARDO sucking wind through a smashed face, struggling to stay afloat, as... ... in the distance, the sloop races toward a far horizon. ANGLE ON SLOOP - HELICOPTER SHOT Suzie, at the helm, looking good, face to the wind. END (really)

WILD AT HEART a love story And now the story of Sailor and Lula..... 1. EXT. CITY STREET - DAY A MAN rides a screaming massive Japanese motorcycle - wound out to maximum R.P.M. up the street. CUT TO: 2. SIGN BY ROADSIDE The sign reads "KIDS PLAYING - SPEED BUMPS". CUT TO: 3. EXT. CITY STREET - DAY With a whine from hell, the front tire of the motorcycle hits a speed bump. The motorcycle becomes airborne and on the way up slices itself in half as it scrapes along the full length of a Datsun Kingcab. In the air, the rider and motorcycle twist violently as they fly by. The motorcycle bounces off a black '66 Chevrolet and makes a sound like the end of the world. The rider hits the same Chevy a moment later. Like a broken ragdoll shot from a canon, the man punches through the back window blowing glass for a block. He stops somewhere under the front seat and a bubble of blood forms out his nose. The motorcycle continues on sliding and spinning with an ear-piercing howl for one entire city block. CUT TO: 4. EXT. NEIGHBORHOOD STREETS - VACANT LOT - DAY Two rabid dogs fight ferociously in a vacant lot - ripping each other's flesh. An OLD COUPLE, both with walkers, inch painfully along nearby. OLD WOMAN Oh my God! ... Why they doin' that? OLD MAN Who the hell knows. What you have in your mouth? The old woman begins to turn away, covering her mouth with her hand. OLD MAN Spit it out!!! ... Pull your teeth out ... doctor said. What you tryin' to do? SPIT IT OUT!!! The Old Man grabs the Old Woman by the neck and squeezes. Out comes a tangled and sticky ball of hard fruit candies. CUT TO: 5. WASP NEST A thousand wasps hover threateningly in the air around the nest. A SMALL GROUP OF HARDENED CRIMINAL NINE-YEAR OLDS sporting hideous grins, bat the nest violently to and fro with sticks. One kid busies himself shooting a large can of Black Flag garden spray into a crack in the nest. Another stomps half-dead wasps up and down the sidewalk. All the kids are making animal noises of one sort or the other. CUT TO: 6. INT. FORTUNE HOUSE - DAY The telephone rings. MARIETTA PACE FORTUNE, a rich Southern woman around fifty, carries her Martini and Rossi sweet vermouth drink across the livingroom and answers the phone. MARIETTA Hello... Who is this?... CUT TO: 7. INT. PEE DEE COUNTY WORK FARM - DAY A GUARD stands by as SAILOR RIPLEY, twenty-three years old - lost somewhere between the cool long-gone generation and a used-car salesman - speaks on a prisoner phone in a green cement cubicle with one bench. SAILOR (into phone) ...Sailor Ripley... Can I talk to Lula? CUT TO: 6A. INT. FORTUNE HOUSE - DAY MARIETTA There's no way in hell you can speak to her and... CUT TO: 7A. INT. PEE DEE COUNTY WORK FARM - DAY SAILOR (feeling a smile coming on) What?... CUT TO: 6B. INT. FORTUNE HOUSE - DAY MARIETTA ...Yes you heard me... Don't ever call back here again. Marietta hangs up the phone as LULA PACE FORTUNE, Marietta's twenty-year old daughter, comes quickly down the stairs. LULA Mama??? MARIETTA You know who it was and you know you aren't, and I mean ARE NOT gonna see him EVER... End of story. LULA (quietly) Like hell. Marietta, her hand still on the telephone, grips the receiver so hard her knuckles turn white. CUT TO: 8. INT. FORTUNE HOUSE - LULA'S ROOM UPSTAIRS - DAY Lula enters her room and cranks up her stereo. Speed metal music jumps up to around one hundred twenty decibels. CUT TO: 9. INT. PEE DEE COUNTY WORK FARM - DAY The guard escorts Sailor away from the telephone and back to his cell. The iron bars of the door slide across Sailor's face and close with a bang. CUT TO: 10. EXT. THE MUSIC BAR - NIGHT A beat-up, red '64 Ford Falcon station wagon filled with insane TEENAGERS on speed and PCP race out of control down the street past the club - leaning out the car in every direction. They scream out to the desolate-looking passerby. TEENAGERS EAT SHIT MOTHERFUCKERS!!!!!! The camera cranes up to the neon club sign and gets lost among the hot pink neon, the frantic moths and the intense electric buzz. CUT TO: 11. INT. THE MUSIC BAR - NIGHT Lula and her friend, BEANY THORN, sit at a table drinking rum Coca-Colas while watching and listening to a white blues band called THE BLEACH BOYS. The group segues smoothly from Elmore James's "Dust my Broom" into Robert Johnson's "Me and the Devil" and Beany lets out a snort. BEANY I can dig this music... But not that singer. LULA Why?... He's right in the groove. BEANY He's so ugly. Guys with beards and beer guts ain't quite my type. LULA (giggles) Seein's how you're about as thick as a used string of unwaxed dental floss, don't know how you can criticize. BEANY Yeah, well, if he says that all that flab turns into dick at midnight, he's a liar. Lula and Beany laugh and swallow some of their drinks. BEANY So, Sailor's gettin' out soon, and you're gonna see him? Lula nods and crushes an ice cube with her back teeth and chews it. LULA Meetin' him at the gate. That phone call this afternoon was the signal. My deranged mama's hid the keys to my car. But of course, I know exactly where they are. BEANY I didn't hate me so much, I'd feel better wishin' you luck. LULA Can't all husbands be perfect, and your Elmo prob'ly wouldn'ta ever got that second one pregnant, you hadn't kicked his ass out. BEANY So you're gonna be needin' the "blue-bird" pretty soon? LULA Real soon ... I'll be makin' the swap tomorrow, and thanks again, Beany. The Bleach Boys kick into some kind of Professor Longhair swamp mambo. CUT TO: 12. EXT. BAY ST. CLEMENT - DAY Plumes of smoke from fires rise in the distance. DISSOLVE TO: 13. INT. FORTUNE HOUSE - DAY An empty livingroom. The smoke from the city fire appears during the course of the DISSOLVE to be in the livingroom - then it disappears. An empty hallway. An empty stairway. 13A. INT. FORTUNE HOUSE - MARIETTA'S BEDROOM - DAY Feet (Lula's) was across carpet. A closet door opens. A hand (Lula's) reaches into the pocket of a coat in her mother's closet. The hand comes out clutching car keys. 13B. INT. FORTUNE HOUSE - STAIRWAY - DAY Lula races down the stairs and through a door into the garage. CUT TO: 14. EXT. FORTUNE HOUSE - DAY The electronic garage door opens and Lula drives her '80 Black Camaro out and away. The garage door closes automatically. CUT TO: 15. EXT. CITY STREETS - DAY Lula drives fast up a neighborhood street. She turns a corner and disappears. CUT TO: 16. INT. BEANY THORN'S GARAGE - DAY Lula throws her car keys under the front seat and goes around to Beany's '67 dark blue Thunderbird convertible - fishes around under the T-Bird's front seat for the keys - finds them - jumps in and takes off. DISSOLVE TO: 17. EXT. FORTUNE HOUSE - DAY Marietta leaves her Cadillac Seville in her driveway and enters the house. We can hear her calling out for Lula in the distance. The calling changes - it becomes angry. The garage door opens and Marietta comes storming out. She leaps in her Caddy and peels out. CUT TO: 18. INT. "SOUTHERN TIME" BAR - DAY Marietta enters the bar on the run. She calls out to the BARTENDER... MARIETTA Where's Johnnie? He's not in his office. BARTENDER Haven't seen 'im yet today, Marietta. MARIETTA (slightly hysterical) Well I gotta find him - right this minute! CUT TO: 19. EXT. PEE DEE COUNTY WORK FARM - DAY Sailor is waiting out front as Lula pulls up in her T-Bird - throwing out a cloud of dust. They're both smiling. LULA Hey baby... SAILOR Peanut... They kiss tenderly and then Sailor walks around the car to get in while Lula opens up a suitcase and gets out his snakeskin jacket. SAILOR Hey, my snakeskin jacket... Thanks, baby... Did I ever tell you that this here jacket for me is a symbol of my individuality and my belief in personal freedom? LULA 'Bout fifty thousand times. I got us a room at the Cape Fear, and guess what?... I hear Powermad's at "The Hurricane." SAILOR (smiling) Stab it and steer. Lula tromps it and throws out an even larger cloud of dust. CUT TO: 20. INT. CAPE FEAR HOTEL - DAY Sailor and Lula lay on the bed in the Cape Fear Hotel listening to the fan creak. LULA Did you ever think somethin' like about the wicked witch of the east comin' flyin' in?... Did you ever think somethin' and then later think you've said it out loud to someone? SAILOR I really did miss your mind while I was out at Pee Dee, honey. The rest of you, too, of course. But the way your head works is God's own private mystery. What was it you was thinkin'? LULA Well, I was thinkin' about smokin' actually... My mama smokes Marlboros now, used to be she smoked Kools? I stole 'em from her beginnin' in about sixth grade. When I got old enough to buy my own, I bought those. Now I've just about settled on Mores, as you probably noticed? They're longer. SAILOR I guess I started smokin' when I was about six... My mama was already dead from lung cancer... LULA What brand'd she smoke? SAILOR Camels, same as me... Guess both my mama and my daddy died of smoke or alcohol related illness. LULA Gee, Sailor. I'm sorry, honey. I never would have guessed it. SAILOR It's okay. I hardly used to see them anyway. I didn't have much parental guiding. The public defender kept sayin' that at my parole hearin'. He was a good ol' boy, stood by me... Even brought me some cartons of cigarettes from time to time. LULA I'd stand by you, Sailor ... through anything. SAILOR Hell, peanut, you stuck with me after I planted Bob Ray Lemon. A man can't ask for more than that. Lula pulls Sailor over to her and kisses him soft on the mouth. LULA You move me, Sailor, you really do. You mark me the deepest. Sailor pulls down the sheet, exposing Lula's breasts. SAILOR You're perfect for me, too. LULA You remind me of my daddy, you know? Mama told me he liked skinny women whose breasts were just a bit too big for their bodies. He had a long nose, too, like theirs. Did I ever tell you how he died? SAILOR In a fire, as I recall. LULA Started he couldn't remember things? Got real violent? Mama kept tellin' me it was on account of lead poisoning from cleanin' the old paint off our house without usin' a mask... But I don't know. Seems like his brain just fell apart in pieces. CUT TO: 21. INT. FORTUNE HOUSE - KITCHEN - NIGHT CLYDE FORTUNE tears a door off the kitchen cabinets and strews the cabinet contents all across the counter and floor. He puts his fist through the kitchen window. He leaps on the counter and bats the kitchen ceiling light - smashing it. He kicks over the refrigerator. CLYDE FUCKIN' BITCH!!!! CUT TO: 22. INT. CAPE FEAR HOTEL - DAY Lula's eyes look off, remembering. LULA Finally in the middle of the one night, with me and mama asleep upstairs ... he poured kerosene over himself and lit a match. CUT TO: 23. INT. FORTUNE HOUSE - LIVINGROOM - NIGHT Clyde Fortune, completely engulfed in fire, races across and back the livingroom until he collapses in a fifties modern armchair. The drapes behind him burst in flames. LULA (voice-over) Near burned down the house. We got out just in time. The whole livingroom goes up in flames. CUT TO: 24. INT. CAPE FEAR HOTEL - DAY CU the red hot ash of Lula's cigarette as she inhales deeply. As she exhales a cloud of smoke she turns to Sailor. LULA It was a year before I met you. Sailor takes the cigarette out of Lula's hand and puts it into the ashtray by her bed. He pulls her to him and kisses her throat. SAILOR You have such a pretty, long neck, like a swan. LULA Grandmama Pace had a long, smooth white neck. It was like on a statue it was so white? Sailor drifts his thumb over Lula's left nipple then cups her breast in his hand. They kiss. CUT TO: 25. INT. FORTUNE HOUSE - DAY Marietta pours JOHNNIE FARRAGUT another shot of scotch. MARIETTA I knew this would happen. Soon as that piece of filth got out of Pee Dee, I knew there'd be trouble. He's just got some kind of influence over her I can't decipher. There's somethin' wild in Lula I don't know where it comes from. You gotta find 'em, Johnnie. JOHNNIE He served his time for what he did. Another thing... If Lula went with him of her own volition - willingly, that is - there ain't much can be done about it. MARIETTA Don't talk down to me, Johnnie Farragut. I know what volition means, and that's why I want Sailor Ripley off the planet! He's pure slime and it's leakin' all over my baby. Maybe you could push him into makin' some kinda move and then kill him dead. You'd only be defendin' yourself, and with his record, nobody'd fuss. Johnnie pours himself another tumblerful of Walker Black Label. JOHNNIE I'll locate Lula, Marietta, and if she's with the Ripley boy, I'll give him a talkin' to and try to convince her to come back with me. That's about all I can do. He takes a long swallow from the tumbler. Marietta begins to cry. She blubbers for a few seconds, and then stops as abruptly as she'd started. Her grey eyes glaze over. MARIETTA I'll hire a hit man if you don't want to help me stop this thing. I'll call Marcello Santos. JOHNNIE Now, Marietta, I am goin' to help you. And don't be gettin' carried away. You don't want to be bringin' Santos and his people into it. MARIETTA You're just jealous of Santos cause he's sweet on me. JOHNNIE Darlin', you ain't seein' Santos again, are ya? MARIETTA Oh, Johnnie Farragut... Don't you trust your very own Marietta? JOHNNIE Sorry, sweetheart. Bein' in love with you like I am brings out that ugly jealous side. MARIETTA Well stop worryin' about me and start worryin' about how you're gonna get that Lula back here and away from that murderer. JOHNNIE Sailor ain't a murderer. You got to get off that kick. And far's I can tell, Sailor was entire clean prior to that involvin' Lula. Even there he was protectin' her. You oughta be thankin' him for that. That Bob Ray Lemon they say was comin' after the both of 'em. Why am I tellin' you this, you was around that night. You ought to know just exactly what happened. Sailor just got a little too forceful is all... You remember that night... CU of Marietta' eyes as she thinks back. CUT TO: 26. INT. BAY ST. CLEMENT HOTEL - BALLROOM - NIGHT We see Marietta standing in a carpeted hallway above the ballroom. Dance band music can be heard in the distance. Sailor appears coming up the hallway - slightly drunk - he carefully sets his drink on the carpet outside the MEN'S ROOM. Marietta's POV of Sailor entering the MEN'S ROOM. CU of Marietta's glazed eyes and smiling face. Marietta's POV of walking toward MEN'S ROOM. CUT TO: 27. INT. FORTUNE HOUSE - DAY MARIETTA Maybe I was there, but I didn't see anythin'. All I know's that trash killed a man with his bare hands. Hands which are now prob'ly all over my baby! JOHNNIE Marietta, settle down now darlin'... I want what's best for her, too - Like I said, I'll do what I can to bring her home. CUT TO: 28. INT. CAPE FEAR HOTEL - DAY Lula is standing in the bathroom of their room at the Hotel fooling with her hair in front of the mirror. Sailor can see her through the doorway from where he lays on the bed. LULA Sailor, you are somethin' else, honey... When I was fifteen, Mama told me that pretty soon I'd be startin' to think about sex, and I should talk to her before I did anything about it. SAILOR But honey, I thought you told me your Uncle Pooch raped you when you was thirteen. LULA That's true. Uncle Pooch wasn't really an uncle. He was a business partner of my daddy's? And my mama never knew nothin' about me and him - that's for damn sure. His real name was somethin' kind of European, like Pucinski. But everyone just called him Pooch. He came around the house sometimes when Daddy was away. I always figured he was sweet on mama, so when he cornered me one afternoon, I was surprised more'n a little. SAILOR How'd it happen, peanut? He just pull out the old toad and let it croak? Lula brushes away her bangs and frowns. She takes a cigarette from the pack on the sink and lights it, then lets it dangle from her lips while she teases her hair. LULA You're terrible crude sometimes, Sailor, you know? SAILOR I can't hardly understand you when you talk with one of them Mores in your mouth. Lula takes a long, slow drag on her More and sets it down on the edge of the sink. LULA I said you can be too crude sometimes? I don't think I care for it. SAILOR Sorry, sugar. Go on and tell me how old Pooch done the deed. LULA Well, mama was at the Busy Bee havin' her hair dyed? And I was alone in the house. CUT TO: 29. INT. FORTUNE HOUSE - KITCHEN - DAY We see what she talks about. LULA (voice-over) Uncle Pooch came in the side door through the porch, you know? Where I was makin' a jelly and banana sandwich? I remember I had my hair in curlers cause I was goin' that night with Vicki and Cherry Ann, the DeSoto sisters. Uncle Pooch must have known nobody but me was home, cause he came right in and put both his hands on my butt and sorta shoved me up against the counter. CUT TO: 30. INT. CAPE FEAR HOTEL - DAY SAILOR Didn't he say somethin'? Lula shakes her head. She picks up her cigarette, takes a puff and throws it into the toilet. ECU of cigarette in toilet. LULA Not really. Least not so I recall now. Lula flushes the toilet and watches the More come apart as it swirls down the hole. ECU of cigarette coming apart as it swirls. SAILOR So how'd he finally nail you? Right there in the kitchen? LULA No, he picked me up. CUT TO: 31. INT. FORTUNE HOUSE - KITCHEN/MAID'S ROOM - DAY We see what she talks about. LULA (voice-over) He was short but powerful. With hairy arms? Anyway, he carried me into the maid's dayroom which nobody used. We did it there on an old bed. CUT TO: 32. INT. CAPE FEAR HOTEL - DAY SAILOR �We' did it? Whattaya mean? Didn't he force you? LULA Well, sure. But he was super-gentle, you know? I mean, he raped me and all, but I guess there's all different kinds of rapes. I didn't exactly want him to do it but I suppose once it started, it didn't seem all that terrible. It was over pretty quick, and after Uncle Pooch just stood there and pulled up his trousers and left me there. I stayed in bed till I heard him drive off. Then I just went back into the kitchen and finished makin' my sandwich. SAILOR And you never told nobody about it? LULA Just you. Uncle Pooch never acted strange or different after. And he never did anything else to me. I always got a nice present from him at Christmas, like a coat or jewelry? (pause) CUT TO: 33. TWO LANE HIGHWAY - DAY One hundred twenty decibels - head on collision of a '54 Ford Pick-Up and a '64 Chevy Station Wagon. No survivors. Balls of flame and grinding metal. CUT TO: 34. INT. CAPE FEAR HOTEL - DAY LULA Uncle Pooch died in a car crash three years later while he was holidayin' in Myrtle Beach. They still got way too much traffic there for my taste... And another thing, baby... That government of ours should be keepin' us separated from outer space... SAILOR Here she goes again... LULA Sailor, that ozone layer is disappearin'. Seems to me the government could do somethin' about it. One of these mornings the sun'll come up and burn a hole clean through the planet like an X-Ray. Lula strikes a match and lights another cigarette. SAILOR (laughs) That ain't never will happen, honey. Least not in our lifetime. Somewhere in the hotel a woman laughs. It is a kind of wild, crazy laugh, and for the few seconds it lasts, Lula's face goes pale. SAILOR You okay, honey? LULA That woman's laugh creeps me out. I heard somethin' like that... somewhere before... Sound'd like the wicked witch... SAILOR Just sounded like an old gal havin' a good time to me... You ready to dance? LULA I'm always ready to dance. But I need me a kiss first, honey. Just one? Lula and Sailor kiss. In the middle of the kiss, the woman's creepy/crazy laugh is heard again in the distance and Lula's eyes snap open with a kind of fear. CUT TO: 35. EXT. FORTUNE HOUSE - BACKYARD - LATE AFTERNOON/EVENING Marietta is escorting MARCELLO SANTOS and two stiff drinks to a table in her backyard. SANTOS I knew you'd want it again... MARIETTA That's not why I called. SANTOS Oh yeah - sure ... okay. MARIETTA Santos... It isn't. SANTOS Have it your way... But you want it. MARIETTA Lula's gone off with Sailor. SANTOS What do you want me to do about it? MARIETTA I want you to take care of Sailor, so he won't ever be able to bother my baby again. SANTOS Take care of him? MARIETTA Yes. SANTOS What does take care of him mean?... Do you want me to give him food or some clothing? MARIETTA What's with you?... You know what take care of him means. I don't call Santos except for one big reason. SANTOS Big is the key word, and I'm telling you I want it bad. MARIETTA I want you to get rid of Sailor. SANTOS Get rid of him? MARIETTA Yes... Get rid of him. SANTOS How would I do that? Send him on a trip - like maybe to Hawaii? MARIETTA Santos, why in hell do you insist on playin' this stupid game? SANTOS Just tell me what you want. MARIETTA I don't need to explain anymore'n I have... You know damn well. SANTOS You need to explain it. MARIETTA All right... I want you ... to ... kill ... Sailor... As simple as that. SANTOS Simple? Kill him?... How? MARIETTA That's your business... I don't care how. SANTOS Like an accident where maybe Lula might also get hurt? MARIETTA NO... For God's sakes, Santos! SANTOS Well, like kill him with the atomic bomb? MARIETTA Santos... SANTOS Explain it... I told you. MARIETTA Shoot him. SANTOS Shoot him? Like with a gun? MARIETTA Yes. SANTOS Where?... In the leg? MARIETTA No. SANTOS Where? MARIETTA In the head. SANTOS Shoot Sailor in the head with a gun... Now I'm beginning to get it... You want me to shoot Sailor in the head with a gun. MARIETTA Yes. SANTOS But where in the head?... Not the chin, I hope. MARIETTA No... In the brains... What little I'm sure he has. SANTOS You want me to shoot Sailor in the brains with a gun. MARIETTA Yes. SANTOS Through the forehead? MARIETTA Yes. SANTOS Wrong! It's much better to blow a hole in the back of the head ... right toward the bridge of the nose ... Lots and lots of irreparable damage. MARIETTA See! I knew you had it all under control. SANTOS Why didn't you send Johnnie Farragut? MARIETTA Maybe I did... Try New Orleans first... Lula can't ever stop talkin' 'bout that town. SANTOS On one condition... He pauses and smiles strangely. SANTOS You give me your permission to kill Johnnie Farragut. MARIETTA (whisper) Santos... No... Please, Santos... SANTOS You're not tellin' me that you're sweet on him? MARIETTA No... But... SANTOS One day he's gonna find out what we're up to with Mr. Reindeer, and he could cause us a lot of trouble. They stare at each other for a moment. SANTOS I'm gonna take your silence as a "yes"... MARIETTA Santos... I can't... SANTOS Shhhh... It's all right... Also, I either take you or that pretty daughter of yours to bed. MARIETTA You fucker, don't you ever touch Lula - You fucker, I'll kill you. SANTOS (laughing) Put your shoulders back. MARIETTA What? SANTOS Put your shoulders back, I said. Marietta puts her shoulders back and Santos comes and stands in front of her. SANTOS You got nice tits. MARIETTA Someone's gonna see us. SANTOS (smiling as he starts to feel her breasts) That's just another part of the price to pay. MARIETTA Santos... You kill that Sailor, otherwise he's gonna turn my baby against me. Santos lifts one hand up to Marietta's chin and raises her face up towards his. SANTOS Look at me... There's no turning back on this... I'm gonna kill Sailor... That's for sure. CUT TO: 36. INT. "THE HURRICANE" - A SPEED METAL CLUB - NIGHT We see the sign which has all the letters tipped way over to the right - as if in a hurricane. Two leaning palm trees border the sign. One hundred decibels of speed metal. We see the name "Powermad" on the bass drum. The BAND segues into "Slaughter House" and it's a hot one. Sailor grabs Lula and they start dancing like two jacked-up spastics in an electrical storm. a few PUNKS actually stop dancing to watch Sailor and Lula. They thought they'd seen everything. CU of Lula and Sailor - they're in love and dancing hot. An IDIOT PUNK moves close to Lula and rubs up against her as he dances by. Sailor turns to the lead guitar player and signals him to stop the music immediately. Suddenly everything is deathly quiet. Sailor gives the man a fully extended "Reno point"... SAILOR Are you going to provide me with an opportunity to prove my love to my girl? Or are you gonna save youself some trouble and step up like a gentleman and apologize to her? IDIOT PUNK Don't fuck with me, man. You look like a clown in that stupid jacket. SAILOR This is a snakeskin jacket, and for me it's a symbol of my individuality and my belief in personal freedom. IDIOT PUNK ...Asshole. SAILOR (as he moves toward the Idiot Punk) Come here. LULA Sailor, honey... The Idiot Punk tries to hit Sailor, but Sailor slaps him so hard his knees almost bend backwards. The Idiot Punk goes down - fighting back tears and holding his cheek. SAILOR (helping him up) I'm sorry to do this to ya here in front of a crowd, but I want ya to stand up and make a nice apology to my girl. IDIOT PUNK (to Lula) I'm sorry. LULA Hell, you just rubbed up against the wrong girl is all. SAILOR That's good... Now go get yourself a beer. (turning to the band) You fellas have alotta the same power Elvis had... Y'all know this one?... Sailor starts to sing an Elvis Presley song, "Love Me." As the band joins in with a perfect back-up - Sailor sings to Lula. The Speed Metal crowd is mesmerized. DISSOLVE TO: 37. INT. CAPE FEAR HOTEL - NIGHT CU of pink - the whole screen is filled with pink nylon. Panning down, we see Lula's breasts, which stand up and say "hello." Lula puts on her favorite pink shortie nightgown. LULA Why didn't ya sing "Love Me Tender"? ... You told me that was your favorite love song. Sailor turns around from his sprawled on the bed position watching The Dating Game show. SAILOR 'Cause I'm only gonna sing that song to my wife. Lula makes a face. She lies down on the bed next to Sailor. LULA What you want to watch this trash for? Ain't one of those people have a real thought in their brain. SAILOR That so? (keeping his gaze on the TV) You want to tell me what, if any, real thoughts you had lately? LULA What you have to get personal about so quick? All I mean is you could possibly read a book. Sailor grunts. LULA What's that honey? SAILOR We didn't have no TV up at Pee Dee, baby, you know? Lula slides her head up and kisses Sailor on the cheek. LULA I'm sorry, sweetie. I forget some moments where all you been the last two years. SAILOR Twenty-three months, eighteen days is all. Don't need to make more'n it was. (referring to Dating Game show) This couple's goin' on a date to Hawaii. The girl chose him over the other two guys. LULA Don't the reject guys get anythin'? SAILOR Gift certificates to Kentucky Fried Chicken. LULA That don't seem fair. SAILOR Hell, why should the Datin' Game be different from real life? At least them boys is gonna get somethin' to eat. LATER - IN THE DARK Sailor and Lula are in bed. Lula lays in Sailor's arms. LULA Sailor? SAILOR Yeah? LULA Wouldn't it be fabulous if we somehow stayed in love for the rest of our lives? SAILOR (laughing) You think of the weirdest damn things to say sometimes, peanut. Ain't we been doin' a pretty fair job this far? LULA Oh, you know exactly what I mean, honey? It'd make the future so simple and nice. SAILOR At Pee Dee, all you think about is the future, you know? Gettin' out? And what you'll do and what you'll think about when you're on the outside again. LULA I just think about things as they come up. I never been much of a planner. SAILOR It ain't altogether terrible just to let things go along sometimes. Lula, I done a few things in my life I ain't too proud of, but I'll tell ya from now on I ain't gonna do nothin' for no good reason. All I know for sure is there's more'n a few bad ideas runnin' around loose out there. ECU of match girding along the strike pad and bursting into flame. Lula lights her cigarette. LULA You know there's somethin' I ain't never told you about, Sailor, and this here's a story with the lesson that there's a right time and a wrong time for things to happen... When I was almost sixteen I got pregnant. Sailor looks her in the eyes. SAILOR Musta been a lesson tellin' ya it was the wrong time... What did you do, your mama find out? LULA (nods) She got me an abortion... CUT TO: 38. INT. ABORTION CLINIC - MIAMI - DAY ECU of dying fetus with one hundred twenty decibels Lula's scream over. The fetus twitches in its little pod of blood. ECU of pulsing vein in Lula's neck - LOUD VIOLENT HEARTBEAT SOUND - LIKE A DOUBLE-PEDALED KICK BASS DRUM. ECU of Lula's forehead covered in sweat running down to her eyes - open wide and WILD. ECU of fetus into medical trash can. ECU of bloodied abortion instruments. The DOCTOR leans across the abortion table. LULA (voice-over) ...from some old doctor with the hairiest nostrils and ears I ever seen. ECU of doctor's nose and ears ... HAIR! LULA (voice-over) Afterwards... Momma says... We see Marietta standing next to the doctor. LULA (voice-over) ...I hope you appreciate my spendin' six hundred dollars, not countin' what it cost us to get here and back... This man's the best damn abortionist in the South. CUT TO: 39. INT. CAPE FEAR MOTEL - NIGHT SAILOR You tell the boy who knocked you up? LULA It was my cousin, Dell, done it? His folks used to visit with us summers. SAILOR What happened to him? LULA Oh, nothin'. I never let on to mama about Dell bein' the one. I just flat refused to tell her who the daddy was? I didn't tell Dell, neither. He was back home in Chattanooga by then, anyhow, and I didn't see the point. Somethin' terrible happened to him, though. Six months ago. SAILOR What's that, peanut? LULA Dell disappeared. Dell was learnin' a hard lesson. What I learned from observin' Dell is I think people who are frightened want to disappear. He'd startin' behavin' weird? Like comin' up to people every fifteen minutes and askin' how they were doin'? CUT TO: 40. EXT. CITY STREET - CHATTANOOGA - DAY DELL, wearing a soiled double-knit suit stops a LADY in the street, and smiling about the fact that earlier that morning he's placed a cockroach on his anus, he speaks to the woman. DELL How're ya doin'? CUT TO: 41. INT. CAPE FEAR HOTEL - NIGHT LULA And just seemin' real spacey and actin' funny. SAILOR Actin' funny how? LULA Well, like mama told me, Aunt Rootie, Dell's mama? She found cockroaches in Dell's underwear. CUT TO: 42. INT. AUNT ROOTIE'S HOUSE CU of Aunt Rootie - unfolds a pair of dirty jockey shorts and several cockroaches fall out. CUT TO: 43. INT. CAPE FEAR HOTEL - NIGHT LULA One time, Aunt Rootie caught Dell puttin' one big cockroach on his anus? SAILOR Hell, peanut... LULA One time - real late - like about two thirty a.m.? She found Dell up in the black of night all dressed and makin' sandwiches in the kitchen. CUT TO: 44. AUNT ROOTIE'S HOUSE - KITCHEN - NIGHT In the dark kitchen, AUNT ROOTIE finds Dell making sandwiches - slicing them on the diagonal. AUNT ROOTIE What're ya doin'? DELL Makin' my lunch!!! LULA (voice-over) Dell told her he was makin' his lunch and goin' to work. He's a welder? And she made him go back to bed. We see Aunt Rootie cross the kitchen - take the knife away from Dell and lead him out of the kitchen. CUT TO: 45. INT. CAPE FEAR HOTEL - NIGHT LULA Then he'd carry on about the weather? Talk about how rainfall's controlled by aliens livin' on earth. Also how men wearin' black leather gloves... CUT TO: 46. INT. AUNT ROOTIE'S HOUSE - DELL'S ROOM - NIGHT Dell, crying uncontrollably, is in the center of the room squatting like an indian in his jockey shorts. He has a long ruler stretched out in front of him which he's using to press down on the top of a lone black glove on the floor. LULA (voice-over) ...are followin' him around. SAILOR Prob'ly the rain boys from Outer Space. CUT TO: 47. INT. CAPE FEAR HOTEL - NIGHT LULA It ain't so funny now, though. December before Christmas? Dell disappeared again and Aunt Rootie hired a private eye to find him. He was missin' for almost a month before he wandered back in the house on mornin' dressed in some filthy Santa Claus suit. 48A. EXT. AUNT ROOTIE'S HOUSE - DAY Dell walking to house. CUT TO: 48. INT. AUNT ROOTIE'S HOUSE - DAY Dell enters the front door in a Santa Claus suit so filthy you can hardly see the red through the black. He walks right past Aunt Rootie and goes back into the kitchen. There he immediately does a spread- eagle on the floor and violently scratches his left ankle. LULA (voice-over) The private eye cost Aunt Rootie over a thousand dollars? Then a little while later Dell ran off a third time to some place he said would "give him peace of mind." Nobody's seen him since. CUT TO: 49. INT. CAPE FEAR HOTEL - NIGHT SAILOR Sound like ol' Dell's more'n just a little confused, peanut... Too bad he couldn't visit that ol' Wizard of Oz and get some good advice. LULA Too bad we all can't, baby... One thing about Dell? SAILOR What's that? LULA When he was about seventeen, he startin' losin' his hair. SAILOR So? LULA He's twenty-four now? A year older than you? And must be 'bout bald. SAILOR There's worse things that can happen to a man, honey. LULA Yeah, I suppose. But you know somethin' baby, hair does make a difference. Lula turns to study Sailor. LULA I sure am glad they didn't give you no prison haircut... (sexual whisper) Gives me somethin' to grab hold of while we're makin' love? They kiss passionately. DISSOLVE TO: 50. INT. CAPE FEAR HOTEL - NIGHT Sailor gets up from the bed and begins putting on his clothes. Lula is painting her toenails red. SAILOR Let's go dancin', peanut. I'm ready. LULA We gotta be careful, honey, my mama's gonna have Johnnie Farragut on us like a duck on a june bug, and he's one clever detective? You know how clever? He once told me that he could find an honest man in Washington. My toenails gotta dry first anyways, Sailor. SAILOR One thing puzzles my mind, sugar... You're twenty years old - aren't you ever curious why your mama has this fixation on keepin' us apart? Puttin' a detective on us. I'll tell ya Lula... Well... It's more'n me killin' Bob Ray Lemon... LULA Maybe my mama cares for me just a little too much... SAILOR Yeah, maybe... Sailor's eyes seem to be thinking back... CUT TO: 51. INT. BAY ST. CLEMENT HOTEL - HALLWAY ABOVE BALLROOM - NIGHT We see an empty carpeted hallway and can hear a ballroom dance band playing in the distance. Sailor obviously slightly drunk, comes down the hall. He carefully, almost losing his balance, places his drink outside the MEN'S ROOM and enters. Marietta standing down at the other end of the hall - also drunk - smiles and stares at the MEN'S ROOM door through her glazed eyes. Sailor enters the MEN'S ROOM. CUT TO: 52. INT. MEN'S ROOM - BAY ST. CLEMENT HOTEL - NIGHT Sailor steps up to a urinal and starts doing his business. Marietta suddenly appears - drunk and laughing. She grabs him and pulls him into a stall - closing and locking the door behind them. MARIETTA Hey, Sailor boy, you wanna fuck Lula's mama?... SAILOR No. MARIETTA Well, she wants to fuck you. She starts trying to French kiss Sailor when an OLD MAN comes in to urinate and Sailor and Marietta freeze - in a kiss. Sailor is going crazy in one way (wishing this wasn't happening.) Marietta is going crazy in another. The man finishes and as he leaves... OLD MAN (covering his eyes from seeing them) Lousy fuckin' homosexuals... SAILOR (instantly pulling away from Marietta) What are you, sick?... I'm with Lula. MARIETTA No... I just wanted to kiss you good-bye... You know too much 'bout little Lula's mom... SAILOR Whattya mean? MARIETTA Well, Johnnie told me you used to drive for Clyde and Santos... SAILOR So? MARIETTA So maybe one night you got a little too close to the fire... And you're gonna get burned, baby... And besides that, you're shit... D'you think I'd let my little girl go with shit like you?... Why, you belong right here in one of these toilets. SAILOR You're gonna have to kill me to keep me away from Lula. MARIETTA Oh, don't worry 'bout that... CUT TO: INT. CAPE FEAR HOTEL - NIGHT SAILOR It's a prob'lm I don't think's gonna go away too soon though... Peanut, I'm thinkin' of breakin' parole and takin' you out to sunny California. LULA Sailor! SAILOR You up for that? LULA I'd got to the far end of the world for you, baby... You know I would. SAILOR Those toenails dry yet? We got some dancin' to do. We drift down Lula's long white legs to her blood red toenails. CUT TO: 54. INT. "THE HURRICANE BAR" - NIGHT CU of Lula's dancing feet in black spiked-heel sandals exposing blurred blood red toenails. Lula and Sailor are at it again - dancing as if plugged in to the main power plant. DISSOLVE TO: 55. INT. BAR - BACK OF "THE HURRICANE" - NIGHT Drenched in sweat, Sailor and Lula sit at a corner table chug-a-lugging "Rolling Rock" during the band's break. Lula notices a girl in the corner eye-balling Sailor. She splits her attention between the girl and Sailor. LULA ...That's an awful long way to go, just to get some pussy. SAILOR Yeah, I had my first taste on that trip to Juarez. At that age you still got a lot of energy. LULA You still got plenty energy for me, baby. Lula has had enough of the girl staring at Sailor. LULA Take a picture, bitch... It'll last longer. GIRL Oh yeah? LULA I'll slap those eyes right outta your head. The girl gets up in a huff and leaves. LULA Sorry, baby... When's the first time you done it with a girl who wasn't hookin'? SAILOR Maybe two, three months after Juarez. I was visitin' my cousin, Junior Train, in Savannah, and we were at some kid's house whose parents were out of town. A girl comes up to me that was real tall, taller than me. CUT TO: 56. INT. JUNIOR TRAIN'S FRIEND'S HOUSE - KITCHEN - SAVANNAH We see what he talks about. SAILOR (voice-over) She looked right at me and run her tongue over her lips and put her hand on my arm - told me her name was Irma. CUT TO: 57. INT. BAR - BACK OF "THE HURRICANE" - NIGHT LULA What'd you say to her? SAILOR Told her my name. Then she said somethin' like, �It's so noisy down here. Why don't we go upstairs so we can hear ourselves?' She turned around and led the way. I knew I had an important lesson to learn that day. CUT TO: 58. INT. JUNIOR TRAIN'S FRIEND'S HOUSE - STAIRWAY - NIGHT We see what he talks about. SAILOR (voice-over) When she got almost to the top step I stuck my hand between her legs from behind. CUT TO: 59. INT. BAR - BACK OF "THE HURRICANE" - NIGHT LULA Oh, baby. What a bad boy you are! SAILOR (laughing) That's just what she said. I had a boner with a capital "O." I went to kiss her but she broke off laughin' and ran down the hallway. I found her lyin' on a bed in a room filled with assault weapons and Penthouse magazines. She was a wild chick. She was wearin' bright orange pants with kind of Spanish lookin' lacy black stripes down the sides. You know, them kind that doesn't go all the way down your leg? LULA You mean like pedal pushers? SAILOR I guess. CUT TO: 60. INT. JUNIOR TRAIN'S FRIEND'S HOUSE - BEDROOM NIGHT We see what he talks about. SAILOR (voice-over) She just rolled over onto her stomach and stuck her ass up in the air. I slid my hand between her legs and she closed her thighs on it. CUT TO: 61. INT. BAR - BACK OF "THE HURRICANE" - NIGHT LULA You're excitin' me, honey. What'd she do? SAILOR Her face was half-pushed into the pillow, and she looked back over her shoulder at me and said, �I won't suck you. Don't ask me to suck you.' LULA Poor baby. She don't know what she missed. What color hair she have? SAILOR Sorta brown, blonde, I guess. But dig this, sweetie. Then she turns over, peels off them orange pants, and spreads her legs real wide and says to me... CUT TO: 62. INT. JUNIOR TRAIN'S FRIEND'S HOUSE - BEDROOM - NIGHT IRMA (her smiling face) Take a bite of peach. CUT TO: 63. INT. BAR - BACK OF "THE HURRICANE" - NIGHT LULA (howls) Jesus, honey! You more'n sorta got what you come for... You better rum me back to the hotel, baby... You got me hotter'n Georgia asphalt. SAILOR Say no more... But go easy on me, sweetheart... Tomorrow we got alotta drivin' to do. (he takes out a cigarette and laughs) Hotter'n Georgia asphalt? ECU of match striking and bursting into flames. WHITE OUT: CUT TO: 64. INT. THUNDERBIRD CONVERTIBLE - DAY Sailor is at the wheel of the dark blue '67 Thunderbird convertible. They are flying down a two-lane Southern highway. LULA I'll drop mama a postcard from somewhere. I mean, I don't want her to worry no more'n necessary. SAILOR What do you mean by necessary? She's prob'ly already called the cops, my parole officer, her p.i. boyfriend Johnnie Farragut. LULA I suppose so. She knew I was bound to see you soon as you was sprung, but I don't figure she counted on us takin' off together like this... I guess this means you're breakin' parole, then? SAILOR You guess? My parole was broke two hundred miles back when we burnt Portagee County. LULA What'll it be like in California, Sailor, do you think? I hear it don't rain much there. SAILOR You got about six more big states to go before we find out. LULA We got through two states already. Lula lights up a cigarette. SAILOR That don't smell like a More. LULA It ain't. It's part of the lessons of life. I picked me up a pack of Vantages before we left the Cape? SAILOR They sure do stink. LULA Yeah, I guess, but - and here's the lesson part - they ain't supposed to be so bad for you. SAILOR You ain't gonna begin worryin' about what's bad for you at this hour, are you, sugar? I mean, here you are crossin' state lines with a A- Number One certified murderer. LULA Manslaughterer, honey, not murderer. Don't exaggerate. SAILOR Okay, manslaughterer who's broke his parole and got in mind nothin' but immoral purposes far's you're concerned. LULA Thank the Lord. Well, you ain't let me down yet, Sailor. That's more'n I can say for the rest of the world? Sailor laughs and shoots the T-Bird up to seventy. SAILOR You please me, too, peanut. CUT TO: 65. INT. JOHNNIE FARRAGUT'S '69 MAROON BUICK - DAY Johnnie Farragut drives down a Southern highway on his mission. DISSOLVE TO: 66. INT. THUNDERBIRD - DAY SAILOR Life is a bitch and then you marry one. LULA What kinda trash talk is that? SAILOR (laughs) What it says on the bumper sticker up front. On that pickup. LULA That's disgustin'. Those kinda sentiments shouldn't be allowed out in public. Is this Biloxi yet? SAILOR Almost. I figure we should find us a place to stay and then go eat. LULA Got anyplace special in mind? SAILOR We oughta stay somewhere outta the way. Not in no Holidays or Ramadas or Motel Six. If Johnnie Farragut's on our trail he'll check those first. 66A. EXT. THUNDERBIRD/EXT. THE HOST OF THE OLD SOUTH HOTEL - DAY They pass the Biloxi City Limit sign. LULA How about that one? The Host of the Old South Hotel. SAILOR Looks more like the Ghost of the Old South, but we'll try her. CUT TO: 67. INT. THE HOST OF THE OLD SOUTH HOTEL - EVENING The room is large but cheap. Lula strips off the dishwater grey bedspread and tosses it over by the bureau. Sailor looks out the broken window. LULA I H-A-T-E hotel bedspreads. They don't hardly never get washed, and I don't like the idea of lyin' on other people's dirt. SAILOR Come look at this. LULA (going to the window) What's that, honey? SAILOR (thinking about death) There ain't no water in the swimmin' pool. Just a dead tree fell in, prob'ly from bein' struck by lightnin'. LULA (thinking about granddad) It's huge. This musta been a grand old place at one time. SAILOR Let's get fed, sweetheart. The light's fadin' fast. CUT TO: 68. EXT. ROADSIDE PAYPHONE - NIGHT Marcello Santos is making a phone call. SANTOS Hello there, Mr. Reindeer... Marcello Santos speaking. CUT TO: 69. INT. MR. REINDEER'S POSH NEW ORLEANS RESIDENCE - NIGHT An old man, MR. REINDEER, wearing a tuxedo is sitting on the toilet - his pants down - talking on the bathroom phone. He laughs a long deep smoker's laugh. MR. REINDEER (laughing) Mr. Marcello Santos... Hey there... That was great shit you sent in last month... CUT TO: 68A. EXT. ROADSIDE PAYPHONE - NIGHT SANTOS I gotta problem... In fact, I gotta coupl'a problems... CUT TO: 69A. INT. MR. REINDEER'S POSH NEW ORLEANS RESIDENCE - NIGHT MR. REINDEER (laughs again) Gotta coupl'a problems, huh?... For each problem drop a silver dollar through my mail slot... With all particulars... We'll work out "il conto" later... CUT TO: 70. INT. JOHNNIE FARRAGUT'S MAROON '69 BUICK - NIGHT Johnnie Farragut steers the Buick down the dark highway past a sign which reads, "NEW ORLEANS - 26 MILES". CUT TO: 71. EXT. BEACH - NIGHT Sailor and Lula are walking along the beach. Lula takes off her shoes. LULA (sing-song spells) M-i-ss-i-ss-i-pp-i... You can almost hear that jazz blowin' up from the big N.O. SAILOR Lula... I learned somethin' interestin' today on a science show I heard on the radio... How leeches is comin' back into style. LULA Say what? Honestly, sugar, you can talk more shit sometimes? She takes out a cigarette the length and width of a Dixon Ticonderoga No. 2 pencil and lights it. SAILOR Got you a pack of Mores again, huh? LULA Yeah, it's a real problem for me, Sailor, you know? When I went in that drugstore by the restaurant in Biloxi? I saw 'em by the register and the girl throw 'em in. I'm not big on resistin'. So what about a leech? SAILOR Heard on the radio how doctors is usin' leeches again, just in old times. You know, when even barbers used 'em? LULA (shuddering) I got one on me at Lake Lanier. Lifeguard poured salt on it and it dropped off. Felt awful. He was a cute boy, though, so it was almost worth it. Sailor laughs. SAILOR Yeah, well listen to this... Radio said back in the 1920s a I-talian doctor figured out that if, say, a fella got his nose cut off or bit off in, say, a barfight or somethin', they'd sew one of his forearms to his nose for a few weeks... Then put leeches on it. CUT TO: 71A. CU of MAN with forearm sewed to nose. CUT TO: 72. EXT. BEACH - NIGHT LULA Sailor? You expect me to believe a man'd be goin' around with a arm sewed to his nose? SAILOR (nodding) How they used to do it. Course they got more sophisticated ways now. Radio said the Chinese, I think it is, figured a better idea is by insertin' a balloon in the forehead and lettin' it hand down on the nose. Lula shrieks. LULA Sailor Ripley! You stop! You're makin' this shit up and I ain't gonna sit for it! SAILOR Honest, Lula. I prob'ly ain't precisely got all the facts straight, but it's about what they said. LULA Honey, we're goin' to bed now and it's time to change the subject. She's so cute Sailor just has to kiss her. DISSOLVE TO: 73. INT. THUNDERBIRD - SOUTHERN HIGHWAY - DAY Sailor and Lula pass a sign that reads "NEW ORLEANS - 26 MILES". Sailor pulls off the road into a Gulf gas station mini-mart and stops the car next to a self-serve pump. A sign on the top of it says "PLEASE PAY INSIDE BEFORE FUELING." SAILOR We're about dry bones, sweetheart. We don't wanna have to push this "bird" into New Orleans. LULA We sure don't, honey... (shouting to Sailor as he goes into the store) Get me a Mounds? 74. INT. MINI-MART - DAY A tall OLD BLACK MAN about seventy years old, wearing a torn green Tulane tee-shirt and a dirty orange Saints baseball cap, is filing items on the counter by the cash register. In the pile are four ready-made, plastic-wrapped sandwiches, two tuna salad and two cotto salami; six Twinkies; a package of Chips Ahoy chocolate chip cookies; four Slice colas; two Barq's root beers; and a large package of fried pork rinds, extra salted. BLACK MAN (to Sailor and another guy also waiting to pay for gas) Sorry, gentlemen. I'm 'most finished on my shoppin' here. ERV This be it? BLACK MAN Y'all take American Express? ERV Yessir. BLACK MAN Then lemme throw in a couple more things. Sailor and the man in line behind him watch as the black man gathers up several more packages of Twinkies along with a few cupcakes and half a dozen cans of Pretty Kitty cat food, three liver and three chicken dinner portions, and tosses them on his pile. BLACK MAN (to Sailor, smiling - showing no visible upper teeth) Pussycats gotta eat, too. He hands an American Express card to the clerk, ERV, who runs it through the verifier. The card checks out okay and the old guy prepares a charge slip, has the man sign it, and bags the purchases. BLACK MAN (to Erv) I'd just soon have a paper bag rather than a plastic one, if it's same to you. ERV (shoving the plastic bag he filled towards the black man) We don't have no paper bags. A telephone begins to ring and everyone looks around. The Black Man reaches in his jacket pocket and pulls out a portable phone and punches "send." BLACK MAN (into phone) Hello... Yeah, mama, I'm on my way... (to Sailor and other guy as he picks up his bag and heads out) Thanks for waitin', gentlemen. Everyone is silent as they watch the old Black Man hobble out. SAILOR (to Erv) All I want's ten bucks regular. Oh yeah, and a Mounds bar. Erv takes one off the candy and gum rack next to the register and lays it on the counter. Sailor gives him a twenty dollar bill. SAILOR I ain't got my American Express card with me, so I gotta use cash. Hope that's okay. Sailor smiles, but the clerk keeps a poker face and just gives him his change. The guy in line behind Sailor shakes his head and grins. 75. EXT. MINI MART/THUNDERBIRD - DAY Sailor goes back to the car. LULA That took long enough. You forget my Mounds? Sailor tosses her the candy bar. SAILOR I really do think the country done changed just a little while I was away, peanut. Lula sinks her small white teeth into the chocolate-covered coconut. LULA (as she chews) You got to keep an eye on it. That's sure. Sailor starts pumping gas. CUT TO: 76. INT. MR. REINDEER'S POSH NEW ORLEANS RESIDENCE - DAY CU of mail slot. Two silver dollars comes through it and one falls head up and the other tails on the rug below. CUT TO: 77. INT. MR. REINDEER'S POSH NEW ORLEANS RESIDENCE - DAY Mr. Reindeer is just finishing dialing a number on the telephone. MR. REINDEER A coupl'a silver dollars came my way today... I'm sending one of them to you with a paper on the beneficiary ... As usual, you are completely free to fulfill the obligation in any manner you so desire. He hangs up the phone and starts dialing another number. DISSOLVE TO: 78. INT. THE ROUND ROOM RESTAURANT - NEW ORLEANS - DAY At a table near the window, Johnnie takes a man-sized pull off his Dixie beer in between bites of an oyster sandwich. A large, chocolate-colored man in his early thirties, REGINALD SAN PEDRO SULA, and a smaller white man, DROP SHADOW approach with their trays of food. REGGIE Do you mind if we share this table? ... The others, they are occupied. Johnnie looks around - sees that there are quite a few empty tables - he looks the men over quickly. JOHNNIE (cautiously) Alright... By all means. Make yourselves at home. DROP SHADOW (as he sits down) Muchas gracias. REGGIE My name is Reginald San Pedro Sula. But please do call me Reggie. This is my friend, who we call Drop Shadow. He is always with me. Johnnie wipes off his right hand on his napkin and shakes. JOHNNIE Johnnie Farragut. Pleased to meet ya. Reggie and Drop Shadow begin eating ferociously, finishing half of their meal before saying anything more. REGGIE You are from New Orleans, Senor Farragut? JOHNNIE Johnnie, please. Nope. Charlotte, North Carolina. Here on business. Reggie smiles broadly, revealing numerous tall, gold teeth. DROP SHADOW Mr. San Pedro Sula is from Honduras. REGGIE Do you know Honduras, Johnny? JOHNNIE Only that it's supposed to be a pretty poor sight since the hurricane came through last year. REGGIE Yes, that's so. But there is not much to destroy. DROP SHADOW No big buildings like in New Orleans. JOHNNIE Whattaya do there? REGGIE (laughs) Oh, many things... DROP SHADOW Mr. San Pedro Sula's got an appliance shop. REGGIE But I am also with the government. Johnnie takes a bite of his oyster sandwich. JOHNNIE In what capacity? REGGIE In many capacities. DROP SHADOW Mr. San Pedro Sula is with the Secret Service. Reggie reaches into his back pocket and takes out his wallet. He hands a card to Johnnie. JOHNNIE (reading aloud) General Osvaldo Tamarindo y Ramirez. Telefono 666. REGGIE He is my sponsor. The General is the head of the secret police of Honduras. DROP SHADOW Mr. San Pedro Sula is one of his operatives. Johnnie hands the card back to Reggie and Reggie gives him a small piece of paper, folded once. Johnnie unfolds it. The printing is in Spanish. REGGIE That is my permiso. DROP SHADOW Mr. San Pedro Sula's permit to kill. REGGIE Only if necessary, of course, and only in my own country. (laughs) JOHNNIE Of course. Johnnie refolds the piece of paper and hands it over to Reggie. DROP SHADOW Mr. San Pedro Sula's authorized to carry a .45. REGGIE United States Marine issue, before they made the unfortunate switch to the less dependable nine millimeters. I have it here, in my briefcase. Reggie holds up his stainless steel briefcase and then replaces it on the floor beneath his chair. JOHNNIE Why are you in New Orleans? If you don't mind my askin'. REGGIE Certainly not. We are here only briefly, in fact, until this evening, when we fly to Austin, Texas to visit a friend of mine who is an agent for the CIA. DROP SHADOW He wants to take Mr. San Pedro Sula and me bass fishing. REGGIE We are in the same businesses and also we are fishermen. Johnnie swallows the last of his beer and stands up to leave. JOHNNIE (extending his hand) It's been a real pleasure. I wish you both buena suerte wherever you go. Reggie and Drop Shadow stand up. They shake Johnnie's hand. REGGIE The same to you. If you are in Honduras, come to the Bay Islands and visit us. The Hondurans are great friends of the American people. But I have a joke for you before I go. If a liberal, a socialist, and a communist all jumped off the roof of the Empire State Building at the same time, which one of them would hit the ground first? JOHNNIE I couldn't say, which one? Reggie turns to Drop Shadow and lets him have the punch line. DROP SHADOW (grinning) Who cares? CUT TO: 79. INT. HOTEL BRAZIL - NEW ORLEANS - EVENING Sailor and Lula are just finishing making love in their room. As Lula climaxes, her left hand opens and spreads wide. The lay quietly for a moment. LULA I love it when your eyes get wild, honey. They light up all blue almost and little white parachutes pop out of 'em. Oh, Sailor you're so aware of what goes on with me? I mean, you pay attention. And I swear, you got the sweetest cock. Sometimes it's like it's talkin' to me when you're inside? Like it's got a voice all it's own. You get right on me. SAILOR You really are dangerously cute, honey. I gotta admit it. Lula lights a cigarette. SAILOR Let's head out into the crazy world of New Orleans... I gotta get somethin' to eat. CUT TO: 80. INT. RONNIE'S NOTHIN' FANCY CAFE - NEW ORLEANS - LATE EVENING Sailor and Lula sit at the counter drinking double-sized cups of community coffee. A MAN on the stool next to Sailor lights up a rum- soaked crook. GEORGE My name's George Kovich. Bet you've heard of me. SAILOR Don't know that I have... Should I know about you for anythin' in particular? GEORGE Was in all the papers three years ago. I'm seventy-six, was only seventy- three then. Had a business in Buffalo, New York, called Rats With Wings. Killed pigeons for anyone who wanted 'em killed. LULA Why were you killin' pigeons, Mr. Kovich? Were you in the extermination business? GEORGE No, ma'am. I was a housepainter, in the union forty-one years. I'm retired now, livin' with my sister, Ida. Ida moved down here twenty-five years ago, married an oil man named Smoltz, Ed Smoltz. He's dead now, so it's just me and Ida. I sold my house and moved down after the city of Buffalo put me out of business. Hell, RWW was doin' them a service, and they charged me with endangerin' the public. LULA What's wrong with pigeons, Mr. Kovich? GEORGE They're useless pests. I've shot hundreds of 'em... CUT TO: 81. EXT. CITY STREET - ROOFTOP IN GEORGE KOVICH'S NEIGHBORHOOD - DAY George is shooting pigeons as fast as he can. GEORGE (voice-over) ...My neighbors hired me to get rid of the pigeons that gathered on their roofs and porches... CUT TO: 82. INT. RONNIE'S NOTHIN' FANCY CAFE - NEW ORLEANS - LATE EVENING GEORGE ...Neighbors asked me how come the spotted bastards didn't light on my house or my brother Earl's anymore, and I told 'em the truth. I shot 'em... Earl's gone now... CUT TO: 83. INT. EARL KOVICH'S HOUSE - DAY Earl pitches forward out of his easy chair and hits the carpet hard - screaming in pain. GEORGE (voice-over) ...Heart attack six months ago - had that cholesterol thick as shit... His widow, Mildred, she still lives in the house next to mine. CUT TO: 84. INT. RONNIE'S NOTHIN' FANCY CAFE - NEW ORLEANS - LATE EVENING GEORGE She's stone deaf but the racket the pigeons made drove Earl crazy. He could hear 'em even with the TV on. He owned a bar thirty years, The Boilermaker, on Wyoming Street. Earl's roof was a favorite spot for pigeons. They lit there day and night. I wanted to toss a grenade up there. SAILOR If your neighbors didn't mind, how'd you get put out of business? GEORGE Woman drivin' down the street spotted me with on a roof with my rifle. She called the police and they came over and arrested me. Thought I was a sniper! Boys at the VFW loved that one. Cops didn't understand about the pigeons, the damage they do to personal property. I used to complain to the city but they never lifted a finger. I was gonna put out poison, but I was afraid somebody's cat would eat it. Hell, I had six cats myself. So I used the .22 because it didn't make much noise and the ammo was cheap. SAILOR What happened on the charges? GEORGE Guilty on a reduced charge. Hundred dollar fine and ordered to desist. Pigeons carry diseases and muss up the place. You seen it. Plain filth. Kovich stands up and puts some money on the counter. GEORGE It's a serious situation. Not like the Turks and the Armenians, maybe, or the Arabs and the Jews, but I want people to remember me and what I've done and pick up where I left off. Somebody had to make a move. It was nice meetin' you folks. George Kovich nods and leaves. SAILOR What lesson do get outta that story, Lula? LULA It's just another case, Sailor. SAILOR What's that, peanut? LULA One person thinks he's doin' somethin' good and ever'body else gets upset about it. Sailor looks up at Lula. SAILOR Ain't it the way... CUT TO: 85. INT. HOTEL BRAZIL - NEW ORLEANS - NIGHT It's very quiet in the hotel room and the clock says four a.m. Lula and Sailor are lying in bed arm in arm. Sailor is fast asleep - snoring. Lula is wide awake. LULA Sailor?... Sailor, honey? Sailor snaps awake with a snort. SAILOR Huh? LULA Ever imagine what it'd be like to get eaten alive by a wild beast?... Sometimes I think it would be the biggest thrill? SAILOR My God, (looks around) it better be, darlin', cause it'd be the last... What time is it? LULA Shhhhh... It's four o'clock... That woman's laugh the other day had somethin' to do with this feelin'? ... Like bein' ripped apart by a gorilla, maybe... Grabbed sudden and pulled apart real quick by a real powerful one. Lula's left hand opens and spreads wide. SAILOR Lula, sometimes I gotta admit, you come up with some weird thoughts... LULA Anythin' interestin' in the world come out of somebody's weird thoughts, Sailor. You tell me Sailor, who could come up with shit like we're seein' these days? SAILOR You got me, peanut. LULA (smiles - turns to him) You certain? SAILOR I ain't never met anyone come close to you, sugar. LULA Recall the time we was sittin' one night behind the Confederate soldier? Leanin' against it. And you took your hand and put it on your heart and you said, �You feel it beatin' in there, Lula?... Get used to it, cause it belongs to you now.' D'you recall that? SAILOR I do. LULA I was hopin' you would. I know that night by heart. Sometimes, honey? I think it's the best night of my life. CUT TO: 86. BEHIND THE CONFEDERATE SOLDIER Tight Two-Shot Lula and Sailor with their arms around each other - cheek to cheek - talking softly. A strange presence begins to build and a piece of sad nostalgic music plays. CUT TO: 87. INT. HOTEL BRAZIL - NEW ORLEANS - NIGHT LULA (lost in the memory) I really do think it's the best night of my life. SAILOR We didn't do nothin' special I can remember. Just talked, is all. LULA Talkin's good. Long as you got the other? I'm a big believer in talkin', case you ain't noticed. SAILOR Too bad they don't give an award for talkin'... You'd win first prize. Especially with those tits. LULA You think so, baby? Does my talkin' bother you, honey? SAILOR No, I like gettin' up around four a.m. and talkin' bout wild animals ... Though you woke me up this time in the middle of a dream. I kinda wish I didn't remember it. Up at Pee Dee, I couldn't remember any of my dreams. LULA What was this one? SAILOR It wasn't no fun, Lula. The wind was blowin' super-hard and I wasn't dressed warm. Only instead of freezin', I was sweatin' strong. CUT TO: 87. CU of eyes. Black sweat is rolling down the forehead and over the eyes. SAILOR (voice-over) The water was rollin' off me. And I was dirty, too, like I hadn't had no bath in a long time, so the sweat was black almost. CUT TO: 88. INT. HOTEL BRAZIL - NEW ORLEANS - NIGHT LULA Boy, sweetie, this is weird, okay. SAILOR I know. I kept walkin', I headed for your house, only it wasn't your house, really. You let me in only you weren't real pleased to see me. You kept askin', �Why'd you come to see me now? Why now?' Like it'd been a long time since we'd seen each ohter. LULA Oh, baby, what an idea. I'd always be happy to see you, no matter what. SAILOR I know, peanut. But it wasn't all like you were so unhappy I was there, just you were upset. My bein' there was upsettin' to you. You had some kids there, little kids, and I guess you'd got married and your husband was comin' home any minute. CUT TO: 87A. CU of eyes. Black sweat is rolling down the forehead and over the eyes. SAILOR (voice-over) I tell you, Lula. I was shakin' wet. All this black sweat was pourin' off me, and I knew I was scarin' you, so I took off. CUT TO: 89. INT. HOTEL BRAZIL - NEW ORLEANS - NIGHT Lula puts her arms around him. LULA Sometimes dreams just don't mean nothin'... Stuff comes into your mind and you don't have no control over, you know? Anyways, dreams ain't no odder than real life. Sometimes not by half. SAILOR Well, I ain't upset about it, darlin'. Just give me an odd feelin' there a minute, is all. Lula lifts her head and kisses Sailor under his left ear. She rolls over on top of Sailor. LULA Take a bite of Lula. CUT TO: 90. INT. SNUG HARBOR BAR - NEW ORLEANS - NIGHT Johnnie Farragut sits down on a stool at the bar. CHET, the bartender, approaches. CHET Hey!!!... Johnnie Farragut. How are you, my man. JOHNNIE Real good, Chet... It's been awhile. CHET Everythin's relative. Where's that Marietta Pace Fortune? You two didn't split up, I hope. JOHNNIE No... She's fine. Back home. CHET What'll it be? The regular? Black Label? JOHNNIE Set one up. Chet brings him a double. CHET So who you out sleuthin' for now?... Can I help ya? JOHNNIE Actually, I'm lookin' for Marietta's daughter, Lula. Her and 'er beau took off the other day. Marietta's real upset about it. CHET Hell, that rings a bell. Someone told me somebody lookin' like her was at the Nothin' Fancy yesterday. JOHNNIE Sounds right... I'll check it out. CHET (checking for a gold ring on Johnnie's hand) You hitched yet? JOHNNIE No sir... CHET It's none of my business, but when are you and Marietta gonna tie the knot? I always wondered why you never did. JOHNNIE Not for lack of love, I can tell ya that. CHET That's what I mean... Always looked like you was just knocked out in love... Was real nice to see. JOHNNIE I'll tell ya though, it's comin' up to the time when Marietta and me might just set up house together and settle down... I think that time's comin' up right soon. But like you said, everythin's realtive. FADE OUT: CUT TO: 91. EXT. HOTEL BRAZIL - NEW ORLEANS - DAY Lula waits just by the lobby door of the hotel. In the back of the lobby in the shadows is an ancient, old BLACK MAN who stares at her. Sailor pulls the T-Bird up in front of the hotel and Lula hurries out to him and tosses their suitcase in the backseat. LULA Let's get outta here... I suddenly got a funny feelin' about this place. Feelin' all that voodoo... SAILOR (winks at her) Gotta hex from a voodoo? LULA (smiles) Who do? SAILOR You do. They laugh and take off around the corner and up past the Cafe Du Monde. LULA Oh my God... It's Johnnie... Duck down!... Get goin'! SAILOR (looking around frantically) Where? LULA Never mind where... Get outta here... I mean it, Sailor. SAILOR I'm goin'. Sailor pulls the car up fast and hangs a right turn. CUT TO: 92. INT. CAFE DU MONDE - DAY Johnnie smiles as he watches Sailor and Lula turn the corner. JOHNNIE (to himself) Ain't love wonderful?... WAITRESS What's that? JOHNNIE I said, ain't love wonderful? Johnnie raises his cup of coffee to Sailor and Lula - who have long since disappeared. JOHNNIE Good luck to you kids. CUT TO: 93. EXT. CITY STREET - NEW ORLEANS - DAY Sailor and Lula drive. LULA You think he saw us? SAILOR Who knows, baby? LULA He was sittin' there havin' a beignet at the Cafe Du Monde. Do you think he saw us? SAILOR Lula, darlin'... Makes no difference anyway... We're outta here. We watch the car disappear up the street. Slowly the camera pans and Reggie and Drop Shadow come walking happily along the sidewalk - whistling. CUT TO: 94. INT. THUNDERBIRD Lula and Sailor are motoring along. SAILOR Sweetheart, keep your panties up. We're in Jimmy Swaggart country. Sailor and Lula both laugh. Up ahead, Sailor spots a hitchhiker. He slows to pick him up. LULA Sure you wanna do this? Might be a way they could track us. SAILOR He's just a regular guy't needs help, honey. Look at him. The HITCHHIKER is a man about thirty with a pack on his back, and he is carrying a large, covered cardboard box. He is filthy, with an uneven smile that exposes his jagged yellow teeth. Lula opens the door for him, and after he loads his stuff, Sailor takes off down the highway. ROACH Thanks a lot. I been standin' out there off and on for two hours, ha-ha! Since noon about, ha-ha! Cops catch ya hitchin' on a Interstate around here they throw ya on a county road crew for a week, less you can pay the ticket, ha-ha! Which I ain't got, ha-ha! SAILOR My name's Sailor, and this here's Lula. What's yours? ROACH Marvin DeLoach. But ever'body calls me Roach, ha-ha! Roach DeLoach, ha-ha! LULA You always make that strange little funny laugh when you talk? ROACH Ain't laughin', ha-ha! SAILOR What you got in the box? ROACH My dogs, ha-ha! Roach slides the top off and tilts the box slightly toward the front. Inside are six small husky pups that are not more than two weeks old. ROACH I'm headed to Alaska, ha-ha! These dogs is gonna be my sled team, ha-ha! LULA (to Sailor) This guy's crazy. SAILOR Where you from, Roach? ROACH If you mean where I was born, it was Belzoni, Missi'ppi, ha-ha! But I been brought up in Baton Rouge. LULA Why you goin' to Alaska? And where'd you get them puppies? They look sick. Roach stares down into the box at the baby huskies and strokes each of them twice with a religiously unwashed hand. The dogs whimper and lick his dirty fingers. ROACH I saw this movie on TV, ha-ha! The Call of the Wild. I ain't never seen snow, ha-ha! I got these dogs at the pound. Nobody wanted 'em, ha-ha! Ever'body here got theirself pit bulls or some kinda hounds. I'm gonna feed these boys good so they'll be big and powerful and they can pull me real fast through the snow, ha-ha! Roach pulls a piece of raw cow's liver out of one of his pockets of his field jacket and begins ripping little bits off it and feeding them to the dogs. LULA (screeches as she sees this) Sailor! Stop! Stop the car now! Sailor pulls off the road onto the shoulder of the highway and stops. Lula opens her door and jumps out. LULA I'm sorry, but I can't take this. Roach, or whatever your name is, you come out of there with them dogs this instant! Roach sticks the liver back in his pocket and pulls his pack and the box of tiny canines after him. Once he and his belongings are deposited on the roadside, Lula hops back in the car and slams the door. LULA I'm truly sorry? I'm truly sorry, Roach. But ain't gonna make it to Alaska? Least not any part of the way with us. You'd best find a party to take care of those dogs proper, before they all die? And, if you don't mind my sayin' so? You could most certainly use some serious lookin' after yourself, startin' with a bath! Lula takes a pair of sunglasses off the dashboard and puts them on. LULA Drive. Sailor takes off. SAILOR You don't feel you was a little hard on the guy, honey? LULA I know you're thinkin' that I got more'n some of my mama in me? Well, I couldn't help it. Sailor, I really couldn't. I'm sorry for that guy, but when he pulled that drippin' hunk of awful-smellin' meat out of his pocket? I near barfed. And them poor diseased puppies! SAILOR (laughs) Just part of life on the road, peanut. LULA Do me a favor, Sailor? Don't pick up no more hitchers, okay? CUT TO: 95. INT. INEZ'S FAIS-DODO BAR - NEW ORLEANS - NIGHT/ 95A. INT. FORTUNE HOUSE - MARIETTA'S BEDROOM - NIGHT Johnnie is seated in a telephone booth at the back of the bar. JOHNNIE No, Marietta, I haven't found 'em. MARIETTA This is the kinda mistake can take a Hindu's lifetime to unfix... You better get a move on, Johnnie, before that boy got her holdin' down a Memphis streetcorner and shootin' dope up her arms. We see Reggie and Drop Shadow enter the bar. Reggie's unsmiling eyes drift across the room until they see Johnnie in the booth. He stares coldly and waits. Drop Shadow adjusts his socks. JOHNNIE Really, Marietta, you got more scenarios swimmin' around in your brain than Carter got pills. Try to take it easy. Go over to Myrtle Beach for a few days. MARIETTA I'm stayin' right here by the phone until you find Lula, then I'm comin' to get her. You call soon's you got somethin', even if it's three in the a.m. JOHNNIE I will, Marietta. Goodbye now. Johnnie hangs up the phone and exits the booth. As he crosses the bar... REGGIE (shouting) Hola! Senor Farragut! We meet again. Johnnie goes over to Reggie and Drop Shadow and shakes hands. JOHNNIE I thought you two were in Austin, Texas. Or Takes-us, as they say in these parts. DROP SHADOW We were. Now Mr. San Pedro Sula and I are on our way back to Utila, in the morning. REGGIE Would you like to enjoy a martini with us? JOHNNIE Why not? How was the fishin'? REGGIE I think they are too serious, these American fishermen. In Honduras, we are not so concerned with the method. Reggie orders martinis for the three of them. JOHNNIE So, it's back to the islands. DROP SHADOW Yes. Mr. San Pedro Sula spoke yesterday to his son, Archibald Leach San Pedro Sula, who is named after Cary Grant, and he told them there was a shooting. REGGIE Teddy Roosevelt, one of the local shrimp boat captains is in jail now. These people are friends of mine, so I must return and find out what happened. JOHNNIE This island of yours sounds like a kind of unpredictable place. REGGIE (laughs) It has its moments of uncertainty. DROP SHADOW But how are you finding New Orleans, Senor Farragut? JOHNNIE Call me Johnnie... N.O. has always been a good town to sit around in. REGGIE I can tell you are an intelligent man, Johnnie. One difference between your country and mine is that in the islands, it does not pay to reveal one's intelligence... Others may use what they perceive against us... Reggie raises his glass to Johnnie's. REGGIE Hasta siempre. JOHNNIE Hasta siempre. REGGIE Do you know how it came about that copper wire was invented in Scotland? JOHNNIE How's that? DROP SHADOW Two Scotsmen were fighting over a penny. Johnnie finishes off his martini. JOHNNIE I gotta admit, you guys are (sliding off the stool) two in four dozen. REGGIE The real joke is we never went fishing, but we're still fishing. Johnnie squints his eyes thinking about this one. Reggie and Drop Shadow smile and stand to leave. CUT TO: 96. INT. THUNDERBIRD - STREETS OF NUNEZ - NIGHT Lula and Sailor cruise the dark streets. LULA I wouldn't mind a little night life. How about you? SAILOR Hard to tell what's shakin' in a place like this, honey. You don't want to be walkin' in the wrong door. LULA Maybe there's a place we could hear some music. I feel like dancin'. We could ask someone. 97. EXT. RED DEVIL GAS STATION - NIGHT Sailor spots a Red Devil gas station that still has its lights on and pulls the car over. SAILOR Someone up here might know somethin'. Two skinny, pimply-faced guys, BUCK and BILLY, wearing dirty coveralls walk over to them. BUCK Gas? SAILOR Got enough, thanks. We're lookin' for a place has some music, where we can maybe do some dancin' - get somethin' to eat, too. Anything like that around here? BILLY Cornbread's. They got western. BUCK No food, though, 'cept bar nibbles. Lula slides over in the front seat and leans across to Sailor. LULA How about speed metal? The kids look worried and take a step back. LULA Any kinda rock'n'roll, honey. BILLY There's a boogie joint just about a mile straight out Lafitte here. But that's a black place mostly. BUCK Mostly black though in that boogie place. SAILOR What's the name of it? BUCK Club Zanzibar. SAILOR You say it's straight ahead a mile? BUCK About. Where Lafitte crosses over Galvez Highway. State Road 86. SAILOR Thanks. Sailor and Lula drive off. Buck and Billy go back inside the Red Devil station. Guess who is over the corner cleaning nuts and bolts with a toothbrush and gasoline ... It's DELL! CUT TO: 98. EXT. CLUB ZANZIBAR - NIGHT The Club Zanzibar sits in the darkness on the left hand side of the road. A string of multi-colored lights is hung over the front. Sailor parks the Thunderbird across from the club and cuts the engine. SAILOR You ready for this? LULA We'll find out in a hurry. CUT TO: 99. INT. CLUB ZANZIBAR - NIGHT When they walk in, the BAND is playing a slow blues and THREE OR FOUR COUPLES are swaying on the dance floor. There are a dozen tables and a long bar in the room which is done up in a strange dark azquatic motif. Eight of the tables are occupied and SIX OR SEVEN MEN stand at the bar. Everyone in the place is black except for one WHITE WOMAN who is sitting alone at a table smoking a cigarette and drinking Pearl straight from the bottle. The atmosphere is not friendly, but Lula takes Sailor by the arm. LULA Come on. They step up to the bar and order two Lone Star beers. The BARTENDER, a tall, heavyset man slowly forms his hand into "the bird." He holds his hand that way while he speaks... BARTENDER ZANZIBAR This is a friendly place, son. You folks just relax and have a nice time. LULA (bound and determined not to be intimidated) You got yourself a deal. BARTENDER (to Sailor) That's a real jacket... By that, I mean a real stupid jacket. SAILOR This is a snakeskin jacket, and for me it represents a symbol of my individuality and my belief in personal freedom. BARTENDER Fuckin' honky cracker mumbo jumbo. The bartender moves on down the bar. Lula and Sailor take a small table near the door. LULA I'll be damned if I'm leavin'. That band is too good? SAILOR Uh huh. LULA You notice that woman when we come in? The white woman sittin' by herself? SAILOR Yeah. LULA Well, she ain't talked to nobody and ain't nobody spoke to her that I could tell. What you make of that? SAILOR Honey, we bein' strangers here and all, this is the kinda place we don't want to make nothin' of nothin'. LULA You think she's pretty? Sailor looks at the woman. She lights a new cigarette off a butt, then squashes the butt in the ashtray. She is thirty years old, maybe more. Shoulder-length, bleached blonde hair, black at the roots. Clear skin, green eyes. Long, straight nose with a small bump on it. She is wearing a low-cut lavender dress that would have emphasized her breasts had she not been so flat-chested. Slender. SAILOR I tend to like 'em with a little more meat on the bones. Face ain't bad, though. Lula gets quiet and sucks on her beer bottle. SAILOR What's wrong, sweetheart? Somethin' botherin' you? LULA Mama. I been thinkin' about her. She's prob'ly worried to death by now. SAILOR More'n likely. LULA I want to call her and tell her I'm okay. That we're okay. SAILOR I ain't so sure it's a great idea, but that's up to you. Just don't tell her where we are. LULA (to Bartender) Pardon me? Y'all got a phone here I can use? BARTENDER ZANZIBAR Can't you read? LULA (sees the sign - then to Sailor) Back in a bit. She kisses him on the nose and walks back through a dark little door to the payphone. CUT TO: 100. INT. FORTUNE HOUSE - BEDROOM - NIGHT/ 101. INT. CLUB ZANZIBAR - PAYPHONE - NIGHT Marietta answers the telephone on the second ring. OPERATOR I have a collect call from Lula Fortune. Will you accept? MARIETTA Of course! Lula? Where are you? You all right? LULA I'm fine, mama. I just wanted to tell you not to worry. MARIETTA Why, how could I not worry? Not knowin' what's happenin' to you or where you are? Are you with that boy? LULA If you mean Sailor, mama, yes I am. MARIETTA Are you comin' back here soon, Lula? I need you here. LULA Need me for what, mama? I'm perfectly fine, and safe, too. MARIETTA You in a dance hall or somethin'? I can hear music behind you. LULA Just a place. MARIETTA Really, Lula, this ain't right! LULA Right?! Mama, was it right for you to sic Johnnie Farragut on us? How could you do that? MARIETTA Did you run into Johnnie in New Orleans? Lula, are you in New Orleans? LULA No, mama, I'm in Mexico, and we're about to get on an airplane to Argentina! MARIETTA Argentina! Lula, you're outta your mind. Now you just tell me where you are and I'll come for you. I won't say nothin' to the police about Sailor, I promise. He can do what he wants, I don't care. LULA Mama, I'm hangin' up this phone now. MARIETTA No, baby, don't! Can I send you somethin'? You runnin' low on money? I'll wire you some money if you tell me where you are. LULA I ain't that dumb, mama. Sailor and I been on a crime spree? Knockin' off convenience stores all across the south? Ain't you read about it? Marietta is crying. MARIETTA Lula? I love you, baby. I just want you to be all right. LULA I am all right, mama. That's why I called, to let you know. I gotta go. MARIETTA Call me again soon? I'll be waitin' by the phone. LULA Don't be crazy, mama. Take care of yourself. Lula hangs up. Marietta hangs up and begins pacing the livingroom floor. CUT TO: 102. INT. CLUB ZANZIBAR - NIGHT Sailor and the bleached blonde in the lavender dress are together on the dance floor. Lula sees them, goes over to the bar, picks up a beer bottle and throws it at Sailor. The bottle bounces hard off his back and clangs to the floor, bouncing but not breaking. Sailor turns around fast and looks at Lula. Everybody else in the place is still. 103. EXT. CLUB ZANZIBAR - NIGHT Lula runs out. Sailor follows. Sailor finds her sitting on the ground, leaning against the passenger side of the Thunderbird. Lula's eyes are red and wet but she isn't crying. Sailor kneels down next to her. SAILOR I was just wastin' time, peanut, till you come back. LULA It's me who's wastin' time, Sailor, bein' with you. SAILOR Honey, I'm sorry. It wasn't nothin'. Come on and get up and we'll take off. LULA Leave me be for a minute? Mama gets all insane and then I see you practicin' your individuality and personal freedom with some oil-town tramp. How you figure I'm gonna feel? SAILOR Told you not to call your mama. Sailor stands and leans against the hood of the car until Lula gets up and climbs inside. He wraps his snakeskin jacket around her and starts the car. Lula kisses Sailor on the cheek, puts her head down sideways on his lap and goes to sleep. Sailor drives. CUT TO: 104. INT. FORTUNE HOUSE - MARIETTA'S BEDROOM - NIGHT Marietta paces, but then goes back to the phone. She dials a number and gets an answering machine. MARIETTA Santos... If you get this message, call me right away. It's Marietta... I don't know, Santos... Maybe this is all not... Call me. She hangs up. She dials another number. It answers. MARIETTA Johnnie! At last! I thought you was never gonna come back to your room. CUT TO: 105. INT. FORTUNE HOUSE - MARIETTA'S BEDROOM - NIGHT? 106. INT. JOHNNIE'S HOTEL ROOM - MAISON VIOLETTE - NEW ORLEANS JOHNNIE I got some news, Marietta. Lula and Sailor been here. They checked out of the Hotel Brazil on Frechman Street yesterday. MARIETTA Listen, Johnnie, Lula just called me. She knew you were in N.O., so they left the city. JOHNNIE Did she tell you where she was callin' from? MARIETTA No, but my guess is they're headed west, so prob'ly Texas. Their money must be runnin' low. I don't think Sailor had much to begin with, if any, and Lula took the six hundred she had saved in the Cherokee Thrift. JOHNNIE How'd she sound? Was she doin' okay? MARIETTA Could she be doin' okay, Johnnie? She's tryin' to prove somethin' to me, that's all. Lula ain't doin' no more'n showin' off, defyin' me... (stifles a sob) Johnnie, I've done somethin' bad... JOHNNIE What? MARIETTA I won't tell you over the phone. I'm comin' to N.O. and I'll tell you then. JOHNNIE Marietta, I was just gonna leave and see if I could pick up their trail. MARIETTA No, you wait right there for me... I'll be on the Piedmont flight tomorrow at seven. Meet me at the airport. JOHNNIE I'll meet you, Marietta, if that's what you want, but I'm against it. MARIETTA Seven tomorrow evenin'. Se can eat at Galatoire's. Fix it. Marietta hangs up. CUT TO: 107. EXT. SHELL STATION - HOUSTON - DAY Sailor and Lula are in a Shell station just outside of Houston. Sailor is filling the Thunderbird with regular. An OLD MAN sits near the pumps listening to the radio playing a sad big band tune. Lula starts to slowly snap her fingers to the beat and the old man gives her a beautiful smile. LULA (smiling and snapping her fingers) How much we got left, honey? SAILOR Under a hundred. LULA You want to stick around here, Sailor? See if we can get some work? SAILOR Not in Houston. We'd be better off in some place more out of the way. LULA You want me to drive for a stretch? Give you a chance to rest. SAILOR That'd be good, Lula. Sailor kisses her and climbs into the back seat and lays down. Lula slides behind the wheel and lights up a More. She winks goodbye to the old man and wheels the car out towards the big beyond. CUT TO: 108. INT. TEXAS HIGHWAY - DAY The reception gets bad on the big band tune and Lula starts turning the dial. Up comes a nationwide call-in talk show and she leaves it there. ARTIE MAYER, the radio host talks to his callers. ARTIE (with a gruff Brooklyn accent) Come in, Montgomery, Alabama. CALLER #1 (elderly sounding woman) Artie? That you, Artie? ARTIE Yes, ma'am. What's on your almost- perfect mind this evening? CALLER #1 How ya feelin', Artie? I heard you wasn't doin' too well recent. ARTIE I'm fine, thank you. I had a cardiac infarction but I'm on a new diet and exercising regularly. I've never felt better. CALLER #1 Well, that's so good to hear, Artie. You know some of us depend on you down this way. You're so entertainin' and you get so many interestin' guests. ARTIE Thank you. It's listeners such as yourself who made me want to get up out of that hospital bed and back into the studio as fast as I could. LULA (attacking the dial) Jesus! How could anyone listen to this crap? Lula takes a puff of her More and tosses it out the window and starts turning the radio dial - finds a news station. REPORTER (NEWS STATION) ...live in exchange for sexual favors. Police said they have identified and questioned at least four girls, all Asians twelve to fifteen years old, who have been living in the North Houston warehouse with a Vietnamese pimp since February. The girls are being treated as victims, said police Sergeant Amos Milburn. �These are really just children,' he said, �but they've been exposed to a lot already. LULA (lights another cigarette) I'll bet. REPORTER In international news, India plans to release crocodiles in the Ganges, the holy Hindu river in which millions of people bathe annually, to scavenge for corpses, authorities said. CUT TO: 108A. MURKY WATER WITH DEAD BODIES FLOATING A crocodile suddenly breaks the surface of the water with a rotted human corpse clutched in its mighty jaws. REPORTER (voice-over) The reptiles were supposed to be of a docile species, said a senior government official, but it seems the breeders bungled and reared attack crocodiles. CUT TO: 109. INT. THUNDERBIRD - HIGHWAY TO SAN ANTONIO - DAY LULA Damn! REPORTER The Indian official who supplied this information did so only on condition of anonymity. The Uttar Pradesh state authorities last October released five hundred turtles... CUT TO: 108B. MURKY WATER WITH DEAD BODIES FLOATING A giant turtle breaks the surface of the water clutching a rotted human corpse in its mighty jaws. REPORTER (voice-over) in the Ganges near Varanasi to try and reduce human pollution and now plan to put in the crocodiles to devour floatin' corpses dumped by Hindus too poor to pay for cremation. CUT TO: 110. INT. THUNDERBIRD - HIGHWAY TO SAN ANTONIO - DAY LULA HOLY SHIT!! IT'S THE NIGHT OF THE LIVIN' FUCKIN' DEAD!!!! Sailor jumps awake in fright as Lula yanks the car off the road and brings it to a screeching halt in the middle of the desert. SAILOR What's that, peanut? LULA I can't take no more of this radio... (switches it off) I ain't never heard so much concentrated weirdness in my life, Sailor Ripley, you find me some dancin' music right this minute... I MEAN IT!! Sailor starts spinning the dial. LULA (still crazed) The world's gettin' worse, I think, Sailor. And it don't sound like there's much we can do about it, neither. SAILOR This ain't news, sweetheart. I hate to tell ya. Suddenly Sailor finds a station - THE STATION - and he and Lula look at each other in disbelief... SAILOR POWERMAD!!! Sailor turns it up full blast and he and Lula dance hard until they disappear in the dust. CUT TO: 111. INT. MAISON VIOLETTE - LOBBY - NEW ORLEANS - NIGHT Marietta and Johnnie are standing at the registration desk - talking to the HOTEL MANAGER. MANAGER Here's your key. Mr. Farragut's already taken care of everything. I hope you'll be comfortable, Mrs. Fortune. You're in room 351 right down the hall from Mr. Farragut. The DESK CLERK steps in from a room behind the registration desk. DESK CLERK I have a phone call for you, Mrs. Fortune ... at the phone by the fireplace. Please wait for it to ring. Marietta looks at Johnnie. She goes to the phone and picks it up when it rings. MARIETTA Yes?... CUT TO: 112. INT. HOTEL ROOM - NEW ORLEANS - NIGHT Marcello Santos sits on the edge of his bed holding the telephone. SANTOS I got your message... But you went right to Johnnie, didn't you?... I can't trust you, bitch - not for one minute... Naughty girl... Sailor and Lula are headed west, and guess what? There's no turning back. I'm in a killing mood. MARIETTA No... SANTOS My very best to Johnnie... Bless his soul. He hangs up the phone. CUT TO: 113. INT. MAISON VIOLETTE - LOBBY - NEW ORLEANS - NIGHT Johnnie enters as Marietta hangs up the phone - covering her fear. JOHNNIE Who was that?... Who know's your here? MARIETTA I'll be damned if that wasn't a wrong number? CUT TO: 114. INT. MR. REINDEER'S PRIVATE DINING ROOM - NEW ORLEANS - NIGHT Upstairs in a private dining room, Mr. Reindeer is dining with TWELVE GUESTS in formal evening attire. Behind him, a JAZZ TRIO and a STRIPTEASE ARTIST are hard at work. Mr. Reindeer smiles and leans over very close to a beautiful WOMAN sitting to his left. MR. REINDEER Little Miss Muffet sat on a tuffet, eating her curds and whey... Along came a spider and sat down beside her, and extended his hand out to play. With this, he reaches under the table between her legs. She turns red and Mr. Reindeer laughs and lights a cigarette. MR. REINDEER Oh dear... Another Miss Dull Cunt. Reggie and Drop Shadow enter through a door on the other side of the room. Reggie catches Mr. Reindeer's eye and smiles. Reggie reaches in his pocket and takes out a silver dollar - flips it in the air - catches it - and puts it back in his pocket. Mr. Reindeer smiles and waves him over to the table. He whispers something in Reggie's ear - then gives him an envelope. MR. REINDEER When I gave you the silver dollar I forgot to give you the contents of this envelope. They are to be returned. Show it just before the deed... Reggie pockets the envelope - joins Drop Shadow - and as they are leaving the dining room, they join a woman, JUANA, who looks half- Oriental, half-Cajun. She wears a strange, short, yellowish-bleached blonde wig. CUT TO: 115. INT. GALATOIRE'S RESTAURANT - NIGHT They go downstairs together. At the bottom of the stairs, Reggie and Drop Shadow catch sight of Johnnie who is sitting in the back of the restaurant having dinner with Marietta. When Johnnie sees the two of them he waves, but at the same time gets a chill up his spine. MARIETTA What is it, Johnnie? JOHNNIE Just some guys I met here... I keep seein' 'em... (looks back at Marietta) Now tell me... Marietta continues to stare at Reggie, Drop Shadow, and Juana before turning back to Johnnie. She also feels the fear. MARIETTA Johnnie, I can't tell you, honey. Is there anyway we can get on the road tonight? We've got to find them kids. JOHNNIE Somethin' was upsettin' you bad last night, and you wanted to tell me and I figured you wanted to tell me so's I could help... MARIETTA I did, honey, but that was last night... Let's just find those two kids before it's too late. JOHNNIE Honey, I have to ask you this... Is Santos involved in any of this? MARIETTA Hell no, baby... I wouldn'ta done that without tellin' you. JOHNNIE That bastard Pucinski... MARIETTA Who?... Uncle Pooch?... JOHNNIE Yeah... The one that introduced Santos to you and Clyde. MARIETTA Johnnie... That's the past... We gotta get on to our future, sugar! JOHNNIE (smiles) All I have to do is grab my suitcase, and I'm ready. You're lucky cause I happen to love night drivin'. MARIETTA Let's head for Texas and see if we can pick up the trail. JOHNNIE Did I tell ya it's great to see ya again? MARIETTA This 'bout the fifth time? CUT TO: 116. INT. MAISON VIOLETTE - STAIRWAY AND HALLWAY - NEW ORLEANS - NIGHT Johnnie and Marietta climb together to the second floor and Johnnie takes Marietta to her room. MARIETTA (as she enters her room) I'll pack my things and meet you downstairs. JOHNNIE And to think what coulda happened in that king-sized bed tonight... MARIETTA (pinching his cheek) You won't of missed much. JOHNNIE See ya downstairs. CUT TO: 116A. MAISON VIOLETTE - JOHNNIE'S ROOM - NIGHT Johnnie smiles and heads up to his room. He opens the door and steps inside. WHAM!! Johnnie is knocked in the head with a heavy metal pipe and he goes down hard. A large dark figure grabs on to him and pulls him to an open window and lowers him into the back of a pick-up. The dark figure follows out the window. DISSOLVE TO: 117. INT. MAISON VIOLETTE - LOBBY - NEW ORLEANS - NIGHT Marietta is sitting in the lobby trying to hold herself together - half- sobbing. The MANAGER approaches and sits next to her. MANAGER I'm afraid his car is gone, Mrs. Fortune. MARIETTA I don't understand this... I don't understand this one bit. He was supposed to meet me right her in this lobby. Somethin' bad has happened - I jus know it. MANAGER Perhaps we should call a local law enforcement officer. MARIETTA HELL NO!!! That's the last thing we need... A buncha cops runnin' around. The front desk clerk steps from behind his desk and hurries into the lobby. DESK CLERK I'm sorry... But I have overlooked this. I'm truly sorry, ma'am. He hands Marietta a note inside an envelope which she opens and reads immediately. We see the note. NOTE Gone fishing with a friend - maybe buffalo hunting. Johnnie. MARIETTA Oh God! What does that mean? MANAGER I'm sure I wouldn't know, ma'am ... and buffalo hunting too ... hmmmmm? MARIETTA And jus when my baby's out on some Texas road with a killer. The front door of the hotel opens and in walks Santos. He seems to know exactly where Marietta is and steps to the door of the sitting room off the lobby. He stands in the doorway and smiles at Marietta. MARIETTA (horrified whisper) Santos... Where's J-J-Johnnie? SANTOS Shhhhhh... (to the manager and desk clerk) Thank you, gentlemen... I'll look after her now... The Manager and Desk Clerk bow to Marietta and Santos and go back through the lobby. Santos walks over to Marietta. Marietta stands. MARIETTA Santos... What's happenin' here? SANTOS Hey... Stop the nervous cry-baby routine... You're my girl now... Santos is gonna wipe away those tears and make you happy... Come on, let's get outta here. MARIETTA Where we goin'? SANTOS Got word the kids are moving through Texas... I think an ending is being arranged there... Come on, lemme see a smile. MARIETTA Please Santos... Where's Johnnie? CUT TO: 118. EXT. SMALL HUT - DESERTED BAYOU - NIGHT Light comes from one small dirty window. CUT TO: 119. INT. SMALL HUT - DESERTED BAYOU - NIGHT Johnnie is tied to a small wooden straight-backed chair. His mouth is gagged and taped shut. His hair is caked with dry blood and one fresh tickle curls down his forehead to his eyes which are just now beginning to open and focus. Juana is finishing tying his left ankle to the chair leg. Johnnie moans and Juana brings her big, smiling face up in front of his. JUANA Johnnie, you take a good look at me, baby, cause you gonna haf'ta watch close to know when we do it to ya... Y'all count when I touch the bottle - HO!!... (she slaps Johnnie hard across the face) There I slap that mutha fucka face - pay attention fucka - otherwise we haf'ta work it all night... Too much fun for us - you see what I mean? Now watch me how I touch a bottle and you count how many times. Juana steps two paces across the hut where two dirty old soda bottles sit - one in one corner perched on a dried tree trunk - the other in the opposite corner perched on an old fence post. Juana touches the left bottle (#1) once, and crosses and touches the right bottle (#2) once and comes back and touches Johnnie's face. JUANA You see, Johnnie. I toucha number one bottle once, I toucha number two bottle once, and I touch your face. This is a game we love to play. I get hot already... Now you meet second Mr. Killer... Does he fish or don't he? Reggie and Drop Shadow step out of the darkness behind Johnnie and come around to face him. REGGIE Hey, Johnnie... Reggie - you remember Reggie, don't ya? Look what I caught. (to Juana) I'm gettin' hot too, mama. Reggie and Juana kiss hot in front of Johnnie. Juana puts her face down in front of Johnnie's again. JUANA Now Johnnie... We want to feel the feelin'... Feel the feelin'... We be gettin' up close to you, mutha fucka, then we go out away ... no' mally we touch two bottles - both bottle b'fore comin' back and touchin' you... This mean you okay fo awhile... If we go out away, and we touch ONLY ONE BOTTLE b'fore comin' back and touchin' you - you gonna hear a click from a gun b'hind you and then it's gonna be bout ten seconds... Remember that number ten - then that's when the end come... What end I talk 'bout Johnnie? - I talk about THE END, FUCKA- That head will go every part'a this room... I talk 'bout NO MO JOHNNIE... I think you understand now - we play game. REGGIE (from behind Johnnie) I can't stop her, Johnnie... She get's me too hot doin' this... I'm gonna be right here, but I'm gonna stand right behind ya with this big ol' gun here... Reggie reaches his hand around in front of Johnnie - showing him a .45 Automatic. DROP SHADOW That's a Marine issue. It goes off somethin' terrible - you wanna see? Drop Shadow pulls the hammer back which makes a loud "click." JUANA You hear click? Johnnie jumps as Drop Shadow blows a big hole in the far wall in front of Johnnie. REGGIE (laughs) Hell, it's even worse than I remember... Wait a minute... Reggie comes out in front of Johnnie - Juana grabs him. They kiss hot again. JUANA Okay, gimmee 'nother kiss, Reggie b'fore I fuck ya right now... FUCKIN' HOT NOW, REGGIE. (she opens her mouth with her tongue sticking out) FUCKIN' HOT! Juana screams like a monster from hell coming up close to Johnnie's face. JUANA You think you gonna live through this night?... YOU WRONG... I SMELL YO SHIT NOW, JOHNNIE. GIVE US ONE MO KISS, REGGIE. OH FUCK ME!!! WE TOUCH BOTTLES NOW - FO WE CAN'T WAIT NO MO. Reggie goes back behind Johnnie quick. JUANA I go out now... I toucha one bottle... Reggie... I toucha two bottle... I come back, I touch Johnnie... AHHHHH ... I touch myself... (she puts her hand between her legs) HA!... Now I go out - I toucha one bottle... Do I touch second bottle?... I go now and touch... OH OH... Okay... This time I toucha second bottle... I go back, I touch Johnnie... Then I go back - I kiss Reggie with big gun... Oh God, Reggie done got two big guns... HAH!!!... I go out now... SO FUCKIN' HOT NOW, MAYBE TOO FUCKIN' HOT NOW, FUCKA. I toucha one bottle... DO I GO TOUCH A SECOND BOTTLE?... HUH? - I DO THIS TIME TOUCH SECOND BOTTLE - I RUN BACK TOUCH JOHNNIE - TOUCH REGGIE WITH TONGUE - TOUCH MYSE'F IN HOT FUCKIN' PUSSY - GO OUT NOW... NOW I GO ROUND AND ROUND YOU AHHHH - GO OUT AND TOUCH A NUMBER ONE BOTTLE - WAIT NOW!!! ... REGGIE... YOU SHOW NOW- Reggie reaches his hand around Johnnie's face - tears off tape and gag - then opens his hand and shows Johnnie a cufflink with a particular design in turquoise, orange, and silver. REGGIE I forgot to show you this. The gentlemen that gave this to me said you'd recognize it. Said he wanted it'd be 'bout the last thing you ever saw in this life. JOHNNIE (recognizing cufflink) Oh God... OH GOD... Santos... Oh God Marietta ... are you in on this?... OH GOD!!! JUANA I GO ROUND AND ROUND - DO I TOUCH A SECOND BOTTLE B'FORE I TOUCH JOHNNIE - DO I? DO I???......... (very quietly and breathy) No... I touch Johnnie. As her finger touches Johnnie's face there is a loud "CLICK." Johnnie moans and closes his eyes. JUANA (counting fast) One ... two ... three ... four ... five ... GETTIN' TOO FUCKIN' HOT, REGGIE... FEELIN' MYSE'F ... six ... seven ... eight... Johnnie starts to scream and violently try to move out of his chair. JUANA Nine... (she moves out of the way) FUCK ME NOW, REGGIE... TEN!!! We see a hole in the front of the barrel - BOOM!!! The opposite wall and bottles get covered with blood. Juana and Reggie race into each other's arms and kiss right above Johnnie's dead, bloodied head. JUANA FUCK ME!!!! CUT TO: 120. INT. THUNDERBIRD - TWO LANE TEXAS FARM ROAD - NIGHT Lula and Sailor are driving through the dark desert. LULA Sure is a big deal round here... Alamo Road, Alamo Street, Alamo Square, Alamo Buildin', Alamo Alamo. They ain't forgettin' about it in a hurry. That's the thing 'bout memory? Some things you wish you could forget... What's troublin' you, sugar? SAILOR You know, Lula, I never told you what all I was doin' before I met you. LULA I just figured you was out bein' Mr. Cool... SAILOR Not exactly, sugar... One reason we're in all the trouble we're in right now is cause of what I was doin'... I tried to tell you this before... LULA You're scarin' me, baby. SAILOR Well, there's a good side as well as a bad side to it... The good side is I knew your daddy, and I thought Clyde was a good ol' guy... LULA You knew my daddy? SAILOR Yes I did... I sure did... The bad side of it is I did some drivin' for a man named Marcello Santos... LULA Oh shit... SAILOR I quit workin' for 'im, but just before I did, I ended up one night at a house... I don't know what it is they all think I saw that night, but I was just sittin' out in the car till the whole place went up in flames. LULA God, Sailor... That's the night my daddy died. SAILOR I know, sugar... But while the place was burnin'... Before Santos came out - I pitched some rocks at the second floor windows case anyone was upstairs sleepin'... Afterwards... When I met you, I always liked to think I mighta saved your life. LULA That's some big secret you been carryin', Sailor. SAILOR We all got a secret side, baby. Hope you don't think I been lyin' to you 'bout other things, sugar. LULA How'd you know my daddy? SAIL0R Met him through Santos... Clyde - your daddy - had some sorta business deal with Santos. Lula stays quiet for a moment - listening to the heavy hum of the V-8. SAILOR Lula, you there? LULA Yeah, I'm here. SAILOR You upset with me? LULA No, Sailor darlin'. Just shockin' sometimes when things aren't the way you thought they were... I been carryin' a secret too... CUT TO: 121. INT. FORTUNE HOUSE - LIVINGROOM/UPSTAIRS HALLWAY/BEDROOM - NIGHT The livingroom is on fire. The livingroom is on fire and we move upstairs - Lula races through the smoke-filled hallway to her mother's bedroom. The livingroom is on fire and Lula throws open the door to her mother's bedroom just in time to see Marcello Santos leaving through a window. Her mother laughs a wild, crazy laugh - exactly the same laugh Lula heard on the porch of the Cape Fear Hotel. LULA (voice-over) That night in the fire while my daddy was dyin'... I saw mama up in her room with Santos... CUT TO: 122. INT. THUNDERBIRD - TWO LANE TEXAS FARM ROAD - NIGHT LULA ...They was laughin' arm in arm like animals. SAILOR I didn't want to say it ... but I had a feelin' Santos was up to somethin' with your mama... LULA (quietly) My mama... (after a pause - she smiles) So Sailor, our histories have been somewhat intertwined. SAILOR They have, sugar. LULA I take that as a sign that we were destined by fate to be together. SAILOR It's a comfortin' idea. LULA Well, we're really out in the middle of it now, ain't we? SAILOR There's worse places, honey. LULA If you say so. SAILOR Trust me on it. LULA (turns to him) I do trust you, Sailor. Like I ain't never trusted nobody before. SAILOR (after a moment) We'll be al'right, peanut, long as we've got room to move. LULA (looking into the highway) What's that? SAILOR I don't know... Looks like clothes. Sailor starts to slow down. The highway is suddenly littered with clothes strewn everywhere and two open suitcases smashed near the side of the road. Sailor slows down to a crawl. He and Lula turn to each other - they've just seen TWO DEAD BODIES. One close to the side of the highway - and other just off in the desert brush. Off behind is an overturned car. LULA Oh God, Sailor. SAILOR One bad car accident... LULA SAILOR!!! Coming out of the darkness is a YOUNG GIRL, her clothes half torn off - blood draining out of several deep wounds. LULA Sailor, what are we gonna do? SAILOR I don't know, honey, but we gotta help that girl - get her to a town and hope no one catches on I broke parole. They get out of the car and the girl comes toward them screaming. GIRL (completely gone in shock) I've got about five hundred dollars in my wallet and I can't find it... My mother's going to kill me. It's got all my cards in it... It was in my pocket... Now my pockets gone. MY PURSE IS GONE!!! NOW SHE TELLS ME. The girl starts walking back toward the car. SAILOR Let's get ahold a' her quick. LULA You think she's gonna make it? SAILOR Don't know, but she's gonna bleed all over our car, I'll tell ya that... (to Girl) Hey... Hello... Girl... You gotta come with us, honey. Sailor reaches out cautiously and takes hold of the girl's arm. GIRL OWWW GOD!!! LEAVE ME ALONE... ROBERT!!!... Shit, I got this damn sticky stuff in my hair... She keeps digging her fingers into a bloody wound in her head. GIRL Gotta find my wallet. (to Sailor) Don't you say one word of this to my mother. God, she's gonna kill me. The girls falls to one knee and struggles to get back up. Sailor and Lula each take an arm and try to help her. GIRL WHERE'S MY HAIRBRUSH?... Sailor and Lula help the girl stand, but her eyes start rolling back and a bunch of fresh blood comes gushing up out of her mouth. LULA I can't take this, Sailor. She's dyin' right in front of our eyes... SAILOR I'm afraid she is, baby. Sailor kneels down next to the girl and runs his hand gently across her forehead. GIRL (wide-eyed now) Get my lipstick... (whisper) It's in my purse. The girl dies. Sailor and Lula hold real still for a moment. Lula starts to cry. LULA She died right in front of me. Why'd she have to go and do that, Sailor? SAILOR Let's get outta here, honey. Before getting up, Sailor lets his hand come off the girl's forehead down over her eyes - closing them. He puts his hand on her cheek then gets up. He puts his arm around Lula and they go back to her car. Sailor helps Lula in on her side and closes the door for her. He goes around, gets in and looks over at Lula, who breaks down crying harder. Sailor starts the car and takes off. FADE OUT: FADE IN: 123. INT. THUNDERBIRD - BIG TUNA - MORNING The Thunderbird drives past a large stucco fish on a rock stand which has a sign on it that says "BIG TUNA, TEXAS." Sailor cruises the T-Bird along the main street of Big Tuna, eye-balling the place. SAILOR Well, it ain't exactly Emerald City... LULA Not quite as bad as the weather though... It must be a hundred and ten and it ain't even noon yet. 123A. EXT. IGUANA MOTEL - MORNING Sailor pulls the car up in front of the Iguana Motel. SAILOR This'll do. CUT TO: 124. INT. IGUANA MOTEL - DAY The room is simple: double bed, dresser, mirror, chair, sink, toilet, bathtub (no shower), electric fan, window overlooking the street. SAILOR Not bad for eleven dollars a day. LULA No radio or TV... She strips off the spread, tosses it in a corner and sits down on the bed. LULA And no AC. SAILOR Fan works. LULA Now what? SAILOR Let's get a sandwich and find out about some work. LULA Sailor? SAILOR Yeah? LULA This ain't exactly my most thrillin' notion of startin' a new life. They stare at each other. Lula suddenly feels sick to her stomach and slumps down on the edge of the bed. LULA I'm gonna stay here in this room, Sailor. I don't feel so good? This heat makes me tired. SAILOR Okay, honey, I'll see you later. CUT TO: 125. EXT. RED'S GARAGE - DAY A tall, skinny man, RED, in his early thirties with wild, uncombed hair the color of pomegranate, walks out of the garage. SAILOR You Red? RED (with a smile) Well, I ain't Blackie. Sailor holds out his right hand to shake. SAILOR Name's Sailor Ripley. Katy over at the drugstore thought you might have some work I could do. Red extends his oil-blackened right hand and shakes. RED Things ain't real hot right now. Rex, there though, (nodding toward a half-naked man burrowed under an '83 Buick) is about to relocate in about a week to San Angelo. I might could use a man when he does... You good with engines? SAILOR I ain't no Enzo Ferrari, but they used to call me Wrench when I was a kid. RED We'll see how she goes then when Rex takes off. Check back. Two men, SPARKY and BUDDY, both about forty, walk up to Red. One of them wears a grey baseball cap with a Confederate flag on it and the other has an LBJ straw Stetson. SPARKY How's it look? RED Reckon the head's cracked, like I thought. SPARKY Shit, that's what I was afraid of. RED I'll get you foreigners a beer. BUDDY (to Sailor) I'm Buddy, and this here's Sparky. Sailor introduces himself to Sparky and Buddy and Rex. They all shake hands or nod and move out of the sun to drink their beers. SAILOR My girl and I are lookin' for a place to settle. We're bunked down at the Iguana Motel. SPARKY So are we. It's the only motel in Big Tuna. Have you met Bobby �Just Like The Country' Peru yet? SAILOR No, we just got in a hour and a half ago. BUDDY You will. He's the Mr. Fix-It at the Iguana. His truck broke down here a couple of months ago. REX Escaped con. Man got some serious prison tattoos. RED Ever'body got a past. BUDDY Just some got more future in 'em than others. REX That ain't no lie. Sailor finishes his beer, stands it on the ground and steps on it, crushing it flat. SAILOR Been nice meetin' y'all. 'Preciate the beer. I'll be seein' y'all soon. BUDDY Very soon. SPARKY One thing about bein' in Big Tuna: you don't have much choice about who you see and who you don't. CUT TO: 126. EXT. IGUANA BANK - DAY The temperature on the tower reads "One Hundred Twelve." CUT TO: 127. INT. IGUANA MOTEL - DAY In front of the door there is a large, damp spot on the rug where about a hundred and fifty flies are buzzing and landing. Sailor sees this when he opens the door. He steps across the large spot and finds Lula just waking up on the bed. LULA That you, Sail, honey? SAILOR The only one. Lula opens her eyes and looks at him. LULA You find any work? SAILOR Maybe. Met a guy named Red, owns a garage, could have some work in about a week. Met a few hard luck boys who's stayin' here. What's that smell? LULA I barfed. Tried to make it to the bathroom... Turned out it was the wrong door anyways... I sorta got it cleaned up. SAILOR You sick? LULA A little, I think... Darlin'? SAILOR Yeah? LULA Come sit by me. Sailor goes over and sits on the bed. LULA I don't know that this is the right place for us. Sailor strokes Lula's head. SAILOR It ain't gonna be forever, peanut. Lula closes her eyes. LULA I know, Sailor. Nothin' is. CUT TO: 128. EXT. SKY OVER BIG TUNA - EVENING The darkening evening sky is filled with flying monkeys. CUT TO: 129. INT. IGUANA MOTEL - COURTYARD - NIGHT Sailor, Lula, Sparky, and Buddy are sitting in the courtyard of the motel sharing Sparky's fifth of Ezra Brooks. An electric bug killer is working overtime. Buddy is reading from a newspaper. BUDDY (reading from paper) "Robert Brenton, twenty-five, was killed when his car went off the road on State Highway 118, according to the Department of Public Safety. Brenton and two passengers, William Reese and Susan Day, were thrown from the automobile, reports said." Sailor looks at Lula. SAILOR Susan Day... The assistant manager, TOMMY THOMPSON, speaks from the shadows behind the group. TOMMY Robert Brenton, that dumb fuck. That stupid shit... That fuckin' Bob was so fuckin' dumb... He deserved to die... That asshole. They all look over at Tommy. BUDDY Hey, Tommy... What's goin' on over there in number four where al them bright lights are all the time? TOMMY Them are makin' a pornographic movie... Texas style... Why? You wanna join in? SPARKY How do you get sixteen Haitians into a Dixie Cup? LULA How? SPARKY Tell 'em it floats. BUDDY Sparky's big on Florida jokes. SPARKY You need a active sense of humor to survive in the Big Tuna. BOBBY PERU walks in and comes over. BOBBY Hey, everybody. BUDDY Sailor, Lula, this here's the man himself. Bobby, this is Sailor and Lula, the most recent strandees, economic variety. Bobby nods to Lula and offers a hand to Sailor. BOBBY Bobby Peru, just like the country. Sparky and Buddy laugh. BUDDY Accordin' to Red and Rex, Bobby's the most excitin' item to hit Big Tuna since the '86 cyclone sheared the roof off the high school. SPARKY Only in town two months and there ain't a young thing around don't know how that cobra tattoo works, right, Bob? Bobby laughs. He has a lopsided grin that exposes only three brownish front teeth and he has flat black eyes that seem to reflect no light. LULA You from Texas, Mr. Peru? Bobby pulls up a chair and pours himself a shotglass full of whiskey. BOBBY I'm from all over. SAILOR (noticing a USMC tattoo on Bobby's right hand) You was in the Marines, huh? Bobby looks down at his hand, flexs it. BOBBY Four years. SPARKY Bobby was at Cao Ben. LULA What's Cao Ben? BOBBY (to Lula) How old are you? LULA Twenty. BUDDY Lotta women and kids and old people died at Cao Ben. BOBBY March, 1968. We torched a village and the government made a big deal out of it. Bobby sips the whiskey and closes his eyes for several seconds before reopening them and looking at Buddy. His eyes open slowly and they practically burn a hole in Buddy. BOBBY (to Buddy) You was on a ship, pardner. Hard to make contact with the people when you're off floatin' in the Gulf of Tonkin. SPARKY (changing the subject) Hey Bobby, have yourself another glass 'a Jack. Sparky refills Bobby's shotglass. Bobby tosses it back in one gulp. BOBBY Don't mind if I fuckin' do... Speakin' 'a Jack... One-eyed Jacks yearnin' to go a peepin' in a seafood store... Good meetin' you. Adios, boys. He walks out and after he's gone... LULA Somethin' in that man scares me. BUDDY No shit. SPARKY (pouring himself another shot) Bobby's got a way... Can't shake that institution odor. Lula puts a hand on Sailor's leg. LULA Darlin', I still ain't feelin' so well. I'm goin' to bed. SAILOR I'll come along. They say goodnight to Sparky and Buddy and head for their room. CUT TO: 130. INT. IGUANA MOTEL - SAILOR AND LULA'S ROOM - NIGHT SAILOR Man, that barf smell don't fade fast. Lula goes right to the bed and flops down on it. SAILOR Anything I can do for you? LULA No, I don't think so, Sail. I just need to lie down. Lula listens to Sailor brush his teeth, urinate into the toilet and flush it. Sailor comes out of the bathroom and climbs into bed. LULA Sailor? You know what? SAILOR I know you ain't particularly pleased bein' here. LULA Not that. Look at what I wrote down cause I can't say it. Lula hands Sailor a note which reads "I'm pregnant." Sailor looks into her eyes. SAILOR It's okay by me, peanut. LULA Well, nothin' personal, but I ain't sure it's okay by me. Sailor crumples the note and puts it in the ashtray. LULA Really, Sailor, it ain't nothin' against you. I love you. SAILOR Love you, too. LULA I know. Just I'm sorta uncomfortable about the way some things is goin', and this don't help soothe me. SAILOR I know this ain't easy, Lula, but I ain't gonna let things get no worse, I promise. CU of Lula setting fire to the pregnant note in the ashtray. DISSOLVE TO: 131. INT. IGUANA MOTEL - SAILOR AND LULA'S ROOM - DAY CU of flies on vomit stain. There is a knock on the door which wakes Lula from her nap. She opens the door. Bobby Peru stands outside. BOBBY Hey, pretty woman... Sailor here? LULA No, he's out changin' the oil in the car. BOBBY Man, I gotta take a piss bad... Can I use your head there? LULA Well... Yeah - okay. BOBBY I don't mean your head head - I'm not gonna piss on your head - your hair an' all... Just piss in the toilet. Y'all take a listen - here a deep sound comin' down from Bobby Peru. Bobby enters the bathroom and starts to urinate. CUT TO: 132. EXT. PERDITA DURANGO'S HOUSE - DAY Sailor pulls the T-Bird up front and hurries up to the screen door. Flies are buzzing all around. PERDITA DURANGO comes forward out of the darkness inside. PERDITA (recognizing him) Oh... Look at this... What do you want, snakeskin? SAILOR Just passin' through on my way to who knows where... PERDITA Sure... I figured I'd see you sometime... SAILOR Hopin' you could tell me if there's a contract out on me. I really need to know. PERDITA By who? SAILOR I think Santos or Marietta Fortune. PERDITA Heard you was goin' out with that bitch's daughter. SAILOR You heard right. PERDITA You really are one dumb asshole. SAILOR Life is unpredictable. PERDITA Does that girlfriend of yours know that her mama and Santos killed her daddy? (Sailor doesn't answer - Perdita smiles) Does she know her own daddy was one of the biggest drug dealers around - till he started snortin' the shit himself?... (Sailor doesn't answer) Does she know you was around that night her daddy was set fire to? SAILOR I didn't see nothin'... PERDITA Yeah... But I did... And I told you all about it... SAILOR Is there a contract?... We made a deal once that we'd tip each other off if we ever heard. PERDITA I know... I remember. SAILOR Well?... PERDITA I ain't heard of nothin'. SAILOR Thanks... Sailor goes back to his car and takes off. CUT TO: 133. INT. INGUANA MOTEL - SAILOR AND LULA'S ROOM - DAY Bobby is pacing around the room. BOBBY Hey... You gotta smell in this room of puke... You been pukin' in here, little girl? Huh?... You sick?... Pregnant? LULA (flinches) You used the toilet, now you can go - what I do around here ain't any of your business, that's for sure. BOBBY You know, I really do like a woman with tits like yours that talks tough and acts like she can fuck like a bunny... Can you fuck like that?... You like it like a bunny?... Huh?... Cause baby, I'll fuck you like a real good like a big ol' jack- rabbit bunny... Jump all around in that hole... Bobby Peru doesn't come up for air. LULA Get out. BOBBY Am I scarin' ya?... Your pussy wet? ... Come on ... is it?... (moves his hand toward her) Hey, don't jump back so slow... I thought you was a bunny... Bunny jump fast - you jump back slow... Mean somethin', don't it?... Means somethin' to me... Means you want Bobby Peru... You want Bobby Peru to fuck you hard baby - open you up like a Christmas present. Suddenly Bobby jumps back, shakes his head and straightens his hair. BOBBY Hey... I'm sorry... I don't think I'm bein' too polite here ... and I apologize... Hell... A man sees a pretty woman and first thing he knows, he loses his manners... Sure sign of modern times... Next thing ya know, his old hand'll start crawlin' around where it oughtn't to go... I'll be real honest with ya... I'd like to fuck you and tear you open like a paycheck envelope... Will you be honest with me - would you like me to do it?... Just a simple yes or no... He steps a little closer to her. BOBBY Just feel me breathin' on you... And you'll know I mean business when it comes to fuckin'. With all the strength she can muster, Lula slaps Bobby across the face. LULA GET OUT!!! Bobby grabs on to her hard. BOBBY Bobby Peru grab you now... Hold you tight... Feel everythin' in you now... Stay quiet... Say "fuck me" and then I'll leave. LULA (struggling) No way... GET OUT!!! BOBBY Say it!... I'LL TEAR YOUR FUCKIN' HEART OUT, GIRL... Say "fuck me" soft - then I'll leave. Say "fuck me"... Whisper it... Then I'll leave... Say it... Say it - Say it - Say it... Bobby moves in very close to her - Lula's trembling. Bobby puts his hand on her neck and moves it up and down behind her ear. BOBBY Say it... Then I'll leave... Whisper it... Whisper it... Whisper it... Whisper "fuck me"... His hand moves down over her breasts - down across her stomach - and down. Lula's left hand opens and spreads wide. BOBBY Whisper it... Whisper "fuck me"... Whisper... Whisper... Whisper... Whisper... LULA (whispers) Fuck me. BOBBY Someday honey, I will... But I have to be goin' now... Conta i no joras... Bobby leaves smiling and slams the door. Lula stands trembling clicking her heels together. LULA (whispers) Sailor... CUT TO: 134. EXT. IGUANA MOTEL - AFTERNOON Sailor is just about finished changing the oil in the Thunderbird when Bobby Peru pulls up in the maroon Eldo. BOBBY Need a hand? SAILOR Thanks, Bobby, 'bout done. Sailor throws some stuff in the trunk and closes the lid. BOBBY How 'bout a beer? SAILOR That'd be fine, Bobby. BOBBY Let's go by Rosarita's. You been there yet? SAILOR No, haven't heard of it. BOBBY Thought maybe Sparky and Buddy'd taken ya. Come on, I'll drive. 134A. INT. ELDORADO - BIG TUNA - DAY They get into the Cadillac and Bobby takes off down Big Tuna's main drag. SAILOR This your car? BOBBY (laughs) Hell, no, belongs to my girl's sister. The sister's been over to New Orleans, lets us have it while she's gone. Where's that pretty little lady of yours today? SAILOR Restin' in our room. She ain't been feelin' well. BOBBY Sorry to hear it. SAILOR New Orleans, huh?... We was just there. CUT TO: 135. EXT. ROSARITA'S - DAY Bobby parks the Eldo in among half a dozen pick-up trucks. BOBBY Used to be this was a Mobil. Man converted it into a private club and named it after his wife. She left him and he shot himself. The wife owns it now. CUT TO: 136. INT. ROSARITA'S - DAY They enter a long, dark room where a DOZEN MEN, most of them wearing cowboy hats, sit on stools at a bar drinking beer out of frosted mugs. BOBBY No hard liquor here. Just beer. They claim two stools. BOBBY Couple Stars, Jimmy. The BARTENDER brings over two bottle and two mugs - then walks back to the other end of the bar. SAILOR Thought you said this was a private club. How come I'm allowed in without bein' a member? BOBBY You black? SAILOR No. BOBBY You an indian? SAILOR No. BOBBY Then you're a member... Three or four millionaires in here right now. SAILOR (looking around) They look like a bunch of good ol' boys to me. I guess it's oil money, huh? BOBBY Oil, gas, cattle, farmin'. Ain't nobody shows off around here. Iguana County's one of the richest in Texas. SAILOR Wouldn'ta guessed it, that's sure. BOBBY Ready for another? SAILOR Why not? DISSOLVE TO: LATER Bobby returns from the jukebox and sits down next to Sailor. BOBBY Q-7, three times. Pee Wee King's "Waltz of Regret," my favorite tune. Pee Wee's steel guitar ripples through the cigarette haze and buzzes around Sailor's head. His reflection wobbles in the long mirror behind the bar. BOBBY I been studyin' a situation over in Lobo, take two men to handle it. SAILOR What's that? BOBBY Feed store keeps up to five K in their safe. Need me a good boy for back-up. Even split. You interested? Sailor stares at Bobby and works hard to focus his eyes. SAILOR No... I don't think so, man. BOBBY Be easy, Sailor. There's two employees. I take one in the back to open the safe, you keep the other'n covered... You ain't plannin' on raisin' a fam'ly in Big Tuna, are ya? SAILOR (on the alert) Whattaya mean family? BOBBY (smiling) Well... I mean like Lula bein' in a family way. SAILOR (a tinge of jealousy/fear) Lula tell you she's pregnant? Bobby grins, showing those three brown teeth. BOBBY Couple grand or more'd give you two a leg up. Get you to the west coast, Mexico, most anyplace, with a few dollars in your jeans. I got it figured good, Sailor. SAILOR When did you talk to Lula? BOBBY Talked to her this afternoon... While you was out. SAILOR She really say she was pregnant? BOBBY (smiles - puts a hand on Sailor's shoulder) Just took a guess is all... You in or out on this deal? SAILOR (looking at Bobby's hand on his shoulder) I ain't fuckin' sure, Bobby. BOBBY Don't think about it too long. (nods toward Sailor's mug) You had enough? SAILOR (finishing his beer) Have now. BOBBY Come on outside, I got somethin' to show ya. 136A. EXT. ROARITA'S - LATE AFTERNOON/EVENING Bobby looks around in the purple twilight before he opens the trunk of the Eldorado. He peels back a brown army blanket. BOBBY That's a double-barreled, sawed-off, Ithaca shotgun with a carved pistol grip stock wrapped with adhesive tape. Next to it's a cold Smith and Wesson .32 handgun with a six inch barrel. These'll do 'er... Loosen up that five grand... Two and a half for you and the little lady... Bobby closes the trunk. Sailor stands - hesitating to commit. BOBBY How much money you have between the two a'ya right now?... SAILOR Forty bucks... BOBBY This is easy money, pardner... No ones gonna get hurt in this thing... And I don't think you can afford not to take it... I'll be bringin' the Eldo 'round the front of the motel at ten tomorrow mornin'... If you ain't a pussy - you'll be there. Sailor stares at him and his fist clenches. SAILOR I don't particularly care for that kind of talk, Bobby. BOBBY Hey... I never said you was a pussy... Always figured you had the big ol' round balls for this kind'a thing... Sure would set you and that pretty little girl up good. SAILOR Yeah ... yeah... I guess so... That kind'a money'd get us a long way down that yellow brick road... Bobby cocks his head and squints at him questioningly. SAILOR ...But DAMN man... This better go smooth. BOBBY Like takin' candy from a fuckin' baby... CUT TO: 137. INT. IGUANA MOTEL - SAILOR AND LULA'S ROOM - NIGHT Sailor bends over the bed and kisses Lula's hair above her left ear. LULA You been drinkin', huh? SAILOR Few beers is all. Feelin' any better? Lula rolls onto her back. LULA Can't tell yet. Where'd you go? SAILOR That smell's still fillin' this room good. LULA Buddy and Sparky come by earlier. SAILOR (looks right into her eyes) And Bobby too, I hear... LULA (can't look at him) Yeah... He was lookin' for you. SAILOR You talk to 'im some?... LULA Some... Sparky said Red's promised to have him and Buddy out of here by the weekend. SAILOR Oughta make 'em happy. LULA So where'd you say you was? SAILOR (can't look at her) Went with Bobby. Sailor sits on the bed and starts undressing. LULA Sail? SAILOR Uh huh? LULA Let's leave here. SAILOR We're goin' to, Lula, real soon. LULA I mean tomorrow. SAILOR We got about forty bucks, sweetheart. That'd get us to El Paso. LULA Rather be in El Paso than Big Tuna. Sailor gets into bed. SAILOR You shouldn't be smokin' if you're pregnant. Ain't smart. Lula sticks a More between her lips and lights it. She takes a deep drag, blows out the smoke, and stares at Sailor. LULA Who says I'm smart? You up to somethin' with Bobby Peru, Sailor? SAILOR What could I be up to, Lula? LULA He's a stone fuckin' criminal, honey, and you ain't. SAILOR I killed Bob Ray Lemon, didn't I? LULA That was a accident. I bet both our asses Bobby Peru done murdered all kinds of people, and meant it, too. SAILOR That was in Vietnam. LULA He's the kind liked it. SAILOR Lula, I got to get some sleep. LULA Buddy told me about that thing at Cao Ben? SAILOR What? LULA Was a massacre. Soldiers there murdered old folks, women and babies, and dumped 'em in a trench. Bobby Peru prob'ly killed the most. SAILOR Lula, he mighta did, I don't know. But it don't matter now. Lotta guys go outta control in a war and it ain't their fault. Lula puffs hard on her cigarette. LULA I sure enjoy smokin', Sailor. I hate that it's bad for you. Sailor turns on his side, away from Lula, and pulls a pillow over his head. LULA That man's a black angel, Sailor. You hook up with him, you'll regret it. If you live to. S AILOR Thanks, darlin', I know you got my best interest in mind, and I 'preciate it sincerely. I love you, but I gotta sleep now. Lula lights a second More off the first one and stubs out the butt on the dresser top. LULA This whole worlds wild at heart and weird on top. Lula turns over, away from Sailor. LULA (softly) I wish you really, truly loved me... I wish you'd sing me "Love Me Tender" ... I wish I was somewhere over that rainbow... Shit. Shit, shit, shit. CU of Sailor's eyes - he remembers. CUT TO: 138. INT. BAY ST. CLEMENT HOTEL - STAIRCASE - NIGHT Sailor and Lula are walking down the carpeted stairs when Sailor is called by BOB RAY LEMON, who is coming down towards them fast. Marietta stands at the top - watching. BOB RAY Hey Sailor... Wait a minute... I got somethin' for ya. As Bob Ray passes Lula on the stairs - he puts his hand between her legs. Sailor starts to see red. Bob Ray smiles and steps down to Sailor. He leans in and whispers in Sailor's ear. BOB RAY Shit, man... Marietta says you been tryin' to fuck her in the toilets for the past ten minutes... You crazy fuckin' bad boy tryin' to fuck your girl's mama... How do you think that cute little cunt Lula would feel about that? Hey, take a look at this... (shows Sailor one thousand dollars in cash) Marietta just gave me this to kill you right now, and afterward she said Lula was mine to fuck all the way into next Sunday. Bob Ray pulls a knife, but Sailor's fist is already halfway through Bob Ray's brain. From there, Sailor steps firmly into the crazy zone. Amidst blood-curdling hysterical screams from a growing throng of SOUTHERN BELLES, Sailor starts taking Bob Ray apart limb by limb and doesn't stop until Bob Ray lays completely destroyed and completely dead at the foot of the stairs. The crowd of formally dressed onlookers stand aghast. Sailor stares up at Marietta. Both their eyes burning with hate. CUT TO: 139. INT. IGUANA MOTEL - SAILOR AND LULA'S ROOM - NIGHT Sailor is dripping with sweat. His teeth are clenched tight and his fists violently grip the sheets, as if any minute he could tear the bed apart. CUT TO: 140. INT. PERDITA DURANGO'S HOUSE - NIGHT Bobby lets the screen door bang shut behind him as he comes in and roams around the livingroom. PERDITA Nice of you to drop by. BOBBY Told ya I would. You still riled? PERDITA (laughs) You still screwing sixteen-year-olds in the ass? Bobby keeps circling. BOBBY Ain't never had no girl pull a blade on me. PERDITA Wish I'd fuckin' cut you up good. BOBBY You heard from Reggie? PERDITA Juana called. They're stayin' another week. Bobby stops walking and stares at the photograph on the wall. BOBBY Stayin' a few extra days in the big N.O., huh? This you? Perdita turns her head and looks, then turns back. PERDITA Yes. We see the photo now. In it are Perdita along with her sister, Juana, and her husband, Reggie, whom we recognize as the killers of Johnnie. BOBBY Don't look like you. Bobby turns around and leans down and puts his face next to Perdita's from behind. BOBBY The cobra's waitin' to strike, chica. PERDITA That guy Sailor came around this afternoon... Asked me if there was a contract out on 'im. BOBBY (laughs out loud) No shit?!?! You know him? PERDITA Used to. BOBBY What'd you say? PERDITA No, of course. Bobby takes out a silver dollar and flips it into the air. It lands tails up in his hand. He pockets it. BOBBY That's right... Could have a bad accident, though ... before ... durin' ... or after a hold-up... PERDITA What's gonna happen when he sees me drivin' the car tomorrow? BOBBY Maybe he'll get a little nervous, but who gives a shit? Bobby lowers his hands into the front of Perdita's blouse and cups her breasts. She burns the back of his left wrist with her cigarette. Bobby jumps back, then grabs Perdita's hair and pulls her over the couch onto the floor. Neither of them speak. She tries to stand, but Bobby keeps his right foot on her chest while he blows the back of his wounded wrist. Perdita shoves his leg to one side and rolls away. She stand up and spits at him. BOBBY (grinning) I knew we could be friends again... CUT TO: 141. INT. IGUANA MOTEL - DAY Lula lays very still on the bed. Her head is close to the small turquoise radio on the bedside table. She is listening to a piece of sad, nostalgic music and as we move in closer to her and the radio - the volume increases. Lula remembers some "moments" in her life with Sailor: (Music continues over) When he kissed her outside the jail gate. When he touched her breast the day after he got out of jail. When they sat behind the Confederate Soldier. When they danced to "Slaughter House." Suddenly, Lula sees an image in her mind that she does not recognize. She sees an abstract image of reflected light with two eyes looking through it at her. The image puzzles her. (The Music continues over) CUT TO: 142. EXT. IGUANA MOTEL - DAY The big Eldorado pulls up in front of the Iguana Motel where Sailor has been waiting in the hot sun. Bobby opens the door. BOBBY Jump in back. Sailor crawls in the back seat and sees Perdita just as she floors it and they take off in a cloud of dust. 142A. INT. ELDORADO - BIG TUNA - DAY SAILOR What's she doin' here? BOBBY She's my girl... She's drivin'... That bother you? SAILOR Why should it? BOBBY That's right... Take one of these. SAILOR What is it? BOBBY Panty hose. Work better'n stockin's. Pull one of the legs down over your face and let the other leg trail behind your head. You get the pistol. (hands him the .32) Remember, soon as we get inside, you keep that bad boy up where those hicks can see it. Once they notice the Ithaca and the Smith, they'll know we ain't foolin' with 'em. PERDITA Comin' up on it now, Bobby. CUT TO: 143. EXT. RAMOS FEED STORE - DAY Bobby slips the panty hose over his head and adjusts it. His face looks crooked and distorted. BOBBY (frightening whisper) Come on! Get that mask on! Sailor rips open the package and pulls a nylon leg over his head, stretching the calf part to fit. Perdita pulls up in front of the store. The street is deserted. BOBBY Keep it revved, Chiquita. We won't be long. Just goin' in to get our five grand. CUT TO: 144. INT. RAMOS FEED STORE - FRONT OFFICE - DAY Bobby and Sailor enter the feed store. Bobby raises his sawed-off shotgun and points it at the TWO OLD MEN behind the counter. BOBBY Into the back room, both of you, NOW!!! Bobby and the two men head down the hall into the back room. BOBBY (calling back to Sailor) If anyone comes in, herd 'em back here quick. CUT TO: 145. EXT. RAMOS FEED STORE - DAY Suddenly, an Iguana County DEPUTY SHERIFF cruises up in a patrol car and parks it on angle in front of the idling Eldo. The Deputy gets out of his car and walks over to the driver's side of the Eldorado. DEPUTY Waitin' for somebody, Miss? PERDITA Mi esposo. He's in the feed store picking up some supplies. DEPUTY You'd best be careful of that cigarette, Ma'am. It's about to burn down between your fingers. Perdita stubs out her Marlboro in the ashtray. PERDITA Gracias, officer. CUT TO: 146. INT. RAMOS FEED STORE - FRONT OFFICE - DAY The two old guys have their hands in the air and are moving back behind the counter. Bobby is just finishing tying off a bag of money. Sailor is by the front door holding his pistol on the two old guys. When Bobby finishes tying the money bag - he lifts the shotgun and blows a hole through the chest of one of the old men. Sailor goes into shock. SAILOR BOBBY!!!! STOP IT, MAN!!! CUT TO: 147. EXT. RAMOS FEED STORE - DAY Reacting to the shot, Perdita jams the gear shift into reverse and peels out, knocking the deputy down. CUT TO: 148. INT. RAMOS FEED STORE - FRONT OFFICE - DAY Sailor turns his pistol on Bobby now. Bobby spins his shotgun around and points it at Sailor. BOBBY You're next, fucker. The second old man is reaching under the counter. Sailor fires his .32 at Bobby. There are no live bullets in his pistol. It just makes a dry click. Bobby smiles and is just about to kill Sailor when out of the corner of his eye he catches sight of the second old man bringing out a big shotgun of his own. Bobby instinctively spins and empties the second barrel of his two-barrel shotgun into the old gentleman. As Bobby is reloading fast, Sailor sprints through the front door. Bobby is right behind him as he flys out the front door. 148A. EXT. RAMOS FEED STORE - DAY The deputy recovers and comes up on one knee with his revolver clasped in both hands. He fires his first shot into Bobby's thigh and his second into Bobby's left hip. The shock of the initial slug causes Bobby to drop the bag. The impact of the second forces Bobby's right hand to twist sideways to that both barrels of the shotgun wedge under his chin. The Ithaca goes off, blowing Bobby backwards through the RAMOS on the plate glass window of the feed store. Sailor hits the ground - losing the Smith as he falls. He puts his hand over his hosieried head and keeps his face in the dirt until the deputy orders him to stand up. CUT TO: 149. INT. IGUANA COUNTY COURTHOUSE - DAY Lula is sitting on a bench in the waiting room of the Iguana County Courthouse Building when Marietta and Santos walk in. As soon as she sees Lula, Marietta runs over, sits down next to her and hugs and kisses her. MARIETTA Oh baby, I was beginnin' to think I was never gonna see you again. Tears are pouring down Marietta's cheeks. She holds Lula to her and Lula does not resist. Lula just stares at Santos. MARIETTA You're comin' home, precious. Santos' gonna drive us to the San Antonio airport. LULA Mama, Sailor's in deep trouble here. I just can't leave him. Marietta takes Lula by the shoulders and looks straight at her. Lula's eyes are bloodshot, her hair is greasy and stringy, and her cheeks are pale. MARIETTA Oh, yes, you can. Santos steps forward. Lula begins to tremble. SANTOS Your mama's been real worried 'bout you, honey. Me too... Can you give your old friend Santos a hug, too? Santos' arms begin to go around Lula. Lula lets out a blood-curdling scream and shakes like a leaf on a tree. Santos grabs her hard - in a bear hug. On one shirt cuff we see a cufflink which is turquoise, orange, and silver. CUT TO: 150. INT. WALLS UNIT - DAY Sailor lays on his jail bed reading a letter from Lula. LULA (voice-over) Dearest Sailor Darling, The first thing you'll want to know is I'm keeping the baby. Mama wasn't for it in the beginning but I think she's looking forward to it. I'm gonna name it Pace no matter if it's a boy or a girl. Pace Ripley sounds good, don't it? It's kind of hard to believe that Pace will be six years old when you get out. I feel like I'm kind of in prison too, but I know in six months, it'll be over and I'll have a son or daughter to show for it. Our child!! I love you Sailor. I don't know how much or what it means though I miss you an awful bunch sometimes I know you're thinking about me cause I can feel it. I miss you not being around to call me peanut nobody else ever called me that. Mama married Santos. It just about drove me crazy. My daddy left a lot of money somehow and they're spending it like there is no tomorrow. I'm going to move out as soon as I can. Mama and Santos said because of the baby they're lookin' at the two of us in a different light - whatever that means. Johnnie Farragut has plumb disappeared. No one knows where. I miss him, but not near as much as I miss you. Time don't really fly honey does it? Love, your Lula P.S. I miss dancing... CUT TO: 151. INT. FORTUNE HOUSE - DAY Lula sits in her bedroom reading a letter from Sailor. SAILOR (voice-over) Dear Lula, It is fine with me about the baby as you already know. And Pace being your family name and all is just right. What about a middle name if it is a boy after my granddaddy Roscoe? He would be proud I know though he is long passed. Pace Roscoe Ripley does not sound so bad do you think? This place is not so pretty as Pee Dee. Not pretty at all. There are boys inside these walls meaner than Peru you can bet. There is a Death House. I am getting along. The only thing is not thinking about the future. I miss dancing with you, too. I love you. It is hard to end this letter. If I stop writing you're gone. There is not a lot more to say though. Vava con dios mi amor. Sailor LONG FADE OUT: CUT TO: 152. INT. MARIETTA FORTUNE'S HOUSE - EVENING/ 153. INT. LULA FORTUNE'S HOUSE - EVENING - (SIX YEARS LATER) Six years later... Lula stands in the living room holding a glass of ice water while talking on the telephone to her mother. Marietta is wearing a giant diamond ring on one hand and the other hand is holding a Martini and Rossi sweet vermouth. Marietta is slumped over in an ottoman with wheels and is pushing her drunken self around the livingroom as she talks on the phone. LULA I'm goin', mama. No way I can't go. MARIETTA You ain't takin' Pace, though. LULA Course I am, mama. MARIETTA (sighs) What time's Sailor's train get in? LULA Six. MARIETTA Got any plans? LULA Figure we'll go have supper someplace. Maybe get some barbecue out by Stateline. Sailor always liked that Havana Brown's Pig Pickin'. MARIETTA Well, you be careful with that boy, Lula. LULA Sailor ain't a boy no more, mama. MARIETTA Don't mean him. It's Pace concerns me. LULA Really, mama, I gotta go. MARIETTA What if I asked you not to? LULA Wouldn't make any difference. MARIETTA What if I told you not to? LULA (forcefully) Mama ... if you get in the way of me and Sailor's happiness, I'll fuckin' pull your arms out by the roots. Lula hangs up and throws her glass of water at a picture of her mother - draining it. CUT TO: 154. INT. LULA'S CAR - EVENING PACE ROSCOE FORTUNE is a shy, polite, innocent six-year old who wears a long-billed fishing cap and pants with suspenders. PACE How'll we know what he looks like? Lula makes a wide left turn onto Jeff Davis Highway without signaling, causing the driver of a white Bonneville headed across the intersection to jam on his brakes in order to avoid a collision. The Bonneville driver sits on his horn and shouts at Lula. PACE Mama, you almost crashed us. Lula steadies the steering wheel of her Camaro with her left elbow while she strikes a match and lights up a More. She throws the match out the window and takes possession of the wheel with both hands, the cigarette is clamped in her teeth. LULA Don't give me no trouble now, Pace, please. This ain't the easiest day in a long time. And what do you mean how are we gonna know what your daddy looks like? You seen his photo. PACE How'll he know what we look like? He seen our photo? Lula puffs furiously several times on her More before she takes it out of her mouth and drops it. LULA Damn it, child! Now look what you made me do. PACE What I made you do, mama? Lula feels around on the floor with one hand until she finds the cigarette. Sirens can be heard up ahead. LULA Nothin', honey. (stubbing it out in the ashtray) Mama's just actin' strange. PACE You ain't actin', mama. LULA Why, Pace Roscoe Ripley, ain't you got one cute mouth tonight? They pass an automobile accident where a man has been thrown into the curb - his head broken open and bleeding. The ambulance is just arriving. Lula looks away. CUT TO: 155. ACCIDENT - EVENING A CRAZY MAN in a wheelchair is wheel up to the accident victim, who is bleeding profusely and in a state of shock. The man in the wheelchair stares at him for a moment. WHEELCHAIR MAN Hey man... HEY... Same fuckin' thing happened to me last year... CUT TO: 156. INT. LULA'S CAR - EVENING Pace looks up at his mother. PACE I still ain't sure what my daddy looks like. LULA Like you, sweetheart. You and your daddy got the same mouth, eyes, ears, and nose. Only difference is your color hair is like mine. PACE My daddy ain't never killed nobody, has he, mama? LULA Course he ain't never killed nobody. Why'd you say that, Pace? PACE Heard grandpa Santos and grandmama talkin'. LULA And? PACE Grandmama said how Sailor murdered a man. LULA Wrong, baby. Your daddy never committed no murder. Musta been you didn't hear grandmama proper. He made some mistakes, is all. Your daddy ain't always been so lucky... We're almost at the depot, honey. Sit back a minute. CUT TO: 157. EXT. TRAIN STATION - EVENING Lula pulls the Camaro into in the station parking lot and kills the engine. PACE Why we sittin' here, mama? LULA Thinkin' a second, baby. Lula gets out and goes around for Pace. They hold hands as they walk toward the station. The big clock on the side of the building shows ten minutes past six. PACE I'm scared, mama. LULA Why, honey? PACE Case daddy don't like me. What if he don't like that I don't got his color hair. LULA Pace, your daddy'd love you even if you didn't have no hair at all. CUT TO: 158. INT. TRAIN STATION - EVENING Lula sees Sailor as soon as she opens the door. He is sitting in an orange plastic chair against the opposite wall, smoking a cigarette. LULA Still partial to Camels, huh? Sailor smiles. SAILOR First pack of tailor-mades I had in a while. He stands up and looks down at Pace, who is still holding hands with Lula. Sailor puts out his right hand. SAILOR You must be my son. LULA Shake hands with your daddy. Pace releases Lula's hand and puts his own in Sailor's. Sailor grips it gently but firmly, pumps once, then lets go. SAILOR Pleasure to meet you, Pace. I read a lot about you. Sailor looks at Lula. Her eyes are full of tears and she lets them loose. Sailor tries to smile. LULA You hungry? Pace and I ain't had dinner yet. SAILOR Lead the way. Sailor picks up his black metal suitcase and follows them to the car. CUT TO: 159. INT. LULA'S CAR - NIGHT Lula drives. SAILOR No rag top, huh? Lula starts to reply, then stops. She stares straight ahead, gripping the wheel hard. Suddenly, she pulls over to the side of the road, turns off the engine and gets out of the car. PACE What's wrong, mama? SAILOR (turning to Pace and patting his head) Don't worry, son. Just stay here. Sailor gets out and goes over to Lula, who is leaning back against the hood. LULA I'm sorry, Sailor. I just can't help it. Give me a minute and I'll quit. SAILOR Boys frightened, Lula. This ain't no good. LULA Really, Sail, I'll be okay. SAILOR It's a mistake, honey. You two go on. I'll walk back to the depot. LULA What're you talkin' about? That's your son in there. SAILOR He ain't never known me, Lula, so there ain't much for him to forget. Not seein' each other for six years makes it next best to simple for us, too. LULA How can you say that, Sailor? SAILOR What makes sense, is all. Sailor goes around to the driver's side, reaches in and pulls the keys out of the ignition. He unlocks the trunk, removes his suitcase, and closes the lid. LULA Don't do this, Sailor, please. Sailor slips the keys in her shirt pocket and leans his head into the car. SAILOR (to Pace) Oiga, amigo. If ever somethin' don't feel right to you, remember what Pancho said to The Cisco Kid... �Let's went, before we are dancing at the end of a rope, without music.' Sailor stands up and looks at Lula. Her eye makeup runs in dark streaks down her face. ECU of Lula's eyes. Her eye makeup runs like black sweat over eyes and down her cheeks as in Sailor's dream. SAILOR You been doin' fine without me, peanut. There ain't no need to make life tougher'n it has to be. He picks up his suitcase, kisses Lula lightly on the lips and walks away. She lets him go. CUT TO: 160. EXT. CITY STREET - LATE AFTERNOON/EVENING Sailor walks down the street pretending hard not to care. CUT TO: 161. INT. LULA'S CAR - LATE AFTERNOON/EVENING Lula climbs in behind the wheel - sobbing. Pace sits sadly, staring out the window. CUT TO: 162. EXT. CITY STREET - LATE AFTERNOON/EVENING Sailor continues walking down the street. A GANG OF INSANE KILLER TEENAGERS on PCP appear and come towards Sailor. They circle around him, coming in closer for the kill. SAILOR What do you faggots want? That's all it takes. The gang is on him. Sailor tries to defend himself, but one big punch to his nose sends him down and out. Blood begins to pour from his swelling nose. 162A. EXT. CITY STREET - LATE AFTERNOON/EVENING CU OF SAILOR'S FACE - a bright light illuminates it. In the sky above Sailor, a large glowing bubble holding the beautiful Good Witch of the North comes floating down above him. GOOD WITCH Sailor Ripley... Sailor's eyes suddenly see the Good Witch through his closed eyelids. His mouth speaks through closed lips. SAILOR The Good Witch... GOOD WITCH Sailor... Lula loves you. SAILOR But I'm a robber and a manslaughterer and I haven't had any parental guidance. GOOD WITCH She's forgiven you of all these things ... You love her... Don't be afraid, Sailor. SAILOR But I'm wild at heart. GOOD WITCH If you are truly wild at heart, you'll fight for your dreams... Don't turn away from love, Sailor... Don't turn away from love... Don't turn away from love. The Good Witch disappears. 162. EXT. CITY STREET - LATE AFTERNOON/EVENING Sailor opens his eyes and drags himself and his giant swollen nose up on his feet. The gang still stands around him. GANG MEMBER You had enough, asshole? SAILOR Yes, I have... And I wanna apologize to you gentlemen for referring to you as homosexuals. I also want to thank you fellas, you've taught me a valuable lesson in life. (lifts his head high) LULA!!!! Sailor turns around and starts running back. The gang watches him go. CUT TO: 163. INT. LULA'S CAR - LATE AFTERNOON/EVENING Lula sits in the car in the middle of a giant traffic jam. She is still crying and horns are honking all around them. CUT TO: 164. EXT. CITY STREET - LATE AFTERNOON/EVENING Sailor runs up the street, holding his nose and SCREAMING LULA'S NAME. He rounds a corner and spots her in the middle of a sea of cars. He starts running towards her - leaping from one car to another until he jumps on the hood of Lula's car. She sees him. SAILOR LULA!!!! LULA SAILOR!!!! Lula wriggles out of the car and flys into his arms. Behind them is a giant golden sunset. As they embrace - the sound of the horns goes away. Lula's gaze goes to a reflection of golden light on a windshield. It is the same abstract scene she saw before in her room in Big Tuna, but now she knows what it is. It is Pace's happy, smiling eyes looking up at the two of them in love. Sailor, with a giant blue nose, looks into Lula's eyes and sings "Love Me Tender." The people in their cars, and the people on the street look on with a feeling of love and happiness in their hearts. THE END

Camden Town, London. 1969 The Flat. [A few shafts of sunlight sneak through the curtains and illuminate a sitting room. There are empty bottles everywhere. 'I', who is smoking a joint, gets up somewhat precariously and walks into a kitchen which is full of bottles and dirty washing up. He lights the gas on the stove and puts on the kettle.] ['I' knocks on the door to Withnail's bedroom] I: I'm having a cup of tea, do you want one? [He waits for a response.] I: Do you want a cup of tea Withnail!? Withnail: No. ['I' leaves the flat, slamming the front door behind him] --------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Cafe ['I' is reading a paper at a table in the cafe. The proprietor is cooking eggs in a frying pan full of grease. She takes one out, inserts it between two slices of bread and places it in front of an elderly woman who inspects it doubtfully and bites into the sandwhich. Yolk runs out of the other edge. 'I' turns his attention to his paper. The story is about a transexual, the headline 'Love made up my mind, I had to become a woman'. He looks around at the other customers.] I [mentally]: Thirteen million Londoners have to cope with this, and bake beans and allbran and rape, and I'm sitting in this bloody shack and I can't cope with Withnail. I must be out of my mind. I must go home at once and discuss his problems in depth. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Flat [I stumbles up the barely lit stairs looking unwell. Withnail emerges from his room holding a bottle and glass and follows him.] Withnail: I have some extremely distressing news. I: I don't want to hear it. I don't want to hear anything. Oh God, it's a nightmare out there I tell you. Withnail [pouring some wine]: We've just run out of wine what are we going to do about it? I: I don't know. I don't know. I don't feel good. Look! My thumbs have gone weird. I'm in the middle of a fucking overdose. My hearts beating like a fucked clock. I feel dreadful, I feel fucking dreadful. Withnail: So do I. So does everyone. Look at my tongue. A grey yellow sock. Sit down for Christ's sake, what's the matter with you? Eat some sugar. [I goes into the kitchen which is by now full of steam and turns off the kettle. Withnail follows him around reading from a newspaper.] Withnail: Listen to this. "Curse of the superman. I took drugs to win medals said top athlete Geoff Woade." I: Where's the coffee? Withnail [reading from the paper]: "In a world exclusive interview 33 year old shot putter Geoff Woade who weight 317 pounds, admitted taking massive doses of anabolic steroids, drugs banned in sport. It used to get him bad tempered and act down said his wife. He used to pick on me. But now he's stopped his much better in our sex life and in our general life." [I pours water from the kettle into a bowl and goes back into the living room. Withnail follows him.] Withnail: My God, this huge, thatched head with its earlobes and cannonball is now considered sane. "Geoff Woade is feeling better and is now prepared to step back into society and start tossing his orb about." Look at him. Look at Geoff Woade. His head must weight fifty pounds on its own. [Withnail stands infront of a mirror and brushes his long, greasy hair with a comb. I sits on the settee and starts drinking the coffee from the bowl using a spoon.] Withnail: Imagine the size of his balls. Imagine getting into a fight with the fucker! I: Please! I don't feel good. Withnail: That's what you'd say but that wouldn't wash with Geoff. No! He'd like a bit of pleading. Add spice to it. In fact, he'd probably tell you what he was going to do before he did it. "I'm going to pull you head off". "Oh no, please, don't pull my head off". "I'm going to pull your head off because I don't like your head!" [he notives I drinking from the bowl.] Withnail: Have you got soup? Why didn't I get any soup? I: Coffee Withnail: Why don't you use a cup like any other human being? I: Why don't you wash up occasionally like any other human being? Withnail: How dare you!? How dare you!? How dare you call me inhumane!? I: I didn't call you inhumane, you merely imagined it. Calm down. Withnail: Right you fucker - I'm going to do the washing up! [He strides towards the kitchen. I jumps over the arm of the settee and stops him.] I: No no you can't. It's impossible I swear it. I've looked into in. Listen to me listen to me. There are things in there, there's a tea-bag growing. You haven't slept in sixty hours you're in no state to tackle it. Wait till the morning we'll go in together. Withnail: This is the morning. Stand aside! I: You don't understand. I think there may be something alive. Withnail: What do you mean? a rat? I: It's possible, it's possible. Withnail [brandishing his comb]: Then the fucker will rue the day! [He rushes up the the sink.] Withnail: Oh Christ Almighty. Synous nicotine based. Keep back, keep back. The entire sink's gone rotten. I don't know what's in here. [He picks up the kettle from the stove then throws it suddenly into the sink.] I: I told you. you've been bitten! Withnail: Burnt, burnt, the fucking kettle's on fire. I: There's something floating up. Withnail [with a fork in his hand]: Fork it! I: No no no, I don't want to touch it. Withnail: You must you must. The poop will boil through the glaze. We'll never be able to use the dinner service again. [He rumages about in a drawer.] Withnail: Here, get it with the pliers! I: No, no, no, no, no, no. Give me the gloves. Withnail: That's right, put on the gloves. Don't attempt anything without the gloves. [I starts to move things about in the sink rather gingerly.] Withnail: What is it? What have you found? I: Matter. Withnail: Matter? Where's it coming from? I: Don't look. Don't look. I'm dealing with it! Withnail: I think we've been in here too long. I feel unusual. I think we should go outside. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Park [Withnail and I walk along a path in the park.] Withnail: This is ridiculous, look at me. I'm thirty in a month and I've got a sole flapping off my shoe. I: It'll get better, it has to. Withnail: Easy for you to say lovey. You've had an audition. Why can't I have an audition. It's ridiculous: I've been to drama school. I'm good looking. I tell you, I've a fuck sight more talent that half the rubbish that gets of TV. Why can't I get on TV? I: Well I don't know. It'll happen. Withnail: Will it? That's what you say. The only programme I'm likely to get on is the fucking news. I tell you, I can't take much more of this. I'm going to crack. I: I'm in the same boat. Withnail: Yeah, yeah. I feel as sick as a pike. I'm going to have to sit down. [ They sit at a bench in the park.] I: You know what we should do? I say, you know what we should do? Withnail: How should I possibly know what we should do? What should we do? I: Get out of it for a while. Get into the countryside. Rejuvenate. Withnail: Rejuvenate! I'm in a park and I'm practically dead. What good's the countryside? What time is it? I: It's eight. Withnail: Fours hours to opening time. God help us. Have we got any embrocation? I: What for? Withnail: To rub on ourselves you fool. We'll cover ourselves in deep heat and get up against a radiator. Keep ourselves alive until twelve. [He spits.] Withnail: Jesus, look at that. Apart from a raw potato that's the only solid to have passed my lips in the last sixty hours. I must be ill. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Flat [I is writting in a notebook on the settee while Withnail wonders round wearing his overcoat and his underpants, smearing himself with deep heat.] I [mentally]: Even a stopped clock tells the right time twice a day. And for once I'm inclined to believe Withnail is right; we are indeed drifting into the arena of the unwell. Making an enemy of our own future. What we need is harmony. Fresh air. Stuff like that. Withnail: Wasn't much in the tube. there's nothing left for you. I: Why don't you ask your father for some money. If we had some money we could go away. Withnail [inspecting a bottle for dregs]: Why don't you ask your father. How can it be so cold in here. It's like Greenland in here. We've got to get some booze. It's the only solution to this intense cold. Something's got to be done. We can't go on like this. I'm a trained actor reduced to the status of a bum. I mean look at us! Nothing that reasonable members of society demand as their rights! No fridges, no televisions, no phones. Much more of this and I'm going to apply for meals on wheels. I: What happened to your cigar commercial? Withnail: That's what I want to know. what happened to my cigar commercial. What happened to my agent? Bastard must have died. I: September. Bad patch. Withnail: Rubbish. Haven't seen Gylgod down the labour exchange. Why doesn't he retire. [He picks up a paper.] Withnail: Look at this little bastard. Boy lands plumb role for top Italian director. Of course his does. Probably on a tenner a day and i know what for: Two pound ten a tit and a fiver for his arse. [He points accusingly at I.] Withnail: Have you been at the controls!? I: What are you talking about? Withnail: The thermostats. what have you done to them? I: I haven't touched them. Withnail: Then why has my head gone numb. I must have some booze. I demand to have some booze. [He lunges towards the mantlepiece where there is a bottle of lighter fluid.] I [standing up]: I wouldn't drink that if I were you. Withnail: Why not? I: Because I don't advise it. Even the wankers on the site wouldn't drink that. That's worse than meths. Withnail: Nonsense, this is a far superior drink to meths. The wankers don't drink it because they can't afford it. [He pours the contents of the bottle into his upturned mouth.] Withnail: Ah. Ah. Have you got anymore? [I shakes his head. Withnail presses forwards and I backs off.] Withnail: Liar, what's in your toolbox? I: No we have nothing. Sit down! Withnail: Liar, you've got antifreeze. I: You bloody fool. You should never mix your drinks! [Withnail laughs histerically, collapses to the floor and emits unpleasant vomitting noises.] ---------------------------------------------------------------------- The Street [They walk towards a rather rough looking pub: 'The Old Mother Blackcap'.] Withnail: All right, this is the plan. We get in there and get wrecked. Then we'll eat a pork pie. Then we drop a couple of soamser fifties each; means we'll miss out Monday but come up smilling Tuesday morning. What's that appalling smell? I: Perfume on my boots. I had to scrub the with essence of petunia. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- The Pub [Withnail moves somewhat precariously to the bar. The pub is a simple affair with a few men sat round at tables drinking.] Withnail: Two large gins, two pints of cider. Ice in the cider. I: If my father was loaded I'd ask him for some money. Withnail: If your father was my father you wouldn't get it. Barman: : There you are lads. Withnail: Chin chin. [Withnail chinks his glass against the other, which I has not picked up yet, and downs the gin in one. I follows suit but gags slightly.] I: Ugh. What about what-his-name? Withnail: What about him? I: Why don't you give him a call. Withnail: What for? I: Ask him about his house. Withnail: You want me to call what-his-name and ask him about his house? I: Why not? Withnail: Alright. what's his number? I: I've no idea - I've never met him. Withnail: Well neither have I. What the fuck are you talking about? I: Your relative with a house in the country. Withnail: Monty? Uncle Monty? I: That's him. That's the one. Get the Jag fixed up. Spend the weekend in the country. Withnail: Alright. Give us a tenner and I'll give him a bell. I: Get a couple more in. I'm going for a slash. [Next to the door to the gents is a rather large Irish man sat with his pint and his paper.] Big Irish man: Ponce [I ignores him and goes into the gents.] I [to himself]: I could hardly piss straight with fear. he was a man with 3/4 of an inch of brain who'd taken a dislike to me. What had I done to offend him? I don't consciously offend big men like this. And this one's a decided imbalance of hormone in him. Get any more masculine than that and you'd have to live up a tree. [he reads the grafitti] 'I fuck arses', Who fucks arses? [aloud] Maybe he fucks arses. [to himself again] Maybe he's written this in some moment of drunken sincerity. I'm in considerable danger in here. I must get out of here at once. [He walks back into the bar.] Big Irish man: Perfumed ponce! [Withnail is still at the bar. He has made considerable progress with his cider and is eating some snack.] Withnail: You'll be pleased to hear Monte's invited us for drinks. I: Balls to Monty we're getting out. Withnail: Balls to Monty!? I've just spent an hour flattering the bugger. I: There's a man over there doesn't like the perfume. The big one. Don't look, don't look. We're in danger, we've got to get out. Withnail: What are you talking about? I: I've been called a ponce. [Withnail turns to address the room in general.] Withnail: What fucker said that!? [The large Irish gentleman in the corner gets up and walks over to them. Now he is upright we see he is very large indeed and does not look friendly.] Big Irish man: I called him a ponce. And now I'm calling you one. Ponce! Withnail (smiling): Would you like a drink? Big Irish man: What's your name McFuck!? [As he says this he jerks the scarf from around Withnail's neck.] Withnail: I've a heart condition. I've a heart condition. If you hit me it's murder! Big Irish man: I'll murder the pair of y'ers. Withnail: My wife's having a baby. Listen, I don't know what my f.. [he starts to say friend but decides on a better course of action] acquaintance did to upset you but it's nothing to do with me. I suggest you both go outside and discuss it sensibly, in the street. [They push past the man and rush to the door.] Withnail: Ahhhh, out of my way. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Bathroom [I is in the bath shaving.] I: Speed is like a dozen transatlantic flights without ever getting off the plane. Timechange. You lose, you gain. Makes no difference so long as you keep taking the pills. But sooner or later you've got to get out because it's crashing then all at once the frozen hours melt out through the nervous system and seep out the pores. [Withnail enters with their lunch from the chippy] Withnail: The bastards. Justice suck. It's a miserable cheap cigar and the bastards won't see me. I: Why are we having lunch in here? Withnail: It's dinner and Danny's here. I: Danny!? How did he get in? Withnail: I let him in this morning. He lost one of his clogs. He's come in because of the perpetual cold. I hope the buggers sales plummet. I: I've got your savaloy. Here. I don't want it. Withnail: Then stick it in the soap tray and save it for later. [He scrunches up the paper that was holding his chips and puts it in the toilet] I: Don't vent spleen on me. I'm in the same boat. Withnail: Stop saying that. You're not in the same boat. The only thing you're in that I've been in is this fucking bath. I: Danny's here. Head hunter to his friends. Head hunter to everybody. He doesn't have any friends. The only people he converses with are his clients and occasionally the police. The purveyor of rare herbs and prescribed chemicals is back. Will we never be set free? ---------------------------------------------------------------------- The Flat [I comes out of the bathroom wrapped in a towel.] I: Danny. Danny: You're looking very beautiful man. Have you been away? St. Peter preached the epistles to the apostles looking like that. Have you got any food. I: Mmm, As a matter of fact, got a savaloy. Danny: How much is it? I: You can have it for nothing. [Danny sniffs the sausage. Withnail enters from the kitchen gluing the sole back on his shoe. He is wearing a rather expensive looking suit.] Danny: I see you're wearing a suit. Withnail: What's it got to do with you? Danny: No need to get uptight man. I was merely making an observation. I happened to be looking for a suit for the coal man two weeks ago. For reasons I can't really discuss with you the coal man had to go to Jamaica. Got busted coming back through Heathrow, had the weight under his fez. We wored out that it would be handycarma for him to get hold of a suit but he's a very low temperature spade the coal man, went into court wearing a kaftan and a bell. This doesn't go down at all well. They can handle the kaftan but they can't handle the bell. So there's this judge sitting there sitting in a cape like fucking batman with this really rather far out looking hat Withnail: A wig. Danny: No man, this was more like a long white hat. So he looks at the coalman and says 'what's all this. This is a court man. This ain't fancy dress' and the coal man looks at him and says 'you think you look normal, your honour?'. Cunt give him two years. [I laughs a little. Withnail looks on unamuzed.] Danny: I'm afraid I can't offer you gentlemen anything. I: That's alright Danny. We'd decided to lay off for a bit. Danny: That's what I thought. Except for personal use I concur with you. as a matter of fact i was thinking of retiring and going into business Withnail [Scoffing]: Doing what? Danny: The toy industry. [There is a stange looking contraption on the table involving a bottle.] Withnail: Thought you were in the bottle industry. Danny: No man, that's a side line. You can have that. Instructions are included. Yeah. My partner's got a really good idea for making dolls. His name's 'Presuming Ed'. His sister give him the idea. She got a doll on Christmas what pisses itself. Withnail: Really. Danny: Then you've got to change its draws for it. Horrible really but they're like that the little girls. So we're going to make one that shits itself too. Withnail: Shits itself!? Danny: He's an expert. He's building the prototype now. [To I] Why's he behaving so uptightly. Withnail: Because a gang of cheroot vendors consider a hair cut beyond the limit of my abilities Danny: I don't advise a hair cut man. All hairdressers are in the employment of the government. Hair are your aerials. They pick up signals from the cosmos and transmit them directly into the brain. This is the reason bold-headed men are uptight. Withnail: What absolute twaddle. Danny: Has he just been busted? I: No. Danny: Then why's he wearing that old suit? Withnail: Old suit? This suit was cut by Hawke's of Saville row. Just because the best tailoring you've ever seen is above you fucking appendix doesn't mean anything. Danny: Don't get uptight with me man. Because if you do I'll have to give you a dose of medicine and if I spike you you'll know you've been spoken to. Withnail: You wouldn't spike me you're too mean. Besides, there's nothing invented I couldn't take. Danny: If I medicined you you'd think a brain tumour was a birthday present. Withnail: I could take double anything you could. Danny [removing his sunglasses]: Very, very foolish words man. I: He's right Withnail. Look at him . His mechanisms gone. He's had more drugs than you've had hot dinners. Withnail: I'm not having this shag-sack insulting me. Let him get his drugs out. [Danny gets a doll out of a bag.] Danny: This doll is extremely dangerous. It has voodoo qualities. [Withnail snorts. Danny takes the head off the doll and extracts a handful of pills.] Danny: Trade: Phenodihydrochloride benzelex. Street: The embalmer. Withnail: Balls. I'll swallow it and run a mile. Danny: Cool your boots man. This pill's valued at two quid. Withnail: Two quid! You're out of your mind. I: That's sense Withnail. Withnail: You can stuff it up your arse for nothing and fuck off while you're doing it. Danny: No need to insult me man. I was leaving anyway. Have either of you got shoes? --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Monte's house [A battered Jag pulls up outside Monte's house and Withnail and I get out. There is a rather flash looking open-topped Rolls parked outside. The sound of a Schubert piano sonata comes from the house.] Withnail: Monte's car. [Withnail knocks on the door. Monte, a rather fat, effeminate, middle-aged gentleman, opens the door. He is holding a very large fluffy cat and a watering can.] Monty: Oh hello. Come in. [They enter and go into the lounge.] Monty: Sit down do. Would you like a drink? [They sit together on a sette.] Withnail: Sherry! Monty: [To withnail] Sherry. [To I] Sherry? I: Sherry. Monty: Sherry. [Monty moves to the sideboard and pours the drinks. Withnail lights up yet another cigarette.] Monty: Do you like vegetables? I've always been fond of root crops but I only started to grow last summer. I happen to think the cauliflower more beautiful than the rose. Withnail: Chin chin. [He drinks the sherry.] Monty: Do you grow? Withnail: Geraniums. Monty: Oh you little traitors. I think the carrot infinitely more fascinating than the geranium. The carrot has mystery. Flowers are essentially tarts. Prostitutes for the bees. There is you'll agree a certain je ne ses quoi oh so very special about a firm young carrot. Excuse me. Do help yourselves to another drink. [Withnail turns and reaches a bottle over from the sideboard. He takes a long swig. ] I: What's all this. The man's mad. Withnail: Eccentric. I: Eccentric? He's insane. Not only that he's a raving homosexual. [There is a yowl from the cat. Monte storms back into the room preceded by the cat.] Monty: You beastly little parasite. How dare you? You little thug. How dare you? Ooohhhh. Beastly ungrateful little swine. [He deposits his considerable bulk on the other settee, facing the first.] Withnail: Shall I get you a drink Monte? Monty: Yes. Yes please dear boy. You can prepare me a small rhesus negative Bloody Mary. And you must tell me all the news. I haven't seen you since you finished your last film. [I smiles wriley to himself. Withnail downs the drink he has prepared for himself, pours another and starts making the Bloody Mary for Monty.] Withnail: Rather busy uncle. TV and stuff. My agent's trying to edge me towards the Royal Shakespeare again. Monty: Oh splendid. Withnail: He's just had an audition for rep. Monty: Oh splendid. So you're a thespian too? [Withnail delivers Monte's drink and sits beside him.] Withnail: Monte used to act. Monty: I'd hardly say that. It's true I crept the boards in my youth but I never had it in my blood and that's what so essential isn't it? Theatrical zeal in the veins. Alas, I have little more that vintage wine and memories. [He stands and looks at a photograph on the mantlepiece.] Monty: It is the most shattering experience of a young man's life when he awakes and quite reasonable says to himself: [He puts his hand on his heart] I will never play The Dane. When that moment comes, ones ambition ceases. Don't you agree? Withnail: A part I intend to play, Uncle. Monty: And you'll be marvelous. [He starts quoting from Hamlet] We do it wrong, being so majestical. To offer it the show of violence...... [As Monte rambles in the background I steps over to Withnail and whispers.] I: He's a madman. Any moment now he's going to rush out and get into his tights. Withnail: Ok ok. Give me a minute. I: The house or out. [Withnail stands and moves over to Monte.] Withnail: Could I have a word with you Monte? Monty: Oh forgive me dear boy, forgive me. I was allowing memories to have the better of me. Withnail: Shall I get you a top up? [He moves to the sideboard again. Monte sits down and reminisces.] Monty: Indeed I remember my first agent. Raymond Duck. Dreadful little Israelite. Four floors up at the charring cross and never a job at the top of them. I'm told you're a writer too. Do you write poems? I: No, I wish I could. It's just thoughts really. Monty: Have you published? I: No no. Monty: Where did you school? Withnail: He went to the other place Monte. Monty: Oh you went to Eton? [The cat reappears on I's chair.] Monty: Get that damned little swine out of here. It's trying to get itself in with you. It's trying for even more advantage. It's obsessed with its gut - its like a rugby ball now. It will die, it will die! [He storms around ineffectually.] Withnail: Monte, Monte. Monty: No dear boy you must leave, you must leave. Once again that oaf has destroyed my day. Withnail: Listen Monte. Can I just have a quick word in private. Monty: Oh, very well. [Later they are leaving the house. Monty shows them to the door.] Monty: Good night my dears. Withnail: Good night Monty. [Monty closes the inner door to the porch behind them.] I: What's all this going off in private business? Why did you tell him I went to Eton? Withnail: Because it wouldn't have helped if I hadn't. I: What do you mean by that? Withnail [Showing him the key to the cottage.]: Free to those that can afford it. Very expensive to those that can't. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- The car [They leave Camden in I's battered old Jag. Withnail, still in his suit, has a bottle and is clearly drunk. They pass some schoolgirls.] Withnail: Scrubbers! Scrubber: Up yours grandad! Withnail: Scrubbers! scrubbers! I: Shut up. Withnail: Little tarts they love it. I: Listen, I'm trying to drive this thing as quietly as possible. If you don't shut up we'll get stopped by the police. [The pass a notice anouncing an accident blackspot.] Withnail: Look at that, look at that. Accident black spot. These aren't accidents. They're throwing themselves into the road gladly. Throwing themselves into the road to escape all this hideousness. [To a pedestrian] Throw yourselves into the road darling, you haven't got a chance. [Somewhat later they join the motorway.] Withnail: At some point or another I want to stop and get hold of a child. I: What do you want a child for? Withnail: To tutor it in the ways of righteousness and procure some uncontaminated urine. [He takes out the bottle and instructions provided by Danny.] Withnail: This is a device enabling the drunken driver to operate in absolute safety. You fill this with piss, take this pipe down the trouser and sellotape this valve to the end of the old chap. Then you get horrible drunk and they can't fucking touch you. According to these instructions, you refuse everything except a urine sample. You undo your valve, give them a dose of unadulterated child's piss and they have to give you your keys back. Danny's a genius. I'm going to have a doze. [They drive on. Later, with the light fading, they leave the motorway. It becomes clear that the car has only one functioning headlight. Still later it is totally dark and raining heavily. I stops and attempts to transfer the single wiper from Withnail's side of the car to his own but it refuses to come off. He gets back in the car and in shutting the door wakes Withnail, who looks considerably the worse for wear.] Withnail: Are we there? I: No, we're not we're here and we're in the middle of a fucking gale. Now you'll have to keep a look out your side. If you see anything tell me. Get hold of that map. Withnail: Where's the whisky? I: What for? Withnail: I've got a bastard behind the eyes. I can't take aspirins without a drink. Where's the aspirin? I: Probably in the bathroom. Withnail: You mean we've come out here in the middle of fucking nowhere without aspirins? I: Where are we? Withnail: How should i know where we are. I feel like a pig shat in my head. I: Now get hold of that map and look for a place called Crow Crag. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- The cottage [They draw up in a yard and get out of the car. Withnail staggers around aimlessly as I gets the baggage from the boot.] Withnail: There must and shall be aspirins. I: Give me the key and get out of the way. Withnail: If I don't get aspirin I shall die here on this fucking mountainside. [They enter the house. I lights a match and finds a lantern which he lights. As the light comes up the inside of the cottage becomes visible. It is rather spartan.] Withnail: Christ almighty [I looks round a little more thouroughly. He notices a picture of Monty on the wall.] I: Monty! [He looks accross to Withnail who is sat dejectedly in a chair.] I: What are you doing? Withnail: Sitting down to enjoy my holiday I: Right, now we're going to have to approach this scientifically. First thing we've got to do is get this fire alight, then we split into two fact finding groups. I'll deal with the water and the plumbings, you check the fuel and wood situation. [A little later Withnail re-enters the cottage from a rather wet and windy night. He is holding a small stick.] I: What's that? Withnail: The fuel and wood situation. There's nothing out there except a hurricane. This place is uninhabitable. [They sit close to the fire, which is rather small.] I: Give it a chance. It's got to warm up Withnail: Warm up!? We may as well sit round a cigarette. This is ridiculous. We'll be found dead in here next spring. [He attemps half-heartedly to light a cigarette.] Withnail: I've got a blinding fucking headache. Got to have heat! [He stands and smashes a chair against the floor. A little later the fire is burning considerably higher.] Withnail: Problem's we've got to keep this bastard burning I: Well we've got enough furniture for tonight. Tomorrow we get down that farm and get some logs. Withnail: This is a mistake I tell you. This is a dreadful mistake. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- I's bedroom [I wakes the next morning and gets out of bed. He checks on Withnail who is still asleep. He steps outside and walks accross the yard to examine the view. It is quite magnificent. Later, he is dressed and walks down to the farm. The building is surrounded by an assortment of farmyard junk. He knocks at the door] Old woman: Who's there? I: Me! [The door opens cautiously and an old woman peers out inquiringly.] Old woman: What do you want? I: I'm a friend of Montague Withnail. He's lent us his cottage. I wondered if you could sell us some food. Eggs and things. [She looks blankly at him.] I: What about wood and coal? [Again, he elicits no responce. Seeing she is wearing a hearing aid, he bends down and talks directly to it.] I: I'm not from London you know! Old woman: I don't care where you come from. [She slams the door. I walks away.] I: [to himself] Not the attitude I'd been given to expect from the H E Bates novel I'd read. I thought they'd all be out the back drinking cider, discussing butter. Clearly a myth. Evidently country people and no more receptive to strangers than city dwellers. [He walks back to the house and addresses the door.] I: Do you think you could tell me where I could buy some coal and wood? Old woman: You'll have to see my son. He runs this farm. I: Where is you son? Old woman: Up in top field. You can't miss him, his legs bound in polythyne. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- The cottage [I walks back into the yard outside the cottage, slips, and falls in the mud. He picks himself up and storms inside.] I: Withnail you bastard wake up. [He bangs on the ceiling and moves to the sink to wash.] I: Oye, wake up you bastard you've got to get wood. [Withnail enters, dressed already and wrapped in a blanket.] Withnail: Jesus, you're covered in shit. I: I tried to get fuel and wood, there's a miserable little pensioner down there wouldn't give it me. Withnail: Where are we going to get it then? I: There's a man up on the mountain. Why he's up there, fuck knows, but he's up there with a leg bound in polythene, you can't miss him, he's your man. And have another look in that shed. Find anything. If you can't find anything, bring in the shed. [Later, they are sat down to a simple lunch.] I: How come Monty owns such a horrible little shack? Withnail: No idea. I: You never discuss your family do you? Withnail: I fail to see my family's of any interest to you. I've absolutely no interest in yours. I dislike relatives in general and in particular mine. I: Why? Withnail: I've told you why. We're incompatible. They don't like me being on stage. [He stands up and takes a foil from its bracket on the wall and strides up and down in actorly fashion.] I: Then they must be delighted with your career. Withnail: What do you mean? I: You rarely are. [Withnail points the sword menacingly, although there is a cork on the end.] Withnail: You just wait. Just you wait. When I strike they won't know what hit them. [He hears a noise from outside.] Withnail: Tractor approaching. [He goes to the window and knocks his head on the lantern hanging from the ceiling.] I: Then get after it. That's the man. [They rush out of the cottage and pursue the tractor.] Withnail: Hey, stop! I: Stop Withnail: Stop I: Stop please! [The tractor driver notices them and stops.] Withnail: Stop please! Please stop! [They run up to the side of the tractor and address the driver, Mr Parkin.] Withnail: Are you the farmer? [To I] Shut up, I'll deal with this. [to Parkin] We've gone on holiday by mistake. We're in this cottage here. Are you the farmer? I: Stop saying that Withnail, of course he's the fucking farmer. [To Parkin] We're friends of Montague Withnail, we desperately need fuel and wood. [The farmer shakes his head, bewildered.] I: Montegue Withnail, you must know him. Fat man, owns the cottage. Parkin: Ay, seen the fat man. London type. Queer sort. Think his name's French or something. Withnail: French!? Parkin: Ay, Adrian de la Touche. He hasn't been up year for couple of years. Last time I saw him, he were; he were with his son. I: Yeah, that's him. Withnail: Listen, we're bona fide. We're not from London. Could we have some fuel and wood? Parkin: Ay, I could bring you up some logs later but I've got the cows and that to feed first. Withnail: When? I: Shut up. That would be very kind of you. Erm, what about food? Do you think you could sell us something to eat? Parkin: I could bring you up a chicken but you'll have to go to the village really. I: That would be very kind of you Mr? Parkin: Parkin I: Mr Parkin. What happened to your leg? Parkin: Got a randy bull up there. Give me one in knee! [They walk back inside. I claps Withnail on the back. Back inside, Withnail removes his boots and places them in the oven attached to the fire.] I: You want to get out the back don't you? Get some spuds up. Withnail: Sorry I can't. My boots are in the oven I: You'd go if you had boots? Withnail: Gladly [Withnail emerges from the back door with polythene bags tied around his feet. He walks into the garden and after a little unearths a potato.] Withnail: I've got one! [Later, the potatoes are peeled and ready to be cooked. I sits reading 'Journey's end' while Withnail dozes in front of the fire. I hears the tractor once again and goes out to meet Parkin. He is there with some logs.] I: Great. How much do we own you? Parkin: Pay us when you come down I: What about this chicken? Parkin: 's on back [Back inside I has left the chicken on the table. It is alive and looks round questioningly. He nudges Withnail to wake him.] I: Oye! Oye! Parkin's been. There's the supper! Withnail: What are we supposed to do with that? I: Eat it Withnail: Eat it!? Fucker's alive I: Yeah, you've got to kill it. Withnail: Me!? I'm the firelighter and fuel collecter. I: Yeah I know but I got the logs in. It takes away your appitite just looking at it. Withnail: No it doesn't I'm starving. How can we make it die? I: You've got to throttle them. Withnail, I think you ought to kill it instantly in case it starts trying to make friends with us. Withnail: Alright, you get hold of ir. I'll strangle it. I: I can't. Those dreadful, beady eyes! They stare you out! Withnail: It's a bloody chicken. Just think of it with bacon across its back! Right, I'll deal with this. You'll have to get its guts out. [Later, I is washing his hands in the sink having finished getting the chickens guts out. Withnail enters with a shotgun and points it at I's head.] I: Never point guns at people. Extremely dangerous. Now what about this roasting dish? What are we going to cook it in? Withnail: You're the food and plummings man. I've no idea. I wish I'd found this an hour ago. I'd have taken great pleasure in gunning this pullet down. [He pokes the chicken with the gun. It still has a few feathers.] Withnail: Shouldn't it be more bald than that? I: No it shouldn't. Right, we're going to have to reverse the roles. We can bake the potatoes in the oven and boil this bastard over the fire. [He tries to push the chicken into a kettle but it is too large to fit.] Withnail: Lets get its feet off I: No, it's going to need it's feet. [He removes the chicken and takes it to the fire. Opening the oven, he removes Withnail's steaming boots and points the the brick in the oven.] I: Straddle them either side of that. [He sits the chicken on the brick.] --------------------------------------------------------------------------- A phonebox [I is smoking stood outside the phonebox waiting for Withnail.] Withnail: I've already put two shilling pieces in. No I havn't got another. It's not my fault if the system doesn't work. [He emerges from the phonebox.] Withnail: Bitch hung up on me. [I fishes around in his pocket and finds a shilling for Withnail who goes back into the phonebox and dials.] Withnail: Hello. How are you? Very well. What! Why wouldn't they see me? This is ridiculous. I haven't been up in a job for three months. Understudy Constantine!? I'm not going to understudy Constantine, why can't I play the part? This is ridiculous. No, I'm not in London, Penryth. Penryth! Well, what about TV? Listen, I pay you ten percent to do that. Well lick ten percent of the arses for me. Hello? Hello? Hello? Hello? How dare you! Fuck you. [He takes out his frustration on the phone, hitting it for a while then leaves the phonebox.] Withnail: Bastard asked me to understudy Constantine in The Seagull. I'm not going to understudy anyone, especially that little pimp. Anyway, I loath those Russian plays. Always full of women starring out of windows whinning about ducks going to Moscow. [Returning from Penryth they walk accross a field. I is carrying some shopping.] Withnail: What do you think to Desmond Wolf? I: With respect to what? Withnail: I'm thinking of changing my name. I: Too like Donald Woolfe [He hands the bag to Withnail and opens a gate. It is clearly marked 'Shut this gate'] I: Here, changeover point. [Withnail slams the gate behind them but it doesn't fasten. They see Parkin on his tractor.] Withnail: Do you think he's happier than us? I: No Withnail: I suppose happiness is relative. I never thought it would be a polythene bag without the hole in it. [Parkin turns the tractor towards them, stops and runs towards them.] I: What's up with him? Parkin: Shut that gate, shut that bull! I: You didn't shut the gate! Parkin: Shut that gate, shut that bull! [A bull appears and pushes the gate open. Withnail thrusts the bag into I's hands and vaults the wall. I is left facing the bull in a narrow corridor between two walls.] Withnail: Grab its ring. Keep your bag up. Outvive him. Parkin: Hey, listen, show no fear! Just run at it I: Well that can't be sensible can it? The bastard's about to run at me Parkin: Well he's randy! I: Yeah, yeah. I know he is [Withnail has his cigarettes out and is lighting up.] Withnail: Wants to get down there and have sex with those cows. I: Shut up Withnail! Parkin: Just run at it, shouting! Withnail: Do as he says, start shouting. It won't gore you I: A coward you are Withnail. An expert on bulls you are not! [He shouts and throws the shopping in the air. The bull roars, I shouts again and runs at it. It turns and retreats to its field.] Parkin: Shut that gate and keep it shut. Withnail: I think an evening at the Crow! --------------------------------------------------------------------------- The fields [It is dark. The silloutes of Withnail and I appear on the skyline.] I [narrating]: If the Crow and Crown had ever had life it was dead now. It was like walking into a lung. A self-sustained nicotin-yellow and fly-blown lung. Its landlord was a retired alcoholic with military pretentions and a complection like the inside of a teapot. By the time the doors opened he was arseholed on rum and got progresively more arseholed until he could take no more and fell over at about twelve 'o' clock. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Crow and Crown [Withnail and I are stood at the bar.] Withnail: We'll have another pair of large scotches. [Raymond, the publican, gets the drink and takes the money for them. In opening the till he just avoids falling over. Withnail and I suppress laughter.] Raymond: Thought I was going for a minute but no man's put me down yet. Have you had any training in the martial arts? Withnail: Yes, as a matter of I have. Before I became a journalist I was in the terretorials. Raymond: Do you know, when you first came in here I knew you were a services man. You can never, never disguise it. Withnail: What were you in? Raymond: Tanks. Afrika Korps. A little before your time. Don't suppose you've engaged. Withnail: Ireland. Raymond: Ooooh, a crack at the Mick. Withnail: We'll have another pair of large scotches Raymond: These shall be my pleasure. What are you doing up here then? Withnail: We're doing a feature for Country Life. Survey of rural types: farmers, traveling tinkers, milkmen; that sort of thing. Raymond: Have you met Jake? Poacher. Works the lake but keep it under your hat, hmm? [They take their drinks to a table.] I: What's all this army bollocks? Withnail: We got a drink didn't we? [Rather later, the pair are the only remaining customers. Raymond, wiping down the bar, is clearly leggless.] Raymond: Time please gentlemen. I: I think he means it [The door clatters open and a man in a thick coat walks in, leans over the bar and helps himself to a beer. I nudges Withnail. The man takes an eel from his trousers which wriggles around violently. He strikes its head on the bar and returns it to his trousers.] I: Ask him if we can have one Withnail: What for? I: So that we can eat it! 'We're fed up with stew' [They approach the bar.] Withnail: Excuse me, could we have an eel? You've got eels down your leg Jake: You leave them alone. Nothing down there of interest to you. [He removes a pheasant from under his coat.] Help us out Raymond. He's been stuffed from arsehole to t' beak. I: Ask him if we can have one of those. Go on. Withnail: Excuse me, we were wondering if we could purchase a pheasant off of you Jake: No. Withnail: Come on old boy. What's in your hump? Jake: Those pheasants are for his pot. There eels are for my pot. Now what makes you think I should give you something for your pot? Withnail: What pot? I: Our cooking pot. Jake: Ah, he know. Here, give us a wheeze on that fag. [He takes the cigarette from Withnail's mouth and takes a draw. I gives him the remains of a packet.] Jake: Might come up and see you lads in the week . Might bring you up a rabbit. Withnail: We don't want a rabbit, we want a pheasant. Jake: Now listen here you young prat. Haven't got no pheasants. Haven't got no birds. No more than you have. Withnail: Of course you have, you're the poacher. Jake: If I hear more words out of you I'll come up and set one of these black puddin's on you Withnail: Don't threaten me with a dead fish Jake: Half dead he might be, but I'll come up after you and wake you up with a live one. Withnail: Sod your pheasants. You'll have to find us first. [They make to leave] Jake: I know where you are. You're at crow crag. I've been wathching you. Especially you, prancing like a tit. You want working on boy. XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Withnail: if i see that sillage heap prowling around here i'll take the bastard axe to him. bastards. you'll all suffer. i'm going to be a star! ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Withnail: Vegtables again. I'll be sprouting feelers soon I: There's black pudding in it. Withnail: Black puddings are no good to us. I want somethings flesh! ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Withnail: I think I'll call myself Donald Twain. Get down, get down. It's him, what does he want? I: Better get down there and ask him. Withnail: Don't be ridiculous, he's got a gun. Bastard's phycotic, you've only got to look at him. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Withnail: this place has become impossible. Nothing to eat, freezing cold and now a madman on the prowl outside with eels. I: alright you've made your point. we pack up tomorrow and get out. Withnail: where are you going? I: I'm going for a slash Withnail: you can't go outside, i can't get my boots on when they're hot. I: then i'll go alone Withnail: no you won't these are the sort of windows faces look in at. I: alright then i won't have a slash Withnail: and in both our interests i think we should sleep together tonight. I: don't be ridiculous he;s not going to come up here in the dark. Withnail: yes he is and if he catches one of us off guard he's got a much better chance of dealing with the other. I: no ---------------------------------------------------------------------- I: ha ha ha ha ha Withnail: what are you laughing about I: i was dreaming Withnail: you frightened the piss out of me. move over I: will you get out Withnail: no I: alright, i'll have to sleep in your bed Withnail: then i'll have to come with you I: alright you can stay but the gun goes Withnail: no, i have to keep the gun . i intend to stay awake until morning. I: it's my bed and i demand presidence. mad fucking bastard ---------------------------------------------------------------------- I: ah ah. what. Withnail: i heard a noise. I: there is nothing get to bed. what was that? Withnail: listen listen I: probably just foxes. perhaps its the farmer Withnail: at two in the morning? it's the killer. he's come to kill us. it's all your fault, you've even given him the fucking gun. I've got to get in. He's trying to get in. I: He can't, he'll go away. He's going away. Withnail: He's getting in thorough the window. He's sharpening the fucking knife I: where's the matches? Withnail: in the kitchen. I: alright. we'll have to tackle with him. you stay in bed and pretend to be asleep. when he goes for you i'll jump on his back. Withnail: no no, it'll be too late by then, i'll be knifed. we'll have to try and make friends with him. He's going to your room. it's you he wants. offer him yourself! we mean no harm. Monty: oh my boys, my boys. I: monty! monty monty! Withnail: monty you terrible cunt. what are you doing prowling round in the middle of the fucking night? Monty: i had a punctured tyre. i had to wait an eon for assistance. i'm sorry if i frightened you. i'll sleep in the other room if i may I: anywhere you like Monty ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Monty: ah, good morning. did you sleep well? I: mmmm. you've been busy in here Monty: as a bee. I do appologise for last night, it was perfectly inconsidereate of me. I: that's perfectly alright monty. how did you repair the window? Monty: didn't break it. merely forced it a little. there was an empty wine bottle on the ledge. tomatoes. you better wake him, breakfast in fifteen minutes. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Monty: The older order changeth giving way to the new and God forfills himself in many ways and soon, I suppose, I shall be swept away by some vulgar little tumor. My boys, we are at the end of an age. We live in a land of weather forcasts and breakfasts that set in. Shat on by Tories, shovelled up by labour. Now which of you is going to be a splendid fellow and go down to the Rolls for the rest of the wine? I: I'll go. Withnail: I'll go. I: No, I'll go - I need to see about digging the car out. Monty: But we have my car dear boy. I: Yes, but if it rains we're buggered. I mean... Monty: Stranded! Withnail: Leave this to me I: I'll come with you, I could do with a walk. Besides. I shall need you to work on the joint. I hear you're a little wizard in the kitchen. Withnail: Yeah, you the food and plumbings expert. [He starts putting his polythene bags on.] Monty: What on earth are those? Withnail: We forgot to bring our wellingtons. Monty: You mean you've been up here in all this beastly mud and oomska without wellingtons? This afternoon I'll take you both into Penryth and get you fitted with some good quality rubber boots. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The kitchen. [Monty has an apron on and is holding another.] Monty: I brought two of these in case either of you were any good in the kitchen. I: I'm not. Monty: Oh, of course you are. Cooking's one of the natural talents. Garlic, rosemary and salt. [He hands I a large joint of meat in a paper wrapper. I puts it down on the side.] I: Look this is all very kind of you Monty but I really ought to be out there getting some work done on the car. Monty: You haven't time we're taking late luncheon at three. I: We'll have to leave by three Monty. Didn't he tell you? We've got to get back to sign on. Monty: Sign on!? At a labour exchange!? I: Yes, it's rather fashionable actually. All the actors do it. Even Redgrave. Monty: Couldn't you forgo for just this one occasion? I've come a very long way to see you both. I: Sorry can't. I mean, I'd love to stay but he's more adament to get back than I am. [Monty slips the apron over I's head and ties it behind him.] Monty: Then we must choose our moment and have a word with him. I'm sure together we could persuade him. Now, garlic, rosemary and salt. I can never touch meat until it's cooked. As a youth I used to weep in butchers shops. [I moves through to the lounge and looks in the bags of food on the table.] I: I can't find the rosemary. Monty: Can't find the rosemary! I'm sure we could find it together. [He leans accross I in a rather comprimising fashion.] I: perhaps it's in the other bag. Monty: Perhaps it is. Shall we look? [He reaches accross with his other arm cutting of any opatunity of escape. Withnail enters with the wine and puts the bags on the table.] Withnail: Sorry. Sherry's in there. [Monty exits to the kitchen armed with the sherry.] I: What do you mean sorry!? What's he doing here? We can't stay he won't leave me alone. Withnail: Alright, we'll get the dinner down then we'll leave. [In the kitchen Monty pulls the cork from the sherry and emerges with three different glasses.] Monty: I'm afraid we must drink from these. I hope their shapes will not offend your palates. Withnail: Chin chin. Monty: To a delightful weekend in the country. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Penryth [Monty's car drives into Penryth and pulls up in the town centre. Withnail and I get out of the car. Compared to Monty and the car they look rather scruffy.] Monty: I do think you could at least have shaved. What will people think, you look like a pair of farm-hands. Get away from the car. [He takes out his wallet and hands Withnail two fivers.] Monty: Now, you get the wellingtons. I'm going to but some razors and shaving soap. I'll meet you here in half an hour. [Monty drives off] Withnail: Couple of blooms. I: One each. [He removes a fiver from Withnail's hand] Withnail: I think a drink don't you? I: What about the wellingtons? Withnail: Oh, bollocks to the wellingtons. We'll tell him there was a farmer's conference and they had a run on them. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Inside the pub [I is on the telephone while Withnail is at the bar.] I: yeah, ok then. yeah. promise. [He puts down the phone and walks over to withail] I: Hasn't heard a thing. They're still seeing people. Withnail: You don't want to go to Manchester anyway; play a bloody soilder. I: I don't know if I do. Bloody good little theatre that. Withnail: It's not much of a part is it. They'd make you cut you hair off. I: So what, you'd loose a leg! BARMAN: time please gents. Withnail: Alright we're going to have to work quickly. A pair of quadruple whiskies and another pair of pints please. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Withnail and I emerge unsteadily from the pub.] Withnail: Where is he. Utterly aresholed. I: We're early. [I looks accross to some tearooms] I: We want to get in there don't we. Eat some cake. Soak up the booze. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [They enter the Penryth tea-rooms. I sits down at a table and starts buttering the bread rolls on the table. Withnail, still standing, points to the table and addresses an elderly waitress, Miss Blennerhassit.] Withnail: Alright here? Miss B: No, we're closing in a minute. Withnail: We're leaving in a minute. Alright here? Miss B: What do you want? [He sits down at the table and makes a rather perfunctory examination of the menu.] Withnail: We'll have tea and cake. [An elderly man comes across to their table. He is the proprietor] P: Did you hear her? She said she'd closed. What do you want in here? Withnail: Cake and tea. what's it got to do with you? P: I happen to be the proprietor. Now, will you leave? Withnail: Ah good, I'm glad you're the proprietor. I was going to have to have a word with you anyway. We're doing a film up here, location see. We might want to do a film in here. P: You're drunk. I: Just bring out the cake. Withnail: Cake and fine wine. Miss B: If you don't leave we'll call the police. Withnail: Balls. We want the finest wines availible to humanity. We want them here and we want them now. P: The police, Miss Blennerhassit. [ I breaks off from stuffing breadrolls but hasn't quite emptied his mouth at the start] I: Don't do that Miss Blenerhassit. I'm warning you Miss Blennerhassit, if you do - you're fired. We are multi-millionaries. we'll buy this place and fire you immediately. Withnail: Yeah, that's right, we'll buy this place and install a fucking duke-box and liven all you stiffs up a bit. P: The police Miss Blenerhassit. Just tell them there are a couple of drunks in the Penryth tea rooms and we'd like them removed. I: We are not drunks, we are multi-millionaires. P: Come on Mabs, we'll keep them here until they arrive [She starts to dial] Withnail: You won't keep us anywhere. Miss B: Police please Withnail: We'll buy this place and have it knocked down. I: It's alright, 's alright. Our car has arrived. [He pulls back a curtain to reveal that indeed their car has arrived, in the form on Monty in the Rolls. They get up and I staggers out the door] Withnail: We're coming back in here. [He tries to lean on a convenient post but misses and staggers a bit. He points meaningfully at the various customers as he leaves, shutting his coat in the door.] ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The cottage [Withnail and I are sat inside. There is no sign of Monte. I has just finished shaving and is rubbing his face with a towel.] I: Where is he? Withnail: Sulking up the hill. He says he won't come down for lunch without an appology. I: Suits me, he can eat his fucking radish. [Unseen, Monte enters and addresses I] Monty: It's all you fault. I: I beg your pardon Monte. Monty: You lead him astray. Oh don't pretend you don't understand, I know what you're up to. [Withnail stands up and offers Monte a glass] Withnail: Sherry? Monty: Sherry!? Oh no, no, no, no. I'll fall straight into his trap. He's so mauve we don't know what he'll do next. [I walks out in distgust as Monte sips the sherry.] ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- the kitchen [I is at the sink peeling potatoes. Monte enters] Monty: I'm preparing myself to forgive you. I think you've been punished enough. I think we better release you from the legume and transfer you talents to the meat. [he takes him by the hand into the lounge] Monty: You shouldn't treat each other so badly. He's been working his fingers to the bone and all you do is sit in here drinking. Now, he's going to revitalize himself in here while you finish the vegtables. Withnail: I don't know how to do them. Monty: Well of course you don't. You're incapable of indulging in anything but pleasure am I not right? [I merely smiles] Monty: You don't deserve such loyalty. Now come along, I'm going to teach you how to peel a potato. [He rolls up Withnail's sleeves and takes him unwillingly into the kitchen. Withnail swipes a glass of sherry off the table on the way there.] ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- the dinner table [All three are sat around the table eating a good looking roast dinner. There is plenty of extra meat and a good supply of wine.] Monty: It's very stimulating getting back to a basic sort of lifestyle. Without effecened emotion and poisonous inhibition. I: Except the problem do tend to take the edge off it. Monty: What do you mean? I: There are no proper facilities Monty: All the glorious trials of youth dear boy. When I was a lad I'd rocket off on my tandem with Wrigglesworth and ride and ride. Find some old barn and fall asleep with the sweet perfume of hay on our lips. Withnail: Would it be in poor form to plagarise a toast? Monty: It depend entirely on the quality of the wine. In this case, it most certainly would not. Withnail: In that case, to a delightful weekend in the country. Monty: Oooh, we were expecting a volley of argument concerning Mr Redgrave. [I gives Withnail a look of daggers] I: You're forgetting Jake. Monty: Jake can wait too. I: Jake's not a friend Monte. I'd hoped to avoid telling you this, but there's a madman on the loose outside. Monty: Is this true? Withnail: Well, there's this local type. Poacher. We got into a bit of a tiff and he threatened me with a dead fish. Yes, it was rather amusing acutally. When you came into the house we thought it was him and we thought that you cleaning your boots was him sharpening the knife. Monty: Oh, how delicious! I: I'm going for a walk. Monty: Oh, wait for us dear boy, we'll all go. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Outside the cottage [I is leaning on the wall. Withnail emerges and walks briskly over to him] Withnail: Look, I know what your thinking but I had no alternative. The old beggers come a long way and I didn't want to put the wind up him. I: You sensitivity overwhelms me. If you think you're having a weekends indulgence up here at his expense, which means him having a weekends induldgence up here at my expense you've got another thing coming. Withnail: Anyway, he sent me out to say the coffee's ready. I: I couldn't drink it. I've got a crick in my mouth from grinning. Withnail: Well stop smilling at him. I: I can't help it, I'm so uptight with him. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The hillside. [The are walking through thick bracken listening to Monte expound on Oxford.] Monty: Longtemps, longtemps de teau cheveux. Oh, Bodelair. Brings back such memories of Oxford. I [voice over] followed by yet another anecdote about his sensitive crimes in a punt with a chap called Norman who had ref hair and a poetry book stained with the butter drips from crumpets. Monty: Indeed I often wonder where Norman is now. Probably wintering with his mother in Guilford, a cat, rain, vim under the sink and both bars on. But old now, there is no true beauty without decay. Withnail: Legium pro Britania Monty: How right you are, how right you are. We live in a kingdom of (rains/reigns) where royalty comes in gangs. Come on lads, the sky's bruising, night must fall and we shall be forced to camp. I: He's having my room. I want the room with the lock. Agree to that or I'm off. Withnail: Alright, alright [They stride off back to the cottage. Before they get there, they see Jake at the door. Monte looks at him through the binoculars] I: Good old Jake eh? And that's precisely the reason I'm off back to London. Come on, lets pack up and get off. Good old Jake, eh Withnail. Lets all have a laugh. Good old Jake. Monty: He's going away. [They walk down to the cottage. There is a hare tied to the door with a note attached. Withnail unfolds the note and hands it to Monte. Monty clearly has some difficulty in reading the note.] Monty: Here hare here. [The meaning dawns on him.] Monty: Here hare here! Withnail: Good old Jake. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The cottage. [They are playing poker with bottle tops and a few coins. An old gramaphone is plaing in the background. The game is stud with two down cards - Monty has the ace of spades and two small spades showing, I just queen high] Monty: Ace bets two and it's over to you. Withnail: You two and up two. I: So that's four? Monty: That's four. [I puts in four. Monty deals the last set of cards.] Monty: ? Withnail: Denai surenum defit. [He deals I another queen to I] Monty: Oh, there she is. [He deals himself another spade] Monty: A possible flush. Well, it's the two queens to bet! ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Still at the table, Monty winds up the gramaphone.] Monty: Another hand? [Withnail looks up and slumps in his chair. He is totally plastered.] Monty: I think we'd better get him to bed. I: No, he's down here. You're in my room, I'm in his room and he's down here. Monty: I wouldn't dream of depriving the poor fellow of his bed. Particularlly in that condition. I: It's what he wants! Withnail: No I don't I want to get to bed! I: Come on then luvy, lets get you to bed then. A good nights sleep will do us both some good. [He grabs Withnail under the arms and manouvers him out of the room.] I: We'll I'll say good night then Monty. Withnail: I want to be alone. [I staggers up the stairs with Withnail who mumers about wanting to be on his own. He drops him on the bed and dashes back to his own room to get his bedding. Before he can get back though Monty has come up the stairs and just finished locking the door.] Monty: He doesn't want to sleep with you. I: Right then, You're in there and I'll take the couch. I'll say night night then Monty. Monty: You already have. Twice! ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Downstairs I frantically aranges the blankets on the settee. Monty enters] I: What is it Monty, I'm terribly tired I need to get to bed. Monty: But not that tired eh? Are you a sponge or a stone? I: I beg you pardon Monty? Monty: Do you like to sample all facets of life or do you shut yourself off from new experience. I: I voted conserative Monty: Loyalty isn't a matter of selection. I: I quite agree, it's more a matter of chosing to whom one is loyal. I'm terribly tired Monty, I need to get to bed. Monty: You must mustn't you. Off you go then. I'll sleep down here. It won't be the first time I've been left with the couch! ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [I is in bed. He has barricaded the door by propping a chair against the knob. There is a determined pushing at the door from the other side which dislodges the chair and Monty enters.] Monty: Boy! Boy! I know you're not asleep boy. But he is. I've been into his room. He won't hear a thing. I: No I'm not asleep. What is it Monty, what do you want. [I lights a candle. Monty sits down on the side on the bed.] Monty: I tried not to come, oh how I tried not to. I: There's something I've got to tell you Monty. Monty: There's no need to explain, he's told me everything. I: What! What's he told you? Monty: About how you came to Chelsea and you arrest in the totenham court road. He told me about your probelms, how you feel. I: Probelms, what problems? Monty: You are a toilet trader! Go with it boy, give into to it. It's like a tide. Don't let it ruin your youth as I nearly did over Eric. I: I'm not homosexual Monty Monty: Yes you are! Of course you are. You're only saying that to deny your relationship with him. It's not his fault that he can't love you any more that it's mine that I adore you. Can't we allow ourselves this one moment of indiscretion? He need never know. I: I don't care what he knows, you must leave Monty. [I gets out of bed and goes over to the door. Monty beats him to it.] Monty: I mean to have you even if it must be burgulary. [I races to the other side of the room. Monty advances.] I: Monty you must listen! We're in an affair, we have been for years. But he's estranged, he won't allow himself to admit it. That's why he's rejecting me while you're here. On my life Monty, this is the first time in six years we havn't slept together. I couldn't cheat on him, it would kill him. Monty: Oh my dear boy, if I'd realised that I'd never have attempted to come between you. I: I know that Monty, I respected you for your sensitivity, I thank you for it. Monty: You better go to him I: Oh, I intend to. This instant. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Withnail's room [Withnail is asleep in bed with the shotgun. I enters] I: Withnail you bastard wake up. Wake up you bastard before I burn this bastard bed down. Withnail: I deny all accusations. What do you want? I: I've just narrowly avoided having a buggery. And I've come in here with the express intention of wishing one on you. That said, I'm leaving for London. Withnail: Hold on, hold on. Don't let you imagination run away with you. [He light up and coughs up some phlem] I: I've just finished fighting a naked man. How dare you tell him I'm a toilet trader! Withnail: Tatical necessity. If I hadn't told him you were active we'd never have got the cottage. I: I wouldn't have wanted it, not with him in it. Withnail: I never thought he'd come all this way. I: Monty!? He'd go to New York. Withnail: Calcualted risk. I: What is all this calculated risk and tactical necessity. It's me, naked, in a corner. And how dare you tell him I love you? And how dare you tell him you rejected me? How dare you tell him that!? Withnail: Sorry about that, got a bit carried away. Sort of said it without thinking. [I takes the gun] I: Well let me tell you something Withnail, if he comes in my room again its murder and you'll be held resposible in law. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The cottage [Withnail is eating lunch at the table. I is reading a note] I: 'Perhaps it is just that the evesdropper should leave as his trade dictates, in secrecy and in the dead of night. I do sincerely hope that you will find the happiness that has saddly always been denied me. Yours faithfully, Montegue H Withnail.' Poor old bastard. Withnail: Now I must say, that represents a level of hippocrasy in you that I'd previously suspected but not noticed due to highly evasive skills. I: You'll suffer for this Withnail. What you have done will have to be paid for. Withnail: I'll say one thing for Monte; he keeps a sensational cellar. [There is a knock at the door.] I: Who is it. VOICE: Telegram. [I gets the telegram and opens it. He shows it to Withnail] Withnail: Well done. I: Well it doesn't mean to say I've got the part. They probably just want to see me again. Well, that settles it, we leave immediately. Withnail: What!? I: Get you stuff together, we leave in half an hour. Withnail: Don't be ridiculous, I need at least an hour for lunch. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The car [Withnail is eating the lunch from a plate on his knee. It is raining heavinly and I's side of the windscreen is impossible to see through] Withnail: You got a truck coming up in this lane followed by a slow right-hander. I: This is insanity Withnail: Stay in this lane I: What lane, I can't see any lane. Withnail: Bear right, bear right. I: I can't keep this up. And I must get some sleep. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The car [It is daytime again, and the rain has stopped.I is asleep in the back on the car. The car jerks around and he woken. As he looks out the window, the camera moves with his view. The car is hurtling down the motorway swerving between the other cars.] I: What's going on? Withnail: I'm making time. I: Pull over, you haven't got a license. Withnail: No, I'm making time. Here comes another fucker. [They swerve infront of several more cars. Then I sees a police van behind them.] I: On no. Withnail: It's perfectly alright, leave him to me. I: You're full of scotch you silly tool. [The police van comes along side them and a policeman leans out pointing markedly to the roadside. Withnail pulls over, the van draws up in front on them and the officers approach the car. One knocks on the window and Withnail winds it down.] P1: Bit early in the morning for festivities isn't it sir? [There is a large pile of bottles on the passenger seat of the car] Withnail: They're not mine, they belong to him. P1: You're drunk. Withnail: I assure you I'm not officer, I've only had a few ales. P1: Out of the car. Please. Sir. [Withnail makes no move so he opens the door. Withnail virtually falls out then stands against the car. The policeman offers him a breathaliser] P1: Would you fill this bag please sir. [Withnail shakes his head] P1: Are you refusing to fill this bag? Withnail: I most certainly am P1: I'm placing you under arrest. Withnail: Don't be ridiculous I haven't done anything. Listen, my cousin's a QC. P2: Get in the back on the van. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Police station [Withnail is behind a screen. A sergant is sat at a desk while other policemen wonder around] P3: Serg, what's that clown up to? [The sergent pulls a gap in the screen and sees withnail with the contraption Danny gave him. He grabs the tube and urine splashes everywhere. Withnail grins sheepishly] ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The flat [Withnail and I enter their flat. They look through the post] Withnail: Where's our checks? I: We didn't sign on. Withnail: That wouldn't make any difference to last weeks payments. [They hear music from upstairs. The door to the bathroom is ajar and in the bath is a large black man who looks at them inquiringly. I looks in his bedroom. The bed is occupied by Danny] I: What are you doing in my bed? D: Having a sleep. I: Who's the huge spade in the bath? D: Presuming Ed. I: Well I want you out. You've got ten minutes alright? Coz I want to get in. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The lounge [All four are sat in the lounge] Withnail: How did you get in? D: Inginuity man - come up the drainpipe. Would you like a smoke? Withnail: Yes I: No thanks, I've got a call to make. [Danny starts pulling out rizzlers at a prolific rate] Withnail: What are you going to do with those? D: The joint I am about to roll requires a craftsman and can utalise up to twelve spliffs. It is called a Camberwell carrot. I: It's imposible to use 12 papers on one joint. D: It is impossible to roll a camberwell carrot with anything less. Withnail: Who says it's a Camberwell carrot. D: I do. I invented it in Camberwell and it's shaped like a carrot. [Cut to Danny on the settee. The Camberwell carrot is complete and is indeed of prodidiuos proportions. As Danny lights it we see only the end but as he hands it to withnail we see the true size. It is enormous.] D: These will tend to make you very high. [Withnail takes a long draw] D: This grass is the most powerfull in the western hemisphere. It grows at exactly two thousand feet above sea-level. I have it special flown in from my man in Mexico. His name's Huang. He's an expert. [I returns from his phone call] D: Did you get the part man? [I takes a draw on the joint and splutters. He shakes his head] I: No, I got a different one. They want me to play the lead. Withnail: Congratulations. D: Where exactly have you two been? I: A trip to the countryside. D: That is a very good idea. London is a city coming down from its trip and there's going to be a lot of refugees. [Presuming Ed laughs deeply] D: Did you realise this gafs overrun with rodents? When I came in I saw one in the oven the size of a fucking dog. I: That is a dog, belongs to the man downstairs. D: Does his dog get in the oven. Withnail: No his dog doesn't come up here. D: Then it was a rodent. Quite freeked me at the time. I was going to cook onions. There was some bald gieser round here the other day reckoned you owed him 235 quid backrent. I told him there was no question of paying rent on a property infested with rodent. Started coming on all bald with me. Withnail: You mean ratty. D: I told him to piss off. I: You bloody fool. He'll have us up in court again. D: No he won't, it's not legal. Withnail: We can quote you on that I presume. D: Law rather appeals to me actually. [Withnail laughs uncontrolably and drops to the floor] D: Just high. I: Stop laughing will you Withnail, this is serious. D: No it ain't. I looked into it. Studied the papers. I: What papers? D: Legal papers. [He shakes the papers out of a bag] I: Look, he's got our checks. What are you doing with these? D: I was going to pay them in for you. I: For christ'd sake Withnail, stop laughing will you. Look, this is a notice of eviction Withnail: Give it to my barrister. [Presuming Ed starts chanting and rotating a globe] Ed: Harriramma, Hariramma I: Shup up will you, you're giving me the fear! Give us a downer Danny, I've gone and fucked my brain. D: Sit down man, take control. You have a rush. It will pass. I: Aren't you getting absurdly high? D: Precisely the reason I'm smoking it. Withnail: I couldn't I'm spaced. D: Not as spaced as you rodents. I: Don't talk about them. D: I expect they're talking to each other. I: Talking to each other? What do you mean? D: I've dealt with them. Given 'em all drugged onion. I: Why've you drugged their onions!? D: Sit down man, find your neutral space. You have done something to your brain. You have made it high. If I lay 10 mills of diazipan on you, you will do something else to your brain, you will make it low. Why trust one drug rather than the other. That politics ain't it. I: I'm going to eat some sugar. D: I recommend you smoke some more grass. I: No way, no fucking way. D: That is an unfortunate political decission. Withnail: What are you talking about Danny? D: If you are holding onto a rising balloon you are presented with a difficult political decission - let go while you've still got the chance or hold onto the rope and continue getting higher. That's politics man. We are at the end of an age. The greatest decade in the history of mankind is nearly over. They're selling hippy wigs in wolworths. It is 91 days to the end of the decade and as presuming ed here has so consistently pointed out, we have failed to paint it black. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I: Right, I'm off now. Withnail: Already? I: My father will pick up my stuff in the week and do something about the car. Withnail: But I've got us a bottle open. Confiscated it from Monte's supplies. 53 Margaux. Best of the century I: I can't Withnail, I'll miss the train. Withnail: There's always time for a drink. I: I haven't the time. Withnail: Alright, I'll walk with you to the station. We can drink it through the park. [He grabs his coat and an umbrella and takes the bottle.] ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Park [It is pouring down with rain. Withnail offer the bottle to I] I: No thankyou, no more. Look, it's a stinker Withnail, why don't you go home. Withnail: Because I want to walk you to the station. I: No, really, I really don't want you to. [They stop by the wolves.] I: I shall miss you Withnail. Withnail: I'll miss you too. [I departs. Withnail walks to the fence and leans against it.] Withnail: I have of late, but wherefore I know not, lost all my mirth and indeed it goes so heavily with my disposition that this goodly frame the earth seems to me a sterile promotory; this most excellent canopy the air, look you, this mighty o'rehanging firmament, this majestical roof fretted with golden fire; why, it appeareth nothing to me but a foul and pestilent congregation of vapours. What a piece of work is a man, how noble in reason, how infinite in faculties, how like an angel in aprehension, how like a God! The beauty of the world, paragon of animals; and yet to me, what is this quintessence of dusk. Man delights not me, no, nor women neither, nor women neither. [The wolves are unimpressed. Withnail exits into the rain.]

1 EXT. LANCASTER COUNTY, PA. COUNTRYSIDE - DAY (TITLE SEQUENCE) The faces of several young children are presented in CLOSEUP, as they walk TOWARD US across a ploughed field. On the SOUND TRACK, the haunting SOUNDS OF A GREGORIAN FUNERAL CHANT. The CAMERA PANS UP to the faces of older brothers and sisters, then to parents and grandparents. These are not familiar faces, but faces from another age, strong and open. All are dressed in the distinctive clothing of the Amish. 2 EXT. COUNTRY LANE - DAY Through the last traces of early morning mist another group of black-clad figures make their way down a lane. 3 EXT. COUNTRY LANE - DAY An Amish buggy, black and highwheeled, stark against the landscape, appears, a spirited chestnut in the traces. Framed in the glass window of the narrow buggy is the stern figure of an Amish man in black topcoat and flatbrimmed hat, his bonneted wife in muted colors, the face of a boy, attired like his father, peering out. The horse's breath smokes on the frosty air, the buggy CREAKS on its springs, and there's the rhythmic CLIP- CLOP OF HOOVES on the pavement. 4 ANOTHER LANE Two Amish buggies reach a crossroads, join a procession of three others. They disappear as the lane wends through a leafless thicket of hickory. 5 VALLEY A BIG SHOT... now the procession numbers almost a dozen buggies... it is headed toward a distant farmhouse. 6 BARNYARD Where literally dozens of carriages are parked. The horses have been taken from the traces, removed to the shelter of the barn. 7 EXT. LAPP FARMHOUSE - FRONT PORCH As the black clad mourners begin to move into the house (women and children presumably first). 8 INT. LAPP FARMHOUSE the coffins the upper half open. We see that the worse has been dressed in white linen, a piece of white linen partially covering the bearded face. END TITLE SEQUENCE. 9 INT. LAPP FARMHOUSE Partitions have been removed, making the central rooms of the farmhouse a spacious hall. The place is packed, a hundred-fifty or more Amish, all sitting in absolute silence on rows of wooden benches. A wooden coffin rests on a bench in the f.g., and near it the close relatives of the deceased occupy a special Place. RACHEL LAPP A young woman of perhaps twenty-seven. Her face is pale and drawn. In happier circumstances, although there haven't been too many of late in Rachel's life, we would see a robust, sensual woman of full figure, spirit and intelligence. Eight-year-old SAMUEL LAPP flits next to his mother; he would appear stunned, possibly not entirely comprehend- ing events. And the patriarch, ELI LAPP; his stubborn, weathered - yet not unkind - features grief-stricken. THE MOURNERS Their faces... CLOCK as it begins to CHIME nine a.m. FAVORING PREACHER as he removes his hat. As one, the men in the congre- gation remove their hats also. 9 CONTINUED: Then the preacher begins to speak in a formal German dialect: (SUBTITLES OVER) PREACHER ... a brother has been called home. God has spoken through the death of our neighbor, Jacob Lapp... THE FAMILY where Rachel, Samuel and Eli are sitting- SOUNDS of emo- tion and grief not quite suppressed are heard throughout as: PREACHER ... husband of Rachel, father to Samuel, son of Eli. (and) His chair is empty, his bed is empty, his voice will be heard no more. He was needed in our presence, but God needs such men, too. That one should be taken so suddenly. Treat sorrow. Still, we would not wish him back. Rather we should prepare ourselves to follow him. TIGHTENING to the Lapps, and... 10 EXT. CEMETERY The mourners have gathered about the grave, standing in silence as four pallbearers are lowering the coffin into the pit. The many buggies are aligned in the b.g. As the pallbearers begin to shovel soil and gravel into the grave, the Preacher begins to read a hymn in German ... a slow atonal litany which seems to hang forever on the frosty air. RACHEL TIGHTENING to her as the hymn continues... CUT TO: 11 INT. LAPP FARMHOUSE 11 where the Amish have gathered for the traditional post funeral, midday meals. 11 CONTINUED: 11 Long tables are laden with customary Amish fare ... crocks of soup, hams, fowl, fried boiled eggs and pickled beets, preserves and an infinite variety of pies and pastries. RACHEL Where she sits among women, accepting their condolences. DANIEL HOCHSTETLER A brawny-armed, ruggedly-handsome, raffish looking Amishman. There is something atypical about his face a slightly sardonic set of mouth, a bold eye, a prominent set of jaw. Not exactly what old Jacob Ammann had in mind, maybe, but a well set-up man nonetheless, and at ease among men. He's among a group of men including old STOLTZFUS, the local healer, FISHER, BIEILER and Bieiler's stout young son, Tom. STOLTZFUS Lapp was a good farmer. None better. BEILER But not the man to buy a horse for you. (and) Hochstetler, wasn't it your father sold him that horse with a ruptured testicle? TOM (grins) Told him it was a bee sting made him limp that way. HOCHSTETLER (amused) That horse had one good ball. That's all it takes. The others chuckle. But Hochstetler's attention is still on Rachel. RACHEL as Hochstetler looms on the horizon, plants himself like a tree in front of her. 11 CONTINUED: (2) 11 At ease as he was with the men, he's a bit awkward at this. All the women, very much aware of Hochstetler's availability, tune in as Rachel looks up. HOCHSTETLER I was sorry to hear about Jacob. Let us hope he walks close with God. RACHEL I'm sure he does, Daniel. 12 FIELDS, LAPP FARM - DAY 12 It is some time after the funeral and the Lapp family is hard at work breaking ground for the spring ploughing. The death of Jacob has increased the work load on; all three - Samuel maneuvers a four-mule team while Rachel and old Eli work nearby, further breaking up the earth. Rachel looks up from the back-breaking labor as several figures approach - it's Daniel Hochstetler and two of his brothers. Without a word they fall in beside Eli and Rachel and take up various tasks associated with the work in hand. Daniel works close beside Rachel. 12A EXT. COUNTRY ROADS, LANCASTER COUNTY - DAY 12B A few BRIEF SHOTS of a lone buggy containing the Lapp family take us from the 18th century into the 20th century the reassuring RATTLE OF THE CARRIAGE WHEELS on quiet backroad, to the ROAR OF TRAFFIC as the buggy waits patiently for a chance to cross a busy interstate highway. 12B EXT. HIGHWAY, LANCASTER COUNTY - DAY 12B A huge tractor trailer rig hovers over the frail buggy as it trots down the interstate. The camera cranes up to reveal a procession of vehicles behind the truck for a chance to overtake it. 13 OMITTED 13 14 EXT. PLATFORM, LANCASTER STATION - DAY 14 Daniel Hochstetler moves through the crowd on the plat-form, Rachel turns surprised, as he approaches, a faint color coming to her cheek. RACHEL Daniel? 14 CONTINUED: 14 HOCHSTETLER I...I was at the feed store. And I saw your horse, so... There is an embarrassment between them broken by the arrival of the train. HOCHSTETLER (continuing) You will come back soon? Samuel can barely contain his excitement as he drags at his mother's hand. SAMUEL Quickly, Mothers Quickly! Rachel embraces Eli. ELI You be careful out among them English. She turns to Hochstetler. RACHEL I need time, Daniel. 14A EXT. CARPARK, LANCASTER STATION - DAY 14A Daniel Hochstetler leaps into the driving seat of his open wagon and with a flick of the reins and a whoop sets his horse off at a fast trot. 14B EXT. TRAIN - DAY 14B The ENGINE gives a WARNING BLAST before creeping slowly forward. 15 OMITTED 15 16 INT. TRAIN (MOVING) 16 as Samuel spots something out of the window that causes him to light up. SAMUEL Look, Mama...l 17 HIS POV THROUGH WINDOW 17 A road runs parallel to the train track, and Hoch- stetler in his wagon urges his horse almost to the gallop as he attempts to keep pace with the train. 18 BACK TO SCENE 18 as Rachel smiles. RACHEL I see, darling. And Samuel cranes to look back, waving, for as long as he can. 18A EXT. LANCASTER COUNTRYSIDE - DAY 18A The train moves across a broad panorama of fields, dotted with dolls'-house-sized farms and the tiny figures of Amish farmers working their horse-drawn equipment. 19 SERIES OF CUTS 19 as the train continues its eastward journey... Samuel stares raptly out of the window at the changing pat- terns of the countryside. He points in wonder at a brightly colored hot air balloon as it drifts slowly over timbered hills... he looks unsure as the pattern of field and wood gives way to suburbs, bustling shop- ping centers, restaurants, car lots and fast food outlets. 20 EXT. PHILADELPHIA SLUMS 20 as the train travels past dilapidated row houses, streets choked with cars and the gutters with filth. 21 INT. TRAIN (MOVING) 21 Now Samuel is staring out the window with some confu- sion, almost apprehension: SAMUEL Is this where we're going? RACHEL Of course not. We're going to Baltimore. It's much nicer in Baltimore. 21 CONTINUED: 21 And Rachel draws her son closer, turning her back on the window. 22 OMITTED 22 23 INT. 30 ST. STATION, PHILADELPHIA - DAY 23 Rachel is in a line at one of the counters. The plain dress of the two Amish - particularly Samuel's black coat and hat - are drawing curious stares. SAMUEL He's uncomfortably aware of the shy looks and giggles of a little girl about his own age, standing in line with her parents at the next counter. He edges away from his mother... ANGLE as Samuel comes upon a figure garbed in a long black frock coat and flat-brimmed hat... the man's back is turned, could, from appearances, be an Amishman. Samuel stares... A beat, the man turns to face Samuel and we discover that he is a Hasidic Jew. SAMUEL as he reacts. BACK TO TICKET COUNTER as Rachel's turn arrives. The TICKET SELLER glances up and she shows him her ticket. RACHEL We have a ticket to Baltimore. Where is that train, please? TICKET SELLER Delayed three hours. You'll hear an announcement when it's time to board. 24 CONTINUED 24 He starts to go without his hat, but Rachel collars him and puts it on his head. 25 ANGLE IN MEN'S ROOM 25 as Samuel enters. It's a long row of sinks, urinals, and stalls...Samuel stops before one of the urinals - a long, trough-like affair with water drizzling down the rear porcelain panel. It's set a little high for Samuel, and it is making GLUGGING-FLUSHING NOISES that are, at least, intimidating. Samuel stares for a moment, then turns, looks toward the stalls, stoops to see which are empty. HIS POV - TOILETS beneath the row of doors we can see no feet visible. Samuel is alone in the restroom. BACK TO SCENE as Samuel proceeds along the row of door, finally selects a stall near the end. He enters. As he does so, a heavily bearded youth in a dirty sweatshirt enters. With some urgency, he removes small notebook from his pocket and places it behind a paper towel dispenser. Suddenly he glances up. Two other men have entered the men's room; one is a large BLACK MAN in a three-piece suit under an ex- pensive, overcoat. His PARTNER is a Caucasian in designer jeans, half boots and a short leather jacket. They advance on the young man with unmistakable menace. The young man whirls in terror; his two assailants lunge for him... a savage, wordless struggle ensues in the close confines of the lavatory. ANGLE IN SAMUEL'S STALL as the struggling men bounce off the door of his stall... he can see their feet under the edge of the door. BACK TO FIGHT as the struggle builds to a climax... ends with the young man stiffening with a grunt, his face draining of color. The two attackers step away, the blade in the black man's hand bloodstained. His partner stares at what they've accomplished with a stunned expression: PARTNER Jesus... The young man's hand comes away from his belly covered with blood. He stares at it, staggers toward the sinks. Finally his bloodied hand reaches to smear at his face in the mirror. Then he collapses to the floor. The black man motions for his partner to watch the door, then quickly reaches up and removes the notebook from behind the dispenser. ANGLE IN SAMUEL'S STALL as he edges open the stall door a crack. Over his shoulder we can see the black man, his BACK TO US, rifling the backpack. But beyond him, in the mirror on the far wall, we catch sight of the black man's face. SAMUEL as he stares out the narrow crack. A beat, then he closes the stall door. ANGLE IN STALL Samuel tries to make the latch work, but it's warped and won't fall closed. BLACK MAN as he checks the notebook before placing it in his pocket. His partner is covering the door, an automatic in his hand. The black man makes for the exit, then on second thought, glances at the row of stalls. HIS POV - STALLS All quiet, but... BACK TO SCENE The black man whips out a SR caliber revolver, and, starting at the near end, starts pushing open the stall doors. 25 CONTINUED: (3) 25 ANGLE IN SAM'S STALLS as the black man approaches, Samuel working desperately on the latch. At the last minute he finally wedges it in. BLACK MAN He elbows Samuel's stall...the door won't open. ANGLE IN SAM'S STALL Fighting back panic, Samuel has retreated as far as he can. BLACK MAN as he gives the door a kick. It holds. He swears under his breath. ANGLE IN SAM'S STALL In desperation, Samuel does the only thing he can think of... he slips under the partition into the neighboring stall the black man just checked out. But he loses his hat in the process. His hand snakes back INTO FRAME to snatch it just as the black man gives the door a fero- cious kick that splinters the lock and nearly takes it off its hinges. He's framed there, the big muzzle of the .38 revolver looking down our throats. ANGLE as his partner snaps from the doorway: PARTNER Will you come on, for Christ's sakes! A beat, then the black man holsters his weapon, turns to follow the partner out. BACK TO SAMUEL as we hear the SOUND OF THE TWO MEN EXITING the lavatory. A long beat, then Samuel opens the stall door a crack. 25 CONTINUED: (4) 25 HIS POW THROUGH DOOR Samuel's own face reflected in the blood-smeared mirror ... then PANNING DOWN to the still figure of the young man lying in the crimson pool of his own blood on the floor. 26 OMITTED 26 thru thru 29 29 30 BENCH WAITING ROOM - LOW ANGLE - NIGHT 30 Samuel sits close to his mother, his face pale, his eyes staring. Rachel holds his hand tightly in hers as the torsos of various police and officials pass through foreground, occasionally obscuring the lonely couple. There is considerable ECHOING NOISE as commands and requests mingle with the CRACKLE OF TWO-WAY RADIOS. CUT TO: DOOR - MEN'S' ROOM The diffused shape of faces behind the frosted glass of the Men's room door, which is pushed open to reveal, JOHN BOOK, who comes striding through to be momentarily lost in the crowd of police, reporters and others. He is about 40, with a rangy, athletic body. Behind him comes CARTER, Book's black partner - about five years younger than Book. Book is wearing a suit, Carter is much more casually - almost disreputably - dressed. CUT TO: BENCH Little Samuel watching Book, back to crowd of police, as Book questions an old black CUSTODIAN. BOOK You found the body? CUSTODIAN Uh uh. Not me, daddy, I just reported it. It was the kid. BOOK What kid? 30 CONTINUED: 30 CUSTODIAN How'n hell do I know what kid? The kid in the funny black threads. TIGHT SHOT - SAMUEL Worry-eyed, still staring straight ahead. Then his eyes move suddenly to his left. BOOK'S LEGS - SAMUEL'S POV coming in at full stride, then stopping. SAMUEL He doesn't raise his eyes...just looks at the legs. And, slowly, the legs begin to bend at the knees. We see Book ' s belt buckle, then his big pistol in its holster, then his face. He stares at Samuel for a moment, then... ANGLE - BOOK as his face breaks into a big grin, and... BOOK Hi, kid. RACHEL immediately alarmed, intervening. RACHEL What do you want of my son? THE SCENE as Book takes out his wallet, displays his shield. BOOK I'm a police officer. I'm going to have to talk to the boy. What's his name? RACHEL Samuel. Samuel Lapp. 30 CONTINUED 30 RACHEL then, quickly) But what happened here is none of his affair. My sister is expect- ing me . . . our train is leaving soon. BOOK There'll be another train. (turns to Samuel) The man who was killed tonight was a policeman, Sam. It's my job to find out who did it. I want you to tell me everything you saw when you went in there. SAMUEL (stammers) I saw him. BOOK Who'd you see? Sam looks at his mother. BOOK (CONT'D) Who'd you see, Sam? The man on the floor? SAMUEL No . . . I saw the man who killed him. Book stares at him in surprise, speaks over his shoulder to Carter. BOOK Anybody know about this? CARTER I didn't even know about it. BOOK (back to Sam) Okay, Sam. Can you tell me what he looked like? SAMUEL (groping, touching his clothes and pointing at Carter) He was . . . like him. BOOK (nods) Black . . . I understand. What else, Sam? A beat, then Sam crosses quickly to Carter, Book's rather slightly built partner: SAMUEL Not Zwartich, like him - Book frowns, puzzled: BOOK Try that one again, Sam - Samuel gives his mother a helpless look; exasperated, Rachel intervenes with Book. She glances at Carter: RACHEL May I talk to you? ANGLE As Rachel takes Book aside, and in a low voice: RACHEL (CONT'D) Zwartich . . It's the way we say . . . dwarf. (glances at Carter) Not like him . . . very big. Book nods, starts to turn back to Sam. Just then a commotion o.s. catches his attention. 31 OMITTED 31 31A BOOK'S P0V - ONCOMING COPS 31A It's Capt. TERRY DONAHUE, Chief of Homicide, striding past the crowd of journalists and TV crews . .. brushing off reporters' questions and snapping orders to the aides he's got in tow: BACK To SCENE As Donahue comes on Book: DONAHUE (to aides) Close it all down . . . I want a man on every exit . . . I want the lab in here now ! (to Book) And I want to talk to you, Captain. ANGLE As Book steps aside with Donahue . . . In the b.g. Rachel moves protectively to Samuel's side. BOOK All right, talk. DONOHUE This is homicide - not Internal Affairs! So why are you behaving like you own this case? BOOK We were running Zenovitch . . . That's all I can tell you. But I want it, Terry. (then) I've got a call into Schaeffer. RACHEL/SAMUEL They can't help but watch the confrontation between Donahue and Book . . . although they're keeping the volume down, it's obviously intense and angry: SAMUEL (alarmed) Momma . . . are they angry with us . RACHEL (reassuring, but hardly in her own mind) No . . . No. It is just the English way. 31A (CONTINUED) 31A Donahue has lost the confrontation; he gives Book a smile: DONAHUE You ought to think about coming back to Homicide, Johnny. . . Stick with Internal Affairs and you're not gonna have any friends left. BOOK (smiles right back) I'll buy a dog. 32 EXT. 30th STATION - NIGHT 32 Book emerges from the terminal, looks about Him, then crosses to a big Mercury Sedan which is parked nearby. Two men sit in the front seat. Book crosses to the driver's side and opens the door. BOOK Go get a cup of coffee, Stan. The driver, a uniformed policeman, glances at the man beside him who nods in agreement. He gets out and Book gets in behind the wheel. 33 OMITTED 33 34 INT. SEDAN 34 Book sits next-to SCHAEFFER, a surprisingly kindly looking man of about fifty. Schaeffer is a Deputy Chief. SCHAEFFER How reliable is this kid? BOOK Oh, he's good. SCHAEFFER Amish. BOOK Yeah. 34 (CONTINUED) 34 SCHAEFFER What have you got? BOOK Zenovitch was about to deliver a list of names ton ight -- street chemists...the guys processing this P2P into speed. SCHAEFFER So one of them got to him. BOOK Maybe. SCHAEFFER You know who? BOOK Maybe. SCHAEFFER You're still convinced there's a link to the department? BOOK If there isn't I've just wasted the last six months. SCHAEFFER That's the problem. We need results. The press is driving us crazy over this P2P thing. Calling us the speed capitol of the country'. You know the sort of thing . It's getting political. The Commissioner's getting very uneasy. BOOK The Amish boy saw him, Paul. I'll make it, but Set Donahue and the Homicide Department off my back or they'll blow the whole thing. SCHAEFFER When word gets out that Zenovitch was a cop, all hell will break lose. You've got 24 hours. That's all I can give you. 24 hours on your own. After that the case and the witness go back to the Homicide Department. 34 CONTINUED: 34 SCHAEFFER (shakes his head) Tell you what... why don't you and that blonde - what's-her-name - come over for dinner Sunday. How 'bout that. BOOK What's-her-name moved to Buffalo. SCHAEFFER (Sighs) Well, anyway, don't get crazy. (dismisses him) I'll do something for Zenovich's wife. 35 OMITTED 35 36 INT. BOOK'S CAR (MOVING) PHILADELPHIA - NIGHT 36 Book drives around 13th Street, a ravaged corridor between neon-lit restaurants, bars, porno shops and darkened storefronts. Carter sits beside him, Rachel and her son in the back seat looking out at the assorted array of desperate characters huddled in doorways or wandering aimlessly about. On the POLICE RADIO a description of the cop killing is BROADCAST EVERY FEW MINUTES. CARTER I got there late, John. BOOK Let's just find Coalmine. (beat) Listen, Zenovich made a mistake. You didn't let anybody down. It happens -- CARTER (grimly) It won't happen again. RACHEL Where are you taking us? BOOK We're looking for a suspect. We've reason to believe he's still in the area. RACHEL You have no right to keep us here. BOOK Yes I do. Your son is a material witness to a homicide. RACHEL You don't understand, we have nothing to do with your laws! BOOK Doesn't surprise me. I meet a lot of people like that. RACHEL It's not a joke. Book decides to try contrition: BOOK You're right. It's not a joke. Listen, I know a little about the Amish. I know this has to be an ordeal for you; and I'm really sorry you an Samuel got involved. Samuel shoots a look at Book. then mutters something to his mother in German. She responds in the same language. Book frowns. BOOK What was that? RACHEL He wants to know who you are. Your name. I told him we don't need to know anything about you. Book eyes Samuel: BOOK Book. John Book 36A EXT. 13TH STATION - NIGHT 36A Book's car stops ,and from out of the shadows darts a wizened little MAN. He looks about before crossing to the driver's side window. 36B INT. BOOK'S CAR - NIGHT 36B Book lowers the window. BOOK Sammy, where's Coalmine? The little man stares at the weird-looking couple in the back seat. 36B CONTINUED: 36B SAMMY What you got there, the Salvation Army? BOOK Coalmine. SAMMY Try "Happy Valley". 36C EXT. HAPPY VALLEY BAR, SOUTH STREET - NIGHT 36C Book's car pulls up outside the bar and he and Carter get out, and move swiftly inside. 36D INT. HAPPY VALLEY - NIGHT 36D Sixty Black faces stare as the police enter. A hush falls on the group. Book and Carter spot their man at the bar and move up either side of him. They've moved carefully to this point . . . no mistakes. From the back, the black man they've approached certainly looks like he could be the man who did the killing of Zenovitch. And, as Book and Carter make their move . . 36E EXT. HAPPY VALLEY - NIGHT 36E As Book and Carter explode through the door of the bar, violently propelling Coalmine along with them. Now we see Coalmine is not the killer. As Book and Carter escort Coalmine out of the bar a police squad car pulls up, its headlights shining into Book's car. An alarmed Rachel holds Samuel close as Book forces Coalmine's face down next to the car window. BOOK Put some light on him. A cop pulls out a flashlight, begins to play the beam over Coalmine's face. 36E CONTINUED: BOOK (continuing; to Samuel) Look at him. Crazy as Rasputin on speed and booze, Coalmine glares at Samuel inside the car: Samuel, white-faced, finally shakes his head in the negative. Coalmine tries to twist free of Book's grip. Book snaps, and slams Coalmine's skull into the window edge, finally crushing his face up against the front win- dow. His face takes on a grotesque shape against the glass. Carter restrains his partner and Book cools down. Coalmine is led stumbling away by the uniformed police. This sudden show of violence has horrified and angered Rachel, and she glares at Book as he gets back in the car. RACHEL John Book, you listen to me! will have no further part in this, nor will my son! As God stands between us! Book sighs, starts the engine and moves off. 36F EXT. HOTEL - PHILADELPHIA - NIGHT 36F Book pulls up outside a hotel entrance as a uniformed DOORMAN moves to open the rear door. 36G INT. CAR - NIGHT 36G Rachel and Sam recoil as the Doorman opens the door. He is puzzled by the sight of the reluctant guests. DOORMAN Ma'am? RACHEL No! We do not stay in hotels. Book and Carter exchange a glance. 37 OMITTED 37 thru thru 42 42 43 EXT./INT. FRONT DOOR, SUBURBAN HOUSE - 43 PHILADELPHIA - NIGHT An attractive woman in her early thirties in robe and slippers stares in disbelief as Rachel and Sam file into the house. This is ELAINE, BOOK'S sister. She stops Book as he tries to follow Rachel inside. ELAINE How could you do this to me tonight? I told you I had company BOOK Sorry. It's important. BACK TO RACHEL as she glances in a doorway. HER POV - ELAINE'S KITCHEN It's a shambles, with dirty supper dishes piled sink, the table littered with empty beer cans. BACK TO RACHEL as she hustles Samuel along. BOOK/ELAINE Book frowns: 43 CONTINUED: BOOK Where's Timmy and Buck? ELAINE Upstairs, asleep. Where'd you think? BOOK You've got a man here and the kids are upstairs? ELAINE That's none of your goddamn business! So keep your goddamn holier-than-thou mouth shut! (and) Anyway, they like Fred. BOOK Oh sure, Fred. Elaine looks like she's going to blow again, then decides it's pointless. ELAINE Who are these orphans, anyway? BOOK They're Amish. 44 ANGLE IN GUEST ROOM Samuel is asleep in one twin bed in a tiny, cluttered room. Rachel, in a plain nightgown, is preparing to climb into the other one. O.S. we hear a DOOR CLOSE, presumably Book leaving. A beat, then Elaine opens the door and looks in. ELAINE Everything okay? RACHEL Yes, thank you very much. ELAINE (a beat) John said you're Amish. RACHEL Yes. 44 CONTINUED: ELAINE (blankly) Oh. She nods and goes. Rachel crosses to Samuel, sits on the bed. Samuel looks up at her bleakly. SAMUEL I don't want to stay here. RACHEL They are English. They don't understand. SAMUEL I wish dawdie was with us. RACHEL (swallows) I Know. Sleep now, Liebchien. She puts her hand on his forehead, closes his eyes. she frowns, and... 44a EXT. DRIVE-IN FAST-FOOD JOINT - PHILADELPHIA - DAWN 44A Carter exits the cafe carrying burgers, donuts and a couple of beers. Book wakes from a brief nap as Carter gets into the car. 44B Book chews into his burger while Carter takes a dough- 44B nut. Its clear they've worked through the night. 45 EXT. ELAINE'S HOUSE - DAY 45 Elaine's house is situated on the corner of a row of terraces, which stretch into the distance on both sides of the street. 46 INT. ELAINE'S HOUSE 46 as Samuel comes out of the guest room in his night- shirt, turns up the hall and opens the door to the bathroom. 46 CONTINUED: ANGLE But it's not the bathroom; it's Elaine's bedroom. She and FRED are tangled in the sheets, furiously making love. Elaine gasps, Fred manages to grunt. FRED Wrong door, kid. ANOTHER ANGLE As Samuel quickly shuts the door. A straight-faced beat; then, barely suppressing a giggle, he hurries on... 47 ANGLE IN LIVING ROOM as Rachel appears in the living room entry. Samuel is sitting on the floor with two boys of about his own age, watching television. They're eating cold cereal out of a box. RACHEL'S POV - TV SCREEN Some artless Saturday morning cartoon. BACK TO RACHEL as she frowns, watching her son and the other two staring hypnotically. And... 48 ANGLE IN LIVING ROOM 48 It's later in the morning now, as Elaine, a bit bleari- ly, appears in the entryway, stares in groggy disbelief. HER POV - KIDS Her oldest boy and Samuel are busily washing the win- dows while her youngest is pushing a carpet sweeper. The TV is off. BACK TO ELAINE as she stares. 49 ANGLE IN KITCHEN Rachel is standing in the middle of the now immaculate kitchen finishing a brisk mop of the floor. The coffee is perking. Elaine appears. ELAINE (mutters) Jesus... Rachel turns cheerily. RACHEL Good morning. ELAINE (helplessly) You didn't have to... RACHEL I wanted to. you were kind to take us in last night. (and) Anyway, I needed something to do. I was so angry with your brothers He's so...aaanisish I ELAINE Aganishish? Yeah, that sounds like John. She takes a seat at the table, still shaking her head. RACHEL Just a minute. I'll pour you some coffee. ELAINE You're not carrying a bullwhip... how'd you manage to put my kids to work? RACHEL (smiles) I made it a contest... the one who does best gets his cereal back first. (and) Children like to help... they only need to be kept after a little bit. Rachel means no harm by this, but Elaine's eyes begin to storm. ELAINE Oh, is that so? (and) No offense, lady, but I'm not so sure I like the idea of your coming in here and turning the place upside down! Rachel's smile fades at Elaine's trembling outburst: RACHEL Please, I didn't mean... Abruptly Elaine rises and snatches the mop from Rachel's hands. She mops furiously as she Continues: ELAINE I know exactly what you meant! Listen, maybe I'm not a world- class housefrau, but maybe I don't have time to polish the goddamn china and keep after the kids! (and) It's none of your business, but I don't happen to have a man around here full time. So I sell cosmetics in a goddamn drugstore and sometimes I can even pay the rent on time! So maybe I'm not Mary Poppins, but maybe I don't need to have it jammed down my throat like this. She finishes the floor, hurls the mop aside with a CLATTER: ELAINE (continuing) There is that clean enough for you? Rachel is speechless, Elaine is on the point of bursting into tears. At which point Fred appears at the entry in his undershirt, taking in the sparkling kitchen. FRED Jesus, Elaine... Somebody die and leave you a broom? Not a politic observation on Fred's part. 49 CONTINUED: (2) ELAINE (blurts) Go to hell, Fred! And, bursting into tears, she flees the kitchen. Fred stares after her. FRED What's bugging her? Unperturbed, he crosses to the counter and the coffee pot, letting his eyes take in Rachel's full figure. 50 INT. ELAINE'S BEDROOM 50 as Rachel comes in with Elaine's coffee, closes the door behind her. Elaine is lying across the bed, sobbing. RACHEL I brought your coffee. She takes a seat next to the bed. RACHEL (continuing) I'm sorry. I didn't mean it that way. After a moment, Elaine starts to pull herself together: ELAINE It's okay. (and) Look, I shouldn't have blown my top. It's like... somehow ... I've let everything get away from me. And you sort of made me face it. She takes the cup, sips the coffee. Rachel smiles at a private thought. ELAINE (continuing) What's so funny? RACHEL Fred. The way he looked when you screamed at him. 50 CONTINUED 50 ELAINE (disparing} God, Fred... RACHEL At home you'd never hear a woman scream at a man that way. ELAINE No? Why not? RACHEL You just wouldn't. It's not the Amish way. (then) But I think it would have done me good if I could have screamed at your brother last night. ELAINE Listen, I don't know what's going on or how you got mixed up with him, but don't you let that self- righteous sonofabitch push you around, okay? Rachel smiles. RACHEL Okay. 51 INT. BOOK'S CAR (MOVING) - DAY 51 Book glances irritably at Rachel: BOOK Now what's the problem? RACHEL The problem is I don't happen to think my son should be spending all his time with a man who carried a gun under his coat and goes around whacking people. Book gives her a look: BOOK Whacking? CUT TO: 51 CONTINUED: RACHEL (firmly) Yes. And I also want to leave this city. BOOK Believe me, I'm trying to get this over with as fast as I can. But Samuel will probably have to come back and testify. RACHEL We do not go into your courts. BOOK People who don't go into our courts when they're told to sometimes go directly into our jail. Rachel glares at him and the ride continues on that chilly note for a beat. BOOK (CONT'D) Look, I'm genuinely sorry. . . RACHEL (snaps) No you' re not - (off his look) You're glad, because now you've got a witness. (and) I heard the other police talking last night. (and) They don't seem to like you very much. BOOK They kid a lot. RACHEL (glances at him) I would not be too sure. 51 CONTINUED: 51 Samuel has been glancing at Book; finally he says something to his mother in German. Book gives her an inquiring look. RACHEL He says you look very tired. I thought the same thing. Book says nothing. RACHEL (CONT'D) But not a good tired. BOOK What's a 'good' tired. Tired is tired. She doesn't bother to explain; 800k settles even deeper into his funk as Samuel glares at him with hostility. 51A INT. IDENTIFICATION ROOM - POLICE H.Q. - DAY 51A Samuel sits with Book at a desk, Rachel just behind. They are looking at a police line-up of known black drug-dealers. Samuel shakes his head - another negative. Book winks, slyly reaches into a pocket, produces a yellow gumball. He surreptitiously shows it to Samuel, gives him an inquiring look. It's a peace offering. Samuel grins, nods imperceptibly. ANOTHER ANGLE as Book rolls the gumball down the table to Samuel. But just as Samuel is about to cover it with his hand, Rachel reaches over and plucks it off the table. She shakes her head at Samuel. BOOK (to Rachel) Just wanted to see if you were on your toes. 52 OMITTED 52 52B EXT. CITY PARK - DAY 52B Book, Sam and Rachel sit on a park bench eating a lunch of hot dogs heaped with kraut. Book watches with amusement as Samuel wolfs down his lunch. Rachel eyes him a beat. then: RACHEL Your sister said you don't have a family? BOOK No. RACHEL She thinks you should get married and have children of your own. Instead of trying to be a father to hers. Except she thinks you're afraid of the responsibility. Book gives her a look: BOOK Oh? Anything else? 52B CONTINUED: 52B RACHEL Oh yes. she thinks you like policing because you think you're right about everything. And you're the only one who can do anything. And that when you drink a lot of beer you say things like none of the other police would know a crook from a... um... bag of elbows. Book is staring at her. Rachel nods. RACHEL (continuing) I think that's what she said. Just then Samuel belches with huge satisfaction, drawing looks from Book and a couple of passersby. Rachel smiles proudly. RACHEL (continuing) Good appetite. CUT TO: 52C INT. OUTER OFFICE/WAITING ROOM, NARCOTICS DIVISION- 52C DAY Rachel sits uneasily in the outer office, one or two police clerks eyeing her curiously. A sign on the desk reads "Narcotics Division." Rachel cranes forward trying to peer through a par- tially open door. 52D INT. DETECTIVES ROOM, NARCOTICS DIVISION, POLICE H.Q. 52D DAY A group of Narcotics Detectives are interrupted in mid- conversation by the opening of the main office door. They stare in considerable surprise. CUT TO: John Book standing in the doorway, holding little Samuel by the hand. BOOK Afternoon, gentlemen. I'd like you to meet Samuel Lapp. We'd like a little help. 52E INT. SMALL OFFICE, NARCOTICS DIVISION - DAY 52E A Narcotics Detective enters the room laden with sev- eral volumes of mug shots. He puts them on the desk beside a similar book which Samuel is intently study- ing. Sam sits on the chair cushions in a big swivel rocker. The Detective, Sgt. KAMAN, eyes Book a little suspi- ciously - internal affairs officers are not greeted warmly by the working policemen in any department. KAMAN There's a Sgt. Carter on the phone for you. Book gets up and moves to the door. KAMAN (continuing) And, Captain, don't want to rush you, but I'm gonna need these files back in a half hour. We got a lot of work to do round here. The two men leave. Samuel looks about before hopping off his perch and following the direction taken by Book. 53 OMITTED 53 thru thru 56 56 57 INT. DETECTIVES ROOM, NARCOTICS DIVISION - DAY 57 Through glass partitions we can see Book on the tele- phone in a cubicle of an office. Samuel has drifted out of the office and is idling amid the bustle of the squadroom. He crosses to a glass case which holds a collection of plaques and framed newspaper accounts which denote instances of outstanding duty and achievement. ANGLE THOUGH GLASS CASE as Samuel moves along, only half interested in what his eyes are taking in, not really old enough to comprehend anyway. Until suddenly he freezes. SAMUEL'S POV - NEWSPAPER ACCOUNT Enlarged, prominently displayed. The headline reads: Division Chief McElroy Honored For Youth Project. Accompanying the item is a large sidebar mug-shot of McElroy - clearly the black man who murdered the young cop in the train station men's room. BACK TO SAMUEL He stares, transfixed. A long beat, then Book, lowering himself to one knee next to Samuel, ENTERS FRAME. He's watching Samuel, knowing from the boy's expression that they've found their man. Samuel slowly raises his hand to point at the photograph. Book gently takes the boy's small hand in his, concealing the accusation from watchful eyes. He smiles gently at the boy. 58 INT. BOOK'S CAR (MOVING) - PHILADELPHIA - DUSK 58 Rachel is curled tight in her corner of the front seat holding Samuel close. Book glances at her: RACHEL Why don't you arrest that man? Are you protecting him because policeman? BOOK (snaps) Listen, I'm the cop that polices the police. I'm not in the business of protecting crooked cops . (eases up) I'll make an arrest when I know everybody involved. Rachel shakes her head. RACHEL But why would they murders.. 58 CONTINUED BOOK Because - somehow - they knew I was getting close. (and) Look, it's narcotics . . . They make dope out of chemicals . . . they sell it on the street for millions of dollars. They'll do anything. (and) And they can get away with it because they're cops. RACHEL (beat, then) I'm afraid. I'm afraid for Samuel. I want to go home. BOOK You'll be safe. you don't have to worry. She says nothing. Another beat, then: BOOK (continuing) Look, they're thinking as long as they keep the killer out of Samuel's way, we can't make an I.D. There's no way they can know Samuel saw that photograph, so he's safe. He glances at her, but she continues ahead. BOOK (continuing) I mean it. you will be safe. Suddenly Rachel explodes: RACHEL Oh yes! Of Courses Why shouldn't we feel safe in a city where the police are so busy killing each other! CUT TO: 59 EXT./INT. SCHAEFFER HOME, PHILADELPHIA SUBURBS - 59 NIGHT The front door of Schaeffer's upper-middle class home is opened by his wife MARILYN. She knows Book and is surprised and delighted to see him. In the background daughter KATHY is visible. Schaeffer himself appears and Book is welcomed inside. INT. SCHAEFFER'S STUDY - NIGHT Schaeffer passes Book a drink. 59 CONTINUED 59 Book is excited, animated . . . the hunter, after a long chase, closing on his quarry: BOOK It was McElroy, Paul. Schaeffer gives him a sharp look: BOOK Last guys would have figured. But he's part of it. SCHAEFFER I hope you don't have any doubts about that. BOOK If I did, I'd have kept my mouth shut . . . (and) It fits, Paul . . . Fifty-five gallons of P-two-P confiscated four years ago . .. Guess who was in on the collar? Mac. (excited, explain- ing the thing eagerly) He salts it away somewhere . . he knows the stuff is potent, but the street chemists haven't figured out how to process it. But they do now. (and) And now the stuff is worth five- grand a pint and there are a lot of pints in a fifty-five gallon drum. SCHAEFFER (beat) Who else knows? BOOK Just us. SCHAEFFER (shakes his head) Okay, what are you going to need to clean it up BOOK More people . . Gotta pick up where Zenovich left off. People from outside the department. 59 (CONTINUED) 59 SCHAEFFER (nods) Maybe the Bureau. Or those bastards at Treasury. I'll take care of it. (then) I hate this shit, Johnny. You cut their balls off for me. I'm counting on you . Schaeffer pours himself another drink. SCHAEFFER (CONT'D) What's your first move? BOOK (expels a breath) A hot shower . . . I haven't changed clothes in two days. 60 EXT. PARKING LOT - PHILADELPHIA - NIGHT 60 Book slams the front door of his car, checks it for being locked, glances at a roiled newspaper in his hand (the sports section of the Inquirer), starts across the parking lot toward his apartment, walking as he keeps glancing down at the sports section. He comes to a sort of crosswalk, stops, reads, starts to take a step...and looks up. WHAT HE SEES McElroy, smiling nicely, starting across toward him from the other side of the parking lot crosswalk BACK To BOOK Freezing, eyes widening. utterly surprised and caught. McELROY Still smiling, he brings up his right hand out of a shopping bag (which he appeared to be carrying) - letting the shopping bag fall away as he does so - revealing a five-inch barrel Smith and Wesson .357 blue finish revolver with a silencer. Without hesi- tating, coming right on, still smiling, he FIRES once. 60 CONTINUED 60 BOOK Already starting to leap away to one side, he is hit, driven into a half-turn. He clutches at the wound, as: McELROY Coming right on, FIRING again...the pistol's report a WHOOSHING, like the opening of a bottle of cheap champagne. And McElroy still smiling as: BOOK Hit...a grazing near-miss this time, but enough to send Book down hard and grasping. McELROY Lowering the pistol alongside his leg, as two MEN, barely taking notice of anything, cross with their backs to Book toward McElroy. He smiles at them. BOOK Down, muttering CURSES. THE SCENE As McElroy walks past Book, drops the pistol to the pavement, keeps on going ..and is gone. BOOK GROANING in pain, beginning to try to crawl crab-like. And we HEAR - from the agonized recesses of Book's Dream. SCHAEFFER (V.O.) Who else knows? BOOK (V.O.) Just us. As the lights of an oncoming car - going very slowly, on its way to a parking space - sweep over him and we HEAR it come to a sudden, squealing stop. Book is already trying to get to his feet...now succeeds, lurching into a swaying stance, using an adjacent car for support. O.S. we HEAR a car door slam, and foot- steps hurrying in our direction, accompanied by excited voices. Book HEARS, turns to face the oncomers, 60 CONTINUED 60 ANGLE A fat, middle-aged MAN has approached to within some feet of Book, looks on edgily: MAN Hey, buddy, what's the score? Little too much to drink? Book stares at him, then looks down at his belly. BOOK'S WOUND As Book removes his hand we can see one of the bullets struck him low in the side, just below the ribcage... the other just above it (but this one inflicting only minor damage). THE SCENE As the man stares: MAN Goddamn, buddy. You better get to a hospital! (and) Here; I'll give you a hand. He starts to approach, but Book shoves him away. BOOK No! No hospital! By now the man's WIFE is hovering at a safe distance: WIFE Let him alone, Henry! If he wants to die in the street, that's his business! But the man is not content: MAN Shut up, Romona! Will ya look at that blood? Book has tried to lurch toward his car; the man tries to intercept him: MAN (CONT.) Come on, buddy...you're gonna bleed to death! Book whirls on him, his service revolver in his hand pointed squarely at the fat man's face: MAN Shit! WIFE (quavering) I told you, Henry! Book doesn't trust himself to speak, but the .38 is sufficiently eloquent for the circumstances, He stares at the fat man another beat, then hesitates, turns, starts back toward his car. EXT. STREET - PHILADELPHIA - NIGHT As Book's car wheels somewhat erratically through traffic. INT. BOOK'S CAR (MOVING) Book has a gym bag open on the seat next to him, is stuffing a t-shirt under his belt to staunch the blood. And... 61 OMITTED 61 thru thru 62 62 63 INT. CARTER'S APARTMENT - BEDROOM - NIGHT 63 as he's awakened by the RINGING bedside telephone. he snaps on a lamp , . . He's instantly awake, not unused to such rousing in the wee hours. A woman sleeps beside him. CARTER Yeah... 64 INTERCUT BOOK He's at an n.d. pay phone. BOOK Listen carefully, I wrote the Amish woman's name and address on my desk calendar, I want you to lose it for me, Now. Tonight. CARTER What the hell are you talking about? What's happening, 64 CONTIUED 64 BOOK Nothing. I'm not going to be around for a while. I'll call you when I can. CARTER (alarmed) Johnny, what the fuck - ? BOOK (hard) Listen to me - Schaeffer's part of it. Maybe at the top of it. There's a stunned silence at the other end. BOOK (CONT'D) Yeah ... I can put it all to- gether when I get back, 'Til then, you know nothing, understand? Business as usual... CARTER (beat) I hear you. BOOK (nods) Good. Take care of that woman's name for me. And watch your ass. 64 CONTINUED: 64 65 OMITTED 65 66 INT. GUEST ROOM, ELAINE'S HOUSE - NIGHT 66 as the door opens and Elaine switches on the light, rousing Rachel. Elaine looks haggard. ELAINE It's John. He says you have to leave now. He says it's urgent. She leaves the room as Rachel instantly awake, moves quickly to rouse Samuel. 66A EXT. BATHROOM DOOR 66A Elaine is outside the bathroom listening to instruc- tions from her brother. From inside we hear the SOUND OF RUNNING WATER. Elaine is puzzled but also senses the urgency. BOOK (V.O.) Put my car in the garage and close the door. ELAINE John, I don't understand any of this. BOOK (V.O.) (snaps) You don't know anything borrowed your car. Didn't say why. And you never heard of that woman and her boy. 66A CONTINUED: 66A ELAINE John, why?... BOOK (shouts) Just do its 66B INT. BATHROOM 66B Book looks at himself in the mirror, his face is pale and drawn. He examines the wound, a cleanly drilled hole through his right side, just under the rib cage. The wound continues to bleed as he binds a towel tightly about him, before putting his shirt back on. He then carefully wipes away any traces of blood on basin with tissues which he flushes down the toilet. 67 OMITTED 67 INT . BOOK'S CAR (MOVING) as he drives across town. Samuel is curled up asleep, his head on Rachel's lap. RACHEL Where are you taking us now? BOOK Home. RACHEL You couldn't wait until morning? Book gives her a look. RACHEL (continuing; insistent) What happened? But Book, glancing in his rearview mirror, tenses. HIS POV - MIRROR In it we can see a police car coming on fast, with lights and SIREN. BACK TO SCENE Rachel eyes Book warily. 68 CONTINUED: A beat, then the police car WAILS past. Book expels a breath. RACHEL You said we would be safe in Philadelphia. BOOK I was wrong. Rachel looks away, speaks almost sarcastically, MUTTERING, RACHEL Kinner un Narre... ["Kinner un Narre saage die Waahret" - -"Children and fools say the truth." - Amish expressions] 69 INT. PHILADELPHIA POLICE HEADQUARTERS - BOOK'S 69 OFFICE - NIGHT ANGLE PAST Book's desk calendar. Carter enters in the b.g., crosses quickly to the desk. He snaps on a light, thumbs a page of the calendar. frowns. INSERT Rachel's name and address scribbled on a page of the calendar. BACK TO SCENE ANGLE A couple of plainclothesmen have paused outside the door to give him a look. _ meets their eyes. They move on. Carter shakes it off, goes. And... CUT TO: 70 OMITTED 70 71 INT. CAR (MOVING) 71 As light colors the eastern horizon, Book is crossing into Lancaster County. Book glances at Rachel; she's asleep. He coughs wrack- ingly, hurting . . . cinches the belt of his overcoat even tighter. And . . . 72 EXT. LAPP FARM 72 HIS POV - BOOK'S CAR coming up the long drive. BACK TO SCENE as the car pulls up in the barnyard and Eli crosses to it. Suddenly the car door flies open and Samuel jumps out, races across the barnyard to hurl himself into the old ANGLE AT CAR As Rachel steps out of the passenger's side, Book remains seated. He lets his eyes travel around the farm. RACHEL Stay for awhile. Rest. I'll make coffee and breakfast. BOOK I can't. RACHEL What about Samuel? Will you come back to take him to trial? Book starts the engine: 72 CONTINUED: 72 BOOK (grimly) There isn't going to Rachel stares at him, not sure what he means. Then backs away, closing the door. Book begins to turn the car around in the barnyard. ANGLE as Eli crosses to Rachel, his arm around Samuel. ELI Who was that man? RACHEL His name is John Book. Eli is about to inquire further when Samuel cries: SAMUEL Momma - look. They glance in the direction Samuel is looking. THEIR POV - BOOK'S CAR The car has failed to take a bend in the road and is now bouncing across an adjoining ploughed field. It's knocked over a tall birdhouse by the roadside. The car finally comes to rest against a bank of earth. BACK TO RACHEL She stares... CUT TO: 73 EXT. FIELD - DAY 73 as Samuel races for all he's worth across the field, negotiates the creek via a fallen log - Rachel, now, also running toward the car. 73A EXT. STABLES - DAY 73A Eli works fast harnessing his mules to an open wagon. He hops up to the front seat and urges them to trot. 73B ANGLE AT BOOK'S CAR 73B We see that Rachel has made Book as comfortable as possible in the front seat of the car and is packing the wound under his trenchcoat with material ripped from her apron. Momentarily he comes awake: RACHEL But John.....why didn't you go to a hospital? BOOK No, no doctor... RACHEL (bewildered) But why? BOOK Gunshot... they'll file reports... they'll find me. RACHEL But - Book reaches up to grip her arm fiercely: BOOK And when they find me, they'll find your boy! He slips under again. Rachel stares at him, realizing the price he's paid in returning them to safety. She reaches out, touches him gently. But the moment is broken by... ANOTHER ANGLE as Eli reins up in the springwagon. He climbs down, crosses to glance into the car. ELI Is the English dead? RACHEL No... ELI Looks dead... And together they begin to lift Book from the car and place him in the back of the springwagon. And... 74 INT. LAMP FARMHOUSE 74 Where Eli is looking out a window. 75 HIS POV - BUGGY 75 An Amish buggy coming up the drive, past Book' s car. ANGLE IN BEDROOM Where Book lies on a bed. Rachel is bathing his wound with warm water from a pan. Eli appears in the doorway. ELI Stoltzfus is coming. Rachel looks at him, nods. Eli frowns at Book's holstered pistol lying atop his neatly folded clothes on a chair near the bed. ELI (continuing) That has no place in this house. RACHEL I know. She picks up the pile of clothes and the pistol and places them in a chest. RACHEL (continuing) It will go when he goes. 76 INT. LIVING ROOM 76 as Samuel comes in with old Stoltzfus and Stoltzfus's teenage son, LEVI. RACHEL Thank you for coming, Stoltzfus. Stoltzfus's eyes have gone to the bed: STOLTZFUS That's the English is it? 77 INT. SICKROOM - TIGHT 77 as Stoltzfus runs his fingers lightly over the vicinity of Book's wound: STOLTZFUS (O.S.) I feel... burning. WIDER as Stoltzfus, in his shirtsleeves and concentrating mightily, moistens his fingertips with saliva, contin- ues the examination. Finally he steps back. STOLTZFUS This man should be treated in town. (indicates) The bullet entered there... and came out there. But there is the danger of infection, and he has lost a great deal of blood. Rachel looks at Stoltzfus, then turns away, torn by her dilemma. Her eyes fall on Samuel. Gently she ushers him from the room: RACHEL Go help Levi with the car, Samuel. She closes the door after him, then turns to face Eli and Stoltzfus: RACHEL (continuing) No, he must stay here. Stoltzfus gives Eli a puzzled look. And: ELI Didn't you hear Stoltzfus? What if he dies? Then the sheriff will come. They'll say we broke their laws - RACHEL We'll pray that he doesn't die! But if he does, then we'll find a way so no one knows! ELI Rachel, this is a man's life, we hold it in our hands. 77 CONTINUED: (2) 77 RACHEL I knows God help me, I know that, Eli. (then) But I tell you that if he's found here, the people who did this to him will come for Samuel. Rachel beseeches them helplessly: RACHEL (continuing) What else can we do? 78 EXT. LAPP DRIVE 78 Levi has hitched Eli's mules to the rear of Book's car and is towing it up the drive toward the barn, with Samuel catching a ride on the bumper. RACHEL Where she's waiting with the big barn doors thrown open. As the mules tow the car in, she closes the doors. 79 INT. LAPP FARMHOUSE LIVING ROOM 79 As Stoltzfus and Levi are about to go: Stoltzfus turns to Rachel: STOLTZFUS Make a poultice... three parts milk, two parts linseed oil... for the infection. I'll send Mary by with some teas I will brew myself. RACHEL Thank you. Stoltzfus turns to Eli: STOLTZFUS Lapp, I'll have to speak with the diener on this matter. ELI (nods) As you see fit, Stoltzfus. CUT TO: 80 INT. SICKROOM - LAPS FARM - NIGHT 80 as Rachel enters, turns up a kerosene lamp which is burning low at bedside. She's carrying the poultice Stoltzfus ordered. Book's brow is beaded with sweat. Rachel seats herself next to the bed, strips away the sweat-soaked sheet. Her eyes take in his bare torso, and we should get the feeling that there's rather more male animal on display here just now than she's quite comfortable with. She begins to apply the poultice. ANGLE As Book rouses to semi-consciousness, in his delirium he recoils with alarm. RACHEL It's all right..! You have got to lie still. Book stares up at her without recognition, but some of what she says seems to penetrate. He quiets. RACHEL (continuing; soothingly) Yes, much better... ANGLE as Book lapses back into sleep. Rachel hasn't removed her hand from his chest. Abruptly she does so. She finds herself wondering about this man lying before her, so suddenly a part of her life. she notices de- tails; bruises, scars, the knuckles are hard, grazed, a tattoo on one shoulder. While lost in this reverie, the delirious Philadelphia policeman begins to mutter. Incoherently at first, then the words take shape - swear words; curses; fuck this and that; shit; etc. Rachel rises abruptly, her cheeks coloring, as the bar- rage of language pours from his mouth. She beats a hasty retreat closing the door swiftly behind her. 81 OMITTED 81 82 INT. SCHAEFFER'S OFFICE - DAY 82 He's on the phone: SCHAEFFER Looks like we're going to need some help from you folks down there. 83 INT. LANCASTER COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE - DAY 83 Where an UNDERSHERIFF is on the phone: UNDERSHERIFF ... want to help any way we can, Chief, but you got to understand we've got upwards of seven thousand Amish over here. And that's just Lancaster County. 84 INTERCUT SCHAEFFER who is trying to control his impatience: SCHAEFFER I've got the woman's name, Sheriff. Lapp. Rachel Lapp. That should simplify your work. The Undersheriff frowns. He doesn't like being talked down to. UNDERSHERIFF How about an address? SCHAEFFER Ah... no. UNDERSHERIFF (frowns) Maybe a road or route number? SCHAEFFER Sorry. The Undersheriff is not impressed. UNDERSHERIFF Problem is, Chief, 'bout every third Amishman around here is named Lapp. That or Yoder. Or Hochstetler. 84 CONTINUED: (2) 84 UNDERSHERIFF (CONT'D) (and) Chief, if the Amish have taken your man in, I wouldn't want to hang from a rope until you find him. ANGLE Schaeffer is tight-lipped with contained fury: SCHAEFFER Thank you, Sheriff. It's been an education. He hangs up. A beat; the man is a study in frustration. Then he glances up. ANOTHER ANGLE Standing in his doorway are the two plainclothesmen who spotted Carter in Book's office in the earlier scene. And... CUT TO: 85 EXT. LAPP FARM - DAY 85 A bright, sunny afternoon. SAMUEL Where he's leading a team of horses to the barn. In the b.g. three buggies are parked in the barnyard, traces empty. Visitors. 86 ANGLE IN SICKROOM 86 Where Book lies in the bed. His fever seems to have subsided. He's coming awake, tries to focus on the room. BOOK'S POV - CLERGY PANNING the four men in Amish black who are standing around the bed looking down at Book, muttering among themselves in German. 86 CONTINUED: 86 These include TSCHANTZ, the district bishop, a hawk- nosed, stern-eyed old fellow; Stoltzfus, a deacon as well as a healer; and two preachers, ERB and HERSHBERGER. Eli stands somewhat apart. ANGLE Another moment of silence, then Book opens his eyes. Tschantz rumbles in German. (SUBTITLES OVER) TSCHANTZ Well, Stoltzfus, another Lazarus to your credit. STOLTZFUS He was touched by God's hand. Tschantz grunts, motions, for the other clergy aside with him. Rachel enters briskly with a steaming pot of tea and a cup, smiles. RACHEL Hello. Book stares at her, then at the old bearded gentlemen. BOOK (closing his eyes) Who are they? RACHEL The leadership of our district... the diener. Bishop Tschantz is the one with no hair on top. They decided to come and see you for themselves. Except Stoltzfus, of course. He came the first day. I think he saved your life. BOOK Can I have something to drink? Rachel brings him tea. BOOK (continuing) Does anybody know I'm here? 86 CONTINUED (2) 86 RACHEL Only the elders. BOOK How long? RACHEL What? BOOK How long have I been here? RACHEL Two days. BOOK (a beat) Listen, thank you. Thanks for everything. But I've got to go. RACHEL (frowns) But you can't. He tries to rise, falls back faint. Rachel rearranges the sheet. RACHEL (continuing) See. Anyway, you don't have any clothes on. And besides that, Bishop Tschantz wants to talk to you when you feel better. The elders appear to have concluded their conference, and are filing out. Stoltzfus pauses at bedside. STOLTZFUS Rest, Mr. Book. That's the ticket. And drink my of my tea. He goes. Book is still fending off the dizziness. Rachel puts the teacup to his lips. BOOK Tell him his tea stinks. RACHEL (smiles) You tell him. When you're able. He looks like he's about to drop off again. Rachel rises. RACHEL (from the door) We're all very happy that you're going to live, John Book. We didn't quite know what we were going to do with you if you died. That penetrates for a moment just before Book slips into sleep again. 87 INT. LAPP LIVING ROOM - DAY 87 as the rather worrisome Hershberger frowns: HERSHBERGER ...but a gunshot wound. Very serious. TSCHANTZ It is not the first time we have done this. In the Englischer war of the revolution, old Elmer Miller's grandfather took in gunshot English soldiers. (a tad of pride) Saved them, too. They all nod. What Tschantz says is well known. Then: ERB Still, he should be among his own people. Rachel enters on this last. RACHEL He'll leave as soon as he is able. He already wants to go. Hershberger gives her a gloomy look, turns to Stoltzfus: HERSHBERGER How long will that be, Stoltzfus? STOLTZFUS (shrugs) A month. Maybe less. With God's healing love. 88 EXT. BOOK'S SISTER'S HOUSE - PHILADELPHIA - DAY Schaeffer is knocking at the front doors A beat, then Elaine opens it cautiously, peers out. ELAINE (half fearfully) Did you find him? SCHAEFFER Not yet. Suddenly her eyes blaze, she starts to close the door: ELAINE Then go away, you bastard. Schaeffer quickly - but gently - prevents her from shutting it. SCHAEFFER Elaine, I've come to apologize for Lt. McElroy. He overstated the department's position. ELAINE (bitterly) He accused John of taking kickbacks And you know - anybody who knows John - knows that's a goddamn lie! SCHAEFFER (smoothly) Of course, Elaine. But as long as there's any question, better Johnny should come back and clear his name. ELAINE (cuts in) Better you should get off my front porch before I get my mace --! SCHAEFFER Elaine, I don't want to have to take you in for questioning. You've got his car, you were the last to see him -- ELAINE (clipped) I don't know where he is. SCHAEFFER But... if you had to guess? 89 ANOTHER ANGLE - SCHAEFFER'S CAR 89 McElroy watching. THEIR POV - FRONT DOOR We see a final exchange between Elaine and Schaeffer. Elaine forces the door shut. Schaeffer turns, walks slowly to his car. INT. SCHAEFFER'S CAR as Schaeffer opens the door, climbs in, sinks wearily into the seat, beside McElroy. McELROY She say where he is? SCHAEFFER I don't think she knows. Schaeffer is staring grimly ahead. SCHAEFFER What about Carter? McELROY Tight. But I'm working on him. SCHAEFFER Lean on him. 90 OMITTED 90 91 EXT. LAPP FARM - LANCASTER COUNTY - NIGHT 91 REESTABLISHING, and TIGHTENING to the upstairs sickroom window where a lamp dimly burns. 92 INT. SICKROOM 92 as Samuel comes in with a fresh bedpan. Book is lying asleep on the bed. Samuel puts the bedpan down, checks to make sure Book is indeed asleep, then quietly crosses to the foot of the bed and opens the clothes chest. ANGLE Book's big .38 revolver lies holstered atop his folded clothes. Fascinated, Samuel picks it up, admiring the heavy burled pistol grips. Unable to resist, he starts to remove the weapon from the holster, then pauses to steal a look. O.S... BOOK His eyes are open and watching Samuel icily, which gives the boy something of a jolt. BOOK Give me that. Mutely, Samuel hands Book the pistol from arm's length. He looks on as Book takes the pistol out of the hol- ster, shoots the boy another look, then snaps open the cylinder and shakes out the heavy, copper-jacketed bullets into his palm. He snaps the cylinder closed again, then nods to Samuel. BOOK (continuing) Come here. The boy edges closer. BOOK (continuing) You ever handle a pistol like this, Samuel? SAMUEL (swallows) No pistol. Ever. BOOK Tell you what - I'm going to let you handle this one. But only if you promise not to say anything to your momma. I've got a feeling she wouldn't understand. 92 CONTINUED: 92 SAMUEL (grins) Okay, Mr. Book. Book smiles. Then he gives the boy a playful, John Wayne-tough guy wink as he cocks and uncorks the pistol, demonstrating the action. He finally hands it over to Samuel, butt first. BOOK Call me John. The boy tries to imitate Book's one-handed expertise, but his hands are too small. Book smiles. Samuel finally manages to get the thing cocked, using two hands, and Book reaches over to guide the muzzle away so that it's not pointed at him. BOOK (continuing) You don't want to point that at people you just started calling by their first name. Samuel levels the pistol at the door and, just as he snaps the trigger, Rachel enters, pulls up short in some dismay to find her son has a gun pointed at her. Samuel blanches and Book winces, knowing there's heavy weather ahead. RACHEL. (snaps) Samuel -- ! Samuel quickly hands the pistol back to Book, who holsters it: RACHEL (continuing) Wait for me downstairs. Samuel quickly exits, and Rachel angrily advances on Book. RACHEL (continuing) John Book, I would appreciate it if, during the time you are with us, you would have as little to do with Samuel as possible. 92 CONTINUED: (2) 92 BOOK Nobody meant any harm. The boy was Curious. I unloaded the gun - RACHEL It's not the gun. Don't you understand... It's you. What you stand for. (and) That is not for Samuel. Book looks at her thoughtfully. Rachel softens a bit: RACHEL Please, it has nothing to do with you personally. He hands her the holstered gun and the loose bullets. BOOK Put it up someplace Samuel can't get it. A beat, then Rachel, takes the pistol and starts to go. Book stops her: BOOK (continuing) Friends? Rachel glances back at him, smiles and nods. And... CUT TO: 93 INT. KITCHEN - LAPP FARMHOUSE - NIGHT 93 Book's holstered gun and bullets at center table. Eli sits on one side, a chastened Samuel on the other. Rachel looks on from the b.g. Eli knows that this is as important a dialogue as he will ever have with his grandson: at issue is one of the central pillars of the Amish way. ELI The gun - that gun of the hand - is for the taking of human life. Would you kill another man? Eh? Samuel stares at it, not meeting his grandfather's eyes. Eli leans forward, extends his hands ceremonially. ELI (CONT.) What you take into your hands, you take into your heart. A beat, then Samuel musters some defiance. SAMUEL I would only kill a bad man. ELI Only a bad man. I see. And you know these bad men on sight? You are able to look into their hearts and see this badness? SAMUEL I can see what they do. Now he meets Eli's eyes: SAMUEL (CONT.) I have seen it. Eli expels a deep sigh; then: ELI And having seen, you would become one of them? (intent...gesturing) Don't you see...? The hand leads the arm leads the shoulder leads the head...leads the heart. The one goes into the other into the other into the other....And you have changed, and gone amongst them ... He breaks off, bows his head for a moment. Then he fixes the boy with a stern eye and, driving he heel of his palm firmly into the tabletop with enormous intensity: ELI (CONT.) "Wherefore come out from among them and be ye separate, saith the Lord!" 93 CONTINUED (2) 93 ELI (CONT.) (indicating pistol; continuing from Corinthians 6:17) "And touch not the unclean thing!" His intensity tinged with righteous anger, he is hugely impressive. 93A WASHHOUSE - NEAR KITCHEN - NIGHT 93A Book stands near the door to the kitchen, and has heard most or all of Eli's words. He turns, and painfully makes his way into the washhouse, moving quietly, hoping no one will come out from the kitchen. 93B EXT. BARN - LAPP FARM - DAY 93B Samuel harnesses up the family mare, and backs her into the traces of the buggy. 93C INT. BOOK'S BEDROOM - DAY 93C Book stands at the window in a worn robe. Below, through the window, we can see Samuel and Eli in the barnyard A beat, then Book crosses impatiently back to his bed, sits down, picks up a dog-earred copy of The American Dairyman. There's a stack of well-thumbed farm magazines and copies of The Budget (the Amish newspaper) on the bedside table. There's a knock. Rachel enters carrying aspire of clothing. She smiles. RACHEL Enjoying your reading? BOOK Very interesting. I'm learn- ing a lot about manure. (eyes the clothing) What's that? RACHEL Your shirt and jacket are still stained with blooded I have them soaking You can wear these. She passes the clothes to Book 93C CONTINUED 93C BOOK Your husband's? RACHEL Yes. It's good that someone can have the use of them. Besides, in your clothes you'd stand out to strangers. She continues, cheerfully. RACHEL (CONT.) I should tell you these do not have buttons. (shows him) See? Hooks and eyes. BOOK Something wrong with buttons? RACHEL Buttons are hochmut. BOOK Hochmut? RACHEL Vain. Proud. Such a per- son is hochmutsnarr. He is not plain. BOOK (nodding) Anything against zippers? RACHEL (almost blushing) You make fun of me. Like the tourists. Driving by all the time. Some even come into the yard. Very rude. They seem to think we are quaint. BOOK Quaint? Can't imagine why. She smiles. BOOK (CONT.) Where's the nearest telephone? RACHEL Telephone? The Gunthers across the valley. They're Mennonite. They have cars and refrigerators and telephones in the houses even. BOOK No. I'd want a public phone. Rachel's face clouds. RACHEL Well...the store at Saltzburg.... (then briskly) But you won't be going to Saltzburg for a while. BOOK I'm going this morning. RACHEL But Stoltzfus said... BOOK (cutting in) I know what he said. RACHEL You can go with Eli He's taking Samuel to school. But you'll have to hurry. Rachel turns to leave when Book calls her back. 93C CONTINUED: (3) 93C BOOK Rachel. She turns to look at him. It's the first time he's used her name. BOOK (continuing) Thanks. She smiles and leaves. 93D EXT. FARMHOUSE - DAY 93D Eli calls impatiently from the buggy. Samuel sits beside him. ELI Hurry up now, John Book! INT. KITCHEN - DAY Rachel washing dishes turns on hearing Book enter. She laughs out loud at the sight of him in his Amish gear, and rightly so - the pants are highwater, the hat low- rise, the jacket ill-fitting. Book looks self- conscious, even a little sheepish. Outside another SHOUT from Eli. RACHEL You'd better go. Book looks embarrassed. BOOK My... eh... gun? The smile fades from Rachel's face as she reaches up into a cupboard. She passes the gun in its holster to Book. He fastens it about him. The contradiction of an "Armed Amishman" increases the awkwardness between them. Book turns his back to her and checks the weapon. He turns back to her smiling in an odd way. BOOK The... bullets? RACHEL Oh. The bullets. She takes them out of a disused coffee jar, passes them to Book. BOOK (attempting a joke) Not much good without them. 93F INT. BUGGY - COUNTRY ROAD - DAY 93F Samuel sits between Eli and Book. Both men stare straight ahead. Eli looks particularly stern. It's pretty clear he doesn't like this Englishman wearing the clothes of his faith. 93G EXT. AMISH ONE-TEACHER-SCHOOL - DAY 93G With a wave Samuel runs into the schoolyard to join his friends. A teacher begins ringing a bell. 93H INT. STORE, - SALTZBURG 93H Book on the telephone waiting for his call to be answered. He looks about him - several Amish and Dithers mingle in the shop. Book-has gotten a coke from a machine, seems a bit self-conscious shout it sips at it surreptitiously.... A voice comes on the line; it's that of Book's partner. CARTER Yeah? A silence. BOOK It's me. CARTER Johnny! Where the hell have you been? BOOK Never mind. I'm coming in to take care of business. How hot am I? CARTER (low, urgent) Too hot. Don't do it. Don't come in. BOOK I'm coming. 93H CONTINUED: 93H CARTER Listen, Johnny, don't do anything stupid. You couldn't get within a mile of Schaeffer right now. So stay put... Stay in touch - I'll let you know when maybe it makes sense. A beat as Book considers that. CARTER (continuing; edgily) You hear me? BOOK (finally) I hear you. I'll stay in touch. CARTER That's more like it. (and) Where are you at, anyway? Book allows himself a small smile, regarding his Amish image reflected in the window of the store. BOOK Where I'm at is maybe 1890. CARTER (uncomprehending) Say again? BOOK Make that 1790 He hangs up. A beat, then he stares toward the door Q the store. 93-I INT. BARN - DAY 93-I Book works on his car. The battery has gone flat and he's trying to charge it up by running wires to a battery mounted under the front seat of the Lapp buggy. Eli stands at the barn door staring at him, again the disapproving look. ELI If you are well enough to do that thing, you can do work for me. 93-I CONTINUED: 93-I Book is genuinely apologetic. BOOK Sure, I'm sorry. Hope you don't mind me plugging in to your battery Mine's dead.... How can I help? What can I do? ELI Maybe milking. BOOK (eyes Eli) Milking? ELI Cows. You know, cows? BOOK I've seen pictures. ELI Good, you start tomorrow. 93J INT. BOOK'S ROOM - LAPP FARM - NIGHT 93J Where Book lies asleep. A beat, then Eli comes in carrying a lamp. He pauses a moment to peer at the sleeping figure with undisguised anticipation. Then he gives him a jarring thump: ELI (briskly) Veck oufl Time for milking. Book comes groggily awake as Eli exits. He gropes for his watch. INSERT WATCHFACE It reads 4:30 a.m. BACK TO BOOK as he stares at it in disbelief. 93K INT. BARN 93K as the milk herd of half dozen or so cows ambles in with Samuel prodding them along, headed for the milking stalls. Book looks on in the lamplight, nonplused. SAMUEL Where he's pitching hay into the cow's feed-troughs. BOOK, ELI Where the old man is showing Book how to milk a cow by hand. We see Rachel watching from the milkhouse door (steam from scalding milk cans rising behind her). ELI Good, firm twist and pull, eh? (and) Right. Now you try it. Book gives him a look, takes over the milking stool. The cow shoots him a rather skeptical look over her shoulder. Book bends to his task. ELI {continuing) Didn't you hear me, Book? Pull! You never had your hands on a teat before? BOOK (grimly) Not one this big. Eli unexpectedly finds this hilarious, cackles, gives Book a comradely, man-of-the-world thump on the shoulder that jars him. Then he moves off. Book bends to his task, and... ANGLE - RACHEL Grinning,, giggling, covering her mouth with one hand. as he pours a pail full of milk into a large, stainless steel milk can. EXT. BARN as the milk herd is released back into the pasture. Book crosses into the f.g., stares O.S. BOOK'S POV - HORIZON And dawnfire etching the hilltops- The BELLHOUSE behind the house, the sun reflecting from the heavy bell beneath its small roof. 93K CONTINUED 93K BACK TO BOOK Something in him can't help but respond to the beauty. A beat, then he blows on his hands, rubs them briskly together against the morning chill, and turns back to the barn. 93L EXT. LAPP FARMHOUSE - DAY 93L It is later in the morning. Rachel comes out onto the porch, tosses a pan of dirty dishwater off onto the grass, looks toward the barn. ANGLE - THE BARN Eli and Book standing in one of the open doorways, look- ing in. INT. THE BARN ANGLE FAVORING Luke, one of Eli's team of fine mules as Samuel opens the stall gate. The beast is skittish, obviously afflicted with something of a behavioral problem. But he allows Samuel to lead him out. BOOK, ELI As Samuel brings Luke out. Eli is now harnessing the other mule of the team to a large manure-spreader. But as Luke nears Book, his eyes widen and he shies, almost hauling Samuel off his feet. BOOK (alarmed) Careful, son - Book moves to Samuel's aid; a gesture which proves a serious mistake. Luke erupts into a SCREAMING, bucking cyclone. Samuel - who no doubt has been here before - dives nimbly for cover as a flying hoof nearly takes Book's head off. Then Eli hustles into the fray, pushing Book aside as he BELLOWS belligerently in German at the rearing animal. Finally he gives Luke a swat upside the head that seems, somehow, to have the effect of quieting the beast instantly. ANGLE Samuel gives the shaken Book a look: SAMUEL That's Luke. He doesn't like strangers. BOOK (still shaken) You don't say. Eli leads the pacified mule back to the traces, grunting at Book. ELI Have to teach you mules, too, I guess. CUT TO: 93L EXT. FIELD NEAR FARMHOUSE - DAY 93L Book collects the pieces of the birdhouse which his car knocked down the day of his attempted departure. He pauses as a figure approaches. We recognize Daniel Hochstetler, Rachel's would-be suitor. He heads for Book with an outgoing smile and outstretched hand. Here's a likable man who likes people. HOCHSTETLER Good morning. Book, is it? You are the Yankee they talk about? BOOK I thought I was the English. HOCHSTETLER English, Yankee. It's the same. My name is Daniel. Daniel Hochstetler. (sizes up his clothes) You look plain, Book. (grinning) Very plain. Book is not particularly amused. HOCHSTETLER (continuing) I came to see Rachel Lapp. BOOK Try the house. Hochstetler gives Book a powerful clap on the shoulder. HOCHSTETLER (genially) You bet. you take care of yourself. Hochstetler heads for the house. Book stares after him with some interest. 93L CONTINUED 93L ANGLE As Rachel emerges from the house to greet him. she also catches sight of Book and she pauses, a shadow of confusion crossing her expression for an instant. And Hochstetler doesn't miss it either. Then she gives her suitor a genuine smile of welcome. 93M HOG PENS 93M Book, having gathered up the pieces of the bird house, is headed toward the outbuildings, passing by hogpens. He glances toward the house: 93N HIS POV - THE BACK PORCH 93N Where Rachel and Hochstetler are sitting in a porch swing, sharing a pitcher of lemonade. 930 BACK TO BOOK 93O Thoughtful . . . He glances at the hog pen as a huge sow SQUEALS and angrily noses her young ones away from the trough so she can feed. BOOK Pigs 94 OMITTED 94 thru thru 98 98 99 INT. CARPENTRY SHOP, LAPP FARM - DAY 99 Book works on repairing the broken birdhouse when Rachel enters. BOOK He uses a drawknife on a piece of 2x4, with some obvious expertise. RACHEL Eli is a fine carpenter. Best in the district. He and his father built the big house themselves forty years ago. BOOK Oh? (and) What happened to Hochstetler? RACHEL We had some lemonade and he left. BOOK A real fireball. Rachel smiles. Book crosses to a workbench and selects another tool. RACHEL You know carpentry? BOOK I did some carpentry summers when I was going to school. RACHEL What else can you do? BOOK (really annoyed) I can whack people. I'm hell at whacking. RACHEL Whacking is not of much use on a farm. BOOK Now hold on. There's a lot of people who think being a cop is a legitimate job. RACHEL I'm sorry. I'm sure it is. She turns, starts to go. Then turns back, eyeing his makeshift garb: RACHEL (continuing) Tonight I'll let out those trousers for you. Stifling a smile, she goes. HOLD on Book a beat, then... CUT TO: 100 INT. LAPP FARMHOUSE - DINING ROOM 100 Eli is seated at the head of the table, Book opposite Samuel and Rachel. The table is piled high with an incredible amount of food. Eli eyes Book cagily, waves his fork at him: ELI Eat up, Book. What's the matter with your appetite? BOOK Guess I'm not used to so much. ELI (snorts) Not used to hard work. That's what makes an appetite. Book swallows that one. With difficulty. Rachel intervenes: RACHEL Eli, John is a carpenter. (conciliatory after- thought) As well as being a fine policeman. ELI Eh? Well then, maybe he can go to Zook's barn-raising, eh? See how good a carpenter. Book can't refuse the challenge. BOOK Sure. RACHEL But . . . You may not be well enough. BOOK I'll drink some more of Stoltzfus' tea. 100A EXT./INT BARN - NIGHT 101A As Rachel, lamp in hand, walks up to the barn She looks in to find Book tinkering with the battery hookup to the Lapp buggy. He glances up as she enters: BOOK Hi . . . As she sets her lamp down near the one he's using. RACHEL (beat) When will you be going? BOOK Not long . . . A few days. Another beat as Rachel watches him . . . Book, checking out the battery power, hits the radio - and suddenly from the Twentieth Century comes the sound of one of its major inventions - rock and roll. It fills the barn, but Book turns up the volume a click more even and, eyeing Rachel, starts moving with the beat. It's his culture, coming through loud and clear, as incongruous as it all might seem with the tough Philly cop decked out in Amish. Rachel can't help but laugh . . . Sensing her response, Book sweeps her up and they boogie in the lamplight, Rachel alternately protesting and laughing. BOOK (CONT'D) You like it . . . Don't you? Rachel, confused, protests: RACHEL No . . . You just stop - But she doesn't really want too Book grins: BOOK (mock alarm) Next thing you know you'll be off drinking beer and racing motor- cycles. And it goes on . . . Rachel alternately protesting and laughing. ANGLE - THE BARN DOOR As Eli suddenly appears. He glowers for an instant, thunderstruck, then BELLOWS: ELI Rachel -- ! THE SCENE As Book and Rachel's dancing comes to a sudden halt. Both turn, look at Eli. Rachel regards him level- eyed, without discernible alarm. Book, looking a bit sheepish, goes over, turns off the radio, as: ELI (CONT.) (in the dialect) What is this? This Myusick? Book hesitates, then starts to say something: BOOK It's not her fault. I -- But he gets such a look from Eli that he turns, goes out. ELI (in the dialect) How can this be? How can you do such a thing? Is this plain? Is this the ordnung? RACHEL I have done nothing against the ordnung. ELI (in the dialect) Eh? Nothing? Rachel, you bring this man to our house. With his gun of the hand. you bring fear to this house. Fear of English with guns coming after. You bring blood and whispers of more blood. Now English music...and you are dancing to English music! And you call this nothing? RACHEL I have committed no sin. ELI (in English) No sin? Maybe. Not yet. But, Rachel, it does not look. (tone softening... in the dialect) Don't you know there has been talk? Talk about you, not him. Talk about going to the Bishop. About having you...shunned! RACHEL That is idle talk. ELI (in English, pleading) Do not make light of it, Rachel. They can do it...quick! Like that! And then...then I can not sit at table with you. I can not take a thing from your hand. I...I can not go with you to meeting! (the old man almost breaks down as, in the dialect) Rachel, good Rachel, you must not go too far! Dear child! Rachel is annoyed - also touched, no doubt, by the old man's plea - but irked by his condescending tone. RACHEL I am not a child. ELI (suddenly stern again) You are acting like one! RACHEL I will be the judge of that. ELI (fierce as a prophet) No! They will be the judge of that! And so will I...if you shame me! RACHEL (blinking a tear now, but meeting his gaze) You shame yourself. And shaken - but proud and erect - she turns and walks out. 101 OMMITTED 101 thru thru 104 104 105 INT. SCHAEFFER'S OFFICE - - NIGHT 105 Carter sits, Schaeffer prowls...slowly, letting silences grow before he strikes again with another softly-snarled question or statement. SCHAEFFER You know where he is. CARTER Wrong. SCHAEFFER You'd lie to protect him. CARTER (cool) Probably. Schaeffer snaps around, glares at him. SCHAEFFER You admit you're lying? CARTER (shakes head) I admit I don't know where he is. SCHAEFFER You're the first one he'll contact. CARTER (sighing) He's got my number. Schaeffer stops, stands in front of Carter, takes a deep breath...suddenly smiles. And is abruptly (as he is capable of being) the man of charm and gentlemanly reason. He even CHUCKLES as he begins: SCHAEFFER It's funny. I know he's hiding somewhere with the Amish, I know it. (a quick glance at Carter) Can you imagine John Book at a prayer meeting? Our John Book? Schaeffer CHUCKLES again, looks hopefully again at Carter. Carter looks back, stony-eyed. Schaeffer makes another abrupt shift in form...but still speaks softly. SCHAEFFER Either you're a member of the club or you aren't, Elton. (he nods his head, as) Tell me what you know.... CARTER What I know, Paul, is... (nodding his head) He's going to take you out.... 105A EXT. LAPP FARM - LANCASTER COUNTY - DAY 105A As Book pauses by the barn door, glances over his shoulder. 105B HIS POV - BUGGY 105B With trace horse harnessed...Samuel and Eli loading provisions into the buggy, standing down by the house. 105C BACK TO BOOK - - INT./EXT. BARN 105C As he goes into the barn. Book approaches Luke's stall warily.... and as he does so the temperamental mule, reacting to form, starts to skitter, his hooves CRACKING against the walls of the stall. Book flinches. Book starts to talk gently to the animal: BOOK All right, you nasty sonofabitch, we're going to be friends whether you like it or not. Then, summoning his resolve, he carefully opens the stall gate. ANGLE As Luke eyes him balefully, Book reaches into his pocket, brings out some lumps of sugar. BOOK (CONT'D) See . . . Sugar. You like sugar, don't you for Christ's sake? Finally, keeping a mistrustful eye on Book, Luke con- descends to eat. Book nods with satisfaction. ANOTHER ANGLE Rachel has entered the barn, is watching Book with a puzzled expression. RACHEL (surprised) Well.... Book turns, grins with some pride of accomplishment! BOOK Won him over just like that. RACHEL I see. (and) But I hope you have a lot of sugar. (then, going) Eli is ready to go to Zook's. Just then Luke skitters impatiently . . . Book gives him a nervous look; one last tentative pat as Luke eyes him skeptically, then closes the stall gate and turns to go: BOOK Later. And we . . . 106 EXT. ZOOK FARM - LANCASTER COUNTY - DAY 106 BIG SHOT . . . it's early morning as the Amish buggies are arriving at the Zook farm for a barn-raising. In the b,g. we can see big stacks of lumber all around the construction site where a couple of dozen men have begun raising the main supports on the already laid foundation. Elsewhere, long tables have been set up and women are spreading them with cloths, setting out big tanks of hot coffee and cold lemonade for the men, LAPP BUGGY As Eli, Book, Rachel and Samuel step down, Book eyes the construction site. ELI Wait here 'til I find a gang you can work with. He goes. Book glances around as even more buggies arrive and more workmen and their families climb out. Eli appears with Hochstetler in tow. Hochstetler's broad face breaks into a grin: HOCHSTETLER Book! Good to see you! He pumps Book's hand with his usual vigor, smiling a greeting and pleasantry to Rachel. She looks on, amused. Hochstetler gives Rachel a look, and we realize that his showing up just now to appropriate Book was no happenstance. And Book realizes it as well. HOCHSTETLER (continuing) Eli says you're a carpenter, Book. BOOK It's been a while. HOCHSTETLER No matter. Come with me. We can always use a good carpenter. With that he throws a huge arm around Book's shoulder and ushers him away. Rachel calls after them: RACHEL Good luck. BOOK/HOCHSTETLER as they move off. HOCHSTETLER Your hole is healed, then? 106 CONTINUED: (2) 106 BOOK (gives him a look) Pretty much. Hochstetler nods with satisfaction: HOCHSTETLER Good. Then you can go home. DISSOLVE TO: 107 CUTS 107 As the morning progresses: ... Book and Hochstetler sawing and auguring out heavy timbers on big sawhorses. There's an unmistakable atmosphere of competition between the two men, which doesn't go entirely unnoticed by the half-dozen or so other young men on the gang. ... or, indeed, by Rachel; in fact, she seems - with- out leaning on it too heavily - to be measuring the two men as the morning progresses, and she occasionally passes within proximity of them. ... Eli and a couple of other elders prowling the job with sheaves of hand-drawn sketches under their arms, supervising the construction. All around them the structure is rising with remarkable rapidity. ... Rachel, where she's helping the women set out the huge noon meal. Other women are sitting on benches in the b.g., knitting or doing quiltwork. ... Samuel, where he's banging away with a hammer, with a group of boys his own age. Elsewhere we see little girls "botching" (a hand-clapping game played to German rhymes). ... The very elderly; sitting on the grass or in wheelchairs in the sunlight, looking on - the old men kibitzing in German, the women gossiping. Until... BIG SHOT of the barn-raising with the noon sun high overhead... at least a hundred and fifty men are swarming over and about the barn framework... 107 CONTINUED: 107 ... some aid the rafters, some hauling lumber to the job, others sawing, hammering, drilling, joining, planing and what-all... so many that the barn seems almost to be rearing up before our very eyes. And there isn't a power tool in sight. WOMEN'S AREA As Rachel crosses near the benches... we can see other women eyeing her, whispering among themselves, some tittering. Rachel ignores them. She joins the stoutly amiable Mrs. Yoder from the funeral sequence earlier. The older woman is emptying a big pan of fried chicken into serving platters. She smiles, obviously liking Rachel. MRS. YODER Everyone has an idea about you and the English. RACHEL All of them charitable, I'm sure. MRS. YODER Hardly any of them. ANGLE - THE ROOFBEAM Book and Hochstetler astride the roofbeam studs, hold- ing them together prior to nailing them to the roof- beam. They are, therefore, crotch to the mast and facing one another, way out at the far end of the roof. Suddenly, as Hochstetler raises his hammer, the studs start to part, threatening to de-ball the both of them. Hochstetler drops his hammer, grabs both sides of the roof with incredible brute strength, and, literally, pulls it back together. Book stares at Hochstetler with nothing short of awe. Hochstetler, straining and grinning, looks to Book: HOCHSTETLER Nail it - ! BOOK Yes, sir. 107 CONTINUED: (2) 107 And he does nail it while Hochstetler, grinning and holding, looks on. DISSOLVE TO: 108 BIG SHOT 108 The barn is done, the workmen climbing down from the rafters. It's late afternoon. ANGLE ON BOOK He hesitates. His face is pale and covered with sweat. The exertion of the day has taken its toll. He's in danger of fainting and is some forty feet above the ground. But he's determined it won't happen, deter- mined that he won't fall, nor will he humiliate him- self by calling for help. Hochstetler guesses the situation. He moves beside Book, claps an arm about him, says nothing, doesn't even look at Book. From below, someone TELLS them to hurry up. Hochstetler SHOUTS: HOCHSTETLER We admire our work! The moment passes for Book, and he's okay. Hochstetler removes his supporting arm. Book looks him in the eye, nods his appreciation almost imperceptibly. Hoch- stetler wants no thanks, and Book knows it. Hoch- stetler gives him a resounding SLAP on the back, and starts climbing down. Book follows. 109 (OMITTED) 109 110 EXT. ZOOK FARM - LANCASTER COUNTY - EVENING 110 The gathering has congregated to hear Bishop Tschantz offer up a blessing on the new barn. CONGREGATION PANNING the faces as they listen to the heavy German words rolling out over the still evening air. Book stands a little to one side of the Amish. The prayers he cannot share with them. Rachel is aware of this, feels something of his emotion. She looks toward him, then she too closes her eyes and drifts away from him, into the soothing prayer. CUT TO: 112 EXT. LAPP FARM - NIGHT 112 Book stands outside, listening to the NIGHT SOUNDS. He turns, walks up toward the porch. 113 EXT. PORCH - TARP FARMHOUSE - NIGHT 113 Book takes a seat in a chair, SIGHS, looks toward the night sky. There is a SOUND, but it's a moment before he turns his eyes toward the door. ANGLE - THE DOOR Samuel standing there in his nightshirt. BACK TO SCENE as Book leans forward in his chair. BOOK Hey, Sam.... SAMUEL ... I want to say a thing. 113 CONTINUED: 113 BOOK (sitting up) What's that, Sam? The boy hesitates, holds for a time, then suddenly darts across to Book wraps his arms around him, hugs him tightly... then breaks away, turns and runs hack into the house, leaving the door open behind him. ANGLE - BOOK looking after the boy, genuinely moved. After a moment, he speaks softly: BOOK Same to you, Sam. After another moment, he gets up, moves to close the door that Samuel has left open behind him. ANOTHER ANGLE - BOOK From the lighted/shadowed area outside the door. He comes to the door, starts to close it, then hesi- tates, looks in to see where the light is coming from. He looks down the corridor. The light is obviously coming from the kitchen. He speaks softly: BOOK Sam? No answer. Book steps inside, pulls the door shut behind him, moves down-the corridor toward the kitchen. 114 INT. LAPP WASHHOUSE - NIGHT 114 Where Rachel, dressed only in a plain cotton camisole, is pouring a pail of steaming water into a tub. She replaces the pail on the stove, turns and slips out of her camisole. Naked, she folds the garment across the back of a chair. Then she pauses, containing a startled intake of breath. RACHEL'S POV - FRYING PAN The gleaming bottom of a large copper skillet hanging over the stove with other cookware, we can see Book's image reflected there, framed in the kitchen doorway. 114 CONTINUED: 114 BACK TO SCENE Rachel hesitates for a moment - and in that moment she makes a choice. Slowly she turns, to face him, without shame, meeting his eyes. And for a moment she attempts something: a look, a flash of eve... a lovely, heartbreakingly innocent effort to become, for an instant, a woman of Book's world. BOOK as he stands in the doorway, willing himself to leave, unable to make it happen. And suddenly the moment has passed. Rachel lowers her eyes, picks up the camisole, covers herself with it without putting it on, looks away. BOOK TIGHTENING to him, and... CUT TO: 115 EXT. LAPP FARM - DAWN 115 REESTABLISHING... 116 ANGLE - HEN YARD 116 where Rachel is scattering feed to the chickens. A beat, then Book approaches from behind her. A moment, as she senses his presence. Book watches as Rachel begins to gather the eggs, placing them in the fold of her apron. When he speaks, he speaks softly, and she pauses in her work. BOOK Last night. She goes very still, but keeps her back to him. BOOK (continuing) If... we'd made love, then, I couldn't leave. She lowers her head slightly, but remains turned away from him. Book continues to stare at her. 117 EXT. RURAL ROAD - LANCASTER COUNTY - DAY 117 The Lapp carriage on a wending lane. INT. BUGGY (MOVING) Rachel is driving, Book sitting next to her. Samuel is in the back, looking out the rear window and not paying any attention to the adults. A beat, then a large produce truck roars past them. It's all Book can do to keep from flinching. Rachel stares straight ahead. Book glances at her. BOOK Maybe I ought to learn to drive this thing. Rachel says nothing. BOOK (continuing; beat) Pick myself up another useful skill. Now Rachel can't help but smile. She looks at him. And... EXT. ANGLE We can see the Lapp buggy approaching a rural intersec- tion, another buggy approaching at right angles. INT. LAPP BUGGY as Rachel eyes the other buggy through the windshield. RACHEL Samuel, who is that? Samuel checks out the buggy. SAMUEL It looks like Hochstetler's mare. 117 CONTINUED: 117 EXT. ANGLE as the Lapp buggy passes the intersection and the Hochstetler buggy swings in behind them. Then the Hochstetler buggy, coming on at a faster clip, starts to pass the Lapp buggy. INT. LAPP BUGGY as Rachel waves at the occupants of the other buggy; Daniel returns her greeting: BOOK (teasing her) Uh oh, they're leaving us behind. Rachel gives him a look, and... gives the reins a flick - the race is on. RACE MONTAGE Hochstetler has a couple of older folk on board, to- gether with his young sister - at first they're not aware of the race, until Daniel can contain his excite- ment no longer and gives his horse a couple of whoops. The buggies are neck and neck, and the older people are not protesting loudly. It's all Book can do to refrain from grabbing the reins off Rachel, but she's something of a horsewoman and finally she gains the edge and pulls ahead of Hoch- stetler, to the cheers of Samuel and Book. 118 EXT. SALZBURG STORE - DAY 118 It's a Saturday afternoon in the tourist season, and they're everywhere - taking shots of anything Amish. There's a ROWDY YOUNG ELEMENT amongst them who are making their presence fast, and generally making a nuisance of themselves. Book and Rachel get out of the buggy. Samuel stays inside; the crowds make him nervous. A huge tourist bus billowing smoke pulls up nearby. Rachel enters the store, but before Book can follow he's stopped by a TOURIST LADY with an instamatic camera... She waggles the camera at him... TOURIST LADY Could I ... ah, you know - ? 118 CONTINUED: 118 BOOK (smiling) Lady, if you take my picture, I'll rip your brassiere off and strangle you with it. The Tourist Lady stares at him in stunned disbelief, her grin frozen on her face. Then she begins to scuttle back from whence she came. 119 INT. STORE 119 Rachel is browsing among the stocked shelves in the company of a young Amish woman, Ellie Beiler. Rachel is carrying Ellie's tiny baby, and the infant is get- ting as much attention as the shopping. Book is standing at a wall pay phone in the b.g. We TIGHTEN to him, and... BOOK Lieutenant Elton Carter, please. A beat, then we hear the FILTERED VOICE of the Philadelphia Police Department switchboard: VOICE Are you a member of the family? BOOK What? I'm a friend of his. VOICE I'm sorry. Last night Sergeant Carter was killed in the line of duty... Book hangs up. His breathing is thrown out by the shock of the news and he takes a couple of deep breaths to regain control. He hesitates, unsure of his next move. He makes to move away, then he turns back, finds more coins and dials a second number. 119A INT. HALLWAY, SCHAEFFER'S HOME - DAY 119A Schaeffer's wife answers the phone; she is momentarily shocked. She calls for her husband, then makes polite conversation. MRS. SCHAEFFER How are you, John? Paul Schaeffer appears, slightly irritated at being called away from the Saturday afternoon game. MRS. SCHAEFFER (covering mouthpiece) John Book! SCHAEFFER I'll take it in the study. 119B. INT. STUDY/STORE - DAY 119B Schaeffer takes the phone. SCHAEFFER You can hang up, dear. We HEAR the click of the other phone, BOOK You made a mistake, Paul. You shouldn't have taken Elton out. SCHAEFFER (beat) How bad did Mac get you? We figured pretty bad. BOOK I'm fine. I'm going to live a long time. That's what I called to tell you. SCHAEFFER (quickly) Johnny -- BOOK You might want to pass it along to Mac. SCHAEFPER (urgently) Listen to me, Johnny. Come in! You're out there all alone . . . We're getting close . . . real close . . . Maybe if you listen to me for a minute we can work something out so you can come in - BOOK I've already got something worked out. (and) Be seeing you. Book hangs up the phone and the dead CLICK registers on Schaeffer. Book has gripped the phone so tightly that it takes a second to unclench his fist. Then it takes something else to resist his first impulse, which is to smash out at something . . . Training. Get it under control. Deal rationally with the situation. 119B CONTINUED 119B He straightens his jacket, wipes the sweat/tears from his eyes, turns and walks stiffly out of the Saltzburg General Store. 120 OMITTED 120 thru thru 121 121 122 INT. BUGGY - MAIN STREET - SALTZBURG - DAY 122 Book, as Rachel eyes him. she has noticed his changed mood, but doesn't ask about it. He stares straight ahead, oblivious to the surroundings of the street, now crawling with tourists and traffic. 122A EXT. NARROW SIDE STREET - SALTZBURG - DAY 122A The buggy turns into the side street. Some hundred yards ahead another buggy is stopped in the middle of the road - several youths gathered about it. A pickup truck is stopped, facing the buggy. 122B INT. LAPP BUGGY - DAY 122B as Rachel approaches the scene, slowing down and finally stopping. Rachel is at first puzzled, then makes a small face, looks at Book. Rachel puts a restraining hand on Book's arm. RACHEL Do nothing. This happens from time to time. She senses him about to get out, grips his arm tightly. RACHEL (continuing) It's not our way, John. We'll have nothing to do with violence! John! Book shakes free, gets out and slowly walks toward the 122C EXT. HOCHSTETLER'S BUGGY - DAY 122C Hochstetler and his family sit, impassive, ignoring various jeers and taunts from the English lads - various jokes about them being dirty etc. one jabs an ice cream cone into Hochstetler's forehead, which leaves a curious white circle on his forehead. Another fools about with the horse causing it to shy. A third notices the slow, sure, approach of John Book. YOUTH Here comes another one! Book stops, his path blocked by the third youth. The youth flicks off Book's hat. BOOK (quietly) You're making a mistake. Hochstetler calls from his buggy. HOCHSTETLER Everything is all right, John. BOOK (to the youth) Pick up the hat. The youth momentarily unsure - something about Book's tone of voice. The youth does pick up the hat, crum- ples it, stamps on it, and puts it back at a crazy angle on Book's head. A pause, then Book explodes. 122C CONTINUED: 122C The kid never knew what hit him or where it came from, he hits the road surface already unconscious. A second youth grabs Book from behind. A mistake. Book is smashing into him, spatters of blood from his nose fly- ing in all directions. He's hitting too hard, too often. It's Schaeffer he's hitting. Hochstetler is pulling him away, Rachel is there too. A crowd is gathering, but as suddenly as it began it's over. Book shakes Hochstetler off him, straightens his hat, and in a kind of daze, begins walking past the scene in the direction of the Lapp farm. The youths are picking up their wounded, helping them back to their truck, aided by none other than Hoch- stetler. An OLD LOCAL addresses Rachel. LOCAL MAN Never seen anything like that in all my years. RACHEL (covering) He's from...Ohio... My cousin. LOCAL MAN We'll, them Ohio Amish sure must be different. (addresses a gath- ering crow ) Our Lancaster brethren, they just don't have that kind of fight in them. RACHEL John, lost control of himself. He... will be repentant. LOCAL MAN (to Rachel) You're Rachel Lapp, aren't you? RACHEL Yes. Samuel! We're going. A second man calls from the pickup. SECOND MAN Kid's nose is broken! LOCAL MAN We'll take him up the hospital. Good-day to you, Mrs. Lapp. 122C CONTINUED 122C LOCAL MAN (CONT.) (he shouts after her) This ain't good for the tourist trade, you know! You tell that to your Ohio cousin! But Rachel is already steering past the scene and following the by now distant figure of John Book. 123 OMITTED 123 124 EXT. BARN/CARPENTER'S SHOP - DUSK 124 Book comes out of the carpenter's shop carrying the repaired birdhouse on its pole in one hand, a shovel in the other. Rachel is shepherding the milking cows toward the barn. RACHEL You should not bother with that birdhouse. (a beat) If you're leaving tomorrow. BOOK I'm leaving tonight. (and) I'm going to need my clothes. And my gun. She nods, looks away...looks back at him twice in glances. There is a moment when it appears she might either bark at him or begin to weep. He waits. When she does turn to him, she speaks softly: RACHEL There was a time when I thought you might have stayed. BOOK (hesitating...then) There was. RACHEL There was a time when I would have welcomed it. BOOK (after a beat) I know. 124 CONTINUED RACHEL (asking) I was being foolish? BOOK No. (and) I was being unrealistic. Even thinking about living this life. RACHEL You're so sure of that? BOOK Aren't you? After today? RACHEL (almost conceding it, but...her voice ris- ing a bit, annoyed) I'm not so sure of anything as you are, John Book. You could live this life if you wanted to bad enough. (a beat) Just as I could live yours! BOOK (almost groaning) Oh, come on, Rachel. No way. RACHEL There is always a way! But you are such a...a Glotzkopp you cannot see! You'd rather go back to that city! To nothing! No woman! No children! No land! BOOK (now getting annoyed) Land! Are you crazy? I'm no Amishman and I'm no farmer! I'm a cop. That's what I know and that's what I do! RACHEL What you do is take vengeance! Which is a sin against heaven! BOOK That's your way, not mine. 124 CONTINUED (2) 124 RACHEL That's God's way! BOOK Well in the City of Phila- delphia, God needs a little help! He has offended her, immediately knows it, but can't bring himself to make an instant apology. But he's chewing on it when she takes the moment unto herself. She pulls herself up, speaks with great dignity: RACHEL I could never love a man who was so...little. He looks at her, sad-eyed, his anger ebbing and gone, realizing that he'll never meet a finer woman... never even get close to such an one. He appears to start to speak, but then does not. She turns, moves away a few steps, stops, looks back at him. she holds for a moment, blinking tears, then speaks with some difficulty, emotion welling in her words. RACHEL (CONT.) The other night...when you saw me after my bath... I... I tried to look as I thought you would want a woman to look. (sadly...but with a slight, proud lift of chin) I am sorry...that I did not. She holds for an instant, then turns and walks off. BOOK Looking after her. A face full of loss. 125 INT. KITCHEN - DUSK 125 Eli is lighting the lamps. Samuel reads a book at the kitchen table. Rachel moves slowly to the sink and begins washing a few dishes. She looks out the window. CLOSE on her face, a strange expression. 126 INT./EXT RACHEL'S POV - DUSK 126 The distant figure of Book working on the birdhouse. 127 INT. KITCHEN 127 CLOSE on Rachel's hands, lifting items slowly up and of the water to the draining board, where she places them carefully down. she shakes the water off her hands. CLOSE on her face, still staring fixedly out the window. She speaks without turning around. RACHEL Eli, would you see Samuel to bed? The old man glances at her; this is not their routine. 128 EXT. DRIVEWAY - DUSK 128 In the rapidly fading light, Rachel walks slowly toward Book. CLOSE on her face, staring straight ahead toward Book. ANGLE on Book, CLOSE. He turns and watches Rachel's approach. BIG WIDE ANGLE The light now nearly gone, the NIGHT SOUNDS beginning, as Rachel reaches Book and they embrace. 129 EXT. FIELD BY ROAD - NIGHT 129 Book and Rachel in a passionate embrace, sink to the still warm earth and make love. 130 EXT. SOUDERSBURG CAFE - LANCASTER COUNTY - NIGHT 130 ESTABLISHING an all-night cafe in the early hours of the morning. TIGHTENING to the bleakly lighted windows. 131 INT. CARE 131 A booth, where Schaeffer and McElroy and Fergie, a Lancaster County Undersheriff and his SHERIFF - an expansive politician type - are seated. The Undersheriff eyes Schaeffer narrowly. The Sheriff has a county map spread out on the table, amid break- fast dishes, pointing directions to Schaeffer: SHERIFF There... White Oak Road a couple of miles before it ties into two- twenty-two. Got it? SCHAEFFER Got it. We owe you one, Sheriff. SHERIFF My man Holmes here put it together. Fine officer, Chief. He spoke to the doctor at the hospital. SCHAEFFER Undersheriff Holmes and I have talked on the phone. (nods at Holmes) Good work. UNDERSHERIFF Sure you don't want us to post some back-up units? SCHAEFFER If we need any help, we'll give you a shout. I'd like to slip in there quiet, then get out before we attract any attention. 132. EXT. CAFE PORCH - DAY 132 As Schaeffer and his men are climbing into their car. Holmes and the Sheriff watch after them. HOLMES Maybe I'll take a drive over that way. SHERIFF Let 'em be. It's their dirty laundry. But Holmes pauses to watch Schaeffer's car pull out. 133 EXT. RURAL LANE - LANCASTER COUNTY - DAWN 133 With the first light of dawn on the eastern horizon, Schaeffer's car approaches along the lane, pulls into the Lapp driveway and comes to a halt. In the b.g. we can make out the farmhouse and outbuildings. HOLD as Schaeffer, McElroy and Fergie step out of the car. They break out short-barreled twelve-gauge pumps, start TOWARD CAMERA, spreading out as they turn up the long driveway . . . figures of ominous intent striding through the misty dawn. 133A ANGLE 133A GOING WITH the trio of gunmen . . . McElroy, breath smoking in the chill, eyes the terrain: McELROY Weird, man. No fuckin' electricity. What do you figure they plug all their shit into? SCHAEFFER They don't have any shit. 134 INT. KITCHEN - DAWN 134 Where Eli is getting into a heavy coat, preparing to go out . . . the remains of the hearty morning break- fast are on the table. Rachel is beginning the dishes. 135 INT. BARN - DAWN 135 Book and Samuel are starting the morning milking . . . 136 INT. KITCHEN - DAWN 136 Eli is preparing to extinguish the lamp when suddenly the kitchen door is kicked open and McElroy and Fergie weapons leveled, burst in. Eli reacts with angry shock as Schaeffer enters: Rachel is, for a moment, terrified. SCHAEFFER (to Fergie) Outside - (to Mac) Check out the rest of the house. He turns to Eli, who is standing in the middle of the room. Schaeffer flashes his badge: 136 CONTINUED 136 SCHAEFFER (CONT.) We're police officers. We're looking for a fugitive, John Book. He's living here? ELI I have nothing to say to you. Get out of my house! SCHAEFFER You speak English. Good. Now listen -- RACHEL (recovering) No, you listen. Get out! SCHAEFFER Lady, I'm here to help you. This man is very dangerous. An armed criminal. (ingratiating) He's got a gun, hasn't he? RACHEL You have no right here! McElroy re-enters. McELROY He's not in this building. SCHAEFFER (to Eli) All right, where is he? Suddenly Eli SHOUTS: it's deafening. Probably the loudest noise Eli has ever made: ELI John Book! McElroy whips around, smashes Eli on the temple with the butt of his shotgun. Eli crumples to the floor. Rachel SCREAMS, rungs to Eli. 137 INT. BARN - DAY 137 Book and Samuel in the milkhouse. They've heard Eli's outcry. Book moves to the window, looks out. 137A BOOK'S POV - FERGIE 137A About halfway between the barn and the house. He turns from glancing back toward the house (having heard Eli's shout) and starts again toward the barn. gun at the ready. 137B INT. BARN - DAY 137B As Book REACTS. 138 INT. KITCHEN - DAY 138 Rachel kneeling next to Eli, wiping at his bruise with a damp cloth. Schaeffer looks on. SCHAEFFER He'll live. RACHEL You might have killed him! SCHAEFFER (to McElroy) Find Fergie, check the barns. I'll watch these two. McElroy nods, moves outside, turns toward the barns. 139 INT. BARN - DAY 139 Book still at the window, Samuel now beside him, trying to get a look. SAMUEL Is it them? BOOK (turning, mind racing) It's them, Sam. (he bends to the boy, takes him by the shoulders) Now, Sam, listen to me and listen to me carefully. Listen to me as you never listened before. SAMUEL (interrupting) Are they going to kill you? BOOK Listen to me, Sam! I want you to go across the new corn to Stoltzfus'. Run as fast as you can. And stay there! 139 CONTINUED 139 SAMUEL What are you going to do? BOOK I'll be all right. You just do as I say. He takes Samuel by the hand, leads him to the side door. He bends, holds the boy close. SAMUEL Don't let them hurt you. BOOK (rising, pushing Samuel toward door) I won't. Now run. (as Sam looks back) Fast as you can! Sam turns, takes off. 140 EXT. REAR DOOR - DAY 140 Samuel running. 141 EXT. BARN - DAY 141 Fergie almost to the upper barn, McElroy - well back and moving slowly, circumspectly - headed toward the lower barn. 141A. INT. BARN - DAY 141A Book, at another window in the lower barn, sees McElroy heading for the milkhouse door. He can't see Fergie. He turns, crosses the cowpen area, climbs an inner ladder leading to the upper barn. 141B. EXT. BARN - DAY 141B Fergie at the door to the upper barn, moving very cautiously, gun up. He eases around the doorpost, looks within. 141C. INT. BARN - ANGLE PAST BOOK 141C Beyond Book, now at the top of the ladder, we see Fergie easing into the barn. Book pulls himself up, crawls behind the wall of the mule stalls, opens gate, eases in beside Luke, urgently whispering and patting the animal to calm him. He gets to the animal's head, crouches, strokes Luke's nose. The mule's huge flanks quiver, his nostril's and eyes widen, but he makes no untoward sound. Book closes the gate. BACK TO FERGIE He comes on warily, muzzle first, eyes darting. DOLLYING WITH him as he reaches the first mule's stall, opens the gate. An edgy mule turns, eyes him, shuffles nervously. Fergie backs off, moves on. BOOK As he listens, tenses, hearing Fergie's feet in the fresh straw. Book eases back alongside Luke, waits. BACK TO FERGIE As he approaches Luke's stall, reaches for the gate- latch. BOOK - - FLASH CUT As the gate swings open, Book shouts and gives Luke a whack on the barrel. The mule's pent-up nerves and feral energy explode in an horrendous SCREAM. FERGIE Bowled backwards by the rearing animal as the gate flies open, involuntarily FIRING, suddenly finding himself under the lethal hooves of a twelve-hundred pound beast. Staggering backwards, he SCREAMS, FIRES again, the load striking the mule in its heaving chest as a flailing hoof smashes into Fergie's head and the other hoof snaps his shotgun in half like a matchstick. BOOK As he slips out of the stall, ducks toward the rear of the barn. FERGIE Fallen, skull smashed...and now the dying Luke's legs buckle and he collapses atop Fergie. 141D. EXT. BARN - DAY 141D McElroy standing still, shock-eyed, looking toward the sound of the shots. Then starting slowly forward. SCHAEFFER On the porch of the house, looking toward the barn. 141E. EXT. FIELD - DAY 141E Some distance from the barn, Samuel's hearing the shots, stops dead in his tracks.... the sound of the shots still REVERBERATING across the quiet fields. SAMUEL (stricken) Mr. Book? He hesitates, then turns, starts trotting back toward the barns. 141F.EXT/INT. KITCHEN PORCH - DAY 141F. Rachel has moved into the open kitchen door, glances anxiously toward the barns. starts out. Schaeffer pushes her back. SCHAEFFER Get back in there RACHEL My son is out there! SCHAEFFER Nobody's going to hurt your son.... 141F. EXT. BARN - DAY 141F As McElroy, checking the safety on his twelve-gauge, steps into the barn. 141G. INT. BARN - DAY 141G McElroy flattens himself against the wall, looks around fearfully. McELROY (softly) Fergie? Only silence. 141H. EXT. FRONT PORCH - DAY 141H Schaeffer staring toward the barn, SHOUTS: SCHAEFFER What the hell happened? He listens, hears nothing, snorts, starts toward the barn checking his gun, not hurrying. 141I. INT. KITCHEN - DAY 141I Eli now seated at the table, holding a cloth to his head. Rachel at a window, peering out. Schaeffer on the porch 141J. EXT. FIELD - DAY 141J Samuel running as fast as he can trips as he crosses a small muddy stream, falls full length, scrambles up, runs on. 141K. INT. BARN - DAY 141K McElroy, moving very cautiously, comes around the mule stalls, stops short, stares o.s. HIS POV - FERGIE Where he lies half buried beneath the huge bulk of the mule, his head crushed like an eggshell, BACK TO McELROY As he moves on around Fergie and the dead mule, planting each foot as if he were walking in a mine field; BOOK Standing in shadow at the back of the barn next to a hay mow. HIS POV - McELROY Moving toward the center of the barn. BOOK As he starts to move even further back, he nudges into a rope fastened to the wall behind him, He looks at it, looks up, HIS POV - THE ROPE It runs from where it is fastened to the wall straight up to the center roofbeam of the barn to a trolley fixed to a track that runs the length of the roofbeam. Attached to this trolley is a big hayfork (Paul Krantz has one), U-shaped, sharply-pointed at each end of the U. the points hanging toward the floor. The thing weighs about eighty pounds, and is suspended in place by the rope anchored at the wall next to Book. BACK TO BOOK Keeping one eye on McElroy, he carefully begins to un- tie the trip rope. McELROY Moving out toward the center of the barn, almost under the suspended hay fork. He stops short, listens. Then, either spotting a moving shadow or hearing a SOUND, he FIRES. His shot rattles off the side of a manure spreader. He SHOUTS: McELROY Book, you sneaky bastard, I know you're hot! Come out and fight! 141L EXT. BARNYARD - DAY 141L Samuel, at the top of the barnyard, stops at the SOUND OF THE SHOT, wide-eyed. He listens for an-instant, starts a step toward the barn, then stops again, looks to a large bell suspended in a cupola by one of the outbuildings. He moves quickly to the bell, seizes the rope, pulls. The bell CLANGS loudly, Sonorously SCHAEFFER On the front porch, looking around for the location of the sounding bell. He takes a step toward the barn, the stops, looks back toward the house...frustrated. 141M. INT. BARN - DAY 141M Book watches as McElroy starts to move again look- ing back toward the SOUNDING of the bell HIGH ANGLE - HAY FORK Looking down we can see McElroy almost directly beneath the hay fork. The bell SOUNDING throughout BOOK Waiting...trip rope in hand. Then: BOOK (SHOUTING) Hey, Mac! And he lets go the trip rope. McELROY As he turns toward the SOUND of Book's voice. HAY FORK As it plummets down, causing a RATCHETING SOUND that fills the barn, even drowns out the SOUND of the bell. McELROY Eyes darting wildly, looking up. HIS POV - HAY FORK Plunging straight for him. McELROY Diving to one side. ANGLE - HAY FORK THUDDING into the barn floor like a great trident fork. Quivering there, not a foot from McElroy's head. McELROY Staring at the fork pop-eyed. BOOK Sprinting toward a ladder thrust up through an opening in the barn floor just in front of his parked car. McELROY Spotting Book, coming up to one knee, quick-aiming, FIRING. The shot smashes the windshield of the car. BOOK Diving, rolling, slamming into the top of the ladder, flailing down out of sight. McELROY FIRING AGAIN, then again. Emptying the gun, cursing as he begins to reload, gets to his feet, starts toward the ladder. The BELL still SOUNDING outside. The hood of the car SLOWLY POPS UP. ANGLE As McElroy wheels at the movement of the car's hood, FIRES twice. McELROY'S POV - LAPP BUGGY The buckshot virtually blows the dashboard Off 141N EXT. BARNYARD - DAY 141N Samuel RINGING the bell. The bell rope is short, and so is Samuel and his feet go off the ground with every swing of the rockerarm. He hangs on grimly, his black hat clinging to the back of his head, his face set against the tears that move down his cheeks. SCHAEFFER Comes hesitantly down the path toward the barn, looking toward the sound of the bell, but also looking back in glances toward the house to make sure Rachel and E1 stay where they are. He still can't see Samuel. HIS POV - THE PORCH As Rachel starts off the porch, takes a few steps. SCHAEFFER Turning, SHOUTING: SCHAEFFER You stay put! RACHEL She stops. She is also unable to see Samuel. SCHAEFFER Moving out toward the barn, rounding a corner...and there is Samuel at the bellrope. He starts toward him. 141O EXT. FIELDS - DAY 141O Beyond Samuel, well out in the fields of the Stoltzfus farm, Stotlzfus and others - including Hochstetler and his brothers - are baling the first cutting of June hay. But the operation has come to a halt. All are looking in toward the Lapp farm. hearing the RINGING OF THE BELL (the Amish cry for help), wondering, hesitating. But now, as we watch, led by Hochstetler, they start in toward Samuel. 141P EXT. BARNYARD - DAY 141P As Schaeffer reaches Samuel, SHOUTS: SCHAEFFER Cut that out! Samuel looks at him, keeps on pulling. Schaeffer quickly crosses to him, grabs him by the back of the neck, tries to pull him off the bell rope. Samuel hangs on grimly. Schaeffer yanks hard, succeeds in yanking Samuel free, Shoves him roughly aside. Then Schaeffer turns, FIRES a shotgun blast into the top of the bellrope. It still hangs by several threads, so he FIRES again. The rope drops to the ground. Schaeffer reloads, turns to look at Samuel, just getting to his feet. A moment...when Schaeffer, recognizing Samuel as the Amish kid who saw McElroy kill Zenovich, perhaps thinks of disposing of the witness right then and there. But a glance toward the oncoming Amish gives him pause. He SNARLS at Sam: SCHAEFFER Get down to the house and stay there! Samuel gets to his feet, turns, trots off. RACHEL Already halfway out to the barn, running to gather Sam in her arms...then to lead him back toward the house. SCHAEFFER Turning, starting very slowly toward the barn. 141Q INT. BARN - DAY 141Q McElroy at the top of the ladder, looking down. Then easing over, placing his feet on the rungs. BOOK He stands below in a cowpen, using the cows for cover. The cows stare balefully at him. A large goat nuzzles him, hooks at him with its horns Book waits, watches. HIS POV - McELROY Visible to his knees as he eases down the ladder. He stops at every rung to scrape his shoes free of the cowshit covering the rungs. BACK TO BOOK He turns now to a door at the back of the pen. He un- hooks it, pulls it open, moves inside. ANOTHER ANGLE - BOOK He is now in a small passageway giving on to the en- trance to a nearly-empty silo. Above the entrance, a ladder (interior) rises to the top of the structure. Book looks in, and up. We should get the impression that Book's been here before, expects what he sees. WHAT HE SEES Forty feet up, a patch of blue sky through an open hatch. BACK TO BOOK He steps through to the base of the ladder, then ducks beyond it into the silo. There is about two feet of old silage covering the floor. He turns, looks up the white walls. HIS POV - INSIDE SILO An inside ladder runs to the top. HIS POV - KICKBOARD Standing against the wall next to the entrance.... ob- viously to be inserted as the silo is filled. BOOK Now, quickly, he ducks back out through the entrance, crosses to the door to the cowpen, very cautiously peers out, WHAT HE SEES McElroy at the bottom of the ladder, looking in the other direction (toward the milkhouse). BACK TO BOOK Very carefully he shoves the cowpen door (which opens outward into the cowpen). It begins to swing very slowly open. Book immediately turns, darts back into the silo. McELROY Turning slowly toward the cowpen...then FIRES twice as his eye catches the motion of the swinging door. His shots blow half a row of Eli's precious tools off an adjacent wall. McElroy reloads, starts across toward the door. 141R INT. KITCHEN 141R Old Eli, at the sight of Samuel, rises from the table. ELI Praise Gott! Rachel stands aside as the old man embraces Samuel long and hard. she watches as he turns to the cupboard, takes down the big family Bible. He crosses to the table, sets the book down, places his hand on its pulls Samuel to the table beside him. Rachel holds Another beat as she stares at the old man helplessly, then she rushes to where she hid Book's gun, takes it down . . . her trembling hands take the bullets out of the coffee jar. she drops several as she tries to figure out how to open the chamber to load it. In the b.g., Eli glances up, sees what she is about . . . he rises and crosses to her. Samuel watches from the table. ELI (fiercely) No, Rachel. . . RACHEL I have to help him! Rachel somehow manages to open the chamber and begins to try to load the bullets. Eli's callused hand closes over hers, halting the action: ELI It is not our way! Bullets are already CLATTERING to the floor from her trembling fingers as she raises her eyes to Eli's. A long beat as Rachel looks at him . . . Finally her fingers release the pistol and it CLATTERS to the floor. She closes her eyes. Samuel, who has gotten up, moved to a window, watches Eli and Rachel silently. Eli leads her to the table, places her hands on the Bible beneath his. They stand there and they pray. 141S. INT. SILO - DAY 141S Book finishes putting the kickboard into the entrance. McELROY Moving among the cows, stepping cautiously between the cowflops. The goat nudges him once, then butts him rather firmly. McElroy swats at him with the gun butt, moves to the door. As he arrives, he HEARS a noise - very slight - from the direction of the silo. He enters the passage way, looks in toward the silo entrance, He hesitates. Another slight noise. He steps in to the base of the inner ladder, looks up. HIS POV - THE HATCH The patch of blue sky, forty feet up. BACK TO McELROY He frowns, reaches out, grabs a rung. 141T. INT. BARN - DAY 141T Schaeffer, easing toward the mule stalls, MUTTERS, CURSES under his breath. Then he rounds the corner of the first stall...and there is Fergie with Luke the mule on top of him. Schaeffer stares, blinks... moves on spotting a spent shotgun shell near the hayfork.... 141U. INT. SILO - DAY 141U Book listening at the kickboard. SOUNDS of feet, shotgun rattling against metal rungs, Book moves to the ladder on his side, starts silently up. McELROY Climbing with difficulty, shotgun clutched in one hand BOOK He climbs up to the second kickboard, pauses, checks the distance to the floor, starts upward again, 141V. BARNYARD DAY 141V The Amish beginning to arrive. Sam comes running, pulls Stoltzfus toward the door of the milkhouse as the other Amish look at the shot-shattered bellrope. Rachel and Eli come rapidly up the path toward the group. 141W. INT. BARN - DAY 141W Schaeffer finds another spent shotgun shell, crosses to the ladder, looks down. He sets his shotgun down, takes out his service revolver, starts down. 141X. INT. SILO - DAY 141X Book has reaches the third kickboard, about thirty feet from the ground. He checks it, turns the thumb- screws that hold it in place, places his hand on the handle, moves to one side as best he can...hangs there, listening. McELROY Rattling up the other ladder, approaching the third kickboard. BOOK Listening tensely, hearing McElroy arrive on the other side of the kickboard. Then, deliberately, Book makes a fist, raps on the board smartly once. McELROY Startled, REACTING. He sets his feet, leans back against the back wall of the ladder well, brings the shotgun up, puts the muzzle against the kickboard, clicks off the safety. BOOK We HEAR with him the thump of the muzzle, the CLICK... and, with marvelous speed, Book pulls the kickboard and drops it to the floor. McELROY - FLASH CUT Staring in, stun-eyed, already falling forward (having leaned his weight on the shotgun).,.as Book seizes the shotgun by the barrel, pulls inward. ANOTHER ANGLE As McElroy pitches forward through the opening, SCREAMS and GRABS as he plunges past Book. The shotgun FIRES as McElroy manages to hold onto Book, and both men plunge thirty feet to the bottom of the silo. BOOK He falls almost straight down, lands on his back, lies stunned. McELROY His forward motion has carried him across the silo. His head bounds off the white brick wall about five feet up... and he falls in a heap, blood gushing from his head, as... TIGHT ON BOOK Blinking, groaning, just beginning to stir...and, suddenly, into the frame comes a hand with a pistol in it. The muzzle is placed firmly against Book's temple. WIDER Schaeffer holding the pistol. He cocks the pistol, tenses as if to FIRE (and he is actually about to)... when there is a SOUND behind him. He snaps around WHAT HE SEES Old Stoltzfus and Samuel standing in the kickboard opening (Schaeffer having kicked the kickboard in when he heard the shot from within the silo). They stand solemnly, looking on as: SCHAEFFER He eases the hammer down on this pistol, speaks softly: SCHAEFFER Okay, Johnny. On your feet. THE SCENE As Book struggles to his feet - Schaeffer holding the pistol tight to Book's head. Book turns, sees Samuel and Stoltzfus, blinks. Schaeffer shoves Book toward the opening. As Book moves toward Samuel, he speaks quietly: BOOK It's okay, Sam. ANOTHER ANGLE As Book and McElroy move out of the silo, down the passageway toward the milkhouse, Stoltzfus and Sam (after a glance in at the inert McElroy) follow And .. 141Y EXT. BARN - DAY 141Y As first Stoltzfus and Samuel, then Book and Schaeffer emerge into the barnyard. Schaeffer has the muzzle of his pistol pressed firmly against Book's throat, just below his jaw. Schaeffer pulls up, frowning: SCHAEFFER Hold it. WHAT HE SEES The Amishmen gathered - the Stoltzfus family, the Hochstetler brothers, et alia. All staring hard at Schaeffer and Book. 142 OMITTED 142 thru thru 155 155 156 EXT. BARN/DRIVE - DAY 156 From a high wide angle the final scene is played out. Schaeffer and Book, now moving again slowly up the drive, the Amish following along closely on both sides. 157 CLOSE ON BOOK 157 as Schaeffer prods Book forward, warily eyeing the Amish. SCHAEFFER Get back, you people! (prodding) Keep moving, Johnny.... Book takes a couple of steps further, then abruptly stops. The Amish stand about close, staring, no one moving. Book now slowly turns his head, looks at Schaeffer. BOOK You're going to have to do it right here, Schaeffer. SCHAEFFER Don't try me, Johnny! Eli steps forward, bloody cloth held to his head. ELI So...will you kill us all, then? ANGLE As Schaeffer's eyes waver between Book and Eli, Book slowly turns until he is facing Schaeffer... the gun now leveled - and almost pressing against - Book's chest. Book locks eyes with Schaeffer. Quietly: BOOK It's all over, Paul. SCHAEFFER Move! Or you die right here! Book's right hand snakes out, grabs Schaeffer by the gunhand wrist, twists viciously, Schaeffer SCREAMS in pain, the gun falls out of his hand, he starts to his knees under the force of Book's grip. ANOTHER ANGLE As Book bends, picks up the pistol, releases Schaeffer, pushes him away. Schaeffer staggers against Hochstetler, who - partly to keep him from falling, and partly (it appears) to congratulate him on his surrender - wraps one brawny arm around Schaeffer's shoulders, gives him a short approving nod...holds Schaeffer as: BOOK Turning, looking into the crowd, finding Rachel. Their gazes meet, hold for a long MOMENT. In the eyes of both we read resignation...whatever there was between them has been terribly damaged. It is almost certainly over for them, too. 158 OMITTED 158 159 EXT. BARN - DAY 159 HIGH SHOT holding the moment. 160 EXT. LAPP FARM - LATE AFTERNOON 160 DISSOLVE TO: The door opens and Book steps out, looking somehow strange in his working suit. He looks about him, sees Samuel down by the pond. 161 EXT. POND 161 He eases down beside Samuel. They both stare into the pond. SAMUEL Are you really ever coming back? BOOK Got to, Sam. You and I are going to a courthouse together, put some people behind bars. SAMUEL Have you got your gun on now? BOOK Sure have, Sam. Sam grins. Book takes him in his arms, holds him. 162 EXT. HOUSE - DAY 162 Book opens the door of the car, turns to find Rachel standing there with his Amish hat in hand. RACHEL I want you to take this...to remember by. BOOK Where's my baggy pants? RACHEL Here. Whenever you want them. He wants to kiss her, but does not. Their eyes say it all. Eli has a final word, SHOUTING from the porch. ELI You be careful, John Book! Out among them English! Book gets quickly into the car. 163 INT./EXT. DRIVEWAY - LAPP FARM - DAY 163 As Book drives, he sees an open buggy coming down the hill toward the farm, He slows as he passes, It's Daniel Hochstetler. A long beat, and as they pass, Hochstetler gives Book an expansive tip of his hat. 164 INT. BOOK'S CAR 164 Book turns to look back at his rival, a doubt in his eyes. FREEZE FRAME. FADE OUT: THE END

FADE IN -- Title: For nearly forty years this story has given faithful service to the Young in Heart; and Time has been powerless to put its kindly philosophy out of fashion. To those of you who have been faithful to it in return ...and to the Young in Heart --- we dedicate this picture. FADE OUT: MS -- Dorothy stoops down to Toto -- speaks to him -- then runs down road to b.g. -- Toto following -- DOROTHY She isn't coming yet, Toto. Did she hurt you? She tried to, didn't she? Come on -- we'll go tell Uncle Henry and Auntie Em. Come on, Toto. LS -- Farm yard -- Dorothy enters left b.g. along road -- Toto following her -- CAMERA PANS right -- she comes forward thru gate -- runs forward to Aunt Em and Uncle Henry working at Incubator -- DOROTHY Aunt Em! Aunt Em! MS -- Aunt Em and Uncle Henry working with baby chicks in incubator -- Dorothy runs in -- speaks to them -- Dorothy picks up baby chick -- CAMERA TRUCKS back as Aunt Em and Dorothy come forward -- Aunt Em puts chick in coop with hen -- then TRUCKS forward as they go to b.g. to incubator -- Dorothy reacts -- Uncle Henry looks at her -- CAMERA PANS her to left across yard -- DOROTHY Aunt Em! AUNT EM Fifty-seven, fifty-eight -- DOROTHY Just listen to what Miss Gulch did to Toto! She -- AUNT EM Dorothy, please! We're trying to count! Fifty-eight-- DOROTHY Oh, but Aunt Em, she hit him over the -- UNCLE HENRY Don't bother us now, honey -- this old incubator's gone bad, and we're likely to lose a lot of our chicks. DOROTHY Oh -- oh, the poor little things. Oh, but Aunt Em, Miss Gulch hit Toto right over the back with a rake just because she says he gets in her garden and chases her nasty old cat every day. AUNT EM Seventy -- Dorothy, please! DOROTHY Oh, but he doesn't do it every day -- just once or twice a week. And he can't catch her old cat, anyway. And now she says she's gonna get the sheriff, and -- AUNT EM Dorothy! Dorothy! We're busy! DOROTHY Oh -- all right. MCS - Aunt Em and Uncle Henry taking chicks out of incubator - UNCLE HENRY Poor little orphan, and her Miss Gulch troubles. Gosh all hemlock - you know, she ought to have somebody to play with. AUNT EM I know, but we all got to work out our own problems, Henry. UNCLE HENRY Yes. AUNT EM Oh, I hope we got them in time. UNCLE HENRY Yes. MLS -- Zeke -- Hunk and Hickory working on wagon -- Hickory and Zeke lowering bed of wagon into place -- ZEKE How's she coming? HUNK Take it easy. CS -- Hunk on ground -- gets finger caught under wagon bed -- reacts -- HUNK Ow! You got my finger! CS -- Zeke and Hickory holding wagon bed -- ZEKE Well, why don't you get your finger out of the way! MLS -- Zeke and Hickory put wagon bed in place -- Hunk sitting on ground by wagon -- Dorothy enters -- comes forward to Zeke -- CAMERA TRUCKS forward on them -- they speak -- Zeke exits left f.g. -- Hunk enters -- speaks to Dorothy -- Hickory exits right -- PAN left as Hunk and Dorothy go over by wagon -- they speak -- Dorothy exits right -- Hunk hits his finger with hammer -- whirls around -- HICKORY Come on - come on - over this way. ZEKE Okay. HICKORY There you are. HUNK Right on my finger! ZEKE It's a lucky thing it wasn't your head. DOROTHY Zeke, what am I going to do about Miss Gulch? Just because Toto chases her old cat -- ZEKE Listen, honey, I got them hogs to get in. HUNK Now lookit, Dorothy, you ain't using your head about Miss Gulch. Think you didn't have any brains at all. DOROTHY I have so got brains. HUNK Well, why don't you use them? When you come home, don't go by Miss Gulch's place. Then Toto won't get in her garden, and you won't get in no trouble. See? DOROTHY Oh, Hunk, you just won't listen, that's all. HUNK Well, your head ain't made of straw, you know. MLS - Int. Barn - Hickory working on wind machine - straightens up - reacts - Dorothy comes forward - CAMERA TRUCKS forward as Hickory goes to her - he speaks to her - turns motor of wind machine on - they watch it - oil spurts out into Hickory's face - he reacts - Dorothy exit left - HICKORY Oh! Oh, it feels like my joints are rusted. Listen, Dorothy, don't let Hunk kid you about Miss Gulch. She's just a poor sour-faced old maid that -- she ain't got no heart left. You know, you should have a little more heart yourself, and have pity on her. DOROTHY Well, gee, I try and have a heart. HICKORY Now look, here's something that really has a heart. This is the best invention I ever invented. DOROTHY This? HICKORY Sure. It's to break up winds, so we don't have no more dust storms. Can you imagine what it'll mean to this section of the country? I'll show you. It works perfectly now. Here's the principle. You see that fan -- that sends up air currents into the sky. These air currents -- Oh, stop it! DOROTHY Oh! HICKORY Who did it? Now wait a minute. DOROTHY Hickory! HICKORY Now what happened? I'll bet Hunk did that. MLS -- Zeke driving pigs into pen -- Dorothy enters in b.g. walks along railing of pen -- Zeke goes to b.g. -- CAMERA TRUCKS forward -- Zeke pours feed into trough -- ZEKE Say! Get in there before I make a dime bank out of you! Listen, kid, are you going to let that old Gulch heifer try and buffalo you? MCS -- Zeke poring feed into trough -- speaks -- ZEKE She ain't nothing to be afraid of. Have a little courage, that's all. MLS -- Dorothy walking along railing between pig pens -- DOROTHY I'm not afraid of her. MCS -- Zeke picks up another bucket of feed -- pours it into trough -- ZEKE Then the next time she squawks, walk right up to her and spit in her eye. That's what I'd do! MLS -- Dorothy on railing -- loses her balance -- falls into pig pen -- DOROTHY Oh! MCS -- Zeke reacts -- CAMERA PANS left as he jumps into pen -- takes Dorothy's foot out of wire -- then picks her up -- CAMERA PANS right as he carries her out of pen -- puts her down with Hunk and Hickory -- Zeke jumps out of pen -- sits down -- wipes his brow -- DOROTHY Oh! Oh, Zeke! Help! Help me, Zeke! Get me out of here! Help! HICKORY Are you all right, Dorothy? DOROTHY Yes, I'm all right. Oh -- I fell in and -- and Zeke -- MCS -- Zeke -- Dorothy -- Hunk and Hickory -- they all look at Zeke -- they laugh -- Aunt Em enters with plate of crullers -- CAMERA TRUCKS forward on Hunk -- Aunt Em and Hickory -- they speak -- Hunk and Hickory each take cruller -- go to b.g. -- CAMERA PULLS back as Aunt Em comes forward to Zeke and Dorothy -- she speaks to Zeke -- CAMERA TRUCKS forward as Dorothy and Aunt Em walk to b.g. -- Dorothy takes cruller -- Aunt Em runs to b.g. -- DOROTHY Why, Zeke, -- you're just as scared as I am! HUNK What's the matter -- gonna let a little old pig make a coward out of you? HICKORY Look at you, Zeke -- you're just as white -- AUNT EM Here, here, what's all this jabber-wapping when there's work to be done? I know three shiftless farm hands that'll be out of a job before they know it! HICKORY Well, Dorothy was walking along the -- AUNT EM I saw you tinkering with that contraption, Hickory. Now, you and Hunk get back to that wagon! HICKORY All right, Mrs. Gale. But some day they're going to erect a statue to me in this town, and -- AUNT EM Well, don't start posing for it now. Here, here -- can't work on an empty stomach. Have some crullers. HUNK Gosh, Mrs. Gale. AUNT EM Just fried. HICKORY Thanks. HUNK Swell. ZEKE You see, Dorothy toppled in with the big Duroc... AUNT EM It's no place for Dorothy about a pig sty! Now you go feed those hogs before they worry themselves into anemia! ZEKE Yes'am. DOROTHY Auntie Em, really -- you know what Miss Gulch said she was gonna do to Toto? She said she was gonna -- AUNT EM Now, Dorothy, dear, stop imagining things. You always get yourself into a fret over nothing. DOROTHY No -- AUNT EM Now, you just help us out today, and find yourself a place where you won't get into any trouble. MCU -- Dorothy reacts -- speaks -- DOROTHY Some place where there isn't any trouble. MS -- Dorothy and Toto -- she tosses him a piece of the cruller -- Toto eats it -- Dorothy speaks as she walks forward -- she sings -- leans against haystack -- then walks over near rake -- CAMERA PANS right -- DOROTHY Do you suppose there is such a place, Toto? There must be. It's not a place you can get to by a boat or a train. It's far, far away -- behind the moon -- beyond the rain -- DOROTHY (sings) Somewhere, over the rainbow, way up high, There's a land that I heard of once in a lullaby. Somewhere, over the rainbow, skies are blue, And the dreams that you dare to dream really do.... CS -- Toto by wheel of rake -- listening to song -- DOROTHY o.s. (sings) ...come true.... MCS -- Dorothy singing -- swings on wheel of rake -- then walks forward around wheel -- Toto jumps up onto seat of rake -- Dorothy pets him -- sits on front of rake -- CAMERA PULLS back -- Dorothy finishes song -- DOROTHY (sings) ...Someday I'll wish upon a star And wake up where the clouds are far behind me. Where troubles melt like lemon drops, Away above the chimney tops, That's where you'll find me. Somewhere, over the rainbow, bluebirds fly. Birds fly over the rainbow, Why then -- oh, why can't I? If happy little bluebirds fly Beyond the rainbow Why, oh, why can't I? LS -- Miss Gulch rides along country road on bicycle -- CAMERA PANS to right with her -- LS -- Miss Gulch rides forward to front of Gale's home -- stops and gets off her bicycle as Uncle Henry comes forward -- MISS GULCH Mr. Gale! UNCLE HENRY Howdy, Miss Gulch. MISS GULCH I want to see you and your wife right away.... MCS -- Uncle Henry and Miss Gulch at gate -- they speak -- Uncle Henry lets go of the gate -- it hits Miss Gulch -- she reacts -- exits left -- Uncle Henry puts paint brush down -- starts out left -- MISS GULCH ... about Dorothy. UNCLE HENRY Dorothy? Well, what has Dorothy done? MISS GULCH What's she done? I'm all but lame from the bite on my leg! UNCLE HENRY You mean she bit you? MISS GULCH No, her dog! UNCLE HENRY Oh, she bit her dog, eh? MISS GULCH NO! LAP DISSOLVE TO: LS -- Int. Gale Sitting room -- Aunt Em and Miss Gulch seated -- Dorothy enters -- carrying Toto in her arms -- CAMERA TRUCKS forward on them -- PANS to right with Dorothy to Uncle Henry -- then Pans her left to Aunt Em and Miss Gulch -- Miss Gulch shows order to Aunt Em -- Uncle Henry enters -- looks at the order -- Miss Gulch picks up basket -- rises -- Dorothy screams at Miss Gulch -- Miss Gulch tries to take Toto away from Dorothy -- Uncle Henry takes Toto -- puts him into basket -- MISS GULCH That dog's a menace to the community. I'm taking him to the sheriff and make sure he's destroyed. DOROTHY Destroyed? Toto? Oh, you can't! You mustn't! Auntie Em! Uncle Henry! You won't let her, will you? UNCLE HENRY Of course we won't. Will we, Em? DOROTHY Please, Aunt Em, Toto didn't mean to. He didn't know he was doing anything wrong. I'm the one that ought to be punished. I let him go in her garden. You can send me to bed without supper -- MISS GULCH If you don't hand over that dog, I'll bring a damage suit that'll take your whole farm! There's a law protecting folks against dogs that bite! AUNT EM How would it be if she keeps him tied up? He's really gentle -- with gentle people, that is. MISS GULCH Well, that's for the Sheriff to decide. Here's his order allowing me to take him. Unless you want to go against the law. UNCLE HENRY Uhh -- yeah -- AUNT EM Now, we can't go against the law, Dorothy. I'm afraid poor Toto will have to go. MISS GULCH Now you're seeing reason. DOROTHY No -- MISS GULCH Here's what I'm taking him in -- so he can't attack me again. DOROTHY Oh, no, no! I won't let you take him! You go away, you....! Oooh, I'll bite you myself! AUNT EM Dorothy! DOROTHY You wicked old witch! Uncle Henry, Auntie Em, don't let 'em take Toto! Don't let her take him -- please! MISS GULCH Here! I've got an order! Let me have... DOROTHY Stop her! AUNT EM Put him in the basket, Henry. MISS GULCH The idea! DOROTHY Oh, don't, Uncle Henry. Oh, Toto! Don't... MCU -- Dorothy crying -- looks o.s. to Aunt Em -- then to Uncle Henry then turns and starts out -- MS -- Dorothy runs out of the room -- Aunt Em rises -- looks after Dorothy -- then turns to Miss Gulch and Uncle Henry -- Aunt Em speaks to Miss Gulch -- CAMERA TRUCKS forward -- Aunt Em exits left -- Uncle Henry sits in chair at right f.g. -- grins -- AUNT EM Almira Gulch, just because you own half the county doesn't mean you have the power to run the rest of us! For twenty-three years, I've been dying to tell you what I thought of you! And now -- well, being a Christian woman, I can't say it! LAP DISSOLVE TO: MS -- Miss Gulch riding bicycle to left -- CAMERA TRUCKS forward on basket on back of bicycle -- Toto sticks his head out -- looks about -- then jumps out -- MS -- Toto jumps to ground -- CAMERA PANS up as he runs down road to b.g. -- LS -- Miss Gulch riding forward down dirt road on her bicycle -- she exits left f.g. -- LAP DISSOLVE TO: MS -- Int. Dorothy's room -- Dorothy sitting on floor by bed -- crying -- Toto jumps in thru window and onto bed -- CAMERA TRUCKS forward as Dorothy hugs him -- reacts -- speaks to him -- then takes suitcase from under bed -- starts packing it -- (Toto barks) DOROTHY Toto, darling! Oh, I got you back! You came back! Oh, I'm so glad! Toto! Oh, they'll be coming back for you in a minute. We've got to get away! We've got to run away -- quick! LAP DISSOLVE TO: MS -- Dorothy's and Toto's footprints in dirt road -- CAMERA PANS up showing them walking down road to b.g. -- Dorothy carrying suitcase and basket -- LAP DISSOLVE TO: LS -- Dorothy and Toto walking to right across bridge -- MLS -- Dorothy and Toto on bridge -- Dorothy looks down to f.g. -- Toto runs forward down path -- exits f.g. -- MLS -- Camp -- lettering on wagon -- CAMERA TRUCKS forward on wagon -- PROFESSOR MARVEL ACCLAIMED BY The CROWNED HEADS of EUROPE Let Him In His Read Your PAST - PRESENT and FUTURE Crystal Also Juggling and Sleight of Hand Dorothy enters in f.g. -- reads sign -- reacts to Professor humming o.s. -- MLS -- Professor steps down out of wagon -- sees Dorothy -- speaks to her as he crosses to fire at left -- Dorothy comes forward -- PROFESSOR Well, well, well -- house guests, huh? And who might you be? No, no -- now don't tell me. MCS -- Professor sits by fire -- Dorothy comes forward -- they speak -- PROFESSOR Let's see -- you're -- you're travelling in disguise. No, that's not right. I -- you're -- you're going on a visit. No, I'm wrong. That's...You're -- running away. DOROTHY How did you guess? PROFESSOR Professor Marvel never guesses -- he knows! Now, why are you running away? DOROTHY Why -- PROFESSOR No, no -- now don't tell me. They -- they don't understand you at home. They don't appreciate you. You want to see other lands -- big cities -- big mountains -- big oceans -- DOROTHY Why, it's just like you could read what was inside of me. MLS -- Professor and Dorothy by fire -- Professor roasting wiener on stick -- PROFESSOR Yes -- DOROTHY Please, Professor, why can't we go along with you? CS -- Toto enters -- bites wiener off stick -- PROFESSOR o.s. Well, we -- uh -- DOROTHY o.s. Oh, Toto, that's not.... MCS -- Professor and Dorothy -- Dorothy scolds Toto o.s. DOROTHY ...polite! We haven't been asked yet. MLS -- Professor and Dorothy -- Toto in front of them eating wiener -- Professor laughs and speaks -- puts another wiener on stick -- PROFESSOR He's perfectly welcome. As one dog to another, huh? Here now -- let's see where were we? MCS -- Professor and Dorothy speak -- Professor puts stick down at left -- PROFESSOR Oh, yes - you - you wanted to go home, huh? DOROTHY Oh, no, I wanted to go along with you. PROFESSOR Oh -- DOROTHY Nobody cares about me at home. They wouldn't even miss me. PROFESSOR Aw, come, come, come -- DOROTHY No, they won't - honestly. PROFESSOR Oh -- DOROTHY Auntie Em was even going to let them kill Toto yesterday for biting Miss Gulch. Oh, please, Professor, why can't we go with you and see all the Crowned Heads of Europe? PROFESSOR Do you know any? Oh, you mean the thing -- Yes, well, I -- I never do anything without consulting my crystal first. Let's.... MLS -- Professor rises -- CAMERA PANS as he and Dorothy cross to right to wagon -- PROFESSOR ...go inside here -- we'll -- Just come along. I'll show you. There you are - right in there. MLS -- Int. Wagon -- Dorothy and Professor come in -- CAMERA TRUCKS forward -- Professor moves chair up for Dorothy -- then lights candles -- sits down -- puts on turban -- speaks to Dorothy -- she closes her eyes -- he takes her basket -- looks thru it -- takes out a photograph -- PROFESSOR That's right. Here -- sit right down here. That's it. Ha ha! This -- this is the same genuine, magic, authentic crystal used by the Priests of Isis and Osiris in the days of the Pharaohs of Egypt -- in which Cleopatra first saw the approach of Julius Caesar and Marc Anthony, and -- and so on -- and so on. Now, you -- you'd better close your eyes, my child, for a moment -- in order to be better in tune with the infinite. We -- we can't do these things without.... INSERT -- CU -- photograph of Dorothy and Aunt Em -- PROFESSOR o.s. ...reaching out into the.... MCU -- Professor looks at photograph -- PROFESSOR ...infinite. Yes. MCS -- Dorothy and Professor -- he puts photograph on chair -- Dorothy opens her eyes -- CAMERA TRUCKS forward as Professor looks into the crystal -- PROFESSOR That's -- that's all right. Now you can open them. We'll gaze into the crystal. Ahh -- what's this I see? A house -- with a picket fence.... CU -- Dorothy -- Camera shooting past Professor at right f.g. -- Dorothy reacts -- PROFESSOR ...and a barn -- with a weather vane and a -- of a -- of a running horse. MCU - Professor - Camera shooting past Professor at left f.g. - he looks into crystal - speaks - PROFESSOR No - it's - it's - a crowing rooster. CU -- Dorothy -- Camera shooting past Professor -- DOROTHY That's our farm! PROFESSOR Oh -- yes. MCS -- Dorothy and Professor -- He looks into crystal -- then looks down at photograph -- PROFESSOR Yes, there's -- there's a woman -- she's.... INSERT -- CU of the photograph -- MCS -- Dorothy and Professor -- he puts the photograph away again -- looks into crystal -- PROFESSOR ...she's wearing a polka-dot dress.... MCU -- Professor -- Camera shooting past Dorothy -- PROFESSOR ...her face is careworn. DOROTHY Yes...That's Aunt Em. PROFESSOR Her -- her name is Emily. CU -- Dorothy -- Camera shooting past Professor -- Dorothy reacts -- DOROTHY That's right. What's she doing? PROFESSOR Well, I -- I can't quite see. Why, she's crying. DOROTHY Oh -- PROFESSOR Someone has hurt her -- someone has just about broken her heart. DOROTHY Me? MCU -- Professor -- camera shooting past Dorothy -- PROFESSOR Well, it's -- it's someone she loves very much. Someone she's been very kind to. Someone she's taken care of in sickness. CU -- Dorothy reacts -- speaks -- Camera shooting past Professor -- DOROTHY I had the measles once -- and she stayed right by me every minute. PROFESSOR Uh-huh. DOROTHY What's she doing now? MCU - Professor looks into crystal - Camera shooting past Dorothy - PROFESSOR Well, she's - she's going into a little bed.... CU - Dorothy - Camera shooting past Professor - PROFESSOR ...room -- DOROTHY Has it poppies on the wall.... MCU - Professor - Camera shooting past Dorothy DOROTHY ...paper? PROFESSOR I said it had poppies on the wall paper! Eh -- she's -- What's this? Why, she's -- she's putting her hand on her heart -- she's -- she's dropping down on the.... CU -- Dorothy reacts -- Camera shooting Professor -- he speaks -- exits right -- PROFESSOR ...bed. DOROTHY Oh, no -- no! PROFESSOR That's all -- the Crystal's gone dark. DOROTHY Oh, you.... MCS -- Dorothy and Professor -- Dorothy jumps up -- picks up her basket -- goes to b.g. -- DOROTHY ...you don't suppose she could really be sick, do you? Oh -- Oh, I've got to go home right away! PROFESSOR But -- what's this? I thought you were going along with me. DOROTHY Oh, no, no, I have to get to her right.... MCS -- Dorothy picks up Toto -- CAMERA PANS as she comes forward down steps -- she speaks to Toto -- reacts -- CAMERA PANS left as she runs to b.g. -- picks up suitcase -- puts Toto to ground -- both run up hill in b.g. -- wind blowing leaves around -- DOROTHY ...away! Come on, Toto! Oh, what'll I do? If we go home, they'll send you to the Sheriff. And if we don't, Aunt Em may -- well, she may die! I know what I'll do - I'll give you to Hunk. He'll watch out for you. But we've got to hurry. Goodbye, Professor Marvel -- and thanks a lot! MLS -- Professor comes out of wagon -- CAMERA PANS him left to horse -- wind blowing -- Professor looks around -- starts out left with horse -- PROFESSOR Better get under cover, Sylvester -- there's a storm blowing up -- a whopper, to speak in the vernacular of the peasantry. Poor little kid -- I hope she gets home all right. LAP DISSOLVE TO: MS -- Farm Yard -- chickens fly down into yard -- run to b.g. toward barn -- wind blowing weeds and dust -- CAMERA PANS up -- Uncle Henry runs forward -- speaks to Hunk -- Hunk exits into barn at left -- Uncle Henry comes forward -- CAMERA TRUCKS back to Hickory working on wind machine -- they speak -- then hurry to b.g. -- Zeke in b.g. runs forward -- Hickory exits into barn -- UNCLE HENRY Hunk, get them horses loose! Where's Hickory. Hickory! Hickory! Doggone it! Hick -- HICKORY o.s. Right here. UNCLE HENRY Hey, what are you doing there? HICKORY This is my chance! The cyclone is coming. Let me show you what my machine can do! You see, it goes -- UNCLE HENRY Doggone you! Help Hunk get them horses loose! HICKORY All right - you'll be sorry. UNCLE HENRY Go on, hurry up! Hurry up, I tell you! LS -- Zeke points up to sky -- Hunk and others drive horses out of barn -- ZEKE She's here -- it's a twister! ELS -- The Gale Farm -- Cyclone approaching -- MLS -- Aunt Em runs out of house -- cups hands to her mouth -- calls o.s. -- runs to b.g. to corner of house -- calls o.s. -- AUNT EM Dorothy! Dorothy! MLS -- Dorothy and Toto near fence -- Dorothy looks to b.g. to house -- LS -- Uncle Henry -- Hunk -- Hickory and Zeke -- they turn horse loose -- it runs out right -- UNCLE HENRY Come on -- everybody in the storm cellar! MLS -- Dorothy and Toto moving forward against the wind -- weeds and sticks blowing thru -- Dorothy stops -- picks up Toto -- MLS -- Aunt Em on porch -- Uncle Henry -- Hunk -- Zeke and Hickory run in -- Aunt Em calls o.s. again -- then all start into storm cellar -- AUNT EM Henry! Henry! I can't find Dorothy! She's somewhere out in the storm! Dorothy! MLS -- Dorothy carrying Toto -- pushes gate open -- makes her way thru wind -- CAMERA PANS right as she goes up on to porch of house -- chair and things blow off the porch -- Dorothy opens screen door -- the door blows off -- Dorothy exits into house -- MLS -- Zeke and Hunk exit into storm cellar -- close the cellar door -- MLS -- Dorothy in Living room -- CAMERA PANS left as she runs across room -- calls o.s. -- TRUCKS back as she hurries forward to kitchen -- then exits door left -- DOROTHY Auntie Em! Auntie Em! ELS -- The Gale farm -- the Cyclone approaching -- MS -- Dorothy sitting on edge of bed -- holding Toto in her arms -- the window blows loose -- hits Dorothy on the head -- she falls to floor - then gets up dazed - sits on edge of bed - Toto jumps up near her - she lies back on bed -- ELS - The Gale Farm - Cyclone hits it - swirling dust circles house - ELS - The house spinning up thru dust - ELS - The house spinning up thru dust - other wreckage flying thru - LAP DISSOLVE TO: CU - Dorothy lying on bed - opens her eyes - looks around - MS - Dorothy and Toto on bed - Dorothy sits up - CAMERA TRUCKS back as she sits up - looks out window - sees trees, furniture, etc. flying thru - MS - Dorothy looking out window - turns - speaks to Toto - DOROTHY We're not on the ground, Toto! MLS - Shooting thru window - Chicken coop flies thru - then a little old lady sitting ie rocking chair - knitting - MS - Dorothy and Toto - Dorothy reacts - MLS - Shooting thru window - Cow floats thru - Cow mooing - MS - Dorothy and Toto - Toto barks - jumps down off the bed - (Cow o.s. mooing) MCS - Toto crawls under bed - MS -- Dorothy sitting on bed -- looking out window to b.g. -- reacts as various things float thru -- Two men in row boat float in -- both tip their hats to Dorothy -- Dorothy waves to them -- MCS - Toto looks out from under bed - Cow moos o.s. - he darts back under the bed - MLS - Shooting through window - Cow floats thru - MCS - Dorothy rises - looks o.s. - MLS - Shooting thru window - tree floats thru - MCS -- Dorothy reacts -- turns -- DOROTHY We must be up inside.... MCS -- Toto looks out from under bed -- DOROTHY o.s. ...the cyclone. CS - Dorothy looking o.s. out window - reacts - CAMERA PANS as she sits on edge of bed - MS -- Dorothy -- seated on edge of bed -- looking out window -- Miss Gulch floats in -- riding her bicycle -- Dorothy reacts -- looks down to Toto -- Miss Gulch moves in closer to window -- her bicycle changes to broomstick -- her clothes into the flying robe and pointed hat -- MCS - Dorothy looking o.s. - reacts - puts her hands over her eyes - MLS -- Dorothy lies face down on the bed -- Miss Gulch floating thru in b.g. -- disappears -- MS -- the swirling funnel of the cyclone -- the house spins in apart from the cyclone -- MLS - Dorothy holding Toto in her arms - throws herself down on the bed - screams - ELS - The spinning house - the cyclone whirling in the background - (Dorothy screaming) MLS -- Dorothy and Toto lying on bed -- house spinning -- Dorothy screams -- ELS - The house whirling down thru dust - exits lower right - ELS -- The house whirls in at top -- floats down thru -- ELS -- The house floating down thru clouds -- MLS -- Dorothy and Toto lying on bed -- the house crashes to ground -- Dorothy screams -- she looks around -- then gets up off the bed -- goes to b.g. -- picks up the basket -- opens door -- MCS -- Dorothy walks forward -- looking around o.s. -- CAMERA PANS as she walks to right f.g. -- exits -- Int. Farm House -- MCS -- Dorothy enters from l.f.g. and opens the door to reveal Munchkinland -- CAMERA BOOMS forward through the door and around to the right -- to shoot down on FULL SHOT of Civic Center of the Munchkin Village -- Dorothy looks around confused by it all -- MLS -- Dorothy with Toto in her arms looks about the Village and speaks -- Munchkins rise before camera in f.g. and watch her -- DOROTHY Toto -- I've a feeling we're not in Kansas anymore. CS -- Dorothy with Toto in her arms -- looks about and speaks -- DOROTHY We must be over the rainbow! LS -- Dorothy puts Toto down to the ground -- turns to the b.g. -- reacts and backs slowly toward the camera -- exits right- LAP DISSOLVE TO: MLS -- Glinda looks o.s. to the right to Dorothy -- MCU -- Dorothy look o.s. to l.f.g. -- reacts -- speaks -- DOROTHY Now I -- I know we're not in Kansas. MLS -- Glinda -- CAMERA PANS her right to Dorothy and Toto -- CAMERA TRUCKS forward -- they speak -- GLINDA Are you a good witch, or a bad witch? DOROTHY Who, me? Why, I'm not a witch at all. I'm Dorothy Gale from Kansas. GLINDA Oh! Well.... CS -- Toto -- Dorothy's feet in b.g. -- GLINDA o.s. ...is that the Witch? DOROTHY Who, Toto? MCS -- Glinda and Dorothy -- they speak and look o.s. to l.f.g.-- DOROTHY Toto's my dog. GLINDA Well, I'm a little muddled. The Munchkins called me because a new witch has just dropped a house on the Wicked Witch of the East. And there's the house, and here you are, and that's all... MCS -- Wicked Witch of the East's feet protruding from under the farm house -- GLINDA o.s. ...that's left of the Wicked Witch of the East. MCU -- Dorothy looks o.s. to l.f.g. -- reacts -- GLINDA o.s. And so what the Munchkins want to know... MCU -- Glinda looks o.s. to Dorothy and speaks -- GLINDA ...is, are you a good witch, or a bad witch? MCU -- Dorothy looks to l.f.g. -- speaks -- reacts to noise o.s. -- DOROTHY Oh, but I've already told you, I'm not a witch at all -- witches are old and ugly. What was that? MCU -- Glinda looks to r.f.g. and speaks -- GLINDA The Munchkins. They're laughing because I am a witch. I'm Glinda, the Witch of the North. MCU -- Dorothy looks to l.f.g. -- reacts -- speaks -- curtsies -- DOROTHY You are! Oh, I beg your pardon! But I've never heard of a beautiful.... MCU -- Glinda looks to r.f.g. and speaks -- DOROTHY o.s. ...witch before. GLINDA Only bad witches are ugly. MCS -- Glinda and Dorothy -- they speak -- Dorothy reacts to noise o.s. -- CAMERA TRUCKS back -- Munchkins enter from b.g. behind flowers -- Glinda sings -- GLINDA The Munchkins are happy because you have freed them from the Wicked Witch of the East. DOROTHY Oh. But, if you please -- what are Munchkins? GLINDA The little people who live in this land -- it's Munchkinland, and you are their national heroine, my dear. It's all right -- you may all come out and thank her. It's all right now - you may all come out. GLINDA (sings) Come out, come out, wherever you are And meet the young lady who fell from a star. LS -- Dorothy and Glinda -- Toto with them -- Munchkins in f.g. -- others enter in b.g. -- Glinda leads Dorothy toward the b.g. as she sings -- CAMERA BOOMS up and forward -- GLINDA (sings) She fell from the sky, she fell very far. And Kansas she says is the name of the star. MLS -- Munchkins -- one rises from manhole in street -- they sing and move toward the r.f.g. -- MUNCHKINS (sing) Kansas she says is the name of the star. LS -- Dorothy, Glinda and Toto with them -- Munchkins watch them as they move to pond -- Glinda sings -- GLINDA (sings) She brings you good news. Or haven't you heard? When she fell out of Kansas, a miracle occurred. MCS -- Glinda and Dorothy standing by the pond -- Dorothy sings -- Munchkins in b.g. -- DOROTHY (sings) It really was no miracle. What happened was just this: The wind began to switch -- the house to pitch And suddenly the hinges started to unhitch. Just then, the witch -- to satisfy an itch -- Went flying on her broomstick thumbing for... MLS -- Munchkin dances forward and sings -- others behind him move to him and sing -- DOROTHY o.s. (sings) ...a hitch. A MUNCHKIN And oh, what happened then was rich! SEVERAL MUNCHKINS The house began to pitch The kitchen took a slitch MCS -- Munchkins -- CAMERA TRUCKS along past Munchkins as they sing -- MUNCHKINS (sing) It landed on the Wicked Witch In the middle of a ditch Which was not a healthy situation For the Wicked Witch. LS -- Munchkins as they dance and sing -- CAMERA BOOMS back entering Glinda and Dorothy at right -- MUNCHKINS (sing) The house began to pitch The kitchen took a slitch It landed on the Wicked Witch in the middle of a ditch Which Was not a healthy.... LS -- Carriage drawn by ponies comes forward -- CAMERA TRUCKS back before it -- Munchkins gather around -- Dorothy and Glinda at right -- Munchkins sing -- MUNCHKINS (sing) ....sitch- Uation for The Wicked Witch, Who Began to twitch And was reduced To just a stitch Of what was once.... MS -- Glinda and Dorothy -- Munchkins in b.g. -- Dorothy starts to move toward the l.f.g. -- MUNCHKINS (sing) ...The Wicked.... LS -- Carriage, Glinda, Dorothy and Munchkins -- Dorothy moves to the carriage and is helped in -- Munchkins sing and dance -- MUNCHKINS (sing) ...Witch! MS -- Dorothy carriage facing Munchkins in b.g. -- one steps forward from crowd and speaks -- another follows and speaks -- Dorothy turns to f.g. as Glinda speaks o.s. -- MUNCHKIN NO. 1 We thank you very sweetly For doing it so neatly. MUNCHKIN NO. 2 You've killed her so completely That we thank you very sweetly. GLINDA o.s. Let the joyous news be spread MCS -- Glinda looks to f.g. and speaks -- Munchkins in b.g. -- GLINDA The Wicked Old Witch at last is dead! LS -- Dorothy in carriage -- Glinda standing on dais at left -- carriage moves toward b.g. followed by procession of soldiers -- CAMERA BOOMS forward as carriage turns and comes toward f.g. -- Munchkins sing and dance -- MUNCHKINS (sing) Ding Dong! The Wicked Witch is dead. Which old Witch? The Wicked Witch! Ding Dong! The Wicked Witch is dead. Wake up, you sleepy head. Rub your eyes Get out of bed. Wake up, the Wicked... MLS -- Dorothy in carriage -- CAMERA PANS right slightly with her -- she exits right as procession of soldiers enter and march to right -- CAMERA TRUCKS back -- MUNCHKINS (sing) ...Witch is dead! She's gone where the Goblins go Below...Below...Below Yo -- ho, let's open up and sing And ring the bells out. Ding Dong! The merry-oh! Sing it high Sing it.... LS -- Carriage with Munchkins following -- CAMERA TRUCKS back slightly as carriage comes forward to steps at right -- MUNCHKINS (sing) ...low Let them know The Wicked Witch is dead! MLS -- Three Heralds move forward from building -- Mayor enters and comes forward followed by Barrister and City Fathers -- CAMERA BOOMS back over Dorothy in carriage in f.g. -- Mayor moves to carriage -- Dorothy steps from the carriage and Mayor leads her toward the b.g. -- MCS -- Dorothy and Mayor -- Mayor leads her to Barrister and City Fathers -- turns and speaks -- Barrister and City Fathers and Mayor sing -- MAYOR As Mayor of the Munchkin City In the County of the Land of Oz I welcome you most regally BARRISTER But we've got to verify it legally To see... MAYOR To see? BARRISTER If she... MAYOR If she? BARRISTER Is morally, ethic'ly FATHER NO. 1 Spiritually, physically FATHER NO. 2 Positively, absolutely ALL OF GROUP Undeniably and reliably Dead! MCS -- Glinda on dais of fountain -- she looks o.s. to f.g. and smiles -- MLS -- Coroner moves up steps toward the r.f.g. -- CAMERA PANS right slightly as he moves to Mayor and Dorothy -- unrolls scroll and sings -- scroll reads: CERTIFICATE OF DEATH -- CORONER As Coroner, I must aver I thoroughly examined her. And she's not only merely dead, She's really, most sincerely dead. MLS -- Dorothy, Mayor, Barrister and City Fathers -- Mayor steps forward and looks to the f.g. and sings -- MAYOR Then this is a day of Independence For all the Munchkins and their descendants! BARRISTER If any! MAYOR Yes, let the joyous news be spread. LS -- Mayor, Dorothy, Barrister, City Fathers and Munchkins gathered at steps -- Mayor speaks -- Munchkins cheer and dance -- MAYOR The Wicked Old Witch at last is dead! MUNCHKINS (sing) Ding Dong! The Witch is dead. Which old witch? The Wicked Witch! MLS -- Munchkins move up steps to the left -- CAMERA BOOMS up with them and holds on kids sleeping in nest -- BOOMS on and then down as Munchkins come forward from between huts and sing and dance -- MUNCHKINS (sing) Ding Dong! The Wicked Witch is dead! Wake up, you sleepy head! Rub your eyes, Get out of bed. Wake up, the Wicked Witch is dead! She's gone where the Goblins go Below...below...below. Yo ho, let's open up and sing, And ring the bells out. Ding Dong! The merry-oh! Sing it high, Sing it low. Let them know The Wicked Witch is dead! LS -- Munchkin soldiers parade and march -- CAMERA BOOMS back and up as they come forward -- Dorothy, Mayor and others entered on steps at right -- others in b.g. -- MLS -- Soldiers lined up before steps -- three tots move in through line of soldiers and CAMERA PANS them right entering Dorothy standing on steps -- they dance and sing -- exit left -- three tough kids come forward -- THREE TOTS (sing) We represent the Lullaby League, the Lullaby League, The Lullaby League And in the name of the Lullaby League We wish to welcome you to Munchkinland. MCS -- Three Tough Kids look to r.f.g. and sing and dance- THREE TOUGH KIDS (sing) We represent the Lollypop Guild, the Lollypop Guild, The Lollypop Guild And in the name of the Lollypop Guild MLS -- Three Tough Kids sing and hand Lollypop to Dorothy standing on steps at right -- they move to other Munchkins in b.g. -- CAMERA BOOMS up as they come forward and sing -- THREE TOUGH KIDS (sing) We wish to welcome you to Munchkinland. MUNCHKINS (sing) We welcome you to Munchkinland Tra la la la la la Tra la la tra la la Tra la la la la la la MS -- Dorothy standing with Mayor, Barrister and City Fathers -- she turns from one to the other as they sing MAYOR From now on you'll be history BARRISTER You'll be hist... CITY FATHER You'll be hist... MAYOR You'll be history GROUP And we will glorify your name MAYOR You'll be a bust... BARRISTER Be a bust... CITY FATHER Be a bust... GROUP In the hall of fame! LS -- Dorothy, Mayor and City Fathers -- camera shooting past Munchkins in f.g. -- CAMERA BOOMS with them as they come forward -- Glinda enters -- Munchkins gather before Glinda and City Fathers and Dorothy and sing -- smoke cloud appears and Witch enters -- Munchkins react MUNCHKINS (sing) Tra la la la la Tra la la tra la la Tra la la la la la.. . . . . . CS -- Witch -- looks o.s. to Munchkins -- Munchkins in b.g. -- react and run -- CAMERA BOOMS left with Witch to farm house -- she looks at Witch of the East's feet protruding from under the farm house -- Ext. Civic Center of Munchkin Village -- MCS -- Dorothy and Glinda -- Dorothy holding Toto as she looks o.s. to left f.g. -- is frightened -- speaks with Glinda -- DOROTHY I thought you said she was dead. GLINDA That was her sister -- the Wicked Witch of the East. This is the Wicked Witch of the West. And she's worse than the other one was. MS -- The Wicked Witch turns away from the farm house -- CAMERA PANS, TRUCKS right with her as she goes to Dorothy and Glinda -- the Munchkins are prostrate on the ground in b.g. -- The Witch speaks with Glinda and Dorothy -- WITCH Who killed my sister? Who killed the Witch of the East? Was it you? Answer me! GLINDA Leave her alone! WITCH You stay out of this! I'm here for vengeance! So it was you, was it? You killed her,.... CS -- Dorothy and Glinda -- Dorothy speaks to the Witch o.s. in f.g. -- WITCH ...didn't you? DOROTHY No -- No! It was an accident! I didn't mean to kill anybody!.... MCU -- Witch -- speaks to Dorothy o.s. -- waves her broomstick about -- DOROTHY o.s. ...Really I didn't! WITCH Didn't mean it, eh? Accident, eh? Well, my little pretty, I can cause accidents, too -- and this is how I do it! GLINDA o.s. Aren't you forget-.... MS -- Witch, Dorothy and Glinda -- Munchkins on the ground in b.g. -- The Witch reacts as Glinda speaks - CAMERA TRUCKS left with her as she turns, goes back to the wrecked farm house -- GLINDA ...ting the ruby slippers? WITCH The slippers -- yes.....the slippers! MS -- The Witch of the East's legs protruding from underneath the wrecked house -- the ruby slippers disappear and the stockings are drawn back under the house -- CS -- The Witch reacts as she looks down -- then turns, looks back to o.s. f.g. -- speaks -- WITCH They're gone! MLS -- The Witch kneeling down by the house -- she rises, CAMERA TRUCKS her right to Dorothy and Glinda -- Glinda stops her, points down to Dorothy's feet -- WITCH The ruby slippers! What have you done with them? Give them back to me, or I'll --- GLINDA It's too late! There they.... CU -- The ruby slippers on Dorothy's feet -- Glinda's wand points to them -- GLINDA o.s. ...are, and there they'll stay! MCU -- Dorothy and Glinda -- Dorothy reacts as she looks down -- gasps as she looks at the Witch o.s., then up at Glinda -- DOROTHY Oh! WITCH o.s. Give me back my slippers! MCU -- Witch speaks to Dorothy o.s.-- WITCH I'm the only one that knows how to use them. They're of no use to you! Give them back to me! MCU -- Dorothy and Glinda -- Glinda advises Dorothy -- WITCH o.s. Give them back! GLINDA Keep tight inside of them -- their magic must be very powerful, or she wouldn't want them so badly! MS -- The Witch rises, threatens Dorothy -- Glinda laughs, speaks -- the Witch reacts, looks up o.s. -- then continues to threaten Dorothy -- WITCH You stay out of this, Glinda, or I'll fix you as well! GLINDA (laughs) Oh, rubbish! You have no power here. Be gone, before somebody drops a house on you, too. WITCH Very well -- I'll bide my time -- and as for you, my fine lady, it's true, I can't attend to you here and now as I'd like, but just try to stay out of my way.... MCU -- Witch threatens Dorothy o.s. in f.g. -- WITCH ... -- just try! I'll get you, my.... MCU -- Dorothy and Glinda -- Dorothy reacts as the Witch laughs o.s. -- WITCH o.s. ...pretty, and your little dog, too! (laughs) MLS -- The Witch backs away from Dorothy and Glinda as the CAMERA BOOMS back -- she laughs menacingly -- the Munchkins hug the ground with fear -- the Witch disappears in a cloud of fire and smoke -- MCS -- Glinda and Dorothy -- Glinda speaks to the Munchkins o.s. GLINDA It's all right. You can get up -- she's gone. LS- The Munchkins all rise, start to move toward Glinda and Dorothy as Glinda speaks to them -- GLINDA It's all right. You can all get up. MCS -- Glinda and Dorothy -- CAMERA PULLS back as Glinda speaks -- the Munchkins enter, crowd about the two -- they bow as Glinda mentions the Wizard of Oz - CAMERA TRUCKS to left as Glinda and Dorothy move down steps of fountain dais -- Glinda instructs Dorothy, kisses her on the forehead -- CAMERA PANS Dorothy left as she walks through the Munchkins to the start of the Yellow Brick Road -- GLINDA Pooh -- what a smell of sulphur! I'm afraid you've made rather a bad enemy of the Wicked Witch of the West. The sooner you get out of Oz altogether, the safer you'll sleep, my dear. DOROTHY Oh, I'd give anything to get out of Oz altogether -- but which is the way back to Kansas? I can't go the way I came. GLINDA No -- that's true. The only person who might know would be the great and wonderful Wizard of Oz himself! DOROTHY The Wizard of Oz? Is he good or is he wicked? GLINDA Oh, very good, but very mysterious. He lives in the Emerald City, and that's a long journey from here. Did you bring your broomstick with you? DOROTHY No, I'm afraid I didn't. GLINDA Well, then, you'll have to walk. The Munchkins will see you safely to the border of Munchkinland. And remember, never let those ruby slippers off your feet for a moment, or you will be at the mercy of the Wicked Witch of the West. DOROTHY But, how do I start for Emerald City? GLINDA It's always best to start at the beginning -- and all you do is follow the Yellow Brick Road. CS -- Dorothy turns, starts to speak to Glinda o.s. in f.g. -- DOROTHY But -- what happens if I --- CS -- Glinda speaks to Dorothy o.s. in f.g. -- GLINDA Just follow the Yellow Brick Road. CS -- Dorothy look up o.s., open-mouthed with astonishment -- she speaks -- CAMERA PANS down to her feet as she starts to follow the Yellow Brick Road -- CAMERA PULLS back slightly as she walks around it -- the Mayor steps in, speaks to her -- other Munchkins speak -- CAMERA PANS left with Dorothy as she progresses along the road -- other Munchkins give her advice -- DOROTHY My -- ! People come and go so quickly here! Follow the Yellow Brick Road. Follow the Yellow Brick Road? MAYOR Follow the Yellow Brick Road. 1ST MUNCHKIN Follow the Yellow Brick Road. WOMAN Follow the Yellow Brick Road. BARRISTER Follow the Yellow Brick Road. ELS -- Shooting down from high set-up to Dorothy on the Yellow Brick Road -- the Munchkins all grouped along the border of the road -- CAMERA BOOMS up as they sing while Dorothy walks around the road -- FIDDLERS Follow the Yellow Brick Road. Follow the Yellow Brick Road. Follow, follow, follow, follow, Follow the Yellow Brick Road. Follow the Yellow Brick Follow the... LS -- Dorothy comes forward down the Munchkin-lined Yellow Brick Road -- she dances, skips along -- CAMERA BOOMS rapidly back along the road ahead of her -- Munchkins entered lined up along the road -- all greet her, then follow her down the road -- the Five Fiddlers sing as they head the procession -- Dorothy passes through the gates of Munchkinland and exits to f.g. -- the Munchkins stop at the gates -- FIDDLERS (sing) ...Yellow Brick Follow the Yellow Brick Road. You're off to see the Wizard The Wonderful Wizard of Oz You'll find he is a whiz of a Wiz If ever a Wiz there was. If ever oh ever a Wiz there was The Wizard of Oz Is one because Because, because, because, because, because... Because of the wonderful things he does.... ELS -- Dorothy dances down the Yellow Brick Road to the b.g. -- camera shooting over the heads of the Munchkins in the f.g. as they sing to her -- she turns, waves to them -- they wave back and Dorothy continues on down the road as the Munchkins cheer -- FIDDLERS (sing) You're off to see the Wizard The Wonderful Wizard of Oz! LAP DISSOLVE TO: ELS -- Ext. Cross Roads of Yellow Brick Road -- Dorothy and Toto come forward along the road from b.g. - CAMERA BOOMS down to left as she pauses in the center of the cross roads -- looks about, speaks -- DOROTHY Follow the Yellow Brick Road? Follow the Yellow....? MCU -- Dorothy, puzzled as she looks about o.s. -- DOROTHY Now which way do we go? LS -- Dorothy standing in the center of cross roads -- a Scarecrow on a pole in the cornfield at right -- he speaks, points to right -- Dorothy whirls about and looks at him -- SCARECROW That way is a very nice way. CS -- Scarecrow, his arm pointing to right -- CU -- Dorothy, a bit frightened as she looks about o.s. - she speaks, looks down at Toto as he barks o.s. -- DOROTHY Who said that? CU -- Toto barking at the Scarecrow o.s. -- MLS -- The Scarecrow in the field of corn -- Toto barks o.s. -- MCU - Dorothy looks down and speaks to Toto o.s. -- DOROTHY Don't be silly, Toto. Scarecrows.... MLS -- The Scarecrow in field in b.g. -- camera shooting past Dorothy in f.g. -- the Scarecrow speaks, points to left with his other arm -- DOROTHY ...don't talk. SCARECROW It's pleasant down that way, too. CU -- Dorothy reacts, watches the Scarecrow o.s. -- speaks to Toto -- looks up as the Scarecrow speaks o.s. DOROTHY That's funny. Wasn't he pointing the other way? SCARECROW o.s. Of course, people do.... MLS -- Scarecrow in field -- shooting past Dorothy in f.g. -- the Scarecrow crosses his arms and points in both directions -- SCARECROW ...go both ways! MCU -- Dorothy reacts, speaks as she starts forward -- DOROTHY Why.... LS -- Dorothy steps forward to the cornfield as she speaks to the Scarecrow -- CAMERA TRUCKS forward -- DOROTHY ...you did say something, didn't you? CS- The Scarecrow shakes his head, then nods -- MLS -- Dorothy looking at the Scarecrow as he nods his head -- she speaks to him -- DOROTHY Are you doing that on purpose, or can't you make up your mind? MCU -- The Scarecrow explains -- shows his straw head -- SCARECROW That's the trouble. I can't make up my mind. I haven't got a brain -- only straw. MCS -- Dorothy questions the Scarecrow o.s. in f.g. -- DOROTHY How can you talk if you haven't got a.... MCU -- Scarecrow speaks to Dorothy o.s.in f.g. -- DOROTHY o.s. ...brain? SCARECROW I don't know. But some people without brains do an awful lot of talking, don't they? MCS -- Dorothy nods, speaks -- DOROTHY Yes, I guess you're right. MLS -- Dorothy steps over the fence and into the cornfield -- speaks as she steps up to the Scarecrow -- CAMERA STARTS forward -- DOROTHY Well, we haven't really met properly, have we? MCU -- Scarecrow -- SCARECROW Why, no. CS -- Dorothy curtsies, speaks -- DOROTHY How do you do? CS -- Scarecrow nods, speaks -- SCARECROW How do you do? CS -- Dorothy speaks -- DOROTHY Very well, thank you. MLS -- Dorothy standing in front of the Scarecrow -- the Scarecrow complains about his position -- SCARECROW Oh, I'm not feeling at all well. You see, it's very tedious being stuck up here all day long with a pole up your back. MCU -- Dorothy -- DOROTHY Oh, dear -- that must be terribly uncomfortable. Can't you get down? MLS -- Scarecrow on pole -- Dorothy standing in front of him -- they speak -- she moves around to the back of the pole -- SCARECROW Down? No, you see, I'm -- Well, -- I'm -- DOROTHY Oh, well, here -- let me help you. SCARECROW Oh, that's very kind of you -- very kind. CS -- Dorothy examining the back of the Scarecrow as she tries to unfasten him -- DOROTHY Well, oh, dear -- I don't quite see.... MCU -- The Scarecrow reacts, looks down at Dorothy o.s. DOROTHY o.s. ...how I can -- SCARECROW Of course, I'm not bright about doing things, but if you'll just.... CS -- Dorothy starts to follow the Scarecrow's directions -- SCARECROW o.s. ...bend the nail down in the back, maybe I'll slip off and... DOROTHY Oh.... MLS -- Dorothy turns the nail and the Scarecrow falls to the ground -- DOROTHY ...yes. SCARECROW Ohhhh -- DOROTHY Ohh! MS -- The Scarecrow falls into scene -- Dorothy enters, questions him as he puts back some straw into his coat that had dropped out -- the Scarecrow rises, starts to whirl about -- SCARECROW Whhhooops! Ha-ha -- there goes some of me again! DOROTHY Oh -- does it hurt you? SCARECROW Oh, no -- I just keep picking it up and putting it back in again. DOROTHY Ohhh -- SCARECROW My, it's good to be.... MLS -- Dorothy screams as the Scarecrow whirls about and falls over the cornfield fence -- she rushes to him -- the CAMERA TRUCKS forward as she kneels beside him -- they speak -- SCARECROW ...free! DOROTHY Oh! Oh! Ohhh! SCARECROW Did I scare you? DOROTHY No, No -- I -- I just thought you hurt yourself. MCU -- Scarecrow -- shooting past Dorothy in right f.g. SCARECROW But I didn't scare you? MCU -- Dorothy -- shooting past the Scarecrow in left f.g. -- DOROTHY No -- of course not. MCU -- The Scarecrow reacts, speaks -- shooting past Dorothy in the right f.g. -- SCARECROW I didn't think so. MCS -- The Scarecrow and Dorothy seated by fence -- a crow flies in from left and alights on the Scarecrow's shoulder -- MCU -- Dorothy reacts as she sees the crow o.s. -- SCARECROW o.s. Boo! Scat! MCS -- Scarecrow and Dorothy -- the crow hops to the Scarecrow's shoulder, picks up some of the Scarecrow's straw and flies away with it -- Scarecrow speaks to Dorothy -- SCARECROW Boo! You see, I can't even scare a crow! They come from miles.... MCU -- Dorothy listening -- SCARECROW o.s. ...around just to eat in my field and laugh in my face! MCU -- The Scarecrow -- SCARECROW Oh, I'm a failure, because I haven't got a brain. MCU -- Dorothy reacts, speaks -- DOROTHY Well, what would you do with a brain if you had one? MCS -- Scarecrow and Dorothy -- shot favoring the Scarecrow -- they speak -- he begins to sing -- CAMERA PULLS back as he rolls down to the Yellow Brick Road -- Dorothy rises, moves to him -- holds him up as he starts to fall -- SCARECROW Do? Why, if I had a brain, I could -- (sings) I could while away the hours, Conferrin' with the flowers, Consultin' with the rain. And my head I'd be scratchin' While my thoughts were busy hatchin' If I only had a brain. I'd unravel every riddle For any individ'le In trouble or in pain. CS -- Dorothy holds the Scarecrow as she sings -- shot favoring Dorothy -- DOROTHY (sings) With the thoughts you'll be thinkin' You could be another Lincoln If you only had a brain. MCS -- Dorothy holding the Scarecrow as he sings -- he jumps, whirls about -- CAMERA TRUCKS forward as he goes into a sitting position, then PANS up with him as he rises beside Dorothy, continues to sing -- SCARECROW (sings) Oh, I could tell you why The ocean's near the shore I could think of things I never thunk before, And then I'd sit -- and think some more. I would not be just a nuffin' My head all full of stuffin' My heart all full of pain. I would dance and be merry... MCS - Scarecrow and Dorothy - she watches as he sings, dances about - he whirls, jigs about - falls to his knees - Dorothy reacts - CAMERA TRUCKS forward as he dances back up the Yellow Brick Road - then PULLS back as he comes forward to Dorothy again - he dances to left to the cornfield - CAMERA PANS left - he falls over the fence, then rolls back under it as Dorothy rushes to help him - he reacts, sits on the curb of the road - SCARECROW (sings) ...Life would be a ding-a-derry If I only had a brain! MCS - The Scarecrow seated on curb of road as Dorothy looks down at him - CAMERA PULLS back as he feels about his coat - Dorothy points to some of his straw on the road - a crow flies into the scene and lands near the straw - the Scarecrow reacts - MCS - The Scarecrow trembles with fear as Dorothy tries to comfort him - MCU - The crow picks up the straw and flies up -- MLS - Dorothy and the Scarecrow react as the crow flies out to left with the straw in his mouth - CAMERA BOOMS up to left as the Scarecrow rises, goes to the fence and shakes his fist at the crow flying over the cornfield in the b.g. - MLS - The Scarecrow dances back to right along the road as the CAMERA PULLS back, PANS right with him - Dorothy rushes to him, stops him and points o.s. to left - LS - The crow lands in the cornfield - MCS - Dorothy and the Scarecrow looking o.s. to left - the Scarecrow reacts, assures Dorothy - then the CAMERA PULLS back as he dances forward, gains momentum and runs out to left - LS - The Scarecrow runs to left, makes a big jump over the cornfield as the CAMERA PANS with him - MLS - The Scarecrow jumps in from right and lands in the cornfield - several crows fly out of the corn - MS - Dorothy runs forward to the fence, reacts as she looks o.s. to f.g. - MS - The Scarecrow moves to right through the corn stalks - CAMERA TRUCKS right - he bends down, finds his straw and stuffs it back into his coat - MLS - The Scarecrow runs forward, jumps into the air and flies out to right f.g. - LS - The Scarecrow soars over the field to the road - Dorothy waves to him MS - The Scarecrow falls into the scene as he lands on the Yellow Brick Road - CAMERA PULLS back as Dorothy rushes to him - the Scarecrow begins to dance again, doing a series of splits - CS - Toto jumps on a pumpkin, starts it rolling out onto the Yellow Brick Road at right - CAMERA PANS right - LS - Toto follows the pumpkin as it rolls forward down the road - CAMERA PULLS back between the Scarecrow's legs - the pumpkin hits the Scarecrow, hitting the Scarecrow up out of scene - Dorothy looks on, frightened - LS - CAMERA PANS up with the Scarecrow as he soars up into the air - LS - Shooting down from the Scarecrow's angle to Dorothy as she looks up o.s. - MS - CAMERA PANS down with the Scarecrow as he falls back toward the road - exits out of shot - MLS - The Scarecrow falls back into scene and lands on the Yellow Brick Road - he runs out to left - MLS - CAMERA PULLS back before the Scarecrow as he dances forward, bumping into one side of fence, then bouncing from that to the fence on the other side of road, then back to the fence at left, and so on down the road - CAMERA PANS right with him as he runs forward past Dorothy and falls through a fence which breaks under his weight - CS - The Scarecrow sits up, looks about - blinks his eyes - CS - Dorothy reacts as she starts forward, looks o.s. to f.g. - REVERSE ACTION shot of Scene 93 (MLS - CAMERA PULLS back before the Scarecrow as he dances forward, bumping into one side of fence, then bouncing from that to the fence on the other side of road, then back to the fence at left, and so on down the road - CAMERA PANS right with him as he runs forward past Dorothy and falls through a fence which breaks under his weight) MLS - The Scarecrow bounces off a fence rail and starts to dance forward down the road as he sings - CAMERA PULLS back ahead of him - Dorothy entered - he sings to her - some straw falls from his coat - the Scarecrow slumps to the ground - Dorothy starts to bend down - SCARECROW (sings) Gosh, it would be awful pleasin' To reason out the reason For things I can't explain. Then perhaps I'll deserve you, And be even worthy erv you If I only had a brain. MLS -- Ext. Yellow Brick Road -- Dorothy rushes to the Scarecrow lying on the road -- she picks up some of his straw -- kneels by him -- CS -- Dorothy kneeling by the Scarecrow -- she speaks as she helps him put back some of the straw -- they react -- Scarecrow half-rises -- DOROTHY Wonderful! Why, if our Scarecrow back in Kansas could do that, the crows'd be scared to pieces! SCARECROW They would? DOROTHY Um-hmm. SCARECROW Where's Kansas? DOROTHY That's where I live. And I want to get back there so badly I'm going all the way to Emerald City to get the Wizard of Oz to help me. SCARECROW You're going to see a Wizard? DOROTHY Um-hmm. SCARECROW Do you think if I went with you this Wizard would give me some brains? DOROTHY I couldn't say. But even if he didn't, you'd be no worse off than you are now. SCARECROW Yes -- that's true. DOROTHY But maybe you'd better not. I've got a witch mad at me, and you might get into trouble. SCARECROW Witch? Huh! I'm not afraid of a witch! I'm not afraid of anything --- except a lighted match. DOROTHY I don't blame you for that. SCARECROW But I'd face a whole box full of them for the chance of getting some brains. Look -- I won't be any trouble, because I don't eat a thing -- and I won't try to manage things, because I can't think. Won't you take me with you? MCU -- Dorothy -- shooting past Scarecrow in right f.g. DOROTHY Why, of course I will! LS -- Dorothy and the Scarecrow rise from the road -- the Scarecrow jumps up -- yells -- Dorothy holds him up -- they speak -- they start to sing -- CAMERA BOOMS to left as they walk down the road and exit to b.g. -- SCARECROW Hooray! We're off to see a Wizard! DOROTHY Oh -- well -- you're not starting out very well. SCARECROW Oh, I'll try! Really, I will. DOROTHY To Oz? SCARECROW To Oz! BOTH (sing) We're off to see the Wizard The Wonderful Wizard of Oz We hear he is a whiz of a Wiz If ever a Wiz there was If ever oh ever a Wiz there was, The Wizard of Oz Is one because Because, because, because, because, because Because of the wonderful things he does. We're off to see the Wizard The Wonderful Wizard of Oz! LAP DISSOLVE TO: LS -- Dorothy and Scarecrow come forward along Yellow Brick Road -- CAMERA PULLS back to show Wicked Witch hiding behind tree at left -- she turns, exits to left -- Dorothy reacts as she sees the apple orchard at right - she goes up to one of the trees -- CAMERA STARTS TO BOOM forward on her -- DOROTHY Oh -- apples -- Oh look! Oh. Oh --- MCS -- Dorothy standing by the First Tree -- she picks an apple off -- reacts as the tree takes the apple back and slaps Dorothy's hand -- DOROTHY Ouch! MCU -- First Tree opens its "mouth" -- speaks to Dorothy o.s. -- TREE What do you think you're doing? MCS -- Dorothy replies to the tree -- then reacts -- DOROTHY We've been walking a long ways and I was hungry and -- Did you say.... MCU -- The First Tree -- gestures as it speaks -- FIRST TREE She.... MLS -- Scarecrow and Dorothy standing before the First Tree as it speaks to the Second Tree in b.g. -- FIRST TREE ...was hungry! Well, how would you like to have someone come along and pick something off of you? MCU -- Scarecrow and Dorothy react, speak as they look o.s. at the tree -- DOROTHY Oh, dear -- I keep forgetting I'm not in Kansas. SCARECROW Come along, Dorothy -- you don't want any of those apples. Hmm! MCU -- First tree reacts, and speaks -- FIRST TREE What do you mean - she doesn't want any of those apples? Are you hinting my apples aren't what they ought to be? MCU -- Scarecrow and Dorothy -- SCARECROW Oh, no! It's just that she doesn't like little green.... MCU -- The Tree reacts, makes a grab for the two o.s. -- SCARECROW o.s. ...worms! TREE Oh.... MLS -- The First Tree grabs for the two -- the Scarecrow fights him off as Dorothy runs out to right f.g. -- the Scarecrow follows her out -- TREE ...you... SCARECROW Go -- Go! TREE ...Oh -- Help -- let me out. I'll give you little green.... MCS -- Dorothy -- the Scarecrow backs in from left f.g. -- gestures at the Trees o.s. -- speaks -- then makes faces at the trees -- TREE o.s. ...worms. SCARECROW I'll show you how to get apples. TREE o.s. You can't.... MS -- The First tree winds up, throws apples o.s. to f.g. -- TREE ...do that to me! I'll.... MCS -- Scarecrow and Dorothy react as the apples begin to hit them -- the Scarecrow falls back to the road -- TREE o.s. ...show you! LS -- Shooting past the Trees at left as they throw apples at Scarecrow and Dorothy and Toto in the b.g. -- The Scarecrow rises, dodges about -- TREES You can't do that! You can't do that! Hey! CS -- First Tree laughs as it throws apples to f.g. -- SCARECROW o.s. Hooray! LS -- Shooting past the Trees at left as they throw apples at the Scarecrow and Dorothy in the b.g. -- Scarecrow picks them up -- SCARECROW Hooray! I guess that did it! Help yourself. DOROTHY Oh -- MS -- Dorothy comes forward as she picks up the apples -- CAMERA PANS and TRUCKS forward as she starts to pick up two apples -- she sees a tin foot -- reacts -- examines it -- CAMERA PULLS back and BOOMS up as she stands up by the Tin Man -- Scarecrow comes in from left -- CAMERA PULLS back as they examine him -- he tries to speak -- Dorothy picks up the oil can -- DOROTHY Why, it's a man! A man made out of tin! SCARECROW What? DOROTHY Yes. Oh -- look -- TIN MAN Oil can.....Oil can.... DOROTHY Did you say something? TIN MAN Oil can.... SCARECROW Oil can what? DOROTHY Oil can? Oh -- oh, here it is! MCS -- Scarecrow and Dorothy examine the Tin Man -- he tries to speak -- they oil him about the mouth -- DOROTHY Where do you want to be oiled first? TIN MAN My mouth -- my mouth! SCARECROW He said his mouth. DOROTHY Here -- here -- SCARECROW The other side.... DOROTHY Yes --- there. CU -- The Tin Man tries to speak -- squeaks out a few sounds -- TIN MAN Mm.....mm...mm.... MCS -- Dorothy and Scarecrow listen as the Tin Man starts to speak -- Dorothy starts to pull the axe arm of the Tin Man down -- Scarecrow oils him -- TIN MAN ...m...m...my, my, my, my goodness -- I can talk again! Oh -- oil my arms, please -- oil my elbows. DOROTHY Oh... MLS -- Dorothy lowers the right arm of the Tin Man so that it hangs naturally -- Scarecrow busy with the oil can -- the Tin Man begins his story -- TIN MAN Oh -- DOROTHY ...Oh, did that hurt? TIN MAN No -- it feels wonderful. I've held that axe up for ages. Oh --- DOROTHY Oh, goodness! How did you ever get like this? TIN MAN Oh -- well, about a year ago -- I was chopping that tree -- minding my own business -- when suddenly it started to rain.... MCS -- Scarecrow and Dorothy listen to the Tin Man -- he grows weak -- they work his arms back and forth -- Scarecrow oils his neck for him -- Dorothy raps on the Tin Man's chest -- they react -- Tin Man explains, then steps backward toward tree -- TIN MAN ...and right in the middle of a chop, I...I rusted solid. And I've been that way ever since. DOROTHY Well, you're perfect now. TIN MAN My...my neck. My...my neck. Perfect? Oh -- bang on my chest if you think I'm perfect. Go ahead -- bang on it! DOROTHY Oh --! SCARECROW Beautiful! What an echo! TIN MAN It's empty. The tinsmith forgot to give me a heart. DOROTHY AND SCARECROW No heart? TIN MAN No heart. DOROTHY Oh -- TIN MAN All hollow. Oh -- CS -- Tin Man falls back as Scarecrow and Dorothy enter to help him -- he holds them off -- begins to sing -- TIN MAN (sings) When a man's an empty kettle, He should be on his mettle. And yet I'm torn apart. Just because I'm presumin' That I could be kind-a human, If I only had a heart. MCU -- Tin Man leans over toward Dorothy and sings as CAMERA PANS left slightly -- then leans back -- TIN MAN (sings) I'd be tender -- I'd be gentle And awful sentimental Regarding Love and Art I'd be friends with sparrows... CS -- Dorothy and Scarecrow listening to the Tin Man -- he comes forward slightly -- reacts as he hears Snow White's Voice o.s. -- then continues with song -- TIN MAN (sings) ...And the boy who shoots the arrows If I only had a heart. Picture me....a balcony....Above a voice sings low. SNOW WHITE'S VOICE Wherefore art thou, Romeo? TIN MAN I hear a beat....how sweet! Just to register emotion Jealousy -- Devotion -- And really feel the part, I could stay young and chipper, And I'd lock it with a zipper, If I only had a heart...! MLS -- Dorothy, Tin Man and Scarecrow -- the Tin Man Comes forward as he starts his dance -- Dorothy and Scarecrow -- CAMERA PULLS back -- he stops as one of his joints sticks -- Dorothy oils it -- Tin Man comes forward a few more steps, then the other knee sticks -- they oil that for him -- he thanks them -- CAMERA PULLS back, PANS left as he runs backwards down the road and starts his dance -- MCS -- Dorothy and Scarecrow watching o.s. to left f.g. MLS -- Shooting past Scarecrow and Dorothy at right to the Tin Man as he dances before them -- MLS -- CAMERA PANS slightly with the Tin Man as he dances about -- he taps his chest, makes the whistle in his funnel hat blow -- then continues to dance -- MCS -- Dorothy and the Scarecrow look at each other with amazement as they watch the dance of the Tin Man -- Dorothy whispers to the Scarecrow -- MLS -- The Tin Man dancing -- he jumps forward slightly, folds his arms, then locks in that position -- starts to lean to left -- MLS -- CAMERA PANS Dorothy and Scarecrow as they rush to left to help the Tin Man -- they catch him in time -- he starts to fall in the other direction -- they rush around to catch him, but he now starts to fall to the other side -- this business is repeated -- then CAMERA PANS to right as the Tin Man stumbles toward b.g. -- Scarecrow tries to get out of the way and falls over -- Dorothy grabs the Tin Man's hand -- DOROTHY Oh -- MCS -- The Tin Man sits down -- Dorothy reacts, speaks with him -- Scarecrow enters from left -- Dorothy oils the Tin Man some more, then asks him to go to the Emerald City, too -- then all react as the Witch laughs o.s. -- they rise to their feet as CAMERA PANS up to the right to the Witch standing on the roof of Tin Man's cottage -- DOROTHY Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, are you all right? TIN MAN I'm afraid I'm a little rusty yet. DOROTHY Oh, dear -- That was wonderful! You know -- we were just wondering why you couldn't come to Emerald City with us to ask the Wizard of Oz for a heart. TIN MAN Emerald City? Why, that's a long and dangerous journey. And it might rain on the way. SCARECROW But you've just been saying how much you want a heart. DOROTHY And I'll keep the oil-can handy. TIN MAN Well, suppose the Wizard wouldn't get me one when we got there? DOROTHY Oh, but he will! He must! We've come such a long way already. (Witch laughs o.s.) TIN MAN Ohh -- what's that? Oh -- WITCH You call that long? MLS -- The Witch on the Tin Man's roof -- she speaks as she looks o.s. to f.g. -- WITCH Why, you've just begun! Forgotten about me,.... MCS - Tin Man, Dorothy and Scarecrow react as the Witch speaks o.s. - WITCH o.s. ...eh? Well, I haven't forgotten about you! CS -- The Witch speaks to the three o.s. in f.g. -- WITCH Helping the little lady along, are you, my fine gentlemen? MCS -- Tin Man, Dorothy and Scarecrow -- WITCH o.s. Well, stay away from her! CS -- Witch speaks, points at the Scarecrow o.s. -- WITCH Or I'll stuff a mattress with you! MCS -- Tin Man, Dorothy and Scarecrow -- Tin Man points to the trembling Scarecrow -- then the Tin Man reacts -- points to himself -- WITCH o.s. And you! I'll use you for a bee-hive! (laughs) CS -- The Witch speaks, throws a ball of fire o.s. -- WITCH Here, Scarecrow! Want to play ball? LS -- Dorothy, Tin Man, Scarecrow standing at left as the Witch on the roof throws down a ball of fire at them -- she laughs gleefully -- CS - Witch speaks to Dorothy o.s. - WITCH And as for you, my little.... MLS - Tin Man putting out the fire as Dorothy helps the Scarecrow, who is rolling about in the grass - she reacts as Witch speaks o.s. - WITCH o.s. ...Dorothy, I wish.... MCU - Dorothy hugs Toto tightly as Witch speaks o.s. - WITCH o.s. ...you luck with the Wizard of Oz. And a.... CS - Witch speaks to Dorothy o.s. - then laughs - WITCH ...happy journey back to Kansas! MLS -- The Witch laughs -- sits on her broomstick in a position to fly away -- smoke fills the shot, obscuring Witch from sight -- Ext. Forrest -- CS -- Dorothy holding Toto in her arms -- watching o.s. LS -- Cloud of smoke as Witch disappears -- MS -- The Tin Man -- Dorothy and Scarecrow looking o.s. -- CAMERA TRUCKS forward on them -- Tin Man and Scarecrow speak -- snap their fingers -- Tin Man reacts to buzzing sound -- SCARECROW I'm not afraid of her. I'll see you get safely to the Wizard now, whether I get a brain or not! Stuff a mattress with me! Hah! TIN MAN I'll see you reach the Wizard, whether I get a heart of not. Bee-hive -- bah! Let her try and make a bee-hive out of me! You know -- Hmm? What's that? MLS - Tin Man and Scarecrow sitting down - Dorothy in b.g. near tree - comes forward as Tin Man and Scarecrow rise - she speaks - reacts when she sees bee on her arm - turns around as Tin Man takes bee off her arm - TIN MAN Oh! They're - they're gone now. DOROTHY Oh, goodness! Did any of them sting you? TIN MAN I - I guess they tried to, but they bent their stingers. DOROTHY Oh, dear. I don't know what I'd do if a whole swarm kept -- Oh! Oh! Oh, there's one on me! TIN MAN Oh - I'll get it! DOROTHY Oh! Oh! CS - Scarecrow - Dorothy and Tin Man - Tin Man looks at dead bee in his hand - speaks and cries - DOROTHY Oh -- TIN MAN Oh, see - I killed it. Oh, I killed that poor little honey bee! DOROTHY Oh-oh- CU - Tin Man crying - speaks - TIN MAN It's only a man without a head who could do a thing like that. Poor little bee. CU - Dorothy reacts - reaches o.s. - DOROTHY Oh, there.... CU - The Tin Man as Dorothy reaches in - wipes away his tears - DOROTHY ...there. Don't cry. There. CU - Dorothy looks o.s. - speaks - DOROTHY As a matter of fact, that's just an old drone bee, and it would have died.... CU - Tin Man looks o.s. - DOROTHY o.s. ...anyway. TIN MAN Yes? DOROTHY o.s. You put it out of its misery. TIN MAN Oh. DOROTHY o.s. It's.... CS - Scarecrow - Dorothy and Tin Man - they speak and laugh - DOROTHY ...just that the Witch is so wicked. I don't think you two ought to come with me because you'll get into trouble. SCARECROW Oh, you don't think we're going to stand by and let her get away with fireballs and bees, do you? TIN MAN No, sir! SCARECROW No, sir! DOROTHY Oh, you're the best friends anybody ever had! And it's funny, but I feel as if I've known you all the time. But I couldn't have, could I? SCARECROW I don't see how. You weren't around when I was stuffed and sewn together, were you? TIN MAN And I was standing over there rusting for the longest time. DOROTHY Still, I wish I could remember. But, I guess it doesn't matter anyway. We know each other now, don't we? SCARECROW That's right. TIN MAN We do. SCARECROW To Oz? TIN MAN To Oz! MLS -- Scarecrow -- Dorothy and Tin Man -- CAMERA PANS right as they dance down to brick road -- Scarecrow picks up basket -- CAMERA TRUCKS back as they dance forward -- then turn and go up road to b.g. -- exit -- THE THREE (sing) We're off to see the Wizard The Wonderful Wizard of Oz We hear he is a whiz of a Wiz If ever a Wiz there was. If ever, oh ever a Wiz there was The Wizard of Oz is one because Because, because, because, because, because Because of the wonderful things he does We're off to see the Wizard The Wonderful Wizard of Oz! LAP DISSOLVE TO: LS -- Int. Dark and Eerie Forest -- Tin Man -- Dorothy and Scarecrow walking forward down brick road -- LAP DISSOLVE TO: LS -- Tin Man -- Dorothy and Scarecrow walking forward slowly -- MCS -- Tin Man -- Dorothy and Scarecrow stop -- look around off screen -- Dorothy frightened -- speaks -- DOROTHY I don't like this forest! It's -- it's dark and creepy! SCARECROW Of course, I don't know, but I think it'll get darker before it gets lighter. DOROTHY Do -- do you suppose we'll meet any wild animals? TIN MAN We might. DOROTHY Oh -- SCARECROW Animals that -- that eat straw? TIN MAN Some -- but mostly lions, and tigers, and bears. CU -- Dorothy reacts -- DOROTHY Lions? CU -- Scarecrow reacts -- speaks -- SCARECROW And tigers? CU -- Tin Man looks o.s. -- speaks -- TIN MAN And bears. MCS -- Tin Man -- Dorothy and Scarecrow -- Dorothy frightened -- DOROTHY Oh! Lions and tigers and bears! MLS -- Tin Man -- Dorothy and Scarecrow walk forward along brick road -- CAMERA PANS them to right -- they react to growl o.s. -- DOROTHY Oh, my! TIN MAN -- SCARECROW AND DOROTHY Lions and tigers and bears! DOROTHY Oh, my! TIN MAN -- SCARECROW AND DOROTHY Lions and tigers and bears! DOROTHY Oh, my! TIN MAN -- SCARECROW AND DOROTHY Lions and tigers and bears! DOROTHY Oh, my! TIN MAN -- SCARECROW AND DOROTHY Lions and tigers and bears! DOROTHY Oh, my! (screams) MCS -- Tin Man -- Dorothy and Scarecrow frightened -- speak -- look o.s. -- react -- TIN MAN And bears! DOROTHY What sort of an animal is that? TIN MAN It-it-it-it - it's a huge one! SCARECROW D-d-d-don't be fr-fr-frightened. I - I'll - I'll protect you. Oh, look! LS -- Lion on fallen tree -- Dorothy -- Scarecrow and Tin Man in f.g. on brick road -- the lion jumps toward them -- CAMERA TRUCKS back as they three move back -- the Lion takes two great leaps -- lands on the brick road -- Tin Man and Scarecrow fall at side of road -- Dorothy hides behind tree -- (Lion growling) CU -- Lion growling -- CS -- Scarecrow trembling -- CU -- Lion growling -- CU -- Dorothy looks out around tree -- reacts -- CU -- Lion growling -- CS -- Tin Man trembling -- CS -- Lion sneers -- CAMERA PANS as he stands on his hind legs -- puts up his paws -- speaks -- LION Put 'em up! Put 'em.... LS -- Lion -- Tin Man and Scarecrow -- Dorothy back of tree in b.g. -- CAMERA TRUCKS forward -- Lion speaks and gestures -- LION ...up! Which one of you first? I'll fight you both together if you want! I'll fight you with one paw tied behind my back. I'll fight you standing on one foot. MCS -- Lion speaks -- CAMERA PANS him to right to Tin Man -- Dorothy in b.g. -- LION I'll fight you with my eyes closed. Oh -- pulling an axe on me, eh? MCU -- Tin Man trembling -- MCS -- Lion speaks -- CAMERA PANS him left to Scarecrow -- Dorothy in b.g. watching -- PANS lion to right to Tin Man -- LION Sneaking up on me, eh? Why! (snarls) TIN MAN Here -- here. Go 'way and let us alone! LION Oh, scared, huh? CU -- Dorothy looks out from around tree -- reacts -- LION o.s. Afraid, huh? MCS -- Lion and Tin Man -- Lion speaks and laughs -- CAMERA PANS him to left to Scarecrow -- Dorothy in b.g. LION How long can you stay fresh in that can? (laughs) Come on -- get up and fight, you shivering junk yard! Put your hands up, you lop-sided bag of hay! CS -- Scarecrow reacts -- speaks -- SCARECROW Now that's getting personal, Lion. MCU -- Tin Man looks o.s. -- speaks -- TIN MAN Yes -- get up and teach him a lesson. MCS -- Scarecrow and Lion -- Dorothy in b.g. -- SCARECROW Well -- what's -- wrong with you teaching him? MCU -- Tin Man reacts -- speaks -- TIN MAN Well -- well --, I hardly know him. CS -- Toto barking -- CU -- Lion snarls -- speaks LION Well, I'll get you, anyway, Pee-Wee. CU -- Dorothy reacts -- exits left f.g. -- MLS -- Lion and Dorothy -- Toto runs into shrubs -- Lion starts after him -- Dorothy picks up Toto -- comes forward over to Scarecrow and Tin Man -- CAMERA PANS left as Lion starts for Toto -- Dorothy slaps his hand -- he backs away -- crying -- DOROTHY Shame on you! MCU -- Lion -- Camera shooting past Dorothy at left f.g. -- Lion crying -- speaks -- LION What -- what did you do that for? I didn't bite him. DOROTHY No, but you tried to. CS -- Dorothy and Lion -- CAMERA PULLS back -- Scarecrow and Tin Man enter at left -- Dorothy speaks to Lion -- he cries and speaks -- DOROTHY It's bad enough picking on a straw man, but when you go around picking on poor little dogs -- LION Well, you didn't have to go and hit me, did you? Is my nose bleeding? DOROTHY Well, of course not. My goodness, what a fuss you're making. Well, naturally, when you go around picking on things weaker than you are -- Why, you're nothing but a great big coward! LION You're right -- I am a coward. MCU -- Lion -- Camera shooting past Dorothy -- Lion crying -- speaks -- LION I haven't any courage at all. I even scare myself. Look at the circles under my eyes. MS -- Tin Man -- Scarecrow -- Dorothy and Lion -- they speak -- Lion crying -- LION I haven't slept in weeks. TIN MAN Why don't you try counting sheep? LION That doesn't do any good -- I'm afraid of 'em. SCARECROW Oh, that's too bad. Don't you think the Wizard could help him, too? DOROTHY I don't see why not. Why don't you come along with us? We're on our way to see the Wizard now. To get him a heart. TIN MAN And him a brain. DOROTHY I'm sure he could give you some courage. MCU -- Lion -- Camera shooting past Dorothy -- LION Well, wouldn't you feel degraded to be seen in the company of a cowardly lion? I would. CS -- Dorothy -- Tin Man and Scarecrow -- Camera shooting past Lion at right f.g. -- DOROTHY No, of course not. MCS -- Tin Man -- Dorothy -- Scarecrow and Lion -- LION Gee, that's -- that's awfully nice of you. My life.... MLS -- Dorothy and Group -- Dorothy puts Toto down -- Lion Sings as the four walk and dance along brick road to right -- CAMERA TRUCKS with them -- LION ...has been simply unbearable. DOROTHY Oh. LION (sings) Yeh, it's sad, believe me, Missy When you're born to be a sissy, Without the vim and verve. But I could show my prowess -- Be a lion not a mou-ess -- If I only had the nerve I'm afraid there's no denyin' I'm just a dande-lion -- A fate I don't deserve. I'd be brave as a blizzard -- TIN MAN (sings) I'd be gentle as a lizard -- SCARECROW (sings) I'd be clever as a gizzard -- DOROTHY (sings) If the Wizard is a Wizard who will serve. CS -- Tin Man and Scarecrow sing -- CAMERA PANS to right to Dorothy and Lion -- SCARECROW (sings) Then I'm sure to get a brain -- TIN MAN (sings) A heart -- DOROTHY (sings) A home -- LION (sings) The nerve. MLS -- Scarecrow -- Tin Man -- Dorothy and Lion sing as they dance forward along brick road -- CAMERA TRUCKS ahead -- ALL (sing) Oh, we're off to see the Wizard The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. We hear he is a whiz of a Wiz If ever a Wiz there was.... LS -- Dorothy -- Lion -- Tin Man and Scarecrow dance down brick road to b.g. -- all exit -- ALL (sing) ...If ever, oh ever, a Wiz there was The Wizard of Oz is one because Because, because, because, because, because Because of the wonderful things he does! We're off to see the Wizard The Wonderful Wizard of Oz! Camera on Crystal -- the images of Tin Man -- Dorothy -- Scarecrow and Lion in crystal as they march along arm in arm -- CAMERA TRUCKS back showing the Witch and Nikko looking into crystal -- Witch laughs -- CAMERA PANS her left to table -- she mixes poison -- CAMERA PANS her to right to Crystal -- She holds poison over the crystal -- waves her hand over it -- the images of group fade out -- Poppy Field fades in -- CAMERA TRUCKS forward on Crystal -- WITCH A-hah! (laughs) So! You won't take warning, eh? All the worse for you, then. I'll take care of you now instead of later! Hah! When I gain those ruby slippers, my power will be the greatest in Oz! And now, my beauties! Something with poison in it, I think. With poison in it, but attractive to the eye -- and soothing to the smell! (laughs) Poppies! Poppies! Poppies! LAP DISSOLVE TO: LS -- Poppy Field -- CAMERA PANS up -- then PANS left over field -- to edge of forest -- Dorothy -- Scarecrow -- Lion and Tin Man coming forward out of forest -- MCS -- Dorothy -- Lion -- Tin Man and Scarecrow all looking o.s. -- Dorothy speaks -- DOROTHY There's Emerald.... ELS -- Shooting over Poppy Field to towers of Emerald City -- Dorothy and Group in f.g. -- DOROTHY ...City! Oh, we're almost there at last! At last! MCS -- Dorothy -- Lion -- Tin Man and Scarecrow -- they speak -- DOROTHY It's beautiful, isn't it? Just like I knew it would be. He really must be a wonderful Wizard to live in a City like that! LION Well, come on, then. What are we waiting for? SCARECROW Nothing! Let's hurry! LS -- Dorothy -- Tin Man -- Scarecrow and Lion run to b.g. thru poppy field -- DOROTHY Yes -- let's run! LION Yes. MLS -- Tin Man -- Scarecrow -- Dorothy and Lion running forward thru Poppy Field -- CAMERA TRUCKS right -- MS -- Tin Man and Scarecrow running thru poppies -- CAMERA TRUCKS right -- both gesture -- SCARECROW Come on -- come on -- TIN MAN Hurry -- hurry -- MS -- Dorothy and Lion running thru poppies -- CAMERA TRUCKS right -- MS -- Dorothy running to right -- staggers a little -- slows down -- ELS -- Scarecrow and Tin Man running forward thru poppy field -- Lion in b.g. -- Dorothy enters in far b.g. -- Scarecrow and Tin Man stop on hill -- call and gesture SCARECROW Oh! Oh, come on, come on! TIN MAN Look -- you can see it here. It's wonderful! SCARECROW Emerald City! MLS -- Dorothy running slowly to right -- CAMERA PANS her to Lion -- Tin Man and Scarecrow -- Dorothy staggers -- puts her hand to her head -- DOROTHY Oh -- Oh -- what's happening? What is it? MCU -- Dorothy puts her hand to her head -- speaks -- DOROTHY I can't run anymore. I'm so.... CS -- Tin Man and Scarecrow -- DOROTHY o.s. ...sleepy. SCARECROW Here -- give us your hands, and we'll pull you.... MLS -- Dorothy and Group -- SCARECROW ...along. DOROTHY Oh, no -- please. I have to rest for just a minute. Toto! CS -- Toto lying among poppies -- DOROTHY o.s. Where's Toto -- MLS -- Dorothy and Group -- Dorothy lies down among the poppies -- SCARECROW Oh, you can't rest now -- we're nearly there! MCU - Lion yawns and speaks - LION What did she -- do that for? The images of Lion - Tin Man - Scarecrow and Dorothy in Crystal - they speak - CAMERA TRUCKS back showing Witch and Nikko standing near crystal - Witch laughs and speaks - the images fade out - Nikko exits - CAMERA TRUCKS forward on Witch - SCARECROW Hey, Dorothy! TIN MAN Dorothy! LION Dorothy! TIN MAN Dorothy! You can't sleep here! You can't sleep in the middle of a field! WITCH (laughs) Call away! Call away! She won't hear any of you again! And there's nothing you can do about it, either. (laughs) Bring me my wishing cap! I'll call the Winged Monkeys to fetch me those slippers! Hurry! Hurry! Hurry! Hurry! It worked very smoothly! LAP DISSOLVE TO: MLS -- Lion -- Tin Man and Scarecrow -- Dorothy lying in poppies -- Lion starts to cry -- Scarecrow speaks -- holds the Lion up -- Lion drops as Tin Man and Scarecrow start to pick up Dorothy -- TIN MAN (crying) Oh - oh, poor Dorothy! SCARECROW Don't cry -- you'll rust yourself again! LION Comin' to think of it, forty winks wouldn't be bad. SCARECROW Don't you start it, too! TIN MAN Oh! We ought to try and carry Dorothy. SCARECROW I don't think I could, but we could try. TIN MAN Let's. SCARECROW Yes. TIN MAN Oh -- now look at him! This is terrible! SCARECROW Here, Tin Man -- help me. CS -- Dorothy as Scarecrow tries to lift her -- MLS -- Tin Man and Scarecrow -- Dorothy and Lion lying among poppies -- Tin Man and Scarecrow react -- call for help -- SCARECROW Oh, this is terrible -- can't budge her an inch! This is a spell, this is! TIN MAN It's the Wicked Witch! What'll we do? Help! HELP! SCARECROW It's no use screaming at a time like this! Nobody will hear you! Help! LS -- Tin Man and Scarecrow on top of hill -- crying for help -- Superimposed shot of the Good Witch as she waves wand -- snow starts to fall -- SCARECROW HELP -- HELP! CS -- Dorothy lying among poppies -- snow falling on her SCARECROW o.s. Help! Help! LS -- Tin Man and Scarecrow on top of hill -- Superimposed shot of the Good Witch waving wand -- snow falling -- The Superimposure fades out -- SCARECROW o.s. Look - It's snowing! It isn't snowing. It couldn't be! But it is! No, it isn't! Yes, it is! Oh, maybe that'll help! CS -- Dorothy lying among poppies -- snow falling on her -- she opens her eyes -- SCARECROW o.s. Oh, but it couldn't help. MCS -- Scarecrow looking down o.s. -- snow falling -- CAMERA PANS as he kneels down to Dorothy -- she wakens -- sits up -- Lion sits up in b.g. -- Dorothy looks o.s. to left -- CAMERA PANS up to Tin Man -- then PULLS back -- Dorothy jumps up -- takes oil can from basket -- they oil the Tin Man -- SCARECROW It does help. Dorothy, you're waking up! DOROTHY Oh -- LION Oh -- unusual weather we're having, ain't it? DOROTHY Look! He's rusted again. Oh, give me the oil can -- quick! Oh-oh, quick! SCARECROW Yes -- there -- DOROTHY Oh -- here quick -- oh! - we'll oil him up. MCS -- Images of Tin Man -- Dorothy -- Scarecrow and Lion in Crystal -- CAMERA TRUCKS back showing Witch and Nikko looking into Crystal -- The Witch reacts -- speaks -- the images fade from Crystal -- SCARECROW -- A hot water bottle would be good if we had one. DOROTHY Oh, he's been crying! Why have you been -- WITCH Curse it! Curse it! Somebody always helps that girl! But shoes or no shoes, I'm still great enough to conquer her. And woe to those who try to stop me! LAP DISSOLVE TO: LS -- Dorothy -- Lion -- Scarecrow and Tin Man on hill in Poppy Field -- Dorothy speaks -- all react to voices singing -- The four of them come forward down hill -- DOROTHY Come on -- let's get out of here! Look -- Emerald City is closer and prettier than ever! VOICES o.s. You're out of the woods You're out of the dark You're out of the night Step into the sun Step into the light Keep straight ahead for.... LAP DISSOLVE TO: MLS -- Dorothy -- Lion -- Scarecrow and Tin Man arm in arm tramping to right -- CAMERA TRUCKS right -- VOICES (sing) ...The most glorious place -- LAP DISSOLVE TO: MS -- Int. Tower Room -- The Witch gestures with broomstick -- CAMERA PANS left -- then right as she runs around to window -- stands on sill -- speaks -- then flies out -- WITCH To the Emerald City -- as fast as lightning! ELS -- The Witch flying on broomstick -- CAMERA PANS as she circles tower -- then flies out left -- LAP DISSOLVE TO: LS -- Gate to Emerald City -- Dorothy -- Lion -- Tin Man and Scarecrow enter left f.g. -- skip to b.g. to gate -- VOICES (sing) -- Of the earth or the sky Hold onto your breath Hold onto your heart Hold onto your hope -- March up to the gate And bid it open --- open --- open. MS -- Dorothy -- Tin Man -- Lion and Scarecrow at gate -- they ring the bell -- CU -- Doorman pops head thru little window in door -- looks down o.s. -- speaks -- DOORMAN Who rang that bell? MS -- Dorothy and group at gate -- Doorman at window -- he speaks to the group -- they look around -- DOROTHY AND OTHERS We did. DOORMAN Can't you read? SCARECROW Read what? DOORMAN The notice! DOROTHY AND SCARECROW What notice? DOORMAN It's on the door -- as plain as the nose on my face! It -- Oh -- CU -- Doorman reacts -- starts out -- MS -- Dorothy and group at door -- Doorman disappears -- re-enters -- hangs sign on door -- then exits -- closing window -- Dorothy and others read sign -- Dorothy knocks on door -- Doorman re-enters -- speaks to them -- DOROTHY AND OTHERS "Bell out of order. Please knock." DOORMAN Well, that's more like it. Now, state your business! DOROTHY AND OTHERS We want to see the Wizard. DOORMAN Ooooh! The Wizard? But nobody can see the Great Oz! Nobody's ever seen the Great Oz! Even I've never seen him! DOROTHY Well, then -- how do you know there is one? CU -- Doorman speaks -- reacts -- starts out -- DOORMAN Because he -- I -- Oh, you're wasting my time! DOROTHY o.s. Oh, please! Please.... CS -- Dorothy -- Tin Man and Lion -- Dorothy speaks DOROTHY ...sir. I've got to see the Wizard! The Good Witch of the North sent me! CU -- Doorman looks o.s. -- speaks -- DOORMAN Prove it. MS -- Dorothy and Group at door -- Doorman at little window of door -- looks down at them -- SCARECROW She's wearing the ruby slippers she gave her. CU -- Ruby slippers on Dorothy's feet -- DOORMAN o.s. Oh.... CU -- Doorman speaks and gestures -- DOORMAN ...so she is! Well, bust my buttons! Why didn't you say that in the.... CS -- Dorothy -- Tin Man and Lion smiling -- DOORMAN o.s. ...first place? That's a horse.... CU -- Doorman looks down o.s. -- speaks -- exits -- closing window -- DOORMAN ...of a different color! Come on in! LS -- Dorothy and Group at gate as it opens -- People moving about on street of Oz in b.g. -- Cabby drives in from right -- CAMERA TRUCKS forward -- Dorothy and group go to cab -- CABBY Cabby! Cabby! Just what you're looking for! Take you any place in the City, we does. MLS -- Cabby on seat of cab -- Dorothy and Group standing alongside -- CAMERA TRUCKS forward on Cabby -- DOROTHY Well, would you take us to see the Wizard? CABBY The Wizard? The Wizard? I -- can't -- Well -- Yes, of course. But first I'll take you to a little place where you can.... MCS -- Dorothy -- Lion -- Tin Man and Scarecrow -- CAMERA PULLS back as they climb into cab -- Dorothy looks at horse -- reacts -- speaks to Cabby -- CAMERA TRUCKS back as Cabby drives forward -- singing -- people wave to Cabby -- CABBY o.s. ...tidy up a bit -- what? DOROTHY Oh, thank you so much. We've been gone such a long time, and we feel so mess -- What kind of a horse is that? I've never seen a horse like that before! CABBY No -- and never will again, I fancy. There's only one of him, and he's it. He's the Horse of a Different Color, you've heard tell about. (sings) Ha -- ha -- ha -- Ho -- ho -- ho -- And a couple of tra -- la -- las. That's how we laugh the day away In the Merry Old Land of Oz. Bzz -- bzz -- bzz -- Chirp -- Chirp -- Chirp -- And a couple of la -- di.... LS -- Cabby -- Dorothy and group riding thru street of Oz -- people gather around -- wave -- CABBY (sings) ...das -- That's how the crickets crick all day In the Merry Old Land of Oz! We get up at twelve.... MCS -- Cabby driving cab as he sings -- Dorothy -- Lion and others in cab -- crowd following -- CABBY (sings) ...And start to work at one Take an hour for lunch.... LS -- Cab moving to right thru Street of Oz -- Crowd following -- CAMERA PANS right -- Cab stops -- Dorothy and others get out -- CAMERA TRUCKS forward as they exit into building -- sign above door reads: WASH & BRUSH UP CO. -- CABBY (sings) ...And then at two we're done Jolly good fun! Ha -- ha -- ha -- Ho -- ho -- ho -- And a couple of tra -- la -- las. That's how we laugh the day away In the Merry Old Land of Oz! Ha -- ha -- ha -- Ho -- ho -- ho -- Ha -- ha -- ha -- ha -- That's how we laugh the day away With a ho -- ho -- ho Ha -- ha -- ha In the Merry Old Land of Oz! MLS -- Three Masseurs filling the Scarecrow with new straw -- they sing as they work -- CAMERA TRUCKS back to left showing men polishing the Tin Man -- they sing -- CAMERA TRUCKS back showing girls doing Dorothy's hair -- they sing -- CAMERA PANS left showing girls clipping the Lion -- all sing -- Dorothy -- Tin Man and Scarecrow -- Lion rises -- the Four of them start out -- CAMERA PANS left -- MASSEURS (sing) Pat, pat here, Pat, pat there, And a couple of brand new strawz. That's how we keep you young and fair In the Merry Old Land of Oz. POLISHERS (sing) Rub, rub here, Rub, rub there, And whether you're tin or brahz. That's how we keep you in repair In the Merry Old Land of Oz! MASSEUSE (sings) We can make a dimpled smile out of a frown -- DOROTHY (sings) Can you even dye my eyes to match my gown? MASSEUSE Uh-huh. DOROTHY Jolly old town! MANICURISTS (sing) Clip, clip here, Clip, clip there. We give the roughest clawz LION That certain air of savoir faire In the Merry Old Land of Oz! SCARECROW Ha -- ha -- ha -- TIN MAN Ho -- ho --ho DOROTHY Ho -- ho --ho -- ho LION Hah! ALL (sing) That's how we laugh the day away In the Merry Old Land of Oz! That's how we laugh.... LS -- Dorothy and Group come out into Street -- all singing -- CAMERA TRUCKS back as they start forward -- Dorothy looks up to sky -- reacts -- ALL (sing) ...the day away -- Ha -- ha -- ha -- (etc.) In the Merry Old Land of Oz! Ha -- ha -- ha -- Ho -- Ho - ho -- MS -- Tin Man -- Scarecrow -- Dorothy and Lion -- crowd in b.g. -- all looking up to sky -- they react -- LION Who's her? Who's her? DOROTHY It's the Witch! She's followed us here! TIN MAN Can't that female take no for an answer? DOROTHY Oh -- CUE VOICE S-u-r-r-e-n-d-e-r- Dorothy or die! W. W. W. CS -- Two Oz women looking up to sky -- OZ WOMAN Dorothy? Who's Dorothy? MCS -- Two Oz Women run to right -- CAMERA PANS -- OZ WOMAN The Wizard will explain it! CS -- Man and Woman looking up to the sky -- MAN To the Wizard! MCS- Oz Man speaks -- others run thru in b.g. -- MAN To the Wizard! MS -- Tin Man -- Scarecrow -- Dorothy and Lion react -- DOROTHY Dear, whatever shall we do? SCARECROW Well, we'd better hurry if we're going to see the Wizard! LS -- Dorothy and group run out at right -- crowd following -- LAP DISSOLVE TO: LS -- Crowd of Townsfolk moving thru Street of Oz - CAMERA TRUCKS back -- LS -- Crowd moving to b.g. to steps of Palace -- Guard on steps -- speaks and gestures -- GUARD Here -- here -- here -- wait a minute! Wait a minute! Stop - stop - stop! It's all right! MS - Guard speaks and gestures -- CAMERA TRUCKS forward GUARD Every -- It's all right! Everything is all right! The Great and Powerful Oz has got matters well in hand - I hope -- So you can all go.... LS -- Crowd in street in front of Palace -- Guard in f.g. -- speaks to them -- GUARD ...home -- and there's nothing to worry about. MLS -- Dorothy -- Tin Man -- Scarecrow and Lion making their way thru crowd -- CAMERA PANS them to right to Guard on steps -- GUARD o.s. Get out of here now -- go on! Go on home -- I - I -- go home. MS -- Dorothy -- Tin Man -- Scarecrow and Lion -- Camera shooting past Guard at right f.g. -- DOROTHY If you please, sir. We want to see the Wizard right away -- all four of us. MS -- Guard -- Camera shooting past Dorothy and Group in f.g. -- GUARD Orders are -- nobody can see the Great Oz! Not nobody -- not nohow! MS - Dorothy and Group - Camera past Guard at sight f.g. - DOROTHY Oh, but we must! MS - Guard - Camera past Dorothy and Group in b.g. - Guard speaks and gestures - GUARD Orders are - not nobody! Not nohow! MS - Dorothy and group - Camera past Guard at right - GUARD He's in conference with himself on account of this.... CS - Guard - Camera shooting past Dorothy - GUARD ...trouble with the Witch. And even if he wasn't you wouldn't have been able to see him anyway on account of nobody has - not even us in the Palace! MS - Dorothy - Tin Man - Scarecrow and Lion - Camera shooting past Guard at right - DOROTHY Oh, but -- but please. It's very important. LION And -- and I got a permanent just for the occasion. GUARD Not nobody! Not.... CU - Horn inside of Guard's cape - GUARD o.s. ...nohow! CS - Guard - Camera shooting past Dorothy - GUARD Pardon me. We've gotta change the guards. MS - Guard - Camera shooting past Dorothy and Group - CAMERA PANS right as Guard crosses to Sentry house - sentry house revolves - CS - Guard in Sentry House - turns fake mustache upside down - MLS - Guard steps out of Sentry house - CAMERA PANS left as he comes forward to Dorothy and Group - CAMERA TRUCKS forward - GUARD Now - what do you want? DOROTHY AND OTHERS We want to see the Wizard. GUARD Not nobody! Not.... MLS -- Dorothy and Group at left -- Guard at right -- GUARD ...nohow! TIN MAN That's what the other man said. SCARECROW But she's Dorothy! CS -- Guard reacts -- speaks -- Camera past Dorothy and Scarecrow in f.g. -- GUARD The Witch's Dorothy? Well -- that makes a difference. Just wait here -- I'll announce you at once. MS -- Guard shoulders his sword - CAMERA PANS him to right -- he exits into Palace -- At the Palace Gates -- MCS -- Tin Man, Dorothy, Scarecrow and the Lion as they look o.s. to right, react -- they speak -- the Lion moves away from them and steps up on the terraced garden -- CAMERA BOOMS forward to left -- he starts to sing -- SCARECROW Did you hear that? He'll announce us at once! I've as good as got my brain! TIN MAN I can fairly hear my heart beating! DOROTHY I'll be home in time for supper! LION In another hour, I'll be King of the Forest. Long Live the King! (sings) If.... CS -- The Lion sings -- LION (sings) ...I were King of the Forest, Not Queen, not Duke, not Prince.... MLS -- The Scarecrow, Dorothy and Tin Man group about in front of the Lion as he sings -- LION (sings) My regal robes of the forest.... CS -- Lion sings -- gestures -- LION (sings) Would be satin, and not cotton, and not chintz. I'd command each thing, be it fish or fowl. MCU -- Lion sings -- LION (sings) With a woof and a woof, and a royal growl. As.... MLS -- Scarecrow, Dorothy and Tin Man listening to the Lion -- LION (sings) ...I'd click my heel All the trees would kneel And the mountains bow And the bulls kowtow MCU -- Lion -- gestures, grimaces and sings -- LION (sings) And the sparrow would take wing 'F -- I...'f -- I...were King! MS - The Guard opens the peep window of the doors and looks o.s. to f.g. - reacts to the song - CAMERA TRUCKS forward on him - LION o.s. (sings) Each rabbit would show respect to me. The chipmunks... MCS -- Lion continues with song -- gestures magnificently as he concludes-- LION (sings) ...genuflect to me. Though my tail would lash I would show compash For every underling. 'F -- I...'f -- I --- were King Just King!.... MS - Lion standing in left f.g. as he finishes song - Scarecrow, Dorothy and Tin Man in front of him - they bow, then dance about as they sing - then kneel down - ALL (sing) Each rabbit would show respect to him The chipmunks genuflect to him SCARECROW And his wife would be Queen of the May. MCS - Lion - LION I'd be monarch of all I survey.... LS - Scarecrow, Dorothy and Tin Man bow -- then a carpet is rolled down in front of the Lion -- all come forward as the CAMERA PULLS back -- Dorothy acts as flower girl -- they come forward to royal robe -- it is placed on the Lion, as they turn about, then start back to the throne -- the Tin Man crowns the Lion with a half of a flower pot -- LION (sings) Monarch of all I survey.... MCU -- Lion sings -- laughs -- speaks -- LION (sings) Mah -- hah -- hah -- hah -- hah -- hah -- hah -- hah -- hah -- ha-narch! (laughs) Of all I survey! MLS -- Scarecrow, Dorothy and Tin Man bow before the Lion as he concludes -- Dorothy kneels, speaks -- Lion moves down from the terrace garden and comes forward as the others question him -- CAMERA TRUCKS back to right with them -- Lion starts up the Palace steps -- DOROTHY Your Majesty, if you were king You wouldn't be afraid of anything? LION Not nobody, not nohow! TIN MAN Not even a rhinoceros? LION Imposserous! DOROTHY How about a hippopotamus? LION Why, I'd thrash him from top to bottomamus! DOROTHY Supposin' you met an elephant? LION I'd wrap him up in cellophant! SCARECROW What if it were a brontosaurus? LION I'd show him who was King of the Fores'! ALL How? LION How? MCU -- Lion explains -- LION Courage! What makes a King out of a slave? Courage! MLS -- Lion explains to Scarecrow, Tin Man and Dorothy LION What makes the flag on the mast to wave? Courage! CU - The Guard sticks his head out of the peep window in the gates - looks o.s. to f.g. - CAMERA TRUCKS forward on him - LION o.s. What makes the elephant charge his tusk In the misty.... MCU -- Lion -- LION ...mist, or the dusky dusk? What makes the muskrat guard his musk? Courage! MLS -- Scarecrow, Tin Man and Dorothy listening to the Lion -- LION What makes the sphinx the seventh wonder? Courage! What makes the dawn come up like thunder? Courage! What makes the Hottentot so hot? What puts the "ape" in apricot? What have they got that I ain't got? MCS -- Shooting past the Lion to the Scarecrow, Dorothy and Tin Man -- they all speak -- ALL Courage! MCU -- Lion speaks, then reacts -- LION You can say that again! Hah. Huh!? MS -- Tin Man, Dorothy and Scarecrow standing in front of Lion -- all react as the Guard comes forward from b.g. -- roars at them -- then enters the palace -- CAMERA TRUCKS forward as Dorothy begins to cry -- the others try to comfort her -- GUARD Go on home! The Wizard says go away! ALL Go away? DOROTHY Oh -- SCARECROW Looks like we came a long way for nothing. DOROTHY Oh -- and I was so happy! I thought I was on my way home! TIN MAN Don't cry, Dorothy! CU -- The Guard looks out through the peep window to o.s. f.g. - CAMERA TRUCKS forward -- TIN MAN o.s. We're going to get you to the Wizard. SCARECROW o.s. We certainly are! How? How are we? CS -- Tin Man, Lion and Scarecrow grouped about Dorothy - Lion and Scarecrow speak -- Dorothy speaks as she sobs -- LION Would...would it do any good if I roared? SCARECROW Who at? LION I don't know. DOROTHY Auntie Em was so good to me -- and I never appreciated it. Running away -- and hurting her feelings. CU -- Dorothy sobs, then speaks to the others o.s. -- DOROTHY Professor Marvel said she was sick. She may be dying -- and -- and it's all my fault! CU -- The Guard, with streams of tears pouring down his cheeks -- CU -- Dorothy sobbing -- DOROTHY Oh, I'll never forgive myself! Never -- never -- never! MS -- The Guard looking out window -- he sobs -- speaks -- CAMERA PULLS back to enter Dorothy and her three friends -- the Guard exits from the window -- Dorothy and the others rise as the gates to palace open - a long corridor seen in b.g. -- they start cautiously forward down it -- CAMERA TRUCKS forward -- GUARD Oh, oh -- please don't cry any more. I'll get you into the Wizard somehow. Come on. I had an Aunt Em myself once. Int. Corridor -- MS -- CAMERA TRUCKS back ahead of the Scarecrow, Lion, Dorothy and Tin Man as they come forward -- they stop at intervals, keep the Lion from running back -- then they tip-toe forward -- react to echo -- LION Wait a minute, fellahs. I was just thinkin'. I really don't want to see the Wizard this much. I better wait for you outside. SCARECROW What's the matter? TIN MAN Oh, he's just ascared again. DOROTHY Don't you know the Wizard's going to give you some courage? LION I'd be too scared to ask him for it. DOROTHY Oh, well, then -- we'll ask him for you. LION I'd sooner wait outside. DOROTHY But why? Why? LION Because I'm still scared! DOROTHY Oh, come on. LION Ohh! SCARECROW What happened? LION Somebody pulled my tail. SCARECROW Oh, you did it yourself! LION I -- Oh -- SCARECROW Here -- Come on. LION What was that? DOROTHY Our echo. OZ'S VOICE Tap - tap - tap - tap - What was that - that - that? Our echo - echo - echo. MLS - The Lion starts to bolt, but the others grab him - Dorothy speaks as they face down corridor to b.g. - Voice of Oz heard - DOROTHY Oh, come on - come on! We'll soon find the Wizard! OZ'S VOICE The Wizard - The Wizard - The Great and Powerful Wizard of Oz - Oz - Oz-Oz - Oz - Oz - Oz - Oz! ELS -- Shooting down the corridor to the doors at the end -- they open as the voice of Oz booms out -- OZ'S VOICE The Great Wizard of Oz. Come forward! MS -- Scarecrow, Lion, Dorothy and Tin Man come forward - the Lion speaks, hides his eyes -- LION Tell me when it's over! Oh! ELS -- The four move down the corridor to the b.g. -- LS -- Int. Throne Room -- The Four enter through door at left -- CAMERA PANS them right as they move toward center of room -- they react as they see the throne in the b.g. -- flame and smoke belching forth from the throne -- LION Oh! Look at that! Look at that! Oh -- Ohhhh -- I want to go home -- I want to go home! LS -- Throne -- fire and smoke issuing forth -- OZ'S VOICE I am Oz, the Great and Powerful! MLS -- The Four trembling and shaking with fear -- OZ'S VOICE Who are you? LS -- Throne -- OZ'S VOICE Who are you? MLS -- The Four react with fear -- the others shove Dorothy forward -- she comes forward, speaks -- DOROTHY I -- If you please, I - I am Dorothy, MCU -- Dorothy -- speaks, looks back at the others -- DOROTHY ...the small and meek. We've come to ask you -- ELS -- Throne -- flame and smoke pouring out -- OZ'S VOICE Silence! MCU -- Dorothy reacts, turns and runs back to the others -- MLS -- Dorothy returns to the other three -- speaks - DOROTHY Ohhh -- Jiminy Crickets! ELS -- Throne -- OZ'S VOICE The Great and Powerful Oz knows why you have come. Step forward,.... MLS -- The Four -- the Tin Man shakes, speaks - comes wobbling forward -- OZ'S VOICE ...Tin Man! TIN MAN Ohhhh -- it's me! LS - Throne -- OZ'S VOICE You dare to come to me for a heart, do you? You clinking, clanking, clattering collection of caliginous.... MCU -- Tin Man trembling with fear -- he speaks, then reacts as the Voice booms out -- turns to run -- OZ'S VOICE ...junk! TIN MAN Ohhhh -- yes...yes, sir -- Y-Yes, your Honor. You see, a while back, we were walking down the Yellow Brick Road, and -- OZ'S VOICE Quiet! TIN MAN Ohhhhhh! LS -- The Tin Man runs back to Dorothy, Lion and the Scarecrow as flames pour from the throne in b.g. -- the Voice speaks -- the Scarecrow almost collapses -- then moves forward and salaams in front of the throne -- OZ'S VOICE And you, Scarecrow, have the effrontery to ask for a brain? MLS -- Scarecrow kneeling in f.g. as the other three watch from the b.g. -- he speaks -- salaams -- OZ'S VOICE You billowing bale of bovine fodder! SCARECROW Y-Yes -- Yes, Your Honor -- I mean, Your Excellency -- I -- I mean -- Your Wizardry! LS -- Throne -- OZ'S VOICE Enough! MLS -- Scarecrow rises, runs back to Lion, Tin Man and Dorothy -- OZ'S VOICE ...Uh -- And you,.... LS -- Throne -- OZ'S VOICE ...Lion! MLS -- Scarecrow, Dorothy, Lion and Tin Man -- the Lion groans with fear as he comes slowly forward -- DOROTHY AND SCARECROW Oh -- Oh -- Ohhhh! LS -- Throne -- MCU -- Lion tries to speak -- faints and falls back -- MLS -- The Lion falls to the floor -- Dorothy and the others run forward to him -- DOROTHY Oh -- Oh -- Oh!.... MCS -- Scarecrow and Dorothy bending over Lion -- Dorothy reacts, turns and speaks as she looks toward the throne o.s. in f.g. -- DOROTHY ...You ought to be ashamed of yourself -- frightening him like that, when he came to you for help! ELS -- Throne -- OZ'S VOICE Silence!.... MLS -- The Four -- Dorothy and Scarecrow sit down as they react to Oz's Voice -- OZ'S VOICE ...Whippersnapper! MLS -- Throne -- OZ'S VOICE The beneficent Oz has every intention of granting.... MCS -- Scarecrow and Dorothy bending over Lion -- the Lion revives, sits up, speaks -- Dorothy starts to pull him up -- OZ'S VOICE ...your requests! LION What's that? What'd he say? DOROTHY Oh -- Oh, come on. LION Huh? What'd he say? MS -- Dorothy helps the Lion to his feet -- the four of them listen as Oz speaks -- OZ'S VOICE But first, you must prove yourselves worthy by performing a very small task. LS -- Throne -- OZ'S VOICE Bring me the broomstick of the Witch... MS -- The Four, trembling with fear -- the Tin Man speaks -- OZ'S VOICE ...of the West. TIN MAN B-B-B-B-B-But if we do that, we'll have to kill her to get it! LS -- Throne -- OZ'S VOICE Bring me her broomstick, and I'll grant your requests. MS - The trembling Four -- the Lion starts to speak -- OZ'S VOICE Now, go! LION But -- but what if she kills us first? OZ'S VOICE ... I .... MLS -- Throne -- OZ'S VOICE ...said, -Go! MS -- The Four -- the Lion jumps with fright -- LS -- The Four standing in front of the throne in b.g. -- CAMERA PANS left with the Lion as he runs out of the throne room and into the corridor -- ELS -- shooting down the length of the corridor -- the Lion comes running forward toward camera -- CAMERA PANS left with him as he dives through window to exit -- FADE OUT: FADE IN -- TRUCKING SHOT of weird trees of the Haunted Forest -- PANS DOWN to sign post -- HAUNTED FOREST WITCHES CASTLE 1 MILE I'D TURN BACK IF I WERE YOU! LAP DISSOLVE TO: LS -- Dorothy -- Scarecrow -- Tin Man and Lion walking thru forest -- they walk forward -- CAMERA TRUCKS ahead of them -- they stop -- look at the sign post -- MCS -- Dorothy -- Scarecrow -- Lion and Tin Man looking at sign -- Lion reads -- nods -- turns to b.g. -- Tin Man and Scarecrow stop him -- the others shake their head -- CAMERA TRUCKS back as they walk forward again -- Lion growling -- they react to noise o.s. -- LION "I'd turn back if I were you." (growls) CS -- Two owls on limb of tree -- MS -- Dorothy -- Scarecrow -- Lion and Tin Man react -- Lion runs to b.g. -- Scarecrow and Tin Man catch him -- carry him forward -- he cries -- CS -- Two crows on limb of tree -- MS - Dorothy and group - they speak - Lion hands spray to Dorothy - Scarecrow takes the spray - throws it o.s. right - TIN MAN From now on, we're on enemy ground. You should have something to protect yourself with. LION She - she can have my Witch Remover. DOROTHY Does it work? LION No, but it's wonderful for threatening with. DOROTHY Oh -- SCARECROW Oh, here - give me that thing! MLS - Spray hits the ground - then vanishes - MS - Dorothy and Group react - speak - net flies out of Lion's hand - all react - SCARECROW Oh, did - did you see that? TIN MAN Oh - look out. SCARECROW You know something? MCU -- Lion and Scarecrow -- SCARECROW I believe they're spooks around here. MCU -- Dorothy and Tin Man -- TIN MAN That's ridiculous! Spooks -- that's.... MCU -- Lion and Scarecrow -- TIN MAN o.s. ...silly. LION Don't you believe in spooks? MS -- Dorothy and group -- Tin Man goes up out of scene -- others react -- TIN MAN No. Why only -- Oh -- DOROTHY Oh! Oh, Tin Man! Oh! LS -- Dorothy -- Lion and Scarecrow watching Tin Man -- he falls to ground in f.g. -- Dorothy and Scarecrow run forward -- help him up -- DOROTHY Oh -- Oh -- SCARECROW Oh -- are you -- are you all right? CS -- Lion, his eyes closed tight -- speaks -- LION I do believe in spooks, I do believe in spooks. I do -- I do -- I do -- I do -- I do -- I.... MS -- Image of Lion in Crystal -- Witch and Winged Monkeys looking into crystal -- Image of Lion fades out -- CAMERA PANS left as Witch runs around -- goes to Winged Monkeys -- she speaks to them -- CAMERA TRUCKS forward -- Winged Monkeys fly out -- others flying thru in b.g. -- CAMERA TRUCKS back -- LION ...do believe in spooks. I do believe in spooks! I do -- I do -- I do -- I do -- I do -- I do! WITCH (laughs) You'll believe in more than that before I've finished with you. Take your army to the Haunted Forest, and bring me that girl and her dog! Do what you like with the others, but I want her alive and unharmed! They'll give you no trouble, I promise you that. I've sent a little insect on ahead to take the fight out of them. Take special care of those ruby slippers. I want those most of all. Now, fly! Fly! Bring me that girl and her slippers! Fly! Fly! Fly! LAP DISSOLVE TO: LS - Dorothy - Scarecrow - Tin Man and Lion walking forward thru Haunted Forest - Lion yells - MCU - Lion growling - Jitterbug on his nose - he looks down at it - speaks - CAMERA TRUCKS back - Tin Man slaps the bug away - LION What's that? What's that? Take it away - take it away - Take it away! (cries) TIN MAN Hold still - hold still -- MLS - Scarecrow - Dorothy - Tin Man and Lion - Dorothy jumps as Jitterbug bites her leg - Tin Man speaks - all start forward - Tin Man yells - Dorothy takes bug off his neck - Bug bites Scarecrow - he jumps in the air - falls to ground - jumps up again - CAMERA PANS the Four to right - they react to quivering trees and noise - CAMERA TRUCKS back - Dorothy and others tremble and move about as they sing - DOROTHY Oh! Something bit me, too! TIN MAN Now come on - you're acting silly -- (yells) SCARECROW Oh, come on now - everybody -- (yells) DOROTHY (sings) Did you just hear what I just heard? LION (sings) That noise don't come from no ordinary bird. DOROTHY It may be just a cricket Or a critter in the trees. TIN MAN It's giving me the jitters In the joints around my knees. CS - Scarecrow and Tin Man - CAMERA PANS to right to Lion and Dorothy - each sing - SCARECROW Oh, I think I see a jijik And he's fuzzy and he's furry I haven't got a brain But I think I ought to worry! TIN MAN I haven't got a heart But I got a palpitation. LION As Monarch of the Forest I don't like the situation. DOROTHY Are you gonna stand around And let 'em fill us full of horror? LION I'd like to roar 'em down -- But I think I lost my roarer. LS - Dorothy - Lion - Scarecrow and Tin Man running around - the tree quivering - MS - Scarecrow - Tin Man - Lion and Dorothy huddled together - looking o.s. - TIN MAN It's a whozis. SCARECROW It's a whozis? LION It's a whatzis. TIN MAN It's a whatzis? LION Whozat? TIN MAN Whozat? SCARECROW Whozat? MCS - Scarecrow - Tin Man - Lion and Dorothy - Dorothy steps forward - sings - CAMERA PANS right as she dances back near Lion - DOROTHY Whozat? Who's that hiding In the tree top? It's that rascal The Jitter Bug. Should you catch him Buzzin' round you Keep away from The Jitter Bug! Oh, the bats.... MS - Scarecrow - Tin Man - Lion and Dorothy - Dorothy singing - CAMERA PANS - TRUCKS back as all dance - DOROTHY ...and the bees And the breeze in the trees Have a terrible, horrible buzz. But the bats and the bees And the breeze in the trees Couldn't do what the Jitter Bug does. So be careful Of that rascal Keep away from -- SCARECROW - TIN MAN AND LION -- The Jitter Bug! Oh, The Jitter - Oh, the Bug Oh, the Jitter - ALL Bug-bug-a-bug-bug-bug-bug-bug-a-boo! MS - Lion runs over by tree - tree catches hold of Lion's tail - Scarecrow runs in - releases Lion - tree grabs Scarecrow - he finally gets free - CAMERA PANS left as Scarecrow runs over to Dorothy held by another tree - Tin Man starts to chop at tree - Limb of tree hits him over the head - Tin Man staggers - throws axe o.s. - Lion enters - CAMERA TRUCKS as the four dance - ALL In a twitter In the throes SCARECROW Oh, the critter's Got me dancin' on a thousand toes. TIN MAN Thar she blows! LS - Dorothy and Group dancing - Trees of the forest moving in rhythm - MS - Lion and Tin Man dancing - CS - Lion and Tin Man dancing - LS - Tin Man - Lion - Dorothy and Scarecrow dancing - MLS - The Four dancing - ELS - The army of Winged Monkeys flying over Haunted Forest - MLS - Dorothy and Group dancing - look up o.s. - react - ELS -- The army of Winged Monkeys flying over Haunted Forest -- MLS -- Dorothy and Group react -- run to b.g.-- LS -- The Winged Monkeys fly down into forest -- CAMERA PANS RIGHT as they fly down near Dorothy and group running to b.g. -- LS -- The Winged Monkeys landing -- run out at right -- ELS -- Shooting down as the Winged Monkeys land -- Dorothy and group exit far b.g. -- LS -- The Winged Monkeys capturing the group -- Dorothy runs out right -- MLS -- The Winged Monkeys running after Dorothy -- CAMERA PANS right -- LS -- Dorothy runs forward -- two Winged Monkeys after her -- they exit right f.g. -- MLS -- Tin Man swinging axe at the Winged monkeys -- TIN MAN Go away now! MLS -- Winged Monkeys tromping on the Scarecrow -- SCARECROW Help! Help! MS - Lion in center of group of monkeys - he doubles his fists - speaks - Monkey in tree hits him over the head with axe - LION Why, I'll -- Foul! Foul! LS -- Two Winged Monkeys running to b.g. with Dorothy - they swoop up into the air -- exit upper b.g. -- MCS -- Toto runs forward -- looks up o.s. -- barks -- ELS -- Two Winged Monkeys carrying Dorothy -- Flying to right over haunted forest -- MCS -- Toto barking -- Winged Monkey picks him up -- CAMERA PANS right as he flies out with Toto -- ELS -- Army of Winged Monkeys flying to right over the Haunted Forest -- MLS -- The Winged Monkeys tearing Scarecrow apart -- Scarecrow yells -- the Winged Monkeys exit right -- Tin Man and Lion enter -- CAMERA TRUCKS forward on them as Lion and Tin Man try to put Scarecrow together -- SCARECROW Help! Help! Help! Help! Help! TIN MAN Oh! Well, what happened to you? SCARECROW They tore my legs off, and they threw them over there! Then they took my chest out, and they threw it over there! TIN MAN Well, that's you all over. LION They sure knocked the stuffings out of you, didn't they? SCARECROW Don't stand there talking! Put me together! We've got to find Dorothy! TIN MAN Now, let' s see -- this goes -- Oh, I wish I were better at puzzles. LION Wait a minute. This is the left one. He walks bad enough already. TIN MAN Oh, poor Dorothy. We may never see her again. SCARECROW Who do you suppose they were? And where did they take her? A fine thing - to go to pieces at a time like this! TIN MAN Now, now, don't fret. SCARECROW Oh, dear, dear. TIN MAN We'll get you together! LAP DISSOLVE TO: CS -- Toto in Witch's lap -- CAMERA TRUCKS back -- Witch rises -- Nikko standing at right -- Witch puts Toto in basket -- Dorothy at left f.g. crying -- Witch turns to Dorothy -- speaks to her -- Nikko carries Toto to b.g. -- Dorothy goes over to Nikko -- WITCH What a nice little dog! And you, my dear. What an unexpected pleasure! It's so kind of you to visit me in my loneliness. MCS -- Dorothy reacts -- turns -- speaks to Witch -- CAMERA TRUCKS forward on them -- CAMERA PANS left as Witch crosses to Nikko -- speaks to him -- DOROTHY What are you going to do with my dog? Give him back to me! WITCH All in good time, my little pretty -- all in good time. DOROTHY Oh, please give me back my dog! WITCH Certainly -- certainly -- when you give me those slippers. DOROTHY But the Good Witch of the North told me not to. WITCH Very well! Throw that basket in the river and drown him! MLS -- Dorothy crying -- speaks to Witch -- then steps up on step -- Witch looks down at slippers on Dorothy's feet -- DOROTHY No! No -- no! Here -- you can have your old slippers -- but give me back Toto. WITCH That's a good little girl. I knew you'd see reason. CS -- Slippers on Dorothy's feet -- the hands of the Witch reach in -- begin to tremble -- CS -- Witch jumps back -- Dorothy reacts -- Witch looks at her -- hands -- WITCH Ahh! Ah! DOROTHY I'm sorry. I didn't do it! Can I still have my dog? WITCH No! Fool, that I am! I should have remembered -- those slippers will never come off, as long as... CU -- Dorothy reacts -- speaks -- WITCH o.s. ...you're alive. DOROTHY What are you gonna do? CU - Witch looks up o.s. - speaks - WITCH What do you think I'm going to do? But that's not what's worrying me -- it's how to do it. These things must be done delicately.... CS -- Toto sticks his head out of basket -- WITCH o.s. ...or you hurt the spell. MS -- Witch and Dorothy -- Nikko standing by table in b.g. -- Toto jumps out of basket -- runs out door in b.g. -- Dorothy speaks to Toto -- Witch turns on Nikko -- he runs out in b.g. -- DOROTHY Run, Toto, run! WITCH Catch him, you fool! LS -- Toto running forward down steps -- Nikko after him -- CAMERA PANS down to left with Toto -- MS -- Dorothy at window -- looking down o.s. -- Witch comes forward to her -- MLS -- Toto runs forward over drawbridge as bridge starts up -- CS -- Toto on edge of drawbridge -- looks down o.s. -- MLS -- Toto on edge of drawbridge -- Guards run forward -- carrying spears -- Toto jumps -- (Guards yell) MS -- Toto jumps down among rocks -- DOROTHY o.s. Run, Toto, run! MLS -- Guards throwing spears o.s. -- all yelling -- MLS -- Toto running to b.g. -- spears fall around him -- Toto runs up among rocks in b.g. -- DOROTHY o.s. Run, Toto, run! MCU -- Dorothy crying -- speaks -- DOROTHY He got away! He got away! MCS -- Dorothy and Witch -- CAMERA TRUCKS forward on them - Witch speaks to Dorothy -- CAMERA TRUCKS as Witch hurries to b.g. -- WITCH Ohhh! Which is more than you will! Drat you and your dog! You've been more trouble to me than you're worth, one way or another -- but it'll soon be over now! MCS -- Witch picks up huge hour glass -- turns it over -- speaks -- WITCH Do you see that? That's how much longer you've got to be alive! And it isn't.... CU -- Dorothy crying -- WITCH o.s. ...long, my pretty! It isn't long! CS -- Witch looks o.s. -- speaks -- CAMERA PANS as she runs to b.g. -- WITCH I can't wait forever to get those shoes! CU -- Dorothy crying -- exits left -- MS -- Dorothy -- CAMERA PANS her left -- she crosses -- looks at hour glass -- CU -- Hour Glass- LAP DISSOLVE TO: ELS - Toto jumping down rocky edge of mountains - (Toto barking) LAP DISSOLVE TO: MLS - Toto runs forward - looks o.s. - barks - exits left f.g. - MS -- Ext. Haunted Forest -- the Lion and the Tin Man put the Scarecrow back together -- they speak -- then react, look off to right as they hear Toto barking o.s. TIN MAN There. Now, that's the best we can do without any pins. LION Yeah -- SCARECROW Oh, don't worry about me. I'm all right. We must worry about Dorothy. TIN MAN But how can we find her? We don't even know where she is. Look! There's.... LS -- Toto comes running forward through forest -- CAMERA PANS him left to the Tin Man, Lion and Scarecrow -- TIN MAN o.s. ...Toto! Where's he come from? CU -- Toto barks at the three o.s. in f.g. -- CS -- Lion, Scarecrow and Tin Man react, speak -- SCARECROW Why, don't you see? He's come to take us.... MLS -- The Tin Man, Scarecrow and Lion react, rise -- Toto barks, leads them as they run down trail to right b.g. -- CAMERA PANS with them -- SCARECROW ...to Dorothy! TIN MAN Oh -- SCARECROW Come on, fellows! LAP DISSOLVE TO: Int. Tower Room -- Close on the hour glass on the table -- CAMERA PULLS back to reveal Dorothy standing by the table as she watches the sand run through the glass -- she looks about desperately -- LAP DISSOLVE TO: ELS -- The Tin Man, Scarecrow and Lion making their way over rocky hillside -- Toto barks as he waits for them LAP DISSOLVE TO: CU -- Toto makes his way over top of the rocks -- barks -- exits out to right -- MS -- The Lion, Tin Man and Scarecrow struggling up the rocks -- the Tin Man slips -- ELS -- The Tin Man slips off the side of the rocks -- hangs to the Lion's tail to keep from falling -- the Scarecrow tries to help him -- LION Oh -- Oh -- Oh -- I.... MS -- the Tin Man hanging to Lion's tail -- they speak -- Scarecrow tries to get up to help them both -- LION ...I -- I -- I hope my strength holds out. TIN MAN I hope your tail holds out. Oh -- LAP DISSOLVE TO: CU - The Hour Glass - more sand in the bottom - MCS - In. Tower Room - Dorothy watching the hour glass - CAMERA PANS with her as she runs to the door, tries it - then runs to another door - finds that locked, also - CAMERA TRUCKS forward slightly as she sobs, then turns and comes slowly forward as the CAMERA PULLS back to left with her - she begins to sing - CAMERA PANS her right as she sits, sobbing, by the crystal of the Witch - DOROTHY (sings) Someday, I'll wake and rub my eyes And in that land beyond the skies You'll find me ---- CU -- Toto makes his way over the top of the rocks and exits out to right -- The Lion's head appears, followed by that of the Tin Man and Scarecrow -- they look o.s. to f.g. -- Lion points, speaks -- LION What's that? What's that? MCU -- Tin Man, Lion and Scarecrow peering over the rocks, they speak -- Lion reacts as he watches down o.s. to f.g. -- SCARECROW o.s. That's the castle of the Wicked Witch! Dorothy's in that awful place! TIN MAN Oh, I hate to think of her in there. We've got to get her out. (cries) SCARECROW Don't cry now. We haven't got the oil-can with us and you've been squeaking enough as it is. LION Who's them? Who's them? ELS -- The Witch's Winkies marching about in the Castle Courtyard -- MCU -- Tin Man, Lion and Scarecrow peering over the rocks -- they speak -- the Lion tries to turn back, but others grab him, push him forward -- SCARECROW I've got a plan how to get in there. LION Fine. He's got a plan SCARECROW And you're going to lead us. LION Yeah. Me? SCARECROW Yes, you. LION I -- I -- I -- I -- gotta get her outta there? SCARECROW That's right. LION All right, I'll go in there for Dorothy -- Wicked Witch or no Wicked Witch -- guards or no guards -- I'll tear 'em apart. (growls) I may not come out alive, but I'm going in there. There's only one thing I want you fellows to do. SCARECROW AND TIN MAN What's that? LION Talk me out of it. TIN MAN No, you don't. SCARECROW Oh, no! LION No? Now, wait a minute. TIN MAN You don't neither -- SCARECROW Up! LION Now... LAP DISSOLVE TO: CU -- Hour glass -- CS -- Int. Tower Room -- Dorothy sobbing against the Witch's throne -- she cries out -- CAMERA PULLS back to right to enter the crystal -- Auntie Em's image appears as she calls for Dorothy -- Dorothy reacts, looks into the crystal -- Auntie Em fades out and the Witch fades in -- she mocks Dorothy -- CAMERA TRUCKS forward to CU of Witch, then UP TO LEFT to Dorothy as she draws away from the crystal -- sobs -- DOROTHY I'm frightened, I'm frightened, Auntie Em -- I'm frightened! AUNTIE EM Dorothy -- Dorothy -- where are you? It's me -- it's Auntie Em. We're trying to find you. Where are you? DOROTHY I -- I'm here in Oz, Auntie Em. I'm locked up in the Witch's castle....and I'm trying to get home to you, Auntie Em! Oh, Auntie Em, don't go away! I'm frightened! Come back! Come back! WITCH Auntie Em -- Auntie Em -- come back! I'll give you Auntie Em, my pretty! (laughs) LAP DISSOLVE TO: MS -- Lion, Scarecrow and Tin Man and Lion moving along among the rocks -- they stop -- CAMERA STARTS forward -- CU -- Toto barks -- MCS -- Scarecrow quiets Toto -- then CAMERA PANS up over the Scarecrow, Lion and Tin Man as three Winkie Guards appear over the rocks in b.g. -- CAMERA BOOMS back as they start forward toward the three, who are whispering together -- SCARECROW Sssh -- Toto -- be quiet -- (etc.) MCS -- Scarecrow, Lion and Tin Man whispering together -- the Lion looks around, sees the Winkies in back of them -- CAMERA BOOMS back as the Lion tries to speak -- but is speechless with fright -- the Guards jump forward, seize the three and they disappear behind the rocks -- legs and arms seen as they fight -- CU -- Hour Glass -- MLS- Int. Tower Room -- Dorothy trying to open one of the doors -- CAMERA TRUCKS forward -- MCS -- Tin Man, Scarecrow and Lion enter up from behind the rocks -- all are dressed in Winkie Guard uniforms - they speak - SCARECROW Whew! That wasn't my plan - but something happened, didn't it? TIN MAN You put up a great fight, Lion. SCARECROW Yeah -- TIN MAN I don't know what we'd have done without you. LION Hah. I - I must have bitten you a couple of times. MLS -- Winkie Guards marching about in the Castle courtyard -- MCS -- Lion, Tin Man and Scarecrow watching from the rocks -- they speak -- come forward behind the rocks as the CAMERA TRUCKS back with them -- SCARECROW Come on -- I've got another idea. LION Do -- do you think it'll be polite -- dropping in like this? TIN MAN Come on -- come on. LS -- The Winkies marching into the castle -- the Tin Man, Lion and Scarecrow join the end of the line, the Lion in the rear -- as they march toward the castle, the Lion has trouble keeping his tail under the uniform -- CAMERA TRUCKS forward as they enter the castle, Toto following -- the drawbridge is pulled up -- LS - Int. Entrance Hall of Castle - camera shooting down from high set-up as the Winkies march into the hall - CAMERA BOOMS down on the file to Scarecrow, the Tin Man, and the Lion, who are at the end of the file CU - Hour Glass - MCS - Int. Tower Room - Dorothy seated on steps near the crystal - she sobs - Int. Hallway -- LS -- The Lion, Scarecrow and Tin Man duck back into a recess in the wall -- the rest of the Winkies continue on to exit -- TIN MAN Where do we go now? LION Yeah. CS -- Toto barking on steps -- he turns, starts up them CS -- Lion, Tin Man and Scarecrow -- Scarecrow points o.s., speaks -- he exits -- SCARECROW There! LS -- Toto runs up the stairs from the hall as the Lion, Scarecrow and Tin Man run forward from b.g. and start up the stairs after Toto -- Upper Hallway -- LS -- Toto runs in from left -- CAMERA PANS right slightly as he runs to door and starts to scratch at it -- the three rescuers enter -- CAMERA TRUCKS forward as they speak -- SCARECROW Wait! We'd better make sure. Dorothy, are you in there? MS -- Int. Tower Room -- Dorothy standing by window -- she reacts to hearing Lion o.s. -- CAMERA PANS, TRUCKS with her as she runs to the door -- yells -- LION o.s. It's us! DOROTHY Yes, it's me! She's locked me in! MCS - Dorothy at door - she speaks to the others o.s. - DOROTHY Oh, I knew you'd get here in time! MCS -- Int. Hallway -- The Lion speaks to Scarecrow and Tin Man as they move excitedly about -- LION Listen, fellows. It's her. We gotta get her out! Open this door! CS - Int. Tower Room - Dorothy standing by door - she reacts as she hears the three outside the door - LION o.s. Open the door! Open.... MCS - The three outside the door push about madly - then stop their efforts at the door as the Scarecrow and Tie Man bawl out the Lion - he pouts - LION ...the door! Open the door! Open the door! Open the door! Open the door! TIN MAN Don't push! SCARECROW Stop pushing! LION Oh - I was only trying to help. Ohhh! CS -- Int. Tower Room -- Dorothy at door -- she pleads to the three on the outside -- looks o.s. to hour glass -- DOROTHY Oh, hurry -- please hurry! CU -- Hour Glass -- very little sand left in the top -- DOROTHY o.s. The hour glass is almost emp-.... CS -- Dorothy at door -- She speaks to those on other side -- DOROTHY ...ty! TIN MAN o.s. Stand back! MS - Int. Hallway - The Lion, Tin Man and Scarecrow remove their Winkie outfits - Tin Man starts to chop in the door - CS -- Int. Room -- Dorothy steps back from the door as it is chopped in -- CAMERA PANS right -- MS -- Int. Hallway -- The Tin Man chopping the door down MCS -- Int. Room -- Dorothy anxiously watching -- she looks at the hour glass o.s. -- CU -- Hour glass -- not much sand remaining -- MCS -- Dorothy reacts -- MLS - Int. Hallway - Scarecrow and Lion in f.g. watch as the Tin Man breaks the door in - MCS -- Int. Room -- Dorothy reacts, rushes to left -- CAMERA PANS -- MLS -- Int. Hallway -- Dorothy rushes out the door of room -- greets the Tin Man, Lion, Scarecrow and Toto -- CAMERA TRUCKS forward -- they rush out to left -- PAN left -- DOROTHY Oh -- Oh -- Oh! Toto -- Toto! LION Did they hurtcha? DOROTHY Lion, darling -- I knew you'd come! TIN MAN Dorothy! DOROTHY I knew you would! SCARECROW Hurry -- we've got no time to lose! Int. Entrance Hall -- camera shooting up from side of stairs -- LS -- Dorothy, Lion, Tin Man, and Scarecrow enter at top of stairs -- CAMERA PANS with them as they run down the stairs -- they rush toward the entrance, but the huge doors swing shut in front of them -- MS -- The Four hammer at the door -- then react, turn and look up to right f.g. as the Witch speaks o.s. -- CAMERA TRUCKS forward -- DOROTHY Oh! WITCH o.s. Going so soon? I wouldn't.... CS -- Witch and Nikko looking down from the top of stairs -- WITCH ...hear of it. Why, my little par-.... MCS -- Scarecrow, Tin Man, Dorothy and the Lion by the door -- WITCH o.s. ...ty's just beginning! MLS -- Witch and Nikko at top of stairs -- she laughs -- CAMERA PANS down to reveal the Winkies rushing into the entrance hall -- MCS -- Scarecrow, Tin Man, Dorothy and Lion huddled by door -- the Lion speaks -- LION Trapped! Trapped like mice -- er -- rats! MLS - The Winkies advancing - MCS - The Four huddled by door - Tin Man speaks to Lion, who tries to roar - TIN MAN Go ahead - do something! Roar! Roar! MCS - The Winkie Guards advance with a menacing roar - MCS - The Four huddled against door - the Lion reacts, speaks - LION What good'll it do us? ELS -- Shooting down from the top of the hall, past the Witch on landing in f.g. to the Winkies advancing to the four huddled against the door -- the Winkies roar -- CS -- Witch and Nikko looking down from the top of stairs -- she yells down to her Winkies -- WITCH That's right. Don't hurt them right away. We'll let.... MCU - Dorothy backed against the door - Toto in her arms - tears flowing down her cheeks - WITCH o.s. ...them think about it a little, first! MS -- The Winkies growl as they shove out their spears CU -- Toto in Dorothy's arms -- he growls at the Winkies o.s. -- CU -- Scarecrow looks up o.s. -- WITCH o.s. How does it feel.... MS -- What the Scarecrow sees: CAMERA PANS up along the rope that holds the huge candelabra up over the hall -- WITCH o.s. ...my little visitor? CU -- Scarecrow looking about up o.s. -- CAMERA PANS, PULLS back as he steps over to where the rope is fastened to the wall -- WITCH o.s. Can you imagine what I'm going to do to you? MCS -- The Witch picks up the hour glass -- hurls it down o.s. as she laughs -- ELS -- Full shot of the entrance hall as the hour glass crashes to the floor below -- bursts into a cloud of flame and smoke -- LION o.s. Here we go, boys! MCS- The Scarecrow seizes the Tin Man's axe and chops the candelabra rope with it -- DOROTHY Oh! ELS -- High angle from above the candelabra as the huge chandelier crashes down on the Winkies below -- DOROTHY Oh! CS -- The Witch screams down to her Winkies -- WITCH Seize.... MLS -- Shooting past the Winkies in the f.g. as they struggle under the candelabra to the Scarecrow, Lion, Tin Man and Dorothy as they run out of hall -- CAMERA PANS left -- WITCH o.s. ...them! Stop them, you fools! MLS -- The Witch rushes forward down the stairs -- yells at her Winkies -- CAMERA PANS her down the stairs, then she leads the Winkies out of the hall -- WITCH They've gotten away! Stop them! Stop them! Int. Corridor -- as the Witch and Winkies pass out of shot, Dorothy and her friends peer out from behind a recess, then run back into the hall as they exit left LS - The four rush back into the hall - CAMERA TRUCKS back to left - they look about - the Scarecrow speaks - SCARECROW It's no use trying the doors again! Which room is it? MLS - The Winkies running back through the corridor - MLS - Dorothy, Scarecrow, Lion, Tin Man react as they hear the Winkies approaching - CAMERA PANS left as they start up the stairs - LION They're coming back! DOROTHY Ohhh! SCARECROW Oh - upstairs, quickly! TIN MAN Go on! MLS -- The Witch comes running back into the hall -- her Winkies right behind her -- she gives them orders -- the Guards separate -- WITCH There they go! Ah -- now we've got them! Half you go that way -- half you go that way! ELS -- camera shooting up to the Lion, Tin Man and Scarecrow just disappearing at the top of stairs -- WITCH o.s. Hurry! Hurry! Go! MLS - The Witch hits her Guards with her broomstick in an effort to speed them up - CAMERA PANS left slightly as they rush up the stairs - WITCH Go! Go! (etc.) ELS -- Ext. Battlements -- Scarecrow, Dorothy, Lion and Tin Man run down the steps from the tower in the b.g. -- they run along the battlement to exit left -- LS -- The Foursome running forward along battlement -- they stop -- yell -- then CAMERA BOOMS right with them as they run along toward second tower -- they stop, Dorothy screams -- LION Where -- where do we go now? SCARECROW This way! Come on! ELS -- A Group of Winkies coming out of the tower at the head of steps in b.g. -- they roar menacingly -- LS -- Scarecrow, Tin Man, Lion and Dorothy run along battlement to left as CAMERA BOOMS with them -- LS -- The other group of Winkies appears in the other tower -- they mumble -- charge forward -- LS -- One Group of Winkies charges down the steps in the f.g. as we see the other group come forward along the battlement in b.g. -- CAMERA BOOMS to left -- LS -- In. Hall -- Scarecrow, Dorothy, Tin Man and the Lion rush down the hall to b.g. -- are confronted by Winkies -- Dorothy screams -- more Winkies rush in from left f.g., trapping the four -- MCS -- The Four -- they react as they look o.s. to f.g. -- Dorothy screams -- they turn, run back -- LS -- In. Tower -- The Four run to left as Winkies pour in from right -- to other Winkies enter from left -- Dorothy screams as they are captured -- CAMERA PANS right as they back up against the table in f.g. -- Winkies surround them -- MLS -- The Witch enters in b.g. -- comes forward to her Winkies in f.g. -- CAMERA PULLS back as she comes up to Scarecrow, Dorothy and the Tin Man -- she speaks to them -- WITCH Well -- ring around the rosy -- a pocket full of spears! Thought you'd be pretty foxy, didn't you? Well, I'm going to start in on you right here - one after the other! CS -- Tin Man, Dorothy and Scarecrow -- Lion hiding behind the Tin Man -- all tremble with fear -- WITCH o.s. And the last to go will see the first three go before her! And your mangy little dog, too! MCU -- Witch smiles as she looks up o.s. -- CAMERA PANS up as she holds her broom up to the torch on wall -- CS -- The Four react with fear -- MCU -- The broomstick catches fire -- CAMERA PANS down to the Witch as she lowers it -- speaks -- WITCH How about a little fire, Scarecrow? CS -- Lion, Tin Man, Dorothy and Scarecrow -- all react as the broom is thrust into the scene and catches the Scarecrow's arm on fire -- he shouts, Dorothy screams -- Dorothy picks up a bucket as the CAMERA PULLS back, throws the water on Scarecrow -- SCARECROW No -- No -- No -- No! DOROTHY Ohh! OHH! OHH! SCARECROW Help! I'm burning! I'm burning! I'm burning! Help! Help! Help! MS -- Dorothy throwing water at Scarecrow -- some of it hits the Witch in the face -- Tin Man standing at left with the Lion -- SCARECROW Help! MCU -- The water hits the Witch in the face -- MS -- The Witch screams as the water hits her -- Tin Man, Lion, Dorothy and Scarecrow look at her -- MLS -- The Lion, Tin Man, Dorothy and Scarecrow watch the Witch as she screams and melts away -- camera shooting past Winkies in the f.g. -- the Witch curses as she disappears, finally only her cloak and hat remain on the floor -- her voice fades away -- WITCH Ohhh -- you cursed brat! Look what you've done! I'm melting! Melting! Oh -- what a world -- what a world! Who would have thought a good little girl like you could destroy my beautiful wickedness!? Ohhh! Look out! Look out! I'm going. Ohhhh! Ohhhhhh.... CS -- Lion, Tin Man, Dorothy and Scarecrow looking down o.s. amazed -- CS -- Shooting down to the Witch's cloak and hat smoldering on the floor -- Toto enters from left and sniffs at them -- CAMERA PULLS back slightly as Nikko enters, growls -- CS -- Leader of Winkies speaks to the Four o.s. in f.g. -- other Winkies in b.g. -- LEADER She's....she's....dead! You've killed her! CS -- Lion, Tin Man, Dorothy and Scarecrow react -- Dorothy speaks, points to the Scarecrow -- DOROTHY I -- I didn't mean to kill her....really I didn't! It's...it's just that he was on fire! MLS -- The Four standing in front of the Winkies -- the Leader turns to the others and speaks -- the Winkies kneel as they hail Dorothy -- LEADER Hail to Dorothy! The Wicked Witch is dead! WINKIES Hail! Hail to Dorothy -- The Wicked Witch is dead! CS - Dorothy, with Tin Man, Lion and Scarecrow in back of her - she speaks - DOROTHY You mean, you're...you're all happy about it? CS - The Leader raises up his head - speaks to Dorothy o.s. in f.g. - other Winkies in back of him - LEADER Very happy - now she won't be able to hit us with a broom.... CS - Dorothy, with Lion, Tin Man and Scarecrow in back of her - Dorothy turns to the Tin Man - LEADER o.s. ...anymore! DOROTHY The broom! MLS -- The Leader gives the broom to Dorothy as the Scarecrow, Lion and Tin Man react with joy -- CAMERA TRUCKS forward as Dorothy speaks to them -- the Winkies speak -- they sing - Dorothy and her friends dance about, then exit out to b.g. - DOROTHY May we have it? LEADER Please! And take it with you! DOROTHY Oh -- thank you so much! Now we can go back to the Wizard and tell him the Wicked Witch is dead! LEADER The Wicked Witch is dead! ALL The Wicked Witch is dead! The Wicked Witch is dead! Hail - Hail - the Witch is dead. Which old Witch? - the Wicked Witch. Hail - Hail - the Wicked Witch is dead. Hail - Hail - the Witch is dead Which old Witch? - the Wicked Witch.... LAP DISSOLVE TO: ELS - In Emerald City - Streets are thronged with people - the procession enters from b.g., led by a band - ALL (sing) Hail - hail - the Wicked Witch is dead! MLS - The Band marching along the crowded streets - they turn, exit out to left f.g. - ALL (sing) Ding Dong! The Witch is dead. Which old Witch? The Wicked Witch! Ding Dong! The Wicked Witch is dead! ELS - The Procession comes forward through the crowded streets - surrounded by flower girls are Dorothy, the Tin Man, Lion and Scarecrow - the Scarecrow is carrying the Witch's broomstick - ALL (sing) Wake up, you sleepy head Rub your eyes Get out of bed Wake up, the Wicked Witch is dead! MS - CAMERA TRUCKS back with the Tin Man, Lion, Dorothy and the Scarecrow as they come forward through the singing crowds - they wave, smile, etc. - ALL (sing) She's gone where the Goblins go Below -- below -- below! Yo ho, let's open.... LS - The Procession passes girls lined up in front of the palace - the four pass along in front of them at left - all wave greetings - ALL (sing) ...up and sing And ring the bells out. Ding Dong! The merry-oh Sing it high Sing it.... ELS - Full shot of the area in front of Palace - the Procession files around in it to the right - ALL (sing) ...low. Let them know The Wicked Witch is dead! Ding Dong! The Witch is dead. Which old.... ELS - CAMERA BOOMS back to left with the Procession as it comes forward - ALL (sing) ...witch? The Wicked Witch Ding Dong! The Wicked Witch is dead! ELS - CAMERA PANS right with the Procession as it marches toward the palace - CAMERA BOOMS around to one of the huge crystals as the Tin Man, Dorothy, Scarecrow and Lion enter through the palace gates - ALL (sing) Wake up, you sleepy head. Rub your eyes - Get out of bed. Wake up, the Wicked Witch is dead. She's gone where the Goblins go - Below - below - below. No ho, let's open up and sing And ring the bells out. Ding Dong! The merry-oh Sing it high -- LAP DISSOLVE TO: Int. Throne room -- LS -- Throne -- Oz's voice booms out as the CAMERA PULLS back to reveal the Scarecrow, Dorothy, Lion and Tin Man standing in front of it -- OZ'S VOICE Can I believe my eyes? Why.... MLS -- The Four trembling with fear -- CAMERA PULLS back as Dorothy comes forward with the broomstick and places it on the steps to throne -- she speaks -- OZ'S VOICE ...have you come back? DOROTHY Please, sir. We've done what you told us. We've brought you the broomstick of the Wicked Witch of the West. We melted her. OZ'S VOICE Oh .... MLS -- Throne -- OZ'S VOICE ...you liquidated her, eh? Very.... MS -- Dorothy smiling, with the Tin Man, Lion and the Scarecrow in back of her also looking pleased -- she speaks -- they react as Oz speaks -- OZ'S VOICE ...resourceful! DOROTHY Yes, sir. So we'd like you to keep your promise to us, if you please, sir. OZ'S VOICE Not so fast! Not.... MLS -- Throne -- OZ'S VOICE ...so fast! I'll have to give the matter a little thought. Go away and come back tomorrow! MS -- Dorothy, with her three friends behind her -- she reacts, speaks -- the Tin Man and the Lion put in a word for her -- DOROTHY Tomorrow? Oh, but I want to go home now. TIN MAN You've had plenty of time already! LION Yeah! MLS -- Throne -- OZ'S VOICE Do not arouse the wrath.... MCU -- Toto at Dorothy's feet -- CAMERA PANS right with him as he runs to a curtain that hangs near the throne steps -- OZ'S VOICE ...of the Great and Powerful Oz! I said -- come back tomorrow! MS -- The Four -- Dorothy speaks as she looks o.s. to right f.g. -- CAMERA PULLS back to right to enter the curtain where Toto ran in the b.g. -- it shakes as Toto starts to pull it back -- DOROTHY If you were really great and powerful, you'd keep your promises! OZ'S VOICE Do you presume to criticize the.... MLS -- Toto pulls back the curtain to reveal the Wizard at the controls of the throne apparatus -- his back to the camera OZ'S VOICE ...Great Oz? You ungrateful creatures! MLS -- The Four react with fear -- Scarecrow looks o.s. to right -- points for Dorothy -- OZ'S VOICE Think yourselves lucky that I'm.... LS -- Shooting past the Four at left to the Wizard at the controls of the throne apparatus -- the Four react as they see him after Dorothy calls their attention to him -- OZ'S VOICE ...giving you audience tomorrow, instead of.... MS -- The Wizard at the controls -- his back to camera -- he speaks into the microphone -- he turns, looks o.s. to f.g. and sees that the curtain is gone -- reacts and turns back to the controls -- OZ'S VOICE ...twenty years from now. Oh -- oh oh! The Great Oz has spoken! Oh -- Oh ---.... LS -- Shooting past the Four at left to the Wizard as he pulls back the curtain -- OZ'S VOICE ... Oh .... Oh .... MS - The Wizard peers out from behind the curtain - MS - Tin Man, Lion, Dorothy and Scarecrow react as they look at the Wizard o.s. to right - Dorothy speaks DOROTHY Who are you? MCU - The Wizard peering out from curtain - he ducks back out of sight and his voice booms out again - OZ'S VOICE Oh - I - Pay no.... LS -- Shooting past the Four at left to the Curtain in b.g. -- Dorothy goes over to it and starts to pull it aside -- OZ'S VOICE ...attention to that man behind the curtain. Go - before I lose my temper! The Great and Powerful ---.... MCS -- Dorothy pulls back the curtain to reveal the Wizard at the controls -- he reacts as he sees Dorothy -- Dorothy questions him -- the Wizard starts to speak into the microphone -- then turns weakly back to Dorothy -- CAMERA PULLS back slightly as the Lion, Scarecrow and Tin Man enter and stand behind Dorothy -- OZ'S VOICE ... -- Oz -- has spoken! DOROTHY Who are you? OZ'S VOICE Well, I -- I -- I am the Great and Powerful -- Wizard of Oz. DOROTHY You are? WIZARD Uhhhh -- yes... DOROTHY I don't believe you! WIZARD No, I'm afraid it's true. There's no other Wizard except me. MCS -- Dorothy and her three friends react -- Camera shooting past the Wizard at left -- the Scarecrow and Lion speak angrily -- SCARECROW You humbug! LION Yeah! CS -- Wizard -- shooting past Dorothy, the Lion and Scarecrow -- the Wizard speaks -- WIZARD Yes-s-s -- that...that's exactly so. I'm a humbug! DOROTHY Oh .... MCU -- Dorothy -- Tin Man and Scarecrow behind her -- DOROTHY ...you're a very bad man! MCU -- The Wizard reacts, speaks humbly -- WIZARD Oh, no, my dear -- I'm -- I'm a very good man. I'm just a very bad Wizard. MCU - Scarecrow and Dorothy - Scarecrow threatens the Wizard o.s. - SCARECROW You'd better be good enough to send Dorothy back to Kansas! CS - Wizard - shooting past Lion, Dorothy and Scarecrow in f.g. - WIZARD Uh - now, please don't be angry with me. I'll - I'll do anything you say, only... only if you don't shout at me. It makes me nervous! SCARECROW It makes you nervous? WIZARD Yes. MCS -- Tin Man, Scarecrow, Dorothy and Lion -- shooting past the Wizard in left f.g. SCARECROW What about us? WIZARD Well, I -- SCARECROW What about the heart that you promised Tin Man --? WIZARD Well, I -- SCARECROW -- And the courage that you promised Cowardly Lion? WIZARD Well, I -- TIN MAN AND LION And Scarecrow's brain? CS - Wizard - shooting past Lion, Dorothy and Scarecrow in f.g. - WIZARD Well, I-- but you've got them. You've had them all the... MCS- Tin Man, Scarecrow, Dorothy and Lion - shooting past the Wizard in left f.g. - the four react, speak together - the Scarecrow moves around to the Wizard - WIZARD ...time! ALL TOGETHER Oh, no we haven't! TIN MAN You don't get around us that easy! LION Not nohow! WIZARD Well -- SCARECROW You promised us real things -- a real... CS - Wizard - shooting past the Scarecrow at right - the Wizard reacts to their demands - starts to speak - SCARECROW ...brain! TIN MAN o.s. A real heart! LION Real courage. That's what we want. WIZARD You do? boys, you're aiming low. You not only surprise, but you grieve me. MS -- The Wizard speaks to Tin Man, Dorothy, Lion and the Scarecrow -- the Wizard becomes eloquent -- steps closer to the Scarecrow -- WIZARD Why, anybody can have a brain. That's a very mediocre commodity. Every pusillanimous creature that crawls on the earth -- or slinks through slimy seas has a brain! MCU -- Wizard -- shooting past the Scarecrow at right -- WIZARD From the rock-bound coast of Maine to the Sun.... oh - oh, no -- -- ah - Well, be that as it may. Back where I come from we have universities, seats of great learning -- where men go to become great thinkers. And when they come out, they think deep thoughts -- and with no more brains than you have.... But! They have one thing you haven't got! A diploma! MS -- The Wizard reaches back and obtains several diplomas -- selecting one and presents it to the Scarecrow as Dorothy, Tin Man and the Lion look on -- WIZARD Therefore, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Universitatus Committeeatum e plurbis unum, I hereby confer upon you the honorary degree of Th.D. SCARECROW Th.D.? MCU -- Wizard -- shooting past the Scarecrow at right -- WIZARD Yeah -- that...that's Dr. of Thinkology! CU -- The Scarecrow recites the Pythagoras Theorem -- reacts with joy -- SCARECROW The sum of the square roots of any two sides of an isosceles triangle is equal to the square root of the remaining side. Oh joy, rapture! I've got a brain! MCS -- Wizard, Scarecrow, Dorothy, Tin Man and Lion -- the Scarecrow thanks the Wizard -- Wizard takes the Lion and leads him forward -- CAMERA TRUCKS back and PANS right -- the others follow -- the Wizard pauses on the throne steps -- opens a door and takes out a black bag -- takes a medal from the bag -- SCARECROW How can I ever thank you enough? WIZARD Well, you can't. As for you, my fine friend -- you're a victim of disorganized thinking. You are under the unfortunate delusion that simply because you run away from danger, you have no courage. You're confusing courage with wisdom. Back where I come from, we have men who are called heroes. Once a year, they take their fortitude out of mothballs and parade it down the main street of the city. And they have no more courage than you have. But! They have one thing that you haven't got! A medal! Therefore -- for meritorious.... MCU -- Lion -- shooting past the Wizard in the f.g. as he presents the medal to the beaming Lion -- WIZARD ...conduct, extraordinary valor, conspicuous bravery against wicked witches, I award you the Triple Cross. MS -- Scarecrow, Tin Man and Dorothy watching as the Wizard presents the medal to the Lion -- WIZARD You are now a member of the Legion of Courage! MCU -- The Wizard leans forward and kisses the Lion -- the Lion reacts, speaks -- LION Oh -- Oh -- shucks, folks, I'm speechless! MS -- Dorothy, Tin Man, Scarecrow watch the Lion as he beams with joy over his new medal -- the Wizard turns to the Tin Man -- speaks to him -- WIZARD As for you, my galvanized friend, you want a heart! You don't know how lucky you are not to have one. Hearts will never be practical until they can be made unbreakable. I could have been a world figure, a power among men, a - a successful wizard, had I not been obstructed by a heart. TIN MAN But I still want one. WIZARD Yes -- .... MCU -- Wizard -- shooting past the Tin Man in left f.g. WIZARD ...back where I come from there are men who do nothing all day but good deeds. They are called phil...er -- er -- phil -- er, yes...good-deed-doers. And their hearts are no bigger than yours. But! They have one thing you haven't got! A testimonial! MCS -- The Tin Man waits as the Wizard bends down and gets a heart-shaped watch from his black bag -- CAMERA TRUCKS forward slightly as he presents it to the Tin Man as Dorothy, Lion and Scarecrow look on -- WIZARD Therefore, in consideration of your kindness, I take pleasure at this time in presenting you with a small token of our esteem and affection. And remember, my sentimental friend.... MCU -- Wizard -- shooting past the Tin Man in left f.g. WIZARD ...that a heart is not judged by how much you love, but by how much you are loved by others. CS -- Tin Man -- shooting past the Wizard in right -- Dorothy standing at left -- the Tin Man listens to his watch, then holds it up to Dorothy's ear -- TIN MAN Ahh --- Oh, it ticks! Listen! DOROTHY Yes...! MS -- Scarecrow, Lion, Dorothy react as the Tin Man shows them the watch -- the Wizard smiles as he watches them -- Lion points to his medal -- DOROTHY ...yes. TIN MAN Look -- it ticks! LION Read...read what my medal says. INSERT -- CU of the Medal on the Lion's chest -- reads COURAGE -- LION Courage!... MS -- Int. Throne Room -- Scarecrow, Dorothy, The Wizard and Tin Man admire the Lion's medal -- then they ask about Dorothy's request -- LION ...Ain't it the truth! Ain't it the truth! DOROTHY Oh -- oh -- they're all wonderful. SCARECROW Hey -- what about Dorothy? TIN MAN Yes -- how about Dorothy? LION Yeah. WIZARD Ah -- LION Dorothy next! WIZARD Yes. Dorothy -- ah -- Dor -- CU -- Dorothy -- DOROTHY Oh, I don't think there's anything in that black bag for me. MCU - The Wizard protests - mumbles as he starts to look into the bag - WIZARD Well, no - no -- on the contrary, on the ---- .... MS -- The Wizard rummages through the bag as Dorothy and the others look on -- he finds nothing, so he speaks encouragingly of what he'll do - CAMERA TRUCKS forward slightly - WIZARD ...I -- ah -- on the contr -- -- Here -- Well, you force me into a cataclysmic decision. The only way to get Dorothy back to Kansas is for me to take her there myself! CU -- Dorothy reacts, speaks -- DOROTHY Oh, will you? Could you? Oh -- but are you a clever enough Wizard.... MCU -- The Wizard -- DOROTHY o.s. ...to manage it? WIZARD Child -- you cut me to the quick! I'm an old Kansas man myself...born and.... CU -- Dorothy is pleased -- looks about at the others -- WIZARD o.s. ...bred in the heart of the western wilderness -- Premier balloonist par.... MS -- Scarecrow, Dorothy, Lion and Tin Man listening to the Wizard -- WIZARD ...excellence to the Miracle Wonderland Carnival Company -- until one day, while performing spectacular feats of stratospheric skill never before attempted by civilized man, an unfortunate phenomena occurred. The balloon failed to return to the fair. LION It did? MCU - The Wizard - WIZARD Yes. There was I, floating through space -- a man without a continent! CU -- Dorothy -- DOROTHY Weren't you frightened? MS -- Scarecrow, Dorothy, Wizard, Tin Man and Lion on the steps near the throne -- the Wizard speaks as they come forward -- CAMERA PULLS back to left as they come forward to door -- they pause -- then again come forward to the doorway -- all react to the Wizard's announcement -- WIZARD Frightened? You are talking to a man who has laughed in the face of death -- sneered at doom and chuckled at catastrophe. I was petrified. Then suddenly the wind changed, and the balloon floated down into the heart of this noble city, where I was instantly acclaimed Oz, the First Wizard de Luxe! DOROTHY Ohhh! WIZARD Times being what they were, I accepted the job, -- retaining my balloon against the advent of a quick get-away. (laughs) And in that balloon, my dear Dorothy, you and I will return to the land of E Pluribus Unum! LAP DISSOLVE TO: Ext. Public Square, Emerald City -- LS -- The Wizard and Dorothy in the basket of balloon -- Tin Man, Scarecrow and Lion standing on platform with them -- people of Oz grouped about them -- the Wizard speaks to them as the CAMERA MOVES forward -- the people cheer -- WIZARD Good people of Oz, this is positively the finest exhibition ever to be shown -- (stammers) -- yes -- well -- be that as it may -- I, your Wizard par ardua ad alta, am about to embark upon a hazardous and technically unexplainable journey into the outer stratosphere. MCS -- Wizard and Dorothy in the basket -- the Wizard speaks to the crowd o.s. -- CAMERA PANS to left to enter the Tin Man and Scarecrow, then PANS right as the Wizard points to the Lion -- WIZARD To confer, converse, and otherwise hob-nob with my brother wizards. And I hereby decree that until what time -- if any -- that I return, the Scarecrow, by virtue of his highly superior brains, shall rule in my stead...assisted by the Tin Man, by virtue of his magnificent heart...and the Lion -- by virtue of his courage! Obey them as you would me! And - ah - well, that's all. CU -- Toto in Dorothy's arms -- he barks at something o.s. -- People cheer o.s. WIZARD o.s. Thank you. MCU -- Oz woman with a cat in her arms -- MCU -- Toto barking in Dorothy's arms -- MCS -- Dorothy in basket of balloon -- Toto jumps from her arms -- she reacts, starts to climb out -- MLS -- Tin Man, Scarecrow and Lion on platform -- Wizard in the basket of balloon -- Dorothy climbs out -- yells DOROTHY Oh, come back here! Toto! MCS -- Dorothy by the side of the basket -- she speaks to the Wizard, then runs down from the platform -- Lion and Scarecrow seen -- DOROTHY Come back! Oh, don't go without me! I'll be right back! Toto! MLS -- Wizard on balloon platform -- Scarecrow, Lion and Tin Man standing by -- The Wizard protests as the balloon starts to rise -- TIN MAN Stop that dog! WIZARD This is a highly irregular procedure! This is absolutely unprecedented! TIN MAN Oh! Help me! The balloon's going up! ELS -- The Wizard rises slowly in the basket of balloon as the Oz people watch -- Scarecrow and Tin Man try to hold the balloon down -- Dorothy runs up on the platform, the Lion following -- she yells to the Wizard -- he shouts back -- the Oz people wave goodbye -- the balloon exits to left f.g. -- WIZARD -- Ruined my exit! TIN MAN Help! DOROTHY Oh! Come back! Don't go without me! Please come back! WIZARD I can't come back! I don't know how it works! DOROTHY Oh -- WIZARD Goodbye, folks! OZ PEOPLE Goodbye! Goodbye! MCS -- Tin Man, Scarecrow and Lion grouped about Dorothy -- she speaks -- they ask her to stay with them -- then the Scarecrow reacts, points up o.s. -- DOROTHY Oh, now I'll never get home! LION Stay with us, then, Dorothy. We all love you. We don't want you to go. DOROTHY Oh, that's very kind of you -- but this could never be like Kansas. Auntie Em must have stopped wondering what happened to me by now. Oh, Scarecrow, what am I going to do? SCARECROW Look -- here's someone who can help you! MS -- A group of Oz men react as they look up o.s. -- they bow out of the scene -- suddenly Glinda appears in the scene -- CAMERA TRUCKS back to left over heads of the bowing Oz people as she moves down the steps and up onto the platform to Dorothy, Tin Man, Lion and Scarecrow -- CS -- Dorothy, Glinda and Scarecrow on the platform -- Dorothy speaks with Glinda -- CAMERA PULLS back to enter Tin Man and Lion -- Tin Man speaks -- DOROTHY Oh, will you help me? Can you help me? GLINDA You don't need to be helped any longer. You've always had the power to go back to Kansas. DOROTHY I have? SCARECROW Then why didn't you tell her before? GLINDA Because she wouldn't have believed me. She had to learn it for herself. TIN MAN What have you learned, Dorothy? MCU -- Dorothy -- Lion behind her -- she speaks -- DOROTHY Well, I -- I think that it -- that it wasn't enough just to want to see Uncle Henry and Auntie Em -- and it's that -- if I ever go looking for my heart's desire again, I won't look any further than my own backyard. Because if it isn't there, I never really lost it to begin with! Is that right? MCS -- Tin Man, Dorothy, Glinda, Scarecrow and Lion on platform -- they speak -- Glinda points down to Dorothy's slippers -- GLINDA That's all it is! SCARECROW But that's so easy! I should have thought of it for you. TIN MAN I should have felt it in my heart. GLINDA No. She had to find it out for herself. Now, those magic slippers will take you home in two seconds! DOROTHY Oh.... CS -- Dorothy and Glinda -- Scarecrow in b.g. -- Dorothy reacts, speaks -- turns about -- begins to cry as she realizes she will lose her three friends -- CAMERA PANS her left to Tin Man -- she wipes his tears away -- gives him his oil can and then kisses him -- then CAMERA TRUCKS forward slightly as she says goodbye to the Lion -- PANS right slightly as she turns to the Scarecrow -- hugs him -- then steps back to Glinda as CAMERA PANS slightly -- DOROTHY ...Toto, too? GLINDA Toto, too. DOROTHY Oh, now? GLINDA Whenever you wish. DOROTHY Oh, dear -- that's too wonderful to be true! Oh, it's -- it's going to be so hard to say goodbye. I love you all, too. Goodbye, Tin Man. Oh, don't cry. You'll rust so dreadfully. Here -- here's your oil-can. Goodbye. TIN MAN Now I know I've got a heart -- 'cause it's breaking. DOROTHY Oh -- Goodbye, Lion. You know, I know it isn't right, but I'm going to miss the way you used to holler for help before you found your courage. LION Well -- I would never've found it if it hadn't been for you. DOROTHY I think I'll miss you most of all. GLINDA Are you ready now? DOROTHY Yes. Say goodbye, Toto. MS -- Dorothy waves Toto's paw at the Tin Man, Lion and Scarecrow -- then speaks to Glinda -- Glinda instructs her -- DOROTHY Yes, I'm ready now. GLINDA Then close your eyes, and tap your heels together three times. MCU -- Dorothy's heels as she clicks them together three times -- MCU -- Dorothy and Glinda -- Glinda instructs her -- waves her wand -- Dorothy closes her eyes -- CAMERA TRUCKS in to a big CU of Dorothy -- she speaks -- the scene darkens behind her -- GLINDA And think to yourself -- "There's no place like home; there's no place like home; there's no place like home." DOROTHY There's no place like home. There's no place like home. There's no place like home. There's no place like home. LAP DISSOLVE TO: ELS - The Munchkins waving goodbye from the gates of the Munchkin Village - DOROTHY o.s. There's no place like... CS - The Witch laughing - DOROTHY o.s. ...home. There's no place.... MCS - The Wizard at the control panel in the Throne Room - he turns, looks o.s. to f.g. - reacts - pulls the curtain - DOROTHY o.s. ...like home. There's no place like home. MS - Glinda leading the Munchkins in a dance - Munchkins in the b.g. - DOROTHY o.s. There's no place like home. MCU - Lion growling - MS - The Tin Man breaking in the door of the Witch's Tower Room - DOROTHY o.s. There's no place like home. MS - Hickory's Wind Machine on the Gale farm - DOROTHY o.s. There's no place like home. CS - Horse looking out from stall - CS - Cow - CAMERA PANS slightly - MCS - Chickens moving about - CS - Auntie Em offers forward a plate of crullers - LAP DISSOLVE TO: CU -- Dorothy lying on pillow -- she mumbles -- Aunt Em's hands enter -- put cloth on Dorothy's head -- DOROTHY (mumbling) -- there's no place like home -- there's no place like home -- AUNT EM o.s. Dorothy - Dorothy! It's me -- Aunt Em. CS -- Dorothy lying on bed -- mumbling -- she opens her eyes -- looks around room -- CAMERA TRUCKS back showing Aunt Em seated on edge of bed -- Uncle Henry standing by -- Professor Marvel enters at window -- speaks -- Dorothy reacts -- looks at him -- AUNT EM o.s. Wake up, honey. DOROTHY -- no place like home -- there's no place like home -- no place -- AUNT EM Dorothy. Dorothy, dear. It's Aunt Em, darling. DOROTHY Oh, Auntie Em -- it's you! AUNT EM Yes, darling. PROFESSOR MARVEL Hello, there! Anybody home? I -- I just dropped by because I heard the little girl got caught in the big -- Well.... MCU -- Dorothy -- Camera shooting down past Aunt Em at right -- PROFESSOR MARVEL o.s. ...she seems all right now. UNCLE HENRY o.s. Yeah. MS -- Dorothy lying in bed -- Aunt Em seated by her -- Uncle Henry standing by -- Professor at window -- Dorothy raises up on her elbow -- speaks -- Aunt Em puts her back on pillow -- then rises and exits -- Hunk -- Hickory and Zeke enter -- kneel beside bed -- CAMERA TRUCKS forward -- they speak to Dorothy -- CAMERA PULLS back as Zeke and others exit right -- Aunt Em re-enters -- sits by Dorothy -- holds her head(hand) -- CAMERA TRUCKS back -- Zeke and others standing at right -- UNCLE HENRY She got quite a bump on the head -- we kinda thought there for a minute she was going to leave us. PROFESSOR Oh -- DOROTHY But I did leave you, Uncle Henry -- that's just the trouble. And I tried to get back for days and days. AUNT EM There, there, lie quiet now. You just had a bad dream. DOROTHY No -- HUNK Sure -- remember me -- your old pal, Hunk? HICKORY And me -- Hickory? ZEKE You couldn't forget my face, could you? DOROTHY No. But it wasn't a dream -- it was a place. And you -- and you -- and you -- and you were there. PROFESSOR Oh -- (others laugh) DOROTHY But you couldn't have been, could you? AUNT EM Oh, we dream lots of silly things when we -- DOROTHY No, Aunt Em -- this was a real, truly live place. And I remember that some of it wasn't very nice.... MCU -- Dorothy -- Camera shooting down past Aunt Em -- DOROTHY ...but most of it was beautiful. But just the same, all I kept saying to everybody was, I want to go home. And they sent me home. MLS -- Dorothy lying in bed -- Aunt Em sitting by her -- Professor at window -- Uncle Henry -- Zeke -- Hunk and Hickory standing by -- they laugh -- Toto jumps up on to bed -- Dorothy takes Toto in her arms -- DOROTHY Doesn't anybody believe me? UNCLE HENRY Of course we believe you, Dorothy. DOROTHY Oh, but anyway, Toto, we're home! MCU -- Dorothy holding Toto in her arms -- Camera shooting past Aunt Em at right f.g. -- Dorothy looks around room -- speaks -- tears come to her eyes -- Aunt Em rises -- puts her arm around Dorothy - DOROTHY Home! And this is my room -- and you're all here! And I'm not going to leave here ever, ever again, because I love you all! And -- Oh, Auntie Em -- there's no place like home! FADE OUT: FADE IN -- THE END -- FADE OUT

GUN BARREL LOGO OPENS ON GENEVA SWITZERLAND, an unnaturally clean city that melds old Europe with new money of both dubious and legitimate source. INT. HALLWAY OFFICE BUILDING - DAY An engraved brass plaque announcing the name of the �private banking institute� within. INT. PENTHOUSE BANK OFFICE - GENEVA - DAY JAMES BOND, dressed impeccably as ever, is being FRISKED by three THUGS in Armani suits. They remove A GUN from inside his jacket, a well-concealed knife, a metal case, laying them on the desk that separates Bond and... LACHAISE...an extremely well-groomed gentleman. Behind him, three floor-to-ceiling windows lead out to a rooftop garden. LACHAISE Not the usual Swiss procedure, Mr. Bond, but you understand, a man in my position.. BOND Which is neutral, no doubt. Lachaise takes the joke a little tight-lipped. Gestures for Bond to sit. A GIRL ENTERS, a gorgeous Swiss bombshell in a pin-striped suit. She pushes a cart. On it are a BRIEFCASE and a box of EXPENSIVE CIGARS, which she offers to Lachaise and Bond. LACHAISE It wasn�t easy, but I retrieved the money. No doubt Sir Robert will be pleased to see it again. The efficient Cigar Girl brings the briefcase to Bond, setting it in his lap and opening it up...inside is a good deal of CASH in pound sterling. LACHAISE In the current exchange rate, minus the fees, of course, and certain unforeseeable expenses. Here is the receipt... The CIGAR GIRL offers Bond a RECEIPT... CIGAR GIRL Would you like to check my figures? BOND Perhaps later. She steps back. Bond reaches for the metal case on the desk...the THUGS TENSE... BOND My glasses. Lachaise nods. Bond can have his glasses. He puts them on, gives a cursory look at the receipt...an odd number in pound sterling, calculated down to the penny: 3,030,303.03. LACHAISE It�s all there. Bond folds the receipt, slips it into his WALLET...then, he removes the glasses, slowly, deliberately, eyeing Lachaise. BOND I didn�t come for the money. The report you sold him was stolen from an MI-6 agent, who was killed for it. He takes a photo from his jacket and lays it on the desk. LACHAISE I did not get the report from an MI-6 agent. BOND Who did you get it from? LACHAISE I am just a middle man. I am doing the honourable thing and returning the money to its rightful owner... BOND And we know how difficult that can be for the Swiss. LACHAISE (controlled fury) Your last chance. Take the money. BOND Your last chance. Give me the name. LACHAISE Stripped of all your weaponry, you still threaten me? He nods. An Armani thug steps up and takes out a gun... BOND Perhaps you failed to take into account my...hidden assets. Bond�s mouth edges into a smile. A flicker of doubt on Lachaise�s face -- as Bond�s finger finds a protrusion on the tiny arm of his glasses and... KABOOM! The pistol on the table FLASHES...blinding those around, they cover their eyes, stagger back...it is a brief effect, just enough to disorient the thugs and give Bond his opening... He KARATE-CHOPS HENCHMAN #1 unconscious, taking his gun. Kicks HENCHMEN #2 in the face and throws #3 OUT THE WINDOW just as they�re getting their bearings. Now he nestles the barrel of his borrowed hand gun into the hollow of Lachaise�s cheek. BOND The name? LACHAISE I can�t tell you... (Bond cocks the gun) Alright, alright! But you must protect me! And he freezes. The handle of a THROWING KNIFE is sticking out of his neck. Bond looks up, catches sight of the CIGAR GIRL as she vaults out the broken window and onto THE ROOF. Bond rushes to the window... EXT. VERANDAH - ROOFS - GENEVA - DAY She swings on a WIRE across to another roof, quickly disappearing into shadows. Bond can hear sirens approaching. He returns to... THE OFFICE...he grabs the money and moves fast for the door, casually slipping that cigar into his pocket... Except Henchman #1 has recovered, blocks his way, gun in hand. He starts to squeeze the trigger -- when a RED DOT appears on his chest...another window SHATTERS as a bullet zings through and pierces the henchman in the heart. Bond looks back once at the shattered window, then heads out. INT. BANK - GENEVA - DAY Bond appears on the top floor of the grand old building, by the elevator. Looks over the balcony, sees figures on the stairs. Hears the elevator cage start from below. Thinking fast, he wrenches open the steel gate, leans into the lift shaft, watches the elevator COUNTERWEIGHT as it comes down. Almost nonchalant, he steps out... INT. STAIRWELL/ELEVATOR SHAFT - DAY As the cageful of police rises, Bond is now standing on the counterweight, DESCENDING. EXT. STREET - GENEVA Lunchtime. Faceless business crowds heading for their brief moment of freedom, among them we spot BOND...one of them, with a briefcase and a suit and tie...HOLD on his face, troubled. INT. HOTEL - GENEVA - DAY The Cigar Girl enters a huge, high-ceilinged room. Edgy, she approaches a BIG MAN standing on a balcony overlooking the city. Propped against the doorframe, an assassin�s RIFLE with LASER-SIGHT attached. BINOCULARS are on a tripod, trained on the rooftop below where we can see cops examining the shattered office windows. The man turns. Powerful, deadly, with a military haircut. There is a raised, red scar of an ENTRY WOUND at his temple. It throbs and shifts with the slightest facial expression, like an insect living just beneath his skin. One EYE seems slightly drooping, deadened. The other eye is sharp and black as anthracite. It is a frightening face. This is RENARD. RENARD What�s his name? Our friend from MI-6? CIGAR GIRL James Bond. RENARD One of M�s more accomplished tin soldiers. CIGAR GIRL He could identify me. RENARD If it concerns you...kill him. He touches her cheek and moves into the room, pouring two glasses of wine. RENARD Let�s toast this James Bond. We�re in his hands now... CUT TO: EXT. RIVER THAMES - LONDON - DAY A SEAPLANE swoops over the Millennium Dome, banks along the snaking river. EXT. MI-6 - LONDON - DAY Tate Gallery in background, the seaplane moors beneath the vast stepped cake that is MI-6. Bond exits with the suitcase. INT. SECURITY, MI-6 - DAY CAMERA MOVES with Bond as he enters this secret, hi-tech world. He passes through countless security procedures, watched by an attentive staff. Bond scoops the money out of the suitcase. Three million sterling in tightly bundled hundreds makes quite a sight. He flicks his finger through the last wad, tosses it down wistfully. A blue light scans it on three axis. The money is bundled into a clear plastic bag, put on a tray and wheeled through a series of barred enclosures into the SECURE ROOM. Bond hands the suitcase to a STAFF MEMBER. BOND Have this checked, see what you can get off it. INT. MONEYPENNY�S OFFICE, MI-6 - DAY Bond appears, hiding something behind his back. Moneypenny brightens. MONEYPENNY James. Brought me a souvenir from Geneva? He produces the cigar, now in a large phallic TUBE. Stands it end up on the desk. BOND Thought you might want one of these. MONEYPENNY (beat, deadpan) I gave up a long time ago. (nods to M�s door) She�s in with Sir Robert. INT. M�S OFFICE, MI-6 - DAY Bond enters. SIR ROBERT KING is perched on the edge of M�s desk. Two glasses, a bottle of scotch open. M Sir Robert King, James Bond. King moves toward Bond with an easy, patrician smile. Bond notes a TINY BADGE in his lapel -- like the glass eye of a stuffed snake. SIR ROBERT Thanks for getting my money back --never expected to see it again. You�re the kind of man I could use. Though I won�t offend certain parties by asking you to join King Industries. King looks to M, smiling. BOND Construction�s not exactly my line. M Quite the opposite, in fact. She couldn�t resist. King smiles at Bond. As he goes, he gives M a respectful kiss on the cheek. The door closes. M turns. BOND Old friend? M Since Oxford. I knew him when he had nothing but a brilliant mind and enough guts to conquer the world. He�s a man of great integrity. BOND Who buys classified reports for three million pounds. M picks up the report from her desk. Bond notices it is in Russian, with a SEAL from a Russian military agency in the corner: MIRATOM. M It�s a report on weapons security in the former Soviet Union, which, as you know, is shaky at best. He�s had several instances of sabotage at the pipeline, and he�s understandably concerned. He called me the moment he realized its sensitive nature. She pours a scotch for Bond. He drops some ice in, thoughtful. BOND Someone was watching over me in Geneva. A guardian angel with a laser sight. He stops, rubs his thumb and forefinger together -- a strange SIZZLING where he touched the ice. Realization sinks in. BOND King. M sees the seriousness in his eyes -- stabs at the intercom: INT. MONEYPENNY�S OFFICE, MI-6 - CONTINUOUS Moneypenny�s eyes shoot to the intercom console: M (filtered) Moneypenny, stop King leaving. MONEYPENNY (flicking switch) Security -- INT. CORRIDORS, MI-6 - CONTINUOUS Sir Robert King and an MI-6 AIDE walk toward SECURITY. INT. Q DIVISION, MI-6 - CONTINUOUS Q and his men are working on a strange half-built BOAT suspended over a water tank. Q ..the hydro boat can operate in three inches of water... He looks up as Bond runs through... INT. SECURITY, MI-6 - CONTINUOUS THE MONEY lies on the tray, wrapped in plastic. Sir Robert approaches, two rows of security bars between him and the cash. An official produces a bag and moves toward it: SIR ROBERT Thanks, but I�ll count it myself. (apologetic, smiles) Lifetime habit. I�m Scottish. INT. LOWER CORRIDORS/SECURITY AREA, MI-6 - CONTINUOUS Bond shoots around the corner just in time to see Sir Robert disappearing past the THICK STEEL DOOR of the secure room. BOND Stop! King! INT. SECURITY, MI-6 - CONTINUOUS The shout is muffled, Sir Robert�s more interested in the money. He continues toward camera, that PIN on his lapel emits a serene HUM and we CUT TO: CLOSE ON THE METAL STRIP IN ONE NOTE AS IT CRACKLES AND -- KABOOM! A MASSIVE EXPLOSION. INT. LOWER CORRIDORS/SECURITY AREA, MI-6 - CONTINUOUS MAYHEM. FIRE blasts out of the open doorway just as Bond reaches it. The STEEL DOOR flies toward him. He dives -- EXT. MI-6/RIVER - CONTINUOUS The building rocks. SMOKE is pouring from a HOLE that�s appeared in a lower tier. A wall and a section of roof gone. EXT. MI-6/RIVER - CONTINUOUS A figure staggers out, shaken. Catching his breath. BOND. CUT TO: ECU CIGAR GIRL Lining up Bond with her infra-red telescopic sight. ANGLE ON BOND In the swirling dust and smoke, he suddenly sees a wand of red light, pointing at his chest. All instinct, he dives for cover. Powerful, high velocity bullet hits blanket the area. Bond prepares to return fire, scanning around for the source. Through the debris he spots an unusual, hi-tech BOAT on the river -- long and narrow and low. A figure on board. THE CIGAR GIRL. ANGLE ON CIGAR GIRL She FIRES OFF A ROUND OF SHOTS, forcing Bond back into cover. Then she guns the engines and SPEEDS OFF down the Thames. EXT. MI-6 - CONTINUOUS Determined, Bond races back into the wreckage... INT. MI-6 - CONTINUOUS Bond races through the chaos that is MI-6 and into... Q DIVISION Where he leaps into the prototype BOAT. Q protests... Q It�s not finished! Bond looks at the mystifying number of buttons and gadgets ...presses something red and...THE BOAT LEAPS OUT, ENGINE ROARING... EXT. SLIPWAY - RIVER - DAY THE 007 THEME KICKS IN AS: JAMES BOND, in the Q boat, SHOOTS OUT of the MI-6 rubble and onto the Thames. EXT. RIVER THAMES - DAY Bond can see the Cigar Girl up ahead...he is closing the distance. She catches sight of him in pursuit... EXT. CIGAR GIRL - BOAT - DAY She pushes the boat to its limit, it roars to a new level of speed...the chase is on. EXT. THAMES - DAY Police speedboats, alerted by the commotion, trail Bond. ON THE EMBANKMENT Police cars scream alongside, sirens wailing. ON THE THAMES Bond is losing ground as he and the Cigar Girl weave through traffic on the Thames. In a gutsy bid to keep pace, he corrals the Q boat into a hair-raising SHORT-CUT, shooting off... UNDERNEATH A PIER He maneuvers the boat under the low pier and emerges EVEN CLOSER to his prey... EXT. CIGAR GIRL - BOAT - DAY The Cigar Girl stops her boat, moving to the back, manning her large, rear-mountain MACHINE GUN and taking aim at Bond... EXT. RIVER THAMES - DAY Bond continues at full speed, fearless in the hail of bullets ricocheting off the vessel. THE CIGAR GIRL Remains calm and cool, shooting with precision. BOND closes in... CIGAR GIRL�S eyes widen as... BOND STEERS HIS BOAT RIGHT OVER THE MACHINE GUN AND TURRET... Cigar Girl dives out of the way, as her boat becomes a RAMP, LAUNCHING the Q boat INTO THE AIR before it dives, nose- first, into the Thames. EXT. - CIGAR GIRL BOAT - CONTINUOUS CIGAR GIRL gets up from the deck and sees BOND, turning his boat to close in for the kill... She scrambles to the helm and SPEEDS OFF, seeing ahead of her... TOWER BRIDGE Just beginning to open, to allow for passage of a small tanker. EXT. CIGAR GIRL BOAT She streaks toward the bridge, Bond lagging behind... ON BOND As he looses her boat in the distance, he makes a DESPERATE MOVE...he cranks the wheel of his boat and veers off, UP A SLIPWAY and into... EXT. FISH MARKET Where the boat hydroplanes on masses of surface water and propels him into EXT. LONDON STREET The hurtling boat causes mayhem and panic as he wrestles with the controls, jetting off the street and straight toward... EXT. RIVERSIDE RESTAURANT Bond�s boat crashes right through it, sending diners LEAPING in every direction. The Q boat SHOOTS OUT over the balcony and splashes down once more into... EXT. THAMES - DAY Cigar Girl is now clearly in his sights. She is amazed to see that Bond has managed to overtake her. The racing boats dice through an armada of lazy, over-loaded BARGES, nearly crashing into the much larger vessels. AT EVEN PACE NOW...Cigar Girl attempts to force her way past him, but Bond, punching buttons on the console of the Q-boat, releases a set of catapulting FLAME CANNISTERS which create a massive WALL OF FIRE ahead of them... CIGAR GIRL is forced toward the very edge of the river...the jig is almost up, and then... HER P.O.V. She spots the launching of a HOT AIR BALLOON from the base of the massive MILLENNIUM DOME. She skids her vessel to a stop at a nearby pier and quickly scrambles out of her boat. EXT. MILLENNIUM DOME - DAY ...A crowd around a RICHARD BRANSON-like figure about to climb into his HOT AIR BALLOON. The Cigar Girl, brandishing her gun, forces her way through the crowd and LEAPS INTO THE BALLOON CARRIAGE, just ready to lift off. She cranks open the gas nozzles and the balloon rises with surprising speed. EXT. BOND�S BOAT - DAY Bond steers his craft toward a slipway adjacent to the pier and SHOOTS UP INTO THE AIR... EXT. MILLENNIUM DOME An amazing sight...Bond�s boat sailing through the air just beneath the balloon. With split second precision he reaches up and GRABS ONE OF THE ROPES dangling down from the balloon. Bond finds himself being CARRIED THROUGH THE AIR as his boat falls away from him, hitting the ground and ERUPTING into a ball of flame. EXT. HOT AIR BALLOON - CONTINUOUS As Bond is carried higher and higher, the Cigar Girl begins FIRING AT HIM over the edge of the carriage. Bond, with ONE HAND, returns fire. CIGAR GIRL then leans over the edge of the carriage and begins to SLICE THE ROPE that Bond is hanging from. The fibers split and fray away from each other as... BOND FALLS, heading straight toward... THE MILLENNIUM DOME, which the balloon has drifted over. AS HE PLUMMETS DOWNWARD...Bond, never surrendering, still FIRES HIS WEAPON up at the balloon. A bullet hits the gas tank... EXT. BALLOON - DAY The BALLOON EXPLODES IN A MASSIVE FIREBALL taking the Cigar Girl with it... EXT. MILLENNIUM DOME - DAY Bond lands with a spectacular thudding bounce, the roof of the Millennium Dome breaking his fall. EXT. MILLENNIUM DOME ROOF - DAY He slides uncontrollably down the slope of the Dome as scraps of burning balloon rain down all around, before he FALLS OFF THE EDGE of the Dome and lands with a THUD ON... THE GROUND BELOW He struggles up, wincing in SEARING PAIN as his hand goes to his INJURED SHOULDER. He hold it, and looks up, into the sky as we zero in on the iris of... HIS EYE reflecting the massive smoke cloud from the explosion as the screen transforms into... THE MAIN TITLES CUT TO: EXT. COUNTRY ESTATE, LOCH LOMOND - DAY BAGPIPES. A chapel atop a green slope overlooking the waters of Loch Lomond. A long line of mourners files out at the end of a memorial service. They mill about on the lawn, among them, M, grim- faced, BILL TANNER, CHIEF OF STAFF and JAMES BOND, his arm in a black sling. Bond, ever vigilant, scans the crowd... HIS P.O.V. It�s like a state funeral. Rich and powerful people, government ministers, chief executives from around the world...and then... FAR OFF, on a DISTANT RISE, he sees a BIG MAN, not one of the mourners but an isolated observer, standing alone, wearing sunglasses and a military haircut. The man seems to see Bond looking at him... M Bond, we�ll meet you inside. Bond looks at her for a brief second...when he turns back, the man is gone, like an APPARITION. Bond walks off, up the grassy slope, toward the rise. CUT TO: THE VIEW ACROSS THE VALLEY Bond stands on the hill, looking below. He sees nothing but a green carpet, not a tree to hide behind. He hears a crunch of leaves...turns... HIS P.O.V. A WOMAN, in mourning black, coming up the hill. Her china doll face is both fragile and proud. WOMAN Beautiful, isn�t it? BOND Yes. She steps up to the ridge with him. A breeze blows her hair. They stare out. The sun�s rays have broken the clouds and strafe the valley. WOMAN Today, of all days, the sun decides to shine. BOND Perhaps Sir Robert had a word with the Man Upstairs. WOMAN A word? I�m sure by now he�s engineered a hostile takeover. BOND You knew him well? The sun glints off her bejewelled earlobe. WOMAN He was my father. BOND I�m sorry. WOMAN He died before he could complete his lifelong dream. (beat) I intend to finish it for him. A voice interrupts them, calling from the estate... OLDER MAN Elektra! ELEKTRA Excuse me. She walks away, the wind pressing her dress against her delicate figure. She looks brave and vulnerable as she walks back toward her father�s grand house. CUT TO: INT. LIMOUSINE - TRAVELING - DAY M, Bond and Tanner in the rear of a limousine. The vehicle swoops through the epic countryside of the Scottish Highlands. M Elektra? Running King Industries? (she broods) I�ve known that girl all her life. I�m not sure she knows what she�s walking into. BOND She�s not a girl anymore. M looks at Bond. Eyes his sling. M I�ve scheduled a medical for you. BOND It�s barely a scratch. The Dome broke my fall. M Well, at least it turned out to have some purpose. Bond gives her a look. M No-one goes into the field on this unless they�re 100%. Dr. Greatrex is waiting. EXT. CASTLE THANE - HIGHLANDS - DAY The limousine swoops under the portcullis, into a courtyard. ADJUST ANGLE to reveal huge antennae and satellite dishes within. SUPER: MI-6 REMOTE OPERATIONS CENTRE, SCOTLAND EXT. CORRIDOR - CASTLE THANE - CONTINUOUS Bond walks through the corridors. Just before he enters the medical room, he removes his sling and casually drapes it on a suit of armor. INT. MEDICAL ROOM - CASTLE THANE - DAY Bond sits on the couch, shirt off, awaits the results of his medical. The very attractive DOCTOR GREATREX looks at her notes. DOCTOR GREATREX Dislocated collar bone. If any more tendons snap... (looks up) It won�t just be two weeks out of action. BOND I need you to pass me fit now, Molly. She moves to him, touches the scarred and bruised bone. BOND It�s just a scratch. DOCTOR GREATREX James. It wouldn�t really be... His hand comes up, rests on her waist. BOND Ethical? Can�t we just skirt the issue? And he pulls down the zip on her skirt. Flicks the clasp and it drops to the floor. She shakes her head -- as he starts undoing the buttons on her shirt. She�s very business-like, despite what�s happening. DOCTOR GREATREX ...if you showed sufficient...willpower. Promised to slow down. Cut out running, jumping...shooting. All kinds of... And he pulls her toward him, they kiss. BOND Strenuous activity? Her shirt drops to the floor. She pushes him back, lies on him. Just wearing knickers now. Between kisses: DOCTOR GREATREX Then maybe I�d be... open to that. BOND (smiles) Perhaps after this ... test? DOCTOR GREATREX ...yes?... BOND I could come for a second opinion? INT. BRIEFING ROOM, CASTLE THANE (MI-6 HQ)- LATER A huge chandelier dominates the vast stone room. SEVERAL AGENTS listen to the debriefing. ROBINSON and M watch TANNER explain things; he holds a FIFTY POUND NOTE and KING�S LAPEL PIN (now blackened, fused, melted to expose electronics beneath). TANNER ...The money was dipped in urea, dried, and packed tight. In one note the metal strip had been replaced with a combustible magnesium circuit -- in effect a tiny detonator. King always wore a pin in his lapel, an heirloom called �the Eye of the Glens�; but someone switched it for a copy, a ceramic micro- circuit emitting an electronic signature. ANGLE on BOND as he enters the room. He hangs back in the shadows, watches Tanner mime the pin moving to the note: TANNER When he came within range of the money -- boom. Ingenious. M steps forward. Her fury controlled. M We�ve been pawns in someone�s game. They tricked us into bringing the money to King. Not just elaborate. Cock-sure. TANNER And expensive. Cost three million plus. Suddenly the chandelier darkens, the floor brightens into a VAST SCREEN, showing a satellite image of Central Asia and the Mediterranean. M and Robinson walk onto the screen. M Cheap, if it achieves your aim of de- stabilizing the Western World. She causes the desired stir. Bond steps forward from the shadows to get a better view. M sees the sling has gone. M 007. What do you know of the Caspian Sea? BOND Caviar capital of the world. Matchless beluga. Firm, yet subtle. (M looks askance) Largest landlocked body of water on Earth. Oil-rich. Hitler wanted it. Stalin beat him to it. M And now it�s up for grabs, a goldrush. Far more oil than anyone thought. ROBINSON Latest estimates, six trillion dollars. It�ll make the Gulf look like a puddle, see us right through the new century. The problem is getting the oil out of there. M There are four pipelines in the works. Three to the Black Sea, shipping out through the Bosphorus. All vulnerable to unstable governments or Russian blockade. BOND So Sir Robert�s goes through Turkey, direct to the Med...? ROBINSON A huge project. The most expensive of the pipelines, but the one supported by every Western leader. None of the American oil companies were willing to take it on. But King has connections to the region. He married into the Vavra family, rich local industrialists. He used those connections to hold it all together. BOND Kill the man, kill the pipeline. M Not necessarily. Not with Elektra taking over. Tanner notices a RED LIGHT start pulsing. He moves to M: TANNER Your call to the PM. M nods grimly. As Robinson distributes sealed envelopes: M Our credibility has been hit hard. We have to hit back harder. Your assignments. They open their envelopes, but Bond received nothing. M (to Bond) I�m waiting for the report on your medical. She leaves. Bond is brooding. CUT TO: INT. RESEARCH ROOM, CASTLE THANE (MI-6 HQ) - NIGHT An ancient nook chock full of hi-tech equipment. Bond concentrates on a screen displaying PHOTOGRAPHS, NEWSPAPER AND TELEVISION CLIPS -- all to do with King�s life and times. Bond touches the screen on a photo of...ELEKTRA. INT. SCREEN One story dominates -- the KIDNAPPING OF ELEKTRA KING. A Polaroid of Elektra savagely beaten, ear bandaged, holding a newspaper: beneath the photo is scrawled �$5,000,000.� NEWSCASTER ...somehow managed to shoot two of her captors and escape... POLICE VIDEO: Elektra interviewed; bruised, emotional. VOICE ... the leader, the one who escaped. Can you describe him? ELEKTRA He shouted. He shouted all the time -- Bond touches Elektra�s face, freezing her tears. His eyes wander to the photo with the ransom demand: $5,000,000. A thought forms. He takes out his wallet, opening it and removing: THE RECEIPT FROM LACHAISE. E.C.U. The strange figure, in pounds: 3,030,303.03. Bond taps some keys. The words EXCHANGE RATE appear on the screen...pounds to dollars. He enters �3,030,303.03 POUNDS STERLING� and through multiplication by the exchange rate this becomes: �5,000,000 US DOLLARS.� He stares at it. CUT TO: INT. PASSAGEWAY - CASTLE THANE (MI-6 HQ) - DUSK Bond paces the flagstones, FOOTSTEPS ECHOING. INT. BRIEFING ROOM - CASTLE THANE (MI-6 HQ) - CONTINUOUS Bond opens the door on M who stands alone by the window, looking out at the long shadows on the moors. BOND Tell me about the kidnapping of Elektra King. She turns, her brow furrowing. M Who told you to look at Elektra�s files? BOND I took the initiative. M You haven�t been given an assignment in this case. BOND I was the one who brought that money in... M I�m well aware of your stake in this, 007. If you have a point, get to it. BOND The amount of money that killed Robert King is the same amount as the ransom demand for Elektra. He hands her a slip of paper. BOND Whoever kidnapped Elektra is the same man who killed her father. M looks at the paper, a long time. M It�s a message. He wants us to know he�s back. BOND Who? M Claude Serrault. A.K.A... BOND (this is serious) Renard. CUT TO: INT. BRIEFING ROOM, CASTLE THANE (MI-6 HQ)- NIGHT A HUGE, TRANSPARENT 3-D IMAGE OF RENARD�S SKULL floats in the centre of the room. Other images of him on wall screens. M Sir Robert tried to deal with the kidnapping with his own...resources, at first. When Elektra�s ear was delivered to him in the post, he came to me. (measured) I advised against paying the ransom. I knew it was Renard. I played it out as long as possible to get a fix on him. BOND Sacrifice the girl to take out the terrorist? M How many deaths is he responsible for? How many innocent people? You may only get one shot at a man like Renard. Same circumstances, I�d do the same again. She turns to the hologram. M We sent 009 down to kill him. Before he could, Elektra escaped. A week later our man caught up with the target. Put a bullet in his head. (beat) That bullet is still there. Bond moves toward the ghostly Renard. We now see THE BULLET INSIDE HIS SKULL. BOND He survived? M The doctor who saved him couldn�t get it out, so Renard killed him. When Interpol found the x-rays, there was mild jubilation. Effectively, he�s a dead man. She presses a button, the hologram turns... M The bullet is moving through the medulla oblongata, killing off his sense of touch. He feels no pain. He can push himself harder, longer than any normal man. BOND �That which does not kill me makes me stronger.� M Now Robert is dead. He got his revenge. BOND He�s not through yet. Renard doesn�t blow up five million dollars unless he knows there�s more coming in. He�s working for someone. Someone who wants to stop the pipeline. And they hired the perfect killer. One with a vendetta against King...and you. MONEYPENNY ENTERS with a file, which she hands to M. M looks over the file: his medical report. M I see the good doctor gave you glowing testimonials. �Exceptional stamina�... MONEYPENNY He�s always been good at oral exams. Moneypenny disappears out the door. M is all business. M Get out to the pipeline. Find the insider who switched the pin. If your instincts are right, Renard will be back. He hasn�t completed the job. The pipeline is still going forward, and we have Elektra to thank for that. BOND The worm on the hook again. They exchange a look. A look of recognition between two professionals, who know the terrible price of what they do. INT. Q�S LAB - NIGHT A Scot in a kilt plays the bagpipes -- badly. He spins round, drops the pipe from his mouth, simultaneously fires bullets from one pipe and a jet of flame from another. The target is a realistic dummy -- now a molten, bullet-ridden mess. We�re in Q�s laboratory. He�s walking Bond through. BOND Scottish heavy metal, Q? Q Oh pipe down, 007. (irritated, hands over a WATCH) Your 29th. Try not to lose this one. It has dual lasers and a miniature grappling hook with fifty feet of high-tensile micro-filament, able to support 800 pounds. In the background, we see a man in a sleek black jacket. The man PULLS A STRING...the jacket becomes AN AIRBAG...it envelopes him, he gets impossibly tangled in it. Q ignores it, handing Bond a new pair of GLASSES. Q New refinement. Sort of X-ray vision. For checking concealed weapons. BOND And other uses, no doubt. Q Abuses in your case. You destroyed my hydro-boat in less than seven minutes, as no doubt will be the case with this... He presses a button and a section of ceiling lowers to reveal a BMW Z7. A MAN in a white coat is loading A MISSILE into one of the headlamps, then steps off the platform. Q gestures to him. Q 007, my Deputy Assistant. I�m grooming him to follow me. BOND (to Man) That would make you...�R�? R Ahh, the rampant 007 wit. I, of course, am laughing inside. But I dare say you�ve met your match in this machine. (touring the car) The absolute latest in intercepts, surveillance and countermeasures. Titanium plating and armor, a multi- tasking heads-up display. Completely indestructible. All in all, rather stocked. Q �Fully loaded� I think is the term. �R� pats the fender, he�s pretty damned fond of his machine. R Do take good care of her. CUT TO: EXT. CONSTRUCTION SITE, NEAR CAUCASUS MOUNTAINS - DAY A hot day. CAMERA soars over tall trees. We can just make out the sleek muscular car, beetle-black and far below, bouncing over rough terrain. Bond �taking care� of his new BMW Z7. INT. BOND�S CAR - NR CAUCASUS MOUNTAINS - DAY We join Bond at the wheel, driving hard, loving it, pushing up extreme inclines, smashing through overhanging limbs. EXT. PERIMETER FENCE, CONSTRUCTION SITE, NEAR CAUCASUS MOUNTAINS - DAY Bond reaches a PERIMETER FENCE, manned by a GUARD. The guard examines Bond�s PASS and waves him through. EXT. AIRSTRIP AREA NEAR CONSTRUCTION SITE, NEAR CAUCASUS MOUNTAINS - DAY (OLD SC. 69) As Bond drives on he passes an area where HELICOPTERS trailing GIANT SAWS are trimming back trees. Felled trees are being dragged away, being replaced by huge metal sheets. An incredibly fast and well-oiled operation -- but why? EXT. CONSTRUCTION SITE, NEAR CAUCASUS MOUNTAINS - DAY Bond pulls up at the CONSTRUCTION SITE, teeming with ultra- modern robotic construction machines and vehicles. He gets out, and is immediately surrounded by men with guns. A man in a suit steps forward. DAVIDOV is tall, blonde, with a dangerous charm Bond instantly recognizes as ex-KGB. He turns Bond around, hands on the car. Pats him down. Pulls out an ID, checks it: DAVIDOV (excellent English) Bond. A government man. I�m afraid since you English got the boss killed we�ve been a little...jumpy. Bond stares ahead, watches a PRIVATE JET swoops past... OMITTED EXT. AIRSTRIP AREA NEAR CONSTRUCTION SITE, NEAR CAUCASUS MOUNTAINS - DAY The jet lands on a runway of the metal sheets Bond saw being laid as he passed... EXT. CONSTRUCTION SITE, NEAR CAUCASUS MOUNTAINS - DAY Davidov pulls out Bond�s gun. BOND (re: gun) I�d rather you didn�t play with that. Davidov ignores him, looking the gun over. DAVIDOV Nice. BOND Quite stunning. Bond turns to watch a LIFTING HELICOPTER swoop in and drop down an air-conditioned office. Military precision. Davidov�s radio crackles out a message and he tosses the gun back to Bond. They start walking: DAVIDOV (pleasant) Sorry about all that, comrade. Old habits die hard. I am Head of Security. Davidov. Bond eyes him, but is distracted by a jet coming to a halt ahead of them. Stairs swing down and out steps ELEKTRA KING. Beautiful, elegant. So out of place in this world of men. She surveys the worksite. Impressed, Bond takes his ID back from Davidov. INT. OFFICE, CONSTRUCTION SITE - CONTINUOUS Bond and Davidov step into a fully functioning office. Everything Elektra requires is here. Computer, phones, drinks cabinet. She is in the middle of a group of workmen and secretaries, looking at plans, talking, pouring herself a cup of coffee. ELEKTRA (to Foreman) ...they should have been in place two days ago. That is the target my father set. FOREMAN We�ve had some trouble with the villagers at Ruan. Some sacred burial plot... DAVIDOV Miss King...James Bond here to see you. She looks up...a brief moment of RECOGNITION...then back to business. ELEKTRA Find me the research on the limestone deposits, go ahead and place these orders, and get the jeep ready. I will go to Ruan myself... DAVIDOV Miss King, I wouldn�t recommend... ELEKTRA I said, I will go. She signs some documents and the men file out. She gets up, turning her back to Bond, hands on her hips. ELEKTRA Would you excuse us, Davidov? Davidov nods and leaves. Elektra still keeps her back turned, but he can see her physically change, her shoulders sag, her arms cross in front of her. When she finds her voice, it has a gravelly sound of emotion. ELEKTRA I met you at my father�s funeral. BOND Yes. ELEKTRA I haven�t been able to recall a single moment of that day...until now. BOND Funerals aren�t exactly memorable. ELEKTRA God no. All those horrible loved ones and relatives. I don�t want to talk to those people. I just want to...talk to my father. (beat) I loved him. I�m not sure he knew that. BOND Is that why you want to finish the pipeline? ELEKTRA Partially, yes. Her muscleman BODY GUARD appears, says briefly: GABOR The jeep is ready, Ma�am. Will I be driving with you? ELEKTRA No, Gabor. We have a guest. Gabor glares at Bond before he leaves. BOND Who is he? ELEKTRA My bodyguard. He follows me everywhere. He�s decisive, vigilant. And he makes an excellent omelette. BOND How long has he been with you? ELEKTRA Since the kidnapping. Why do you ask? Bond takes something out of his pocket, he opens his palm, shows it to her. BOND Does this look familiar to you? ELEKTRA It�s my father�s pin. He wore it everyday of his life. She swallows back emotion. Looks in his eyes, with a sad half- smile that unsettles him. ELEKTRA Are you trying to break my heart? Or is it just your way with women? BOND It�s not the pin your father wore. It�s an exact duplicate. Inside is a tiny electrical detonator. We have reason to believe the assassin had an inside accomplice, someone who worked at this company. ELEKTRA If you�ve come here to look after me, Mr. Bond, thank you, but no thank you. I have two bodyguards, I don�t need a third... She starts to walk out. He follows her... EXT. CONSTRUCTION SITE - CONTINUOUS BOND The killer doesn�t want to see this pipeline continue, doesn�t want to see you take over... ELEKTRA That�s every man within a five mile radius. Including you. (off his look) That�s why you�re here, isn�t it? You think I can�t do it. You think I�m going to screw up. Or get myself killed. BOND I think running this pipeline would be a difficult job for anyone. Especially King�s daughter. ELEKTRA You are wrong, Mr. Bond. In fact, I am the only person who can do it. CUT TO: EXT. JEEP, TRAVELING - OILFIELDS - DAY Elektra drives the all-terrain jeep with casual assurance. Bond is beside her, cold-weather gear in the back. They�re following a huge pipeline, passing a blighted petrified forest of twisted iron: derelict oil derricks. Elektra gestures at the oil fields they�re now leaving behind. Receding into the distance, a DELTA OF ROADWAYS perched on rusting stilts juts out into the sea. ELEKTRA My mother�s people discovered oil here ninety years ago. The Bolsheviks slaughtered them for it. (beat) Some say oil is in my family�s blood. I say our blood is in the oil. This is the very heart of the planet. Up here in the hills was Eden, literally. Look what the Russians did to it. Now we have a second chance and this time we�ll do it right. When the other wells have all dried up, she�ll still be pumping her lifeblood to the world. And this (proudly, of pipeline) Will be one of the main arteries... OMITTED 75- EXT. POV FROM HELICOPTER - DAY Bond and Elektra travel beside the vast pipe through dramatic, beautiful, scenery... INT. HELICOPTER - DAY Davidov and Gabor, in the helicopter, watch the jeep below. EXT. CONSTRUCTION CAMP, FOOTHILLS OF THE CAUCASUS MOUNTAINS (CAPPADOCIA, THE VILLAGE OF ZELVE) - DAY The jeep reaches a break in the pipe: a SURVEY CAMP, flags, strings. The SURVEY CREW cower behind a 4WD, local tribesman are stoning them from a village carved into the rock. A lot of SHOUTING. Before Bond can stop her, Elektra gets out, moves toward the tribesmen. The stoning ceases. They know who she is. She begins to speak quietly -- in their own tongue. INT. CHAPEL, ZELVE - DAY A stunning pre-Byzantine chapel hewn from the rock. Flames illuminate beautiful mosaics and paintings on the cavern wall. A COPTIC PRIEST proudly shows Elektra about, jabbering in his mother tongue. She answers in his language. Bond watches her, impressed. EXT. CONSTRUCTION CAMP - DISTORTED ELECTRONIC POV, FROM ABOVE: We hear the click of high-powered electronic binoculars, zeroing in on Bond and Elektra as they return to the survey team. This can�t be Davidov�s view, as the helicopter has settled down below. EXT. CONSTRUCTION CAMP, FOOTHILLS OF MOUNTAINS - DAY Bond is edgy. Someone is out there. He�s sure of it. He sees Davidov and Gabor scanning the area as well. Elektra speaks to the foreman. ELEKTRA Send the pipe around. FOREMAN It will take weeks, cost millions. Your father approved this route. ELEKTRA Then my father was wrong. The first time Elektra has asserted her own authority. The foreman is surprised, angry. But he doesn�t question her. She moves toward the helicopter, says to Bond: ELEKTRA I have to check the upper lines. Gabor will drive you back. BOND Always wanted to see the upper lines. ELEKTRA You don�t take no for an answer, do you? BOND No. She shrugs, mischief in her eyes. ELEKTRA Alright then. Do you ski? Bond just smiles. BOND I�ve been known to. INT/EXT. HELICOPTER - DAY The chopper swoops over SNOWY WASTES. It reaches a mountain peak, hovers. The wind is strong, buffeting. Elektra and Bond are both now in ski suits, Bond wearing a sleek black jacket. PILOT Can�t land. Wind�s too strong! ELEKTRA Just hold her steady. (to Bond) You wanted to see it. She steps into her skis, opens the door. Wind rushes in. EXT. MOUNTAIN TOP - DAY Without a moment�s hesitation, Elektra leaps out of the chopper and falls fifteen feet, landing on the move. INT/EXT. HELICOPTER - DAY Unbelieving, Bond quickly dons skis and leaps after her. EXT. MOUNTAINS - DAY Below him on the mountain, she is already a way ahead. Her skiing is fearless. Bond likes a challenge... They wind down the slope, competitive, testing one another, enjoying it. EXT. MOUNTAINSIDE - DAY After an exhilarating run, she stops on the edge of a huge drop. Bond joins her. They look down at the snowy valley below. A line of survey FLAGS visible through the middle. ELEKTRA We�re building from both ends. This is where they�ll meet. Fifteen hundred miles from the Caspian to the Mediterranean. Bond and Elektra stand on the mountainside, feeling like the only two people in the world, when they hear: THE DISTANT HUM OF A PLANE. EXT. SKY - DAY They see FOUR OBJECTS falling out the back of the aircraft. As the objects plummet silently toward the earth, they POP PARACHUTES, their fall slows and then, as Bond and Elektra watch in disbelief... GUNFIRE echoes out from the black shapes, now visible as PARASKIS, low-flying, sleek, deadly snow vehicles. EXT. MOUNTAIN TOP - DAY Bond turns to Elektra, he has to yell over the sound of the approaching machines. BOND Head for that gully, I�ll lure them into the trees! He points her off to one side, where a shallow gully offers cover...she skis off to shelter and he skis OUT...INTO THE OPEN...where the paraskis trail after him... He streaks toward the trees as the vehicles gain on him, firing... EXT. FOREST He makes it to the woods, finding cover in the trees, whipping in and out of sight as PARASKI #1 tries to follow, sinking lower and lower until... HIS SKIDS catch on some over hanging branches...the Paraski is CATAPULTED into a tree and EXPLODES... EXT. WOODS - CONTINUOUS Coming in to pick up the pursuit of Bond is Paraski #2, firing down at Bond, dropping bombs which explode just behind him in the snow. The other two paraskis LAND and eject their chutes, now RACING THROUGH THE WOODS on the ground. Bond looks behind him, sees them gaining...he zigzags through the trees and suckers Paraski #3 to glance off one tree, hit another and wipe out behind. But the remaining predator on the ground, Paraski #4, is gaining on him...Bond bursts out of the trees and finds himself heading toward... THE EDGE OF A PRECIPICE... He cranks himself right, narrowly avoiding a tumble over the edge. Paraski #4 isn�t so lucky and SAILS OFF THE CLIFF to a hundred and fifty foot drop. BOND (smiling) Should have stuck to snowboarding. But the smile is wiped off his face as...AN EMERGENCY PARACHUTE deploys from the back... The Paraski does a climbing turn and heads straight back for him... Bond skis for his life, away from Paraski #4 when PARASKI #2 appears in front of him...guns blazing... One ahead and one behind, Bond turns back...he has nowhere to go but... OVER THE EDGE He sails through the air and lands on the Paraski #4, slashing the parachute with his ski pole before bouncing off and doing an amazing tumbling hundred foot fall to the snow, where he lands on his skis... Paraski four, the chute tangling in the rotors of its propeller, struggles to maintain control, his vehicle inexorably hurtling toward PARASKI #2: both of them having set their course for Bond, they are now on a collision course with EACH OTHER... IN THE GULLY BELOW Bond meets up with Elektra as above them... The two Paraskis collide, crashing into the snowy hill above and tumbling down, end over end. Bond and Elektra huddle together as shards and debris rain down on them. Then...silence. An eerie silence. ELEKTRA Are they gone? All of them? Bond nods, ripping from his pole a PIECE OF THE PARACHUTE he slashed and wiping his face with it...he looks at the piece of fabric in his hand. He sees: CYRILLIC LETTERS...undecipherable to us...but there is a look on his face, a look of recognition as... AN EARTH RATTLING RUMBLE grows above them. Bond stuffs the parachute fragment in his ski-suit as he turns... The exploding Paraskis have triggered AN AVALANCHE on the slope above. EXT. MOUNTAINSIDE/AVALANCHE AREA - DAY They try to outrun it -- riding the sliding hill -- but they haven�t a hope... the rest of the snow is catching them, they�re going to get swallowed. EXT. MOUNTAINSIDE/AVALANCHE AREA - DAY The ground shudders, the THUNDER CLOSING... Their ankles are soon covered, Elektra falls. Bond stops, pulls her up. They�re about to die. He pulls her to him. BOND Hold on to me. She�s confused and frightened but does as she�s told. They hold one another tight as -- here it comes -- the white fury hurtles over them, burying them... At the last moment, just as their heads vanish from view... CLOSE ON BOND PULLING THE Q GADGET ON THE JACKET. The AIRBAG slams open. The snow covers it and them. More and more snow slides over... CUT TO: INT. SNOW HOLE - MOMENTS LATER Darkness. The RUMBLING CEASES... Light emanates from Bond�s watch. In the shadows he pulls a knife, punctures the air bag. It deflates, leaving them cocooned in an icy tomb. Elektra looks around, staring, unbelieving. ELEKTRA Oh my God...we�re buried alive... BOND We�re alright. But her breath is coming in short, irregular bursts. ELEKTRA I can�t stay here. BOND You�re not going to. Bond takes a knife from a sheath around his ankle. Flicks open the small blade. He starts to cut a hole in the snow above their heads. She stops him. ELEKTRA No! It will cave in! BOND It�s the only way out... The snow CREAKS eerily, she gasps, terror mounting. ELEKTRA I can�t breathe, I can�t breathe... Bond grabs her, holds her tight. She resists, bucks. BOND Elektra, look at me, look in my eyes! (she does) You�re alright. Everything will be alright. Trust me. Finally, arrested by the strength in his eyes, she calms... EXT. MOUNTAINS - MOMENTS LATER A beautiful expanse of smooth virgin snow. All is quiet. CLOSER Bond�s fist PUNCHES through the white. He pulls the snow away, climbs out. Leans in, lifts Elektra out. Bond and Elektra stand, lone figures in the perfect white. They hear a sound...HELICOPTER ROTORS. Rescue on its way. CUT TO: EXT. ELEKTRA�S VILLA - DAY An establishing shot of Bond�s BMW parked outside the ornate villa on the shore of the golden Caspian. INT. ENTRANCE HALL, ELEKTRA�S VILLA - DAY Palatial. Hallway dominated by a LARGE PAINTING of a bearded man in traditional Turkish garb, sitting proudly on a horse. Davidov, Gabor, waiting, pacing. Bond is sits in a chair, ON EDGE, writing something over and over on a small pad of paper...THE CYRILLIC LETTERS on the parachute fragment. A DOCTOR comes down the grand staircase. The men stand. DOCTOR She�s fine. Contusions. A slight strain to her ankle, but otherwise, fine. (to Bond) She wants to see you. INT. ELEKTRA�S BEDROOM - SUNSET Bond enters. Elektra is standing by the window watching the golden ball of the sun sink into the sea. She wears nothing but a silk embroidered robe; the sun shows through it, outlining her naked body in soft, shadowy curves. ELEKTRA Are you alright? He nods. He is wound tight, she senses it. BOND I can�t stay. ELEKTRA I know. A moment. ELEKTRA I need to ask you something. And I need you to tell me the truth. He waits. ELEKTRA Who is it? Who is trying to kill me? Bond looks at her; vulnerable, fragile, trying to be strong. He cannot tell her the truth. BOND I don�t know. But I will find him. She stares at him, sensing he is withholding something. She turns back to the window. He approaches behind her. ELEKTRA After the kidnapping...I was afraid to go outside, to be alone, to be in a crowd, to do anything at all, until I realized... (pause) There�s no point in living if you can�t...feel alive. She looks out at the fading sun. ELEKTRA I can�t huddle in the shadows. I can�t let fear run my life. I won�t. She turns to him. ELEKTRA The way I acted, in the snow...you must think I�m a coward. BOND I think you�re one of the bravest people I�ve ever met. She looks up at him, into his eyes; they are so close. All she has to do is tilt her mouth upward...she kisses him. His hands come up across her back, pressing her toward him, her body melting into his, and then... He pulls back. Has to physically step away from her. ELEKTRA What is it? BOND ...you should rest. That was exactly the wrong thing to say. He sees the rebellion flair in her eyes. ELEKTRA James... BOND I have to go. ELEKTRA Then take me with you. BOND No. You�ll be safe here. ELEKTRA I don�t want to be safe! BOND I have to go to work. He starts toward the door. ELEKTRA Now who�s the coward? He stops, his back up...then heads out the door. IN THE HALLWAY He passes Gabor, standing faithfully outside. CUT TO: EST. SHOT - EXT. CASINO NOIR D�OR, BAKU - NIGHT Elegant, mysterious. A modern day Casablanca. INT. CASINO NOIR D�OR, BAKU - NIGHT Bond in evening dress in the sumptuous casino. He takes out the Q glasses, slips them on, surveys the room -- HIS X-RAY POV He can see all the WEAPONS carried by the players. All sizes of pistol, even the odd grenade. The obvious side-effect of this view -- he can see through clothes. His eyes alight on two girls walking away from him. One of them turns to look back, unaware that she is on display. She returns Bond�s smile. Her friend turns to look. Bond�s smile grows: she has a small pistol concealed over one breast. INT. CASINO NOIR D�OR, BAKU - NIGHT He looks over the lenses -- and spies someone on the fringes. His old adversary, ex-KGB, VALENTIN ZUKOVSKY, talking to some suspicious types. Zukovsky looks across. Bond walks toward him. BOND Valentin Zukovsky. ZUKOVSKY BondJamesBond. What brings you here? BOND You, of course. I need some information. ZUKOVSKY Bond, I�m a civilian. This is my place. Used to be the royal family�s, now it�s mine. I run my little business, I stay out of trouble... BOND (looking about) Mafia warlords, Diplomats and spies, consortiums from every country in the world. A nice little rat�s nest. ZUKOVSKY (offering hors d�ouevres) Have some of the rat�s nest caviar. From my own fishery. They buy my caviar, drink my champagne, lose to my House. He turns to a suspicious-looking Heavy. ZUKOVSKY Let me introduce you to a former colleague of mine at the KGB. Dmitri Palov, you may know him as...the Boa. The Boa is completely bald, muscular; huge, deadly hands. BOA The great 007. For years I have dreamed of closing my hands around your neck. BOND Boa. Have you had any therapy since Perestroika? ZUKOVSKY Why am I suddenly worried I�m not carrying enough insurance? The Boa leaves, glaring all the while. ZUKOVSKY See? You�re upsetting my customers. What do you want? BOND How does a terrorist like Renard supply his men with state-of-the-art Russian Army weapons? ZUKOVSKY What? This is not possible. Bond takes from his pocket the fragment of the PARACHUTE. Zukovsky examines the letters. BOND If I remember my Cyrillic that says 101st airborne division. ZUKOVSKY Where did you get this? BOND Off a high-powered Paraski that was trying to kill me. Zukovsky shakes his head. Sighs. ZUKOVSKY The Russian Army, they spend millions on flying skis, but they cannot afford to pay the soldiers. The men, they do what they have to do to feed their families. In this country, for the right price and a pack of cigarettes, you can get anything you want. He notices Bond watching THE HOSTESS BAR...a dark alcove of the casino, where slinky HOOKERS flatter the guests. ZUKOVSKY That too. Everyone does what they can to survive. BOND How high up does this...arms dealing go? ZUKOVSKY Bond. If someone wants you dead, it is Renard. Our government has nothing to gain by killing you. BOND But you would have something to gain by killing Robert King. And stopping his pipeline. This hits Zukovsky. He closes down. A chill between them. ZUKOVSKY Poor Bond. The cold war is over. What have you got left? Economic espionage. Murder in the boardroom. So dull. Bond�s eyes catch something, someone entering the casino. HIS POV: ELEKTRA...more vibrant than we have ever seen her, living up to her name. She is impossibly glamorous in a sparkling dress that fits like second skin. Her hair is full and tumbling, her eyes are fiery and wild. BOND Oh, you�d be surprised. Bond starts toward her, but she tosses her head, defiant, and turns away, making her way to the Roulette tables. Bond follows her across the casino. They are like two cats, moving through this neon jungle, their energy dangerous and sexy, all eyes on them. He takes note as she passes...MINIMUM $100, then $500, $1000... She finally stops at the �No limit� table. Crowded with the nastiest and richest of the high rollers, Armenians, Turks, South Americans, a computer nerd American and a Russian industrialist�s wife, heavy with jewelry and drink. ZUKOVSKY is suddenly there, pulling out a seat for her in the center. ZUKOVSKY We�ve kept your father�s chair free. ELEKTRA And his account? ZUKOVSKY You have a credit line of a million and a half. He gestures to the Dealer, who pushes ten towering stacks of CHIPS toward her. A WAITRESS is right there to take her order. ELEKTRA Vodka martini. BOND Two. Shaken not stirred. He leans in, smiling his charming smile as he says: BOND What the hell are you doing here? ELEKTRA (smiling right back) Someone wants to kill me, I�d rather die looking him straight in the eye. (lightly) What are you doing here? Looking for a woman a little more your type? How about that one? She points to a SHOW GIRL in a feather headdress and pasties. BOND If this little show is for my benefit, I�ll take you home right now. ELEKTRA You had your chance, James. Now I�m looking for a bigger thrill. She pushes half her chips back onto the table, letting them stand on her bet. The whole table exhales. Then, it starts: bets are placed, gamblers energized by her arrival. Bond scans the room, vigilant, nervous... HIS P.O.V. He zeroes in on Davidov, sidling off, away from the table, trying to look nonchalant, his eyes shifting this way and that...he looks suspicious as hell. Bond watches, his blood running, and then... Davidov slips into the HOSTESS BAR. A HOOKER is soon wrapping herself around him. After a few words, she leads him off toward the back. Bond returns to the game, shaking his head. He watches as THE DEALER DEALS FROM THE SHOE. CUT TO: INT. SALON PRIV� - NIGHT A small room. Lit by sconces that sport LIVE FLAMES. Tacky- luxurious, a refracted Eastern reflection on an old west whore house. Davidov undresses in the little bathroom alcove. He faces a small ornate mirror over the sink, in which he can see THE HOOKER behind him, on the bed. HOOKER You want to be...on top, or not on top? DAVIDOV On top. She slowly pulls a pair of SILK ROPES out from her bra and DANGLES THEM. HOOKER Tied up, or not tied up? Davidov smiles, struggling with his belt. He looks down, gets it, looks up...his heart stops...it is not the hooker in the mirror but... RENARD�S FRIGHTENING FACE. Davidov spins. HIS P.O.V. Renard�s henchman stands by the door, an automatic rifle cocked at Davidov. RENARD Dead, or not dead? CUT TO: INT. CASINO - THE BLACK JACK TABLE Elektra with black king showing. A seven beneath. BOND I understand it�s normally good practice to get the feel of the cards before going off the deep end. ELEKTRA Really? And with a smile she scratches her cards on the table for a hit. The Dealer gives her an eight. She reveals her cards. DEALER Bust. He rakes in her chips. But Elektra is undeterred. She pushes another pile forward as the next deal commences. ELEKTRA I like the deep end, James. CUT TO: INT. SALON PRIVE The HENCHMAN holds Davidov against the wall with his huge fist around his neck. Near his head, the live flame of a SCONCE hisses, burning blue and yellow, drawing their fuel from the glass basin of hot oil attached beneath it. The HOOKER, obviously one of Renard�s gang, has finished donning her khaki pants and combat boots and straps a gun onto her shoulder. Renard looks distastefully at the room. RENARD Is this how you spend the money I pay you? And with the rest you hire fools who shoot like blind men? DAVIDOV (croaks out) Bond... RENARD Should be dead as well. Your failure today is astonishing. It is a disgrace. He approaches close to him, stopping at the flaming SCONCE near his head. RENARD Do you know why the color is blue at the wick? Davidov starts to sweat. RENARD Because that is where the flame is the hottest. Renard touches the glass well of oil. RENARD The temperature is close to five hundred degrees. Renard uses his knife and POPS the seal from the lamp, removing the well of oil...a DROP of the hot oil FALLS ON HIS HAND and SINGES IT BLACK in an instant... Renard does not even flinch. Davidov starts talking, trying to placate... DAVIDOV The plane...it�s all been arranged... RENARD Then you are completely unnecessary... Renard raises the container of oil over Davidov�s head: DAVIDOV I have the documents, the landing authorizations, the security passes... Renard stops, the oil tilted, just ready to pour... His dead eye...has it drooped further since we last saw him?...seems to glitter in the light... RENARD Bond is suspicious. We are moving sooner, tonight. We understand each other? DAVIDOV Yes...yes... Renard lets a TRICKLE OF OIL drop onto Davidov�s head... HE SCREAMS as his hair smokes and singes... Renard makes a motion, the THUG releases Davidov, who falls to the floor, clutching his head. CUT TO: INT. CASINO - THE BLACK JACK TABLE Another deal. ZUKOVSKY and others watch, as Elektra stakes even more. People move closer for a view. The Dealer shows a five. Elektra shows Bond her cards. Elektra is holding two eights. Dealer�s up-card is a six. BOND Stand or split them. She smiles. He holds her gaze. ELEKTRA Surely you believe in living dangerously. BOND Not at that price. Time to surrender. They eye one another a long while -- sex firmly in the air. She smiles. She moves ALL HER CHIPS forward. Bond catches a look between the Dealer and Zukovsky: DEALER The House has no limit. General kerfuffle. Bond looks back toward THE HOSTESS BAR...no sign of Davidov�s return... ELEKTRA (to Dealer) Hit me. The Dealer scoops a card from the shoe. Tension. Everyone holds their breath...as he turns over... -- a six. Bust. The audience inhale as one AS THE DEALER TAKES ALL HER CHIPS AWAY. Elektra stands. She has dignity in defeat. She turns to Bond, holding out a hand. ELEKTRA Time to surrender. EXT. CASINO - NIGHT Bond, Elektra, Gabor outside, Davidov soon joining them, trying to look like he hasn�t been through hell. Bond notices the burn on his head. Davidov touches it self- consciously. DAVIDOV A little accident. BOND A night of burning passion? Davidov scowls at him. Bond leads Elektra away... CUT TO: A DISTANT P.O.V. FROM HIGH ABOVE. Someone watches Bond and Elektra move toward his BMW. HENCHMAN (V.O.) What about Bond? EXT. CASINO ROOF RENARD and his henchmen, watching. Renard seems mesmerized by the sight of Bond�s HAND on the small of Elektra�s back, their easy sensuality as they both get into the car. HENCHMAN Sir? Sir? RENARD (seething) I will take care of Mister Bond. CUT TO: EXT. ELEKTRA�S VILLA - NIGHT Bond and Elektra emerge from the BMW. Behind them, Gabor and Davidov get out of her car. Bond watches as Davidov slams his door and marches off, angry, toward the SECURITY QUARTERS at the side of the house. Bond and Elektra walk to the front door, anticipation thick in the air. Gabor opens the door. Elektra sweeps through... INT. ENTRANCE HALL, ELEKTRA�S VILLA - NIGHT Bond pauses just inside the open doorway. HIS P.O.V. Two figures in the cavernous entrance hall, Elektra having a brief word with Gabor, before he turns and exits, leaving only... ELEKTRA AND BOND. She starts upstairs, Bond�s eyes locked on her body, and then: SHE LOOKS BACK...just once. But it says everything. She continues upward. Bond taps the front door closed with his foot. INT. BEDROOM, ELEKTRA�S VILLA - NIGHT Half-light. They�re entwined between the sheets. This is something slow, languorous, not to be rushed. We can�t make out the mechanics, but they�re beaded with sweat. Her fingers trace the contours of his torso. Linger on his bruised collar-bone. ELEKTRA You knew when you first saw me. You knew it would be like this. BOND Shush. Her hand dips in an ice bucket beside the bed. She rubs a slither of ice down her chest, shudders with pleasure. It�s a move Bond hasn�t seen before. Now she brings the ice to his shoulder. ELEKTRA Poor shoulder. Looks painful... She kisses his purple flesh. Licks. BOND ...needs constant attention... She slides her tongue back and fore along the groove above the tendon. And he pulls the ice from her hand: BOND Enough ice for one day. Tosses it across the room as passion takes over... INT. BEDROOM, ELEKTRA�S VILLA - LATER A puddle of water where the ice fell. Post-sex on the bed. He traces a hand down her naked back. The sweat glistens off the curve of her spine. She turns. The light glints off her jewelled earlobe...he touches it. BOND You never take this off? Elektra looks at him. ELEKTRA Why do men always want to undress the one part of a woman�s body she doesn�t want to reveal? She reaches to the large, diamond-encrusted earring and gently plucks it away. Pulls her lush hair back... The lower half of her ear is gone, reduced to a misshapen clump of scar tissue. It is the only mark on her perfect body. A physical reminder of her ordeal. It breaks his heart. BOND How did you survive? ELEKTRA I used my body on the guards. It gave me control. I got to a gun and I took my chance. (beat) I�ve never told anyone that. They are looking at each other, both suddenly feeling something dangerously close to real connection. It is not what Bond expected. ELEKTRA Do you ever stop, James? Do you ever think about...another kind of life? He holds her gaze for a long time before he looks away. BOND I can�t afford to. She frowns, slightly. Settles into his chest. ELEKTRA Don�t worry. I know who you are. He holds her, eyes full of conflict, staring into the dark. EXT. VILLA - NIGHT - LATER The lights of a car pulling up at the security office by the perimeter wall of the property. EXT. SECURITY QUARTERS - SAME Bond�s car, several of Elektra�s vehicles, all parked around the security office. They have been joined by: A WHITE ECONOMY CAR, a Russian make, with a familiar SEAL painted on the door...we�ve seen it before, the seal on top of the stolen report at the beginning...Miratom. Out of the driver�s seat steps...DAVIDOV. He carries a briefcase from the car to the front door of the security office. He looks around furtively before he disappears inside. The parking area is dark and silent and then: JAMES BOND sits up in the driver�s seat of his BMW. INT. BMW - SAME Bond sticks his key in the ignition and activates the car�s various systems. HIS P.O.V. Davidov is a shadow in the office window. Bond flicks a switch. A NEEDLE-THIN BEAM is directed from the BMW to the window of the office. He can HEAR a synthesis of Davidov�s voice... DAVIDOV (V.O.) I�m running late...no, no, I�ll make it...how will they know I�m your man?...romashka...romashka...alright. Bond hears the click of a phone hanging up. He flicks another switch in his car, an infra-red tracking system activates in his WINDSCREEN... He can now see Davidov perfectly as he comes out of the security quarters, carrying a briefcase and a large DUFFLE BAG which he carries to the car and loads into the TRUNK. He goes back inside. BOND gets out of the BMW. He moves stealthily to the Russian vehicle and, using the laser beam on his watch, opens the lock on the trunk. It pops open. Bond sees the briefcase, and the dufflebag, and...SOMETHING ELSE...something beneath them...he moves the objects aside: A MAN is folded into the back of the trunk, his head slumped forward, dark hair on the back of his head slightly wet ...blood? Bond tips the head back, revealing GLASSY DEAD EYES. Bond leans in and plucks a BADGE from his white shirt pocket. It has a photo of the dead man and reads, in English and Cyrillic: LEONID TASHKA - FIELD INSPECTOR. On the corner of the badge...THE RUSSIAN SEAL...Miratom. The one from the report. Bond touches it with his thumb, recognizing it. AT THE OFFICE Davidov is coming out... Bond LOWERS THE TRUNK DOOR and crouches behind the car. AT THE OFFICE ENTRANCE Davidov pauses to lock the door. He walks toward the Russian car...he is actually WHISTLING a happy tune and then... HE STOPS. He has heard something. He draws his gun. He walks AROUND the entire car. When he gets to the rear... THE TRUNK IS CLOSED. Bond is not there. No evidence he ever was. Davidov gets in the driver�s seat and starts the car. CUT TO: EXT. AIR STRIP - NIGHT The Russian car drives onto the grounds of a small, deserted AIRPORT consisting of one outbuilding and a crudely cleared airstrip. INT. CAR Davidov pulls off the road and parks his car in a wooded area. EXT. CAR Davidov�s feet crunch in the dirt as he walks to the back and opens the trunk. He removes the briefcase. Then the duffle bag. He looks down at the dead body, head slumped forward, as before...but something is different, the clothes not quite right and then: THE DEAD BODY MOVES, the head turns, Davidov gasps... It IS JAMES BOND. BOND Problem, comrade? Davidov pulls his HAND GUN from inside his coat, but Bond is quicker. With a silenced pistol he shoots Davidov in the head. One little red hole forms in his forehead as his eyes go wide and he crumbles, dead. Bond climbs out of the trunk. Crouches to examine Davidov. BOND Old habits die hard. He straightens. Picks up the briefcase. It is locked. He searches Davidov and finds a set of keys in his pocket. He opens the lock. INSIDE THE BRIEFCASE: FOUR STACKS OF MONEY. Documents headed with the official crest of Miratom. A new security tag, it looks just like the dead guy�s, but has Davidov�s name and picture...some hologrammed (blank) security tags -- and a polaroid-type camera. He picks up a blank security tag and inserts it in the camera. Points at himself, takes a shot. Punches in �Davidov� on the KEYPAD. Out comes a brand new pass. Bond goes to look in the dufflebag but... A PLANE is approaching...HE LOOKS UP. HIS P.O.V. A Russian military jet appears over the trees, flying low, its red landing lights blinking. EXT. AIRSTRIP - NIGHT A door opens on the sinister-looking plane. A hydraulic step unit folds out of it. A BIG SOLDIER with a machine gun waits in the doorway. BOND, standing at the edge of the runway, clips on his badge and picks up the briefcase. He has NO IDEA what he�s walking into. BOND Here goes nothing. He hoists the dufflebag over his shoulder and walks out to the plane. He starts up the steps: THE SOLDIER POINTS HIS GUN DOWN AT HIM. Says something to him IN RUSSIAN. Bond pauses. And then, thinking, says: BOND Romashka. The soldier looks at him, then lowers his weapon. INT. PLANE Four soldiers. The first guy and a moustachioed PILOT and two young men, a nasty-looking private, cadaverously thin, and a big, thick-necked tough. They all look at Bond, expectantly, waiting for him to say or do...what? He decides to take the lead. He opens the briefcase and hands over the STACKS OF MONEY. The Pilot passes it out. But that isn�t the end. They still stare at him. The Pilot says something IN RUSSIAN that sounds like...�where�s the rest?� Bond swallows. Thinks, without showing it. He decides to OPEN THE DUFFLE BAG. He looks inside. Pauses, then reaches in and takes out...A BOX OF NIKE SHOES. The thin soldier smiles. That�s the ticket. Bond hands out shoes to the rest of the guys. CUT TO: EXT. TEST FACILITY - KAZAKHSTAN - DAWN A red dawn. Dominating the landscape, a valley of weirdly- shaped rocks. To one side, an airstrip. The plane approaching. INT. PLANE - LANDING The three soldiers wear their new shoes and smoke and chat amongst themselves. Bond sits in the rear of the plane, which is dominated by heavily buffered receptacles, clearly awaiting some deadly cargo. There is Russian writing everywhere, and one symbol he clearly recognizes: DANGER - RADIOACTIVE. Bond looks out of the window. Beneath a huge MESA, a huddle of low buildings. They come to a stop near the end of the runway. A SMALL JEEP is driving out to them. One of the soldiers throws something to Bond. An ORANGE JUMPSUIT that says Miratom on the breast. He catches it. PILOT (subtitles) You have fifteen minutes. EXT. AIRSTRIP/VALLEY/TEST FACILITY - KAZAKHSTAN - DAWN Bond, in the orange overalls and wearing his ID tag, is driving with a Russian soldier through the weird rock valley - - KABOOM! A cloud of dust from a detonation rises up on the other side of the hill. EXT. TEST FACILITY - KAZAKHSTAN - DAY They turn the corner and see trucks marked IDA, several Kazakhstan army personal carriers, soldiers dotted around, IDA (International Decommissioning Agency) scientists and personnel quietly going about their business. A vast protective �bubble� is inflated at the front of the building. INT. �BUBBLE� - TEST FACILITY - KAZAKHSTAN - DAY (CHRISTMAS JONES�) POV: The sound of breathing LOUD, we�re looking from inside the visor of a protective suit. It�s hard to tell what�s going on, but our hands are removing a sphere of cobalt blue plutonium from inside a corroding WARHEAD... EXT. FACILITY - SAME An officer eyes Bond�s pass. COLONEL AKAKIEVICH (subtitles) You are late. The transport documents? Bond shows him the case. Akakievich examines the documents. COLONEL AKAKIEVICH (subtitles) They are waiting for you below. It should be ready. Check with the IDA physicist. He points toward the �bubble.� Inside the transparent bubble, a protective-suited FIGURE finishes placing a blue PLUTONIUM CORE into a box. As Bond and the Colonel walks toward the bubble, the FIGURE steps out, still enveloped in the white protective suit. Moving fast, off comes the helmet to reveal a BEAUTIFUL AMERICAN GIRL. CHRISTMAS JONES is mid-twenties, shortish hair, hot right now. In one movement she unzips and steps out of the suit, revealing a khaki sports bra, cut-off shorts, heavy duty boots. A nasty-looking hunting knife strapped around her hips. She has a deep tan and an incredible figure. She grabs a bottle of water, guzzles. Bond tosses an arched brow to Akakievich, who nods bitterly, also unable to take his eyes off her. He spits on the floor and speaks in ENGLISH, so Christmas can hear. COLONEL AKAKIEVICH Not interested in men. Take my word for it. Akakievich isn�t exactly what you�d call a looker. Bond offers a disappointed tut as Akakievich walks away. Christmas approaches. He notices her IDA tag -- and an incongruous PEACE TATTOO just above her hip. She�s checking him out as well. CHRISTMAS You new? BOND (Russian accent) Yes. Viktor Davidov, Miss...? CHRISTMAS Doctor. Jones. Christmas Jones. No jokes, I�ve heard them all. BOND Don�t know any doctor jokes. She is wary. It�s been a long time since a man this attractive stepped onto her beat. They walk toward the building. CHRISTMAS What happened to Len Tashka? BOND Couldn�t make it. Splitting headache. CHRISTMAS The soldiers may give you a hard time. Whatever. If we weren�t around, they�d have their whole nuclear arsenal lying by the roadsides, rotting in the sun. Bond looks at the ominous radiation WARNING SIGNS. BOND Will I need protection? She squints at him, taken aback. CHRISTMAS There�s no radiation danger down there. Bond turns to go, knowing he misstepped. Christmas then speaks to him, asking a question, IN RUSSIAN. CHRISTMAS (subtitles) Where is this stockpile going? Bond turns, answers IN PERFECT RUSSIAN. BOND (subtitles) To the nuclear facility at Penza 19. She nods. Watches him disappear into the building. INT. TEST CHAMBER MAIN ELEVATOR - MOMENTS LATER Bond descends, going down deep. INT. TEST CHAMBER ELEVATOR/CORRIDOR - LATER The elevator creaks to a halt. He slides the elevator doors OPEN revealing... TWO SOLDIERS waiting for the elevator. Bond shows them his ID. SOLDIER (subtitles) See the corporal, at the end of the chamber. The soldiers get into the elevator and disappear, leaving Bond completely ALONE. Dead silence in the shadows. Bond�s in his element, that alert glint in his eye as he takes in his surroundings. HIS P.O.V. A long, dark corridor...leading off to a more open circle in the distance, lights and an ominous humming there. Bond starts down the passageway. INT. TEST CHAMBER - CONTINUOUS Ahead of Bond, like a deadly spider at the centre of a web, a NUCLEAR BOMB suspended over a pit. Blast openings range around to channel its fury to measuring equipment. Bond is alone with the bomb. An eerie moment. Then, he comes to notice a figure, across the expanse of the pit, on the opposite side of the catwalk, a man, with his back to him, in Russian Army fatigues. BOND Corporal? The man turns... IT IS RENARD. He smiles. RENARD I see my friend Davidov ran into some difficulty. BOND Indeed. Renard starts toward him. Bond draws his gun. BOND Don�t come any closer. MAN You can�t kill me. I�m already dead. He and Bond face off, the malevolent bomb between them, a ROBOT DEVICE beginning to lower it into the pit. RENARD Go ahead. Shoot. My men will still steal the bomb, and the shot will bring them directly to you. Renard gestures into the pit. BOND�S P.O.V. TWO OF RENARD�S MEN in the pit, unaware of what is happening above, working directly with the bomb. One of them is using a manual...IT IS JUST LIKE THE STOLEN REPORT, the Miratom seal in the corner. Bond aims his gun at Renard�s head. BOND Who�s paying you to destroy the pipeline? Renard resumes walking, around the catwalk at the edge of the pit, toward Bond, slowly, surely, totally fearless. RENARD To die by a man who can�t even grasp what he�s caught up in... Bond, out of the corner of his eye, sees Renard�s man remove a SMALL DEVICE from inside the bomb. It is the size and shape of a credit card, black, with shiny transistors on it...the man slips it into his pocket. BOND Revenge isn�t so hard to fathom. What�s clever is getting someone else to pay for it. RENARD Not many people in this world have that kind of fortune. Bond cocks the pistol. BOND Who is it? RENARD You think I fear death? I welcome it. I get on my knees and pray for it. You, on the other hand, you have something to live for, no? (closer now) She�s beautiful isn�t she? You should have seen her before. Flawless, and still so innocent, not such a whore in bed... Bond�s eyes flare in fury. He shoves Renard into the wall and presses the gun to his temple. BOND You will never touch her. You will never get near her. RENARD Have you forgotten who saved your life in Geneva? BOND Consider me ungrateful. RENARD It�s I who should thank you -- for taking that money back to MI-6. So distressing for M. An explosion inside her lair. BOND She�ll get over it. RENARD You even brought the plane for us. We really couldn�t have done it without you. Bond strikes him across the temple with his pistol. Renard drops to his knees. He touches his temple, looks at the blood curiously, feeling no pain. RENARD A man tires of being executed. As Bond screws a silencer onto the muzzle of his gun: RENARD But then again...There is no point in living if you can�t...feel alive. Bond knows that, he�s heard it somewhere before...IT FREEZES HIM, just a beat, but it is enough... SUDDENLY, the noise of footsteps -- CHRISTMAS JONES, with COLONEL AKAKIEVICH and two armed soldiers. We�re with them as they turn the corner of the passageway and see Bond with silenced pistol aimed at the kneeling Renard -- classic execution stance: COLONEL AKAKIEVICH (to Bond) Drop your gun. BOND Keep away, Colonel. The soldiers� guns are trained on Bond. CHRISTMAS He is an impostor. (clutching a printout) There�s no Davidov at Miratom. BOND Here�s your imposter. He�s paid off the men on the plane outside. They�re not taking the bomb to any Russian facility, they�re flying it wherever he tells them. Christmas is listening, but Akakievich cocks his rifle. COLONEL AKAKIEVICH (to Bond) I said drop it. And he means business. Bond delays ... but has no choice. He pulls the clip from his gun, tosses it down. RENARD (to Christmas) Well done -- he would have killed us all. I suppose you (to Akakievich) were you the one who allowed him down? Colonel Akakievich looks suitably stung. But Renard is looking past him now, as with a quiet WHIRR, the BOMB raises into view on a trolley. Renard�s team is ready to move. RENARD (to Akakievich) Take him away, I don�t want him around as we move the bomb. (whispered, to Bond) You had me. I knew you couldn�t shoulder the responsibility... And Renard jams his hand onto Bond�s shoulder, squeezing his collar-bone hard... Pain jolts through Bond, he drops to his knees in agony. He shoves Bond down. Bond�s hand goes to his shoulder, his mind now racing -- how did he know to hurt him there? Renard�s men start to maneuver the bomb toward the curving passageway. It�s all too much for Colonel Akakievich: COLONEL AKAKIEVICH No -- the bomb does not go anywhere until I am satisfied. All of you to the surface, now... Renard stops and turns. Bond sees him nod to two of his men: one quietly slopes off down the tunnel. The other innocently opens a container... INT. CONTAINER Camera shows the INSIDE of the container�s lid; the man releases a false lining to reveal several MACHINE GUNS... INT. TEST CHAMBER - DAY RENARD (urgent now) Very well, Colonel. We will all go up. One of Colonel Akakievich�s men gestures with his gun that Bond should get up. Knowing it�s now or never, Bond PUSHES him away, yanks a PISTOL from his holster, GRABS Christmas, LEAPS down into the bomb PIT just as RENARD�S MEN open fire... Akakievich dies straight away. So do two of his men. The gunfire RICOCHETS around the chamber and ceases. Renard hangs back. His radio crackles a message: RENARD (nods, into radio) Shut them. THE GUY ON THE OTHER END OF THE RADIO Right next to the ELEVATOR. He turns a switch that activates two sets of red buttons and two sets of green. He punches one green button... INSIDE TEST CHAMBER Heavy doors close all exits but that to the tunnel. INT. THE PIT Bond and Christmas know they are being sealed in. CHRISTMAS Melt-down doors. If he gets them closed, they won�t be opened again for forty- eight years. Bond peers over the edge -- sees Renard and his men working the nuclear device into THE PASSAGEWAY. INT. THE PIT If Bond doesn�t get through now, they�re trapped forever. He points his wrist watch toward the cat walk above and presses a button...THE TINY GRAPPLING HOOK shoots out, Q�s super filament wire that can hold up to 800 pounds is attached...Bond uses the rope to RAPPEL UP THE SIDES OF THE PIT and into INT. TEST CHAMBER Where he LEAPS ON TOP OF Renard�s last man. They fall THROUGH THE IRIS, it SHUTS behind them. The man swings his machine gun at Bond -- it hits the wall next to him, breaks apart. Bond grabs a broken section and kills him with one strike. He pauses at his dead body and reaches into his jacket, retrieving...THE CARD-LIKE DEVICE. INT. PIT Christmas looks around, desperate to help. Using Bond�s wire, she climbs up to the CLOSED IRIS DOOR. She pries open a panel next to it and reveals complex WIRING... INT. PASSAGEWAY Up ahead of Bond, the bomb disappears down the passageway. He can see it is attached to A PULLEY above, helping the men to move quickly, Renard, pulling, the two men pushing Renard signals one of them to drop back to cut off Bond... Machine-gun fire turns the wall next to Bond to dust -- Bond dives to a recess. An overhead LIGHT SHATTERS. His section of the tunnel darkens. INT. PASSAGEWAY - BOND�S END Bond looks up at the broken LIGHT. Takes careful aim at the next one along. BLAM. It disintegrates. Again... INT. PASSAGEWAY - RENARD�S END The other guy answers with another spray of bullets. Watches uneasily as Bond takes out light after light. A funnel of darkness coming to swallow him -- concealing Bond�s approach. Nervous, he fires, muzzle flash and sparks illuminating the void. To keep it lit, he keeps firing... INT. PASSAGEWAY WITH BOND as the bullets cease with a loud CLICK... What Bond was waiting for. He moves. The gunman frozen in the light, grappling to fit another clip -- BLAM! He goes down. Bond not wasting bullets. INT. OTHER END OF PASSAGEWAY Renard is loading the bomb it into the ELEVATOR. He flicks a switch on the panel by the elevator. The IRIS starts closing on Bond... INT. PASSAGEWAY Bond rushes for the door -- but he�s shocked as the man he shot lunges. Clings to him. Bond hits him away, he LEAPS for the cart blocking his way and SHOVES IT INTO THE IRIS DOOR just as it almost closes... Bond squeezes through... INT. OTHER SIDE OF IRIS Renard is getting in the ELEVATOR. Sees Bond made it, fires. Bond rolls into a corner. RENARD We have our fireworks. Now you can have yours. And he machine-guns some barrels. Rocket fuel spills out. He digs a finger into one of the holes, effortlessly rips the metal so more fuel cascades out. CUT TO: INT. CATWALK ABOVE PIT Christmas cuts some wires together and with a hum, her IRIS DOOR OPENS... AT THE ELEVATOR Bond fires at Renard, hitting his shin... WITH RENARD looking down at his shin, noticing the blood. Inconvenienced but not in pain. He shuts the cage doors. Pauses only to fire off half a clip at the SWITCH PANEL. Shreds it. Bond leaps to his feet, racing forward, firing -- gets to the elevator as Renard disappears upwards with a smile. He POINTS DOWN...underneath him... Bond looks down. HIS P.O.V. BENEATH THE ELEVATOR...A makeshift explosive device...sticks of dynamite wrapped around a detonator, set to explode Eyes wide, Bond looks back to the doors -- then to the switch panel -- now just a chaos of sparking wires. INT. LIFT SHAFT The pipe bomb ticking... INT. PASSAGEWAY BY ELEVATOR Bond is trapped. He looks up... THE PULLEY HOOK HANGS DOWN... He jumps up, grabbing it, just as... KABOOM! The bomb ignites the spilled oil, A FIREBALL shoots along, scorching after Bond, who is SAILING THROUGH THE PASSAGE WAY, the force of the blast sending him hurling down the passageway ON THE PULLEY...heading straight for: A CLOSED IRIS DOOR which miraculously begins to OPEN as he SHOOTS THROUGH... Ahead, the next door is OPEN as well. He sees CHRISTMAS on the other side... HER P.O.V. Bond hurtling toward her, ahead of a MASSIVE FIREBALL... BOND Close the door! Close the door! But before she can, two of the FUEL BARRELS HURTLE through the closing iris, clattering into the pit, starting a fire below. Flames licking up the sides of the pit toward them. Bond looks up, sees the ARM OF THE ROBOT LIFTER, stretching upward toward an old SHAFT t the top of the ceiling... He and Christmas scramble up the robot arm, walk along the spider-like web that supported the bomb and find... AN OLD ELEVATOR...powered by a hydraulic system... They get in...hear the rumbling of the fire below...the old elevator moves slowly...the rumbling grows louder... BOND Shame you had to spot I wasn�t the real thing. CHRISTMAS So who are you? BOND Bond -- Bond FIRES HIS GUN at the hissing hydraulic pulleys and... THE ELEVATOR shoots through the shaft at breakneck speed as BELOW THEM...THE PIT EXPLODES... INT. ELEVATOR Fire shoots up. Bond lunges to cover Christmas. As the smoke clears: BOND (finishing) James Bond. CUT TO: EXT. MESA - TEST FACILITY - KAZAKHSTAN - CONTINUOUS Christmas and Bond climb out of the duct. Through a cloud of dust he can see people running about, panicked. There�s been some shooting -- fresh corpses litter the ground. Bond looks past them to a plane coming this way. The plane. It roars past, level with them. He follows it with his eyes, helpless as it gets smaller and smaller... CHRISTMAS They won�t get far. Every warhead has a locator card. A Miratom device. Emits a high-pitched signal on Russian emergency frequencies. We can track the bomb. BOND With this? Bond removes the locator card from his jacket and shows it to her. It flashes in the sun. Christmas shakes her head, disgusted. OMITTED 170 - 172 DISSOLVE: INT. BRIEFING ROOM, CASTLE THANE (MI-6 HQ) - DAY Busy. Analysts huddle over monitors showing satellite images, trying to track the plane. M Do we have the range of Renard�s plane? TANNER Anywhere in this circle. Iran, Iraq, Pakistan, Syria, Afghanistan... M Marvellous. Moneypenny enters... MONEYPENNY Elektra King is calling from Baku. M is surprised. MONEYPENNY It�s a video line. M Put her on the wide screen. The face of ELEKTRA materializes on a large WALL MONITOR. ELEKTRA I�m sorry. I would never call you except...Bond�s disappeared. He...he left my villa, some time in the middle of the night and... M exchanges a look with Tanner. ELEKTRA My head of security has been found near a local airstrip, murdered... M leans on the console in front of her. M I�ll send someone out. ELEKTRA Could...could you come? M looks up. ELEKTRA, on the monitor, looks about as lost as she ever has. ELEKTRA I just can�t help thinking...I�m next. M stares at the girl�s face, her whole sordid history written there. M turns away from the screen and says to Tanner... M Get me out there. OMITTED:174 - 201 EXT. ELEKTRA�S VILLA, BAKU - STORM APPROACHING Elektra�s villa against blue-black storm clouds, the Caspian choppy, wind blowing. INT. ELEKTRA�S VILLA - BAKU - DAY Elektra works in her father�s STUDY, illuminated by a halo of light from a single desk lamp. Pictures of her grandfather and father stare down at her from the walls. The wind BLOWS A WINDOW open. She gets up, crosses the room, shutting the window. She stands there, listening to the silence and then... SHE HEARS A THUD. A strange, unsettling thud. She listens, a long time, to the silence. ELEKTRA Gabor...? She goes to the door, opens it...it whines on its hinges. She steps into... INT. LIBRARY A big room lined with books. Three french doors lead out to a balcony. She walks a few paces in... THE DOOR SHUTS BEHIND HER, she whirls... GABOR, propped up behind the door, stares, wide-eyed, before he FALLS TO THE FLOOR. Elektra gasps, she turns again... A DARK FIGURE LOOMS, a shadow against the windows. He moves forward, his face becoming visible...IT�S BOND. ELEKTRA James! She stares at him, shocked, hesitant. BOND You look surprised. She moves to Gabor, gets down to help him. He stirs, he is alive, but unconscious. Elektra looks up at Bond. ELEKTRA What�s wrong with you? Are you crazy? BOND A little. Does it matter? After all, what�s the point of living if you can�t feel alive? Isn�t that right, Elektra? Isn�t that your motto? ELEKTRA What are you talking about? BOND Or did you steal it from your old friend Renard? ELEKTRA ...what? BOND We had a run-in, he and I. He knew about us, he knew about my shoulder, he knew exactly where to hurt me... Elektra stands...she begins to tremble. ELEKTRA Are you saying...Renard is the man who�s trying to kill me? BOND You can drop the act, it�s over. ELEKTRA I don�t know what you�re talking about! BOND I think you do. He walks toward her, threatening... BOND At MI-6 we call it Stockholm Syndrome. It�s common in kidnappings. A young impressionable victim. Sheltered, sexually inexperienced. A powerful kidnapper skilled in torture, in manipulation. Something snaps in the victim�s mind. The captive falls in love with her captor. At the word �love,� Elektra explodes. She SLAPS an unsuspecting Bond hard across the face. ELEKTRA How dare you! How dare you! That animal!? That monster!? He disgusts me! You disgust me! So he knew where to hurt you, is that it? You had a sling on your arm at the funeral! I didn�t have to sleep with you to find that out. BOND He used your exact words. ELEKTRA You knew. You knew all the time, that he was out there, that he was coming for me, and you lied. You used me, you used me as bait. You made love to me -- what, to pass the time as you waited for him to strike? He has no answer. He can�t deny what she says. The phone rings, cuts through the tension. Bond and Elektra staring at one another. She lets it ring... Then picks up. Listens, looks to Bond. ELEKTRA He�s struck again. (beat) Five men are dead at the pipeline. He moves toward her. BOND I�m coming with you. ELEKTRA You do what you have to do, but I�ve called in M. She�s en route from London even now. CUT TO: EXT. PIPELINE CONTROL CENTER, TURKEY - DAY The MI-6 chopper lands. We can see M through the window. Face set hard. EXT. PIPELINE CONTROL CENTER, TURKEY - MOMENTS LATER SCIENTIFIC, MILITARY and TURKISH POLICE VEHICLES parked around a medium-sized industrial plant. Bond accompanies M and Tanner toward a clutch of offices. All around, SOLDIERS, IDA personnel, POLICE scour the area. M (to Bond) Glad to see you�ve turned up. He is moving fast, talking fast -- a sense of urgency. BOND They hit about 90 minutes ago. There�s a scientist here from the International Decommissioning Agency, Dr. Jones. She has ten crews combing the area. They step out of the bright sunlight and into EXT.\INT. CONTROL CENTRE - CONTINUOUS FIVE BODY BAGS are being carried out by soldiers. M surveys the scene; in an unlit corridor CHRISTMAS JONES and several men sweep the area with CLICKING Geiger counters. ELEKTRA is a distance away, listening to a Turkish policeman explain what�s happening. She nods acknowledgement to M. Tanner senses that Bond wants to talk to M alone: TANNER I�ll see how they�re coming with the power... They watch him go. M turns to Bond: M You had your hand on the bomb and you let Renard get away with it. He draws her away, to a small alcove. Takes something out of his jacket...THE LOCATOR CARD. BOND The report King bought. It�s a manual. Renard�s men used it to remove this radio tracking device from the warhead. M Then Robert was right about a Russian connection. BOND They�re getting their weapons from the Russians, but where are they getting the money to buy the weapons? I can�t help thinking...the person close to King, the one who switched that pin... M The inside man? BOND Is maybe...the inside woman. NOW THE LIGHTS POWER UP, disrupt the intimacy and intensity of their exchange. The room is lined with MONITORS and a huge SATELLITE MAP of the pipeline�s meandering path. M A woman? But before he can speak, ELEKTRA calls out, gesturing to A DIM LIGHT flashing on a console in front of her. ELEKTRA That�s not right. A Technician comes over. Tanner too, followed by Bond and M. TANNER What is it? ELEKTRA It�s an observation and repair rig. Travels along the pipe, checks for broken seals. But it�s not supposed to be there. BOND (thinks) Stop it. The Technician flicks two switches. The light continues to flash. Confused, he tries others. No change. TECHNICIAN I don�t understand... M Where is the rig? Harried, the Technician activates the wall schematic of the pipeline. A pulse of light travels along the line. And with it, a sense of horror descends... M The parcel�s in the post. TANNER It�s heading for the oil terminal. M Where it can do the most damage. ELEKTRA My God. (to one of her men) Have the terminal evacuated. The man gets on the phone... BOND (to Tech) Speed? TECHNICIAN Full on. Seventy miles an hour. He punches buttons. Christmas has come, stands next to Bond. TECHNICIAN One hundred and six miles from the terminal. BOND (quick) It�ll reach the other end in seventy- eight minutes. (to Tech) Any more of these rigs? The Technician checks his records, looks up, nods. TECHNICIAN There�s one parked in the passageway ahead of it. Decisive, Christmas heads for the door, turns to her team: CHRISTMAS I�ll need some help... Her IDA colleagues look sheepish. Bond moves to her. BOND Come on. For just a moment, Christmas looks wary: BOND Unless you�d like to see my ID first. She almost smiles. M nods to Tanner to follow them. Bond doesn�t look at Elektra. But she watches him go... CUT TO: EXT. HELICOPTER - DAY The MI-6 helicopter swoops along the pipeline... Tanner is beside the pilot. Bond and Christmas in the back. They look at one another, the danger ahead melting the frost between them. INT. PIPELINE - LATER Bond and Christmas climb through an access hatch down onto the electric RIG. Its lights blaze fifty yards into the tunnel. Then darkness. Christmas takes the driver�s spot, Bond the rear, nearest to the approaching BOMB. Tanner leans in: TANNER (sealing them in) Good luck. Bonds nods, checks his watch. Christmas looks nervously down the pipe. BOND Be one along any minute. And she starts the machine off... INT. ELECTRIC RIG - PIPELINE (TRAVELLING) It quickly picks up speed, its lights flooding the seemingly endless pipe before them. Christmas looks behind, apprehensive. Waiting for the lights of the explosive rig. It�s tense. They travel along, expectant... BOND When this is over we should bury the hatchet. Celebrate. A champagne dinner? CHRISTMAS When this is over our bodies may be blown to smithereens. BOND Alright then, brunch. His lightness relaxes her, she appreciates it. INT. COMMAND ROOM - PIPELINE CONTROL CENTRE - CONTINUOUS Elektra, M, and others. The room is crowded with concerned personnel. M watches the two blips on the schematic getting closer together. One of her MEN approaches, a radio in his ear. RADIO MAN Tanner reports Bond is headed for the rendezvous. M Excellent. Evacuate Miss King and the others. ELEKTRA You can evacuate my workers, but I�m not going anywhere. M looks at her, then nods, impressed by her courage. INT. PIPELINE (TRAVELLING) - DAY Bond and Christmas waiting expectantly. Tense silence. Finally, a WHOOSHING NOISE, GETTING LOUDER. Lights appear behind, reflecting on a bend, then... here it comes, the rig tearing through the pipe. Bond looks over his shoulder at Christmas� speedometer...she�s only at fifty... BOND Faster! Get our speed up! Christmas presses forward...Bond turns, his feet OUT toward the approaching rig...the lights getting closer... closer... Bond�s rig jolts as the other makes contact. He cushions the blow with his feet. Both rigs moving together now, he CLIMBS ONTO THE BOMB RIG...Puts out a hand, helps Christmas across. The bomb sits there, daunting, deadly. CHRISTMAS Tactical fission device. Low yield. They look at one another, then set straight to work. INT. COMMAND ROOM - PIPELINE CONTROL CENTRE - CONTINUOUS The room is quiet, tense. M and her two men, Elektra, Gabor, the King TECHNICIAN and three armed security guards at the doors. They are the only ones left. Going down with the ship...if it goes. M and Elektra watch the two lights now together on the console. A tense silence. Everyone�s edgy. Elektra perhaps a little more than the rest. She exchanges a glance with Gabor. INT. ELECTRIC RIG - PIPELINE (TRAVELLING) - DAY CLOSE INSIDE THE BOMB: the timer. 1:45 MINUTES. Bond�s face betrays the difficulty of what they�re attempting. The digital clock ticks down... 1:30, 1:29... OMITTED 217-218 INT. PIPELINE - DAY The rigs speed through the tunnel. Nothing to see. But WHOOSH! As the rigs hurtle past... INT. ELECTRIC RIG - PIPELINE (TRAVELLING) - DAY The pipe suddenly dips. They cling on as the machine bucks like a rollercoaster. Back on a straight... Her brow furrows. CHRISTMAS The plutonium is missing. They�ve taken the core! BOND Then it�s no longer a bomb? CHRISTMAS (back to work, urgent) It�s a bomb alright. We�re still dead if the trigger charge goes off... Bond�s mind races in the ghostly light of the tunnel. He stares at the timer: 0:44, 0:43... Makes a decision. BOND Let it blow. Christmas shoots a look, astonished. CHRISTMAS But we can stop it. Taking her arm... BOND Let it blow. She can�t believe what he�s saying. His eyes shoot to an INSPECTION HATCH the lights illuminate up ahead. BOND Trust me. Leave it. He grabs her, wrenches her away from the bomb. INT. PIPELINE - DAY The rig zooms past the exit hatch -- Bond leaps off, taking her with him. They tumble along the pipe. Agile, Bond springs to his feet, pulls her up. They run like hell for the hatch, into the darkness... EXT. PIPELINE - DAY The pipeline. A long beat, then... KABOOM!! A section of the pipe explodes, debris rocketing in every direction. As the smoke clears we see a fifty yard section of pipe has been destroyed. OMIT 223 INT. PIPELINE CONTROL CENTER - SAME On the consoles, red concentric circles pulse outward from the point of impact, emitting one, monotone BEEP.... The watchers are frozen, stunned, shocked. Gabor, a radio earpiece in his ear, reports information. GABOR It wasn�t nuclear...the bomb was a dud. The trigger charge blew out a fifty yard section of pipeline... M And Bond? An agonizing beat. The alarm beep sputters and dies. GABOR Nothing. M and Elektra share a look. ELEKTRA Do you think he�s dead? M can�t answer. She shakes her head. M We just have to wait. M shifts. The hi-tech room is eerily lit by the pulsing red lights on every screen, showing the explosion. ELEKTRA (to M) I have a gift for you. Something that belonged to my father. He would have wanted you to have it. M feels uneasy. M Perhaps this isn�t the time... ELEKTRA Please. She hands M a small box. M unties the ribbon. ELEKTRA He often spoke of how...compassionately you advised him on the best course of action during my kidnapping. M opens the box. It is THE EYE OF THE GLENS...the heirloom pin, the original. ELEKTRA It�s very valuable, you know. I just couldn�t let it explode with the rest of him. M looks up, horrified, when: GABOR AND ANOTHER SECURITY MAN SHOOT M�S TWO GUARDS IN THE HEAD...point blank, cold blood. The men fall. M looks back at Elektra, a blood-curdling glare. ELEKTRA (to her men) Take her to the chopper. EXT. PIPELINE - DAY From on high we follow the snaking pipeline ... until it disappears in a VAST, SMOULDERING BOMB CRATER. Beyond, the pipeline continues unperturbed. Two TINY FIGURES on the banks of the crater. CLOSE ON THEM Bond and Christmas, very much alive. She�s angry. CHRISTMAS What the hell were you doing? You nearly killed us! BOND I did kill us. She thinks we�re dead. And she thinks she got away with it. CHRISTMAS What the hell are you talking about? BOND It�s part of some plan. She dresses it up like a terrorist attack. The explosion covers up the theft of the plutonium. CHRISTMAS Who�s she? BOND Elektra King. CHRISTMAS Elektra King? Are you insane? This is her pipeline. BOND Makes her look even more innocent. CHRISTMAS (skeptical) What would she want with weapons grade plutonium? BOND I was hoping you could tell me. Christmas stares at him. Wheels turning. CHRISTMAS You steal an old bomb, small by today�s standards, about the size of the one that destroyed Nagasaki, take the plutonium core out of it, intending to use it... (beat) To make a bigger, better bomb. They�re both chilled by the thought. CHRISTMAS I have to get after that core. This is my ass. She starts fiddling with the radio. Suddenly there�s a CRACKLE. TANNER Tanner to 007, do you read? Bond grabs the radio. BOND Loud and clear. I have to speak to M. TANNER She�s gone. BOND What? TANNER She�s disappeared. And two of our men have been killed. It impacts on Bond. His eyes harden. CHRISTMAS What is it? BOND She just upped the stakes. All her chips are on the table now. And M�s life is part of the bet. He looks out at the long stretch of pipeline, like a deadly snake with the world for its bed. BOND I know I promised you champagne, but would you settle for caviar? CUT TO: EXT. MAIDEN�S TOWER - BOSPHORUS - ISTANBUL - TWILIGHT A boat puts in at an ancient tower in the middle of a vast body of water (in fact, the Bosphorus). Renard disembarks with several of his retinue, heavily laden with bags and cases. They enter the tower... INT. MAIDEN�S TOWER - CONTINUOUS A fantastic space: stained glass windows cast myriad patterns over elaborate tile and marble surfaces. Pillars, iron lattices, velvet drapes and flowers embroider the huge room. As they enter, Elektra swoops across the floor and into Renard�s arms. He holds her. She pushes him away. ELEKTRA You�re hurting me. He senses something different between them. She tries to hide it. ELEKTRA Brought me something? He smiles, grabs a case off one of his men, opens it up, pulls out a sphere of cobalt blue metal. She looks at it with wary fascination. RENARD Go on. It�s safe. Touch your destiny. She traces a finger along the metal. A flicker of wonder: ELEKTRA Warm. RENARD (pointed) Is it? She�s sensitive to his buried frustration: ELEKTRA I�ve brought something for you as well. INT. ROOM - MAIDEN�S TOWER - MOMENTS LATER Elektra opens a heavy door, she and Renard past through to... A SMALL ROOM...a window set in the stone on one side. The other side is divided off by a WALL OF BARS, creating a cell which now contains: M The cell is bare, except for a camp bed in the corner. M betrays no fear. A quiet defiance burns in her. ELEKTRA Just as I promised. Renard steps forward. Bars separate him from M. RENARD My executioner. M Over-praise, I�m afraid. But my people will finish the job. ELEKTRA Your people? Your people will leave you here to rot just like you left me. You and my father. He didn�t think my life was worth the chump change he spent on a day at the stock market. M Your father... ELEKTRA Is nothing. His kingdom he stole from my mother. The kingdom I will rightly take back. Elektra leaves. Renard is left alone with M. M She�s insane. Is that what you did to her? RENARD No. I�m afraid it is what you did. He crosses close to the bars. RENARD When I took her she was...promise itself. So clever, so vibrant, so...full of life force. And you left her there, at the mercy of a man like me. You ruined her. For what? To get to me? She is worth fifty of me. M For once, I agree with you. He shakes his head, amused by her pluck. M So she used all that brilliance to get revenge on her father, on me. RENARD No. I wanted you. I wanted you for myself. He takes something out of his pocket. A small TRAVEL CLOCK. He sets it. RENARD Since you sent your man to kill me, I have been watching time tick slowly away, marching inevitably toward my own death. Watch these hands, M. At noon tomorrow, your time is up. And I guarantee you...I will not miss. You will die. Along with everyone in this city and the future of the West. He places the clock on a tall stool, just out of reach through her bars. He leaves. We hold on the clock: Eight p.m. EXT. CITY OF WALKWAYS - BAKU - DUSK (OLD SC. 174) Valentin Zukovsky in the back of his chauffeured Rolls Royce... We PULL BACK, to take in an amazing sight: the car is on a network of raised walkways and platforms that extends as far as the eye can see. A decaying legacy of the Soviet years. EXT. CAVIAR FISHERY - CITY OF WALKWAYS - DUSK (OLD SC.175) Zukovsky limps purposefully away from his Rolls along a walkway leading to a Beluga fishery built over the water. INT. CAVIAR FISHERY - CITY OF WALKWAYS - DUSK (OLD SC.176) Nailed on the battered old door, the lid of a caviar jar, a label illustrated with a LINE DRAWING OF ZUKOVSKY. Zukovsky opens the door and finds himself... Staring straight down Bond�s pistol. Bond and Christmas are silhouetted by the gold dusk light. At their feet lies one of Zukovsky�s workers. ZUKOVSKY What are doing, Bond? Trying to impress this innocent thing? BOND She�s no innocent. This is my nuclear consultant. ZUKOVSKY Ah, I see. A purely...plutonic relationship. Hands held clear of his body, Zukovsky enters, his evening dress decidedly out of place here. ZUKOVSKY Really Bond, couldn�t you find a nice Russian scientist with hair growing out of his ears? BOND What�s your business with Elektra King? ZUKOVSKY I thought you were the one in her business. BOND She dropped a million and half dollars to the House -- your House. And you didn�t even bat an eyelid. She was paying you off. What for? ZUKOVSKY As ever you are the spy who has to see a plot wherever he looks. Bond SLAMS Zukovsky hard against a vat of caviar. Wood splits, roe spills onto the floor. Zukovsky is appalled. ZUKOVSKY That is 5,000 dollars of Beluga ruined! BOND You are out of your league. She�s working with Renard. Christmas moves in, intense but firm: CHRISTMAS They�ve stolen a nuclear device. A subtle change in Zukovsky�s countenance. BOND Tell us what you know, Zukovsky. Tell us, before its too late. But it may be already: The SOUND OF A HELICOPTER. Zukovsky frowns, the SOUND GETTING LOUDER -- Bond is the first to move as -- INT. CAVIAR FISHERY - NIGHT (OLD SC. 177) -- wood suddenly splinters everywhere -- the wall and roof tear open behind them - GIANT VERTICALLY-SUSPENDED SAWS RIP THROUGH, just missing them. THE SPINNING TEETH (OLD SC. 178) The blades churn through the corrugated roof, spraying CAVIAR everywhere. EXT. CAVIAR FISHERY - CITY OF WALKWAYS (OLD SC. 179) Bond BURSTS OUT OF THE BUILDING...Zukovsky and his guards and even the chauffeur are firing at the chopper... EXT. RAMP TO LOWER WALKWAY (OLD SC. 180) Bond makes for his BMW, running down a flight of steps, onto a lower walkway when...THE SECTION AHEAD OF HIM EXPLODES...the second chopper above hitting its mark with a thrown grenade. Bond is trapped by the fire and smoke, the only way out is ALONG THE PIPELINES...he runs along a narrow section of pipe and then JUMPS DOWN to another walkway. The PIPES are now above him...the chopper�s relentless saws CUT THROUGH THE PIPE...GAS JETS OUT...Bond HURLS HIMSELF up a stairway. INT. CAVIAR FISHERY Zukovsky and Christmas watch in horror as Chopper One blades away more roof above them. EXT. LOWER WALKWAY Bond takes something out of his pocket, a remote control device...he presses some buttons...HIS CAR COMES TO LIFE...lights on, it drives toward him. He rushes to meet it. Chopper Two follows behind Bond, slicing up the walkway just behind him. Bond gets to the car and JUMPS IN as the chopper veers away. INT. CAR Bond activates his missile device as he watches Chopper Two pass behind the factory. Suddenly there�s a huge roar behind him as the blades from Chopper One RIP THROUGH THE ROOF, SLICING HIS CAR IN HALF. But Bond is undeterred. He sets off the missile toward the disappearing Chopper One. EXT. CHOPPER A DIRECT HIT. Chopper One explodes and falls onto the walkway setting the scene ablaze. EXT. WALKWAYS - SAME Zukovsky and Christmas see the explosion, then see Chopper Two dropped FOUR ARMED MEN onto a nearby walkway. The men make their way toward the factory, firing at the guards. Zukovsky and Christmas are forced inside. ANGLE ON BOND Who sees the danger to the others and runs off along the walkways back to the factory. The Chopper follows him, shooting. Bond outruns it, until, ahead of him A GRENADE EXPLODES, destroying the walkway and hurling Bond into the water. EXT. FACTORY The gunfight continues as the armed men take out Zukovsky�s guards. Then, two of the assailants follow ZUKOVSKY and CHRISTMAS into... INT. FACTORY - NIGHT The chauffeur is shot and killed. The gunmen then turn their attention to Zukovsky and Christmas, when suddenly BOND APPEARS through a trap door in the floor boards. Bond shoots one of the gunmen, then fires on the other... Zukovsky grabs Christmas and they make their escape Bond sees a third gunman firing from the basement and takes him out. EXT. WALKWAYS - SAME Zukovsky and Christmas make a dash for Zukovsky�s Rolls. They dive in...Zukovsky rams the car into reverse...behind him, A CHOPPER SLICES the walkway to smithereens...Zukovsky can�t stop it as the car leaps backward and into THE WATER BELOW.... INT. FACTORY Bond finishes off the remaining two armed men in a furious gunfight and exits. EXT. WALKWAYS - SAME Bond sees Zukovsky and Christmas swimming to safety. The chopper bears down on him. He leaps back to what�s left of the building, picks up a flare gun. He jumps down to a walkway at water level and cranks open a rusted GAS JET...he then waits for the Chopper to line up over it as it approaches Bond for the kill.... Bond fires the flare gun... THE GAS EXPLODES! The Chopper tries to pull away, but it�s too late. The flames engulf it, igniting a fireball. IN THE WATER Zukovsky pulls himself back onto a walkway and heads for the factory, but speeding at him are to FREE-FLYING SAW BLADES from the chopper that has just exploded! OMITTED 231S to 231Z EXT. WALKWAY Zukovsky dives away -- into a CAVIAR PIT. The saws embed in the cabin behind him. The caviar pit is like sinking sand, deep -- he�s going under. Flounders, trying to cling to a crate blown in there by the explosion. Then he looks in horror: EXT. SIDE OF CAVIAR PIT (OLD SC. 199) POV ZUKOVSKY: Bond appearing at the edge of the caviar pit, dragging himself up, soaking wet. He�s holding another harpoon gun. Points it directly at Zukovsky. This time he really means business. EXT. CAVIAR PIT/SIDE (OLD SC. 200) Zukovsky, on the point of being swallowed by the caviar, clawing at the crate. Bond, steely eyed, cold: BOND Now...where were we? ZUKOVSKY A rope! BOND No. The truth! (beat) She thought I was dead -- those blades were meant for you. What do you know that she would kill you for? Zukovsky is sinking. ZUKOVSKY I don�t know what you�re talking -- Zukovsky sees Christmas appear beside Bond: ZUKOVSKY Help me, don�t let me drown. She looks to Bond -- sees he�s serious. BOND (to Zukovsky) You�re in this thing up to your neck. Zukovsky sinks alarmingly -- he talks rapidly, staccato: ZUKOVSKY Alright, alright! Sometimes I smuggle machinery for her. Russian stuff. BOND And the payoff on the tables? ZUKOVSKY A special job. A...a...a submarine. CHRISTMAS What? ZUKOVSKY To haul some cargo. My nephew, he is Captain of a sub in the Black Sea Fleet. BOND Where�s the sub going?! ZUKOVSKY No! Get me out! BOND This is too big for even you. Where is it? ZUKOVSKY This is a family matter! If my nephew is in danger, we do it my way, or nothing! Now get me out! But he looks more worried than ever as Bond takes aim with the harpoon gun -- squeezes the trigger. ZUKOVSKY No! Bond! CHRISTMAS (alarmed) Bond! Bond fires. Zukovsky YELLS as the HARPOON SHOOTS TOWARD HIM. It takes him a moment to realize he hasn�t been hit -- the harpoon splintering the crate, just missing him. He clings to the crate, exhausted, as Bond and Christmas drag him to safety. CHRISTMAS Commander Bond, you are dangerous, unpredictable, and a hothead. He just looks at her. CHRISTMAS But then again, explosive devices are my specialty. Zukovsky scowls, wet, angry, looking from his ruined suit to the devastation that was once his caviar factory as, behind him, walkways CREAK, teeter, and CRASH into the sea. ZUKOVSKY So. My way. No MI-6, no Interpol. Just you, me and my people. BOND Where? ZUKOVSKY Istanbul. OMITTED:233 INT/EXT. BALCONY/MAIDEN�S TOWER - BOSPHORUS - NIGHT Beyond iron balustrades we see one of the most fabulous views in the world -- on one side the still waters of the Golden Horn, on the other, the dancing waves of the unsheltered Bosphorus -- and in between, the tumbling roofs, soaring minarets and crouching mosques of the Pera district. RENARD scans the water with night-vision binoculars. EXT. BOSPHORUS - NIGHT - HIS GREEN POV: A SUPERTANKER churns along... ADJUST ANGLE The CAMERA SINKS BENEATH THE WAVES, steals through the gloom - - eventually comes upon something sitting just beneath the belly of the tanker. The silhouette of a SUBMARINE, hugging the tanker�s shadow, creeping undetected into the Bosphorus... INT. M�S CELL - NIGHT M paces her cell. Looks out, at the clock: It is MIDNIGHT. Twelve hours to go. She crosses her arms. Returns to pacing. Puts her hands in her coat pockets: She feels something. Takes it out. THE LOCATOR CARD. Black and shiny, with two copper terminals on one end. M taps it on her hand. She looks back out. TO THE CLOCK. CUT TO: INT. BEDROOM - MAIDEN�S TOWER - BOSPHORUS - NIGHT Renard and Elektra. She is on the bed, Renard stroking her, worshipping her skin. RENARD So beautiful. So smooth, so warm. ELEKTRA How would you know? It stings him. Elektra sits up, pulling a robe around her. RENARD Why are you like this? Because Bond is dead? It�s what you wanted. ELEKTRA (beat) Of course... Renard gets up. Paces the floor. RENARD He was a...good lover? ELEKTRA What do you think? Renard leans against her desk, closing his eyes, squeezing out the images. After a moment, he SMASHES HIS FIST through the hand-painted wood. Elektra looks up. HER P.O.V. A huge splinter of wood juts out of Renard�s hand. Renard looks at it, curious, unfazed. RENARD Nothing. Elektra comes to him. Leads him to the bed. Sits. Gently removes the splinter. Then, she takes an icecube from the bucket. Runs it along his wound. ELEKTRA What about this? And she runs the ice down his cheek. He shakes his head. Tormented. RENARD Nothing. Now she runs the ice down her neck... ELEKTRA But surely... ...her fingers becoming wet, she runs the ice down between her breasts, leaving a trail. Teasing... ELEKTRA ...You can feel this? She�s moving the ice lower on herself... We see her lips open, enjoying the sensation. A beat, then his smile slowly grows. As she does something else. ELEKTRA (sensual) Remember ... pleasure? DISSOLVE: INT. MAIDEN�S TOWER - DEAD OF NIGHT Eerily quiet. The calm before the storm, except: INT. M�S CELL - SAME M is at the door of her cell. Her arm is stretched out through the bars. She is using her high-heeled shoe to try to HOOK the leg of the stool and drag it toward her. She can only jut tap the leg with the tip of the heel. She swipes out at the little three-legged stool, tapping it, tapping it... It scoots toward her a little...she taps it again, gets her shoe HOOKED on the leg of the stool and starts to drag it when... The rickety stool hits a bump on the ancient stone floor and SPILLS OVER...the clock HITS THE GROUND and SKIDS across the stones, coming to rest ACROSS THE ROOM, on the floor near the window. M leans against the bars. SHE HEARS HER THE OUTER DOOR CLANKING OPEN... She hurries to her cot and lies down. GABOR ENTERS...a burly shadow in the light from the hall. He walks in. Looks at M. Picks up the clock and sets it ON THE WINDOW SILL. He leaves, shutting the door behind him. M sits up. Looks out to the clock, glowing in the dark. IT READS TWO A.M. She drops her head back on the wall. She will not sleep tonight. DISSOLVE TO: OMITTED: 236 - 243 EXT. ISTANBUL - DAWN ESTABLISH the vast city astride the Bosphorus. EXT. ISTANBUL STREETS - SAME The sun starting to rise. Street vendors are the only people about, moving their carts into place, getting ready to place out their wares. We hold on a BUILDING. INT. DYE FACTORY - SAME A multi-levelled, rickety old building full of colourful fabrics drying high overhead; the light shafts through them casting pools of different coloured light. It is a working factory, bolts of fabric and vats of dye, but it is also: AN OLD KGB SURVEILLANCE CENTER Pushed to one end of the large room are stacks of radio equipment, old consoles, audio equipment and radar screens. Once a high-tech surveillance center, it has gone to seed. There are men and women here, smoking, using the equipment, slightly dissolute, very sinister, where the only membership card is an old KGB ID. Zukovsky is here, leaning behind a RADIO OPERATOR. ZUKOVSKY Any luck reaching Yevgeny? OPERATOR Negative, comrade. He moves to CHRISTMAS AND BOND, pouring over a large MAP OF ISTANBUL spread out on a table. CHRISTMAS (to Zukovsky) What is this place? ZUKOVSKY Former KGB surveillance post. The Dye Factory was just a front; now it turns a good profit. Bond notices THE BOA in the corner with some others. BOND Your old friend Dmitri. Zukovsky nods to his old friend. ZUKOVSKY Today, you are glad to have the Boa on your side. Zukovsky looks at the map. ZUKOVSKY In the good old days, the KGB had three or four spots where our submarines could surface without anyone knowing. But Yevgeny is supposed to be loading cargo. CHRISTMAS What class sub does your nephew run? ZUKOVSKY C-class. BOND Nuclear. CHRISTMAS Not just nuclear. Powered by a nuclear reactor. (the penny drops) He�s not loading any cargo. They want the sub. The sub itself. Put weapons grade plutonium inside the sub�s reactor: Instant, catastrophic meltdown. BOND Made to look just like an accident. ZUKOVSKY Mother of God. BOND The right kind of explosion in the right spot -- it would block the Bosphorus, cut off the Black Sea. CHRISTMAS But why? Eight million people would die, the land irradiated for a hundred years. A cloud of radiation the size of Europe... BOND (chilled) Because an explosion like that would kill all the other pipelines. There would be only one way to get the oil out of the Caspian and pump it to the world... CHRISTMAS The King pipeline. BOND Elektra would control it all. ZUKOVSKY If what you say it true...it may be too late for Yevgeny. CUT TO: INT. SECRET QUAY (MAIDEN�S TOWER) - ISTANBUL - DAY The ancient arched underbelly of a waterside building. Something is disturbing a large expanse of water. A black shadow looms beneath the waves. A SUBMARINE SURFACES. INT. SECRET QUAY (MAIDEN�S TOWER) - ISTANBUL - DAY Waiting at the newly excavated quay: Renard and his men. The submarine�s hatch opens. A YOUTHFUL CAPTAIN EMERGES, vaguely resembling his uncle, Zukovsky. RENARD Captain... YEVGENY Sir. We are ready to load your cargo. We only have a few hours before we�ll be missed. RENARD You came with a skeleton crew? YEVGENY That�s all we can afford these days. RENARD Of course. We are grateful for your efforts. One of his men comes forward with several bottles of brandy and other food. RENARD We have brandy and other refreshments for your men. The Captain nods, pleased. INT. DYE FACTORY Bond and Christmas and Zukovsky watch as the radio operators scan the airwaves. ZUKOVSKY If we�re not in time and something has happened to him... you must let me kill them. Bond stares hard at him. A long beat. BOND Whoever gets there first, Zukovsky. They have M. CUT TO: INT. SUBMARINE - DAY Eerie, dark, the lights inside green and sickly. CLOSE ON A half-eaten sandwich. An empty glass of brandy on the floor, just near the hand it fell from... PULL BACK TO SEE The dead face of Yevgeny, poisoned. Others of his crew around, also dead. Renard and his men tour the grisly scene. RENARD Take them up and throw them in the sea. As they drag Yevgeny away, his HAT falls on the ground. Renard picks it up and PUTS IT ON HIS HEAD. RENARD We�ll be underway in two hours. Use that time to re-familiarize yourselves with your stations. Then ponder how rich you�ll be. The re-breathers for the escape are already on board. A man appears holding a heavy lead box containing the plutonium. Renard takes the box as if it weighs nothing. Stronger then ever. CUT TO: INT. CELL - MAIDEN�S TOWER - MORNING Elektra stands at the door looking in at M. ELEKTRA Now you know how it feels. To be locked away, to wonder if they�re coming for you, if anyone will ever come for you. M Someone will come. ELEKTRA Who? Bond? Bond is dead. Elektra walks to the window. She looks out. ELEKTRA Somehow, I find that strangely ...disappointing. M watches her, her heart beating. M Elektra. What time is it? Elektra picks up the little clock. Walks over to the cell bars. ELEKTRA Time for you to die. And she reaches through the bars and HANDS M THE CLOCK. The two women�s eyes meet. RENARD The reactor is secured. She turns, sees RENARD in the doorway. She crosses to him and SLAMS THE DOOR SHUT behind her. INT. OUTSIDE DOOR - MAIDEN�S TOWER - DAY Their eyes lock. RENARD This is the end. ELEKTRA No. It is the beginning. The world will never be the same. He lays the Captain�s hat down. Tries to mask his sorrow. RENARD It will be yours, and yours alone. Have fun with it. Forces himself to leave, heads down the stairs. INT. M�S CELL - SAME M works quickly. She pops open the back of the clock and takes out the batteries. She pries off the tops with a key and connects the wires to the LOCATOR CARD... CUT TO: INT. DYE FACTORY - SAME The Radio Operator touches his earpiece... OPERATOR Comrade, it�s faint, but I�m getting something. A signal. Transmitting at...37- 19 degrees north... He writes the coordinates down. Bond picks them up. BOND The locator card. It�s M. He takes the coordinates over to the map and DRAWS A CORRESPONDING LINE across it. BOND The rest? Christmas reads them out as the Operator writes them down CHRISTMAS Forty, forty-three degrees East... Bond draws another line across the map. At the point at which the intersect...a small island in the Bosphorus. ZUKOVSKY The Maiden�s Tower. BOND How appropriate. ZUKOVSKY I�d heard there were some renovations there...no one would look for a sub in that place in a million years. Suddenly Bond�s instinct are aroused. Out of the corner of his eye, he sees THE BOA set something on the ground and move slowly UP THE STAIRS. Bond looks at the pack he left on the ground... He grabs Christmas and HURLS HER TO THE FLOOR. KABOOM! A MASSIVE EXPLOSION rips the place apart. In half a second the air is thick with coloured dust and drifting clumps of burning silk. Bond stands. Christmas is stunned, but okay. He looks around at the others - few dead, all out for the count, among them, Zukovsky. Bond heads for the door after the Boa. CHRISTMAS Zukovsky... BOND If I don�t get to the Boa before he gets to Maiden�s Tower, M is dead. Bond runs out, into EXT. STREET - DAY Teeming with people, his eyes scanning, he spots...THE BOA climbing a ladder alongside a building to A ROOF. Bond chases after him, clambering up, but when he gets to the top of the roof... Boa has now been joined by THREE THUGS. One attacks Bond as the Boa and the others move away... Bond fights with the thug, they stumble across the roof, gripping each other, until Bond gets the upper hand and THROWS HIM DOWN through a thatched roof where he falls... EXT. BAZAAR Into the market below. Christmas, just coming into the square, sees the body falling...she runs to the thug, thinking it might be Bond... But the thug raises up, smiling at her, blood on his teeth. She turns and runs...the thug gives chase... ON THE ROOFS ABOVE Bond is following Boa and the other two men as they LEAP from roof to roof. He sees them jump off onto the roof of... EXT. MOVING BUS Motoring rapidly away from him. He makes a spectacular leap to a wobbly FLAG POLE that swings him toward the bus, dropping him on the roof before it SNAPS BACK, into the overhead TRAM WIRES ABOVE and setting off sparks. ON THE BUS Bond barely gets to his feet before Thug #2 is upon him. They grapple, struggling to maintain their footing as the bus speeds through the rickety old streets. He throws the guy over... The thug desperately CLINGS TO THE SIDE OF THE BUS... Bond now takes on the third thug, unaware that number two has climbed back on and is about to WHACK HIM ON THE HEAD with his gun when... THE BUS TURNS onto a new street...THE WIRES AGAIN...Thug Two�s gun is caught up in them...he is instantly ELECTROCUTED. Thug three watches his friend�s horrible death, giving Bond time to slug him hard across the face and THROW HIM FROM THE BUS... EXT. STREET Thug two�s body goes SLAMMING INTO THE WINDSHIELD of a fast moving van...BURSTS OUT through the back doors of said van and tumbles out onto the street where it is HIT BY A CAR. ON THE BUS Bond turns back toward...BOA. Now it is just the two of them. The bus is hissing to a stop. The Boa leaps on to the bed of a passing truck. Bond rushes forward and leaps on to the top of a passing taxi. The taxi jams on his breaks and Bond rolls across the bonnet and on to the street. He springs to his feet. Fifty yards ahead the truck carrying the Boa has stopped for traffic. The Boa jumps out and darts into an alley. EXT. ISTANBUL - ALLEY - DAY The Alley leads into a small CAFE where PATRONS smoke water pipes and drink coffee. The Boa is nowhere to be seen. Bond slips out his gun holding it out of sight close to his leg so as not to alarm the civilians. He steps into the cafe. EXT. ISTANBUL - CAFE - DAY Bond makes his way through the tables to the doorway in the back. He looks inside - just a few children at play. Bond is suddenly blind-sided by a vicious kidney punch which brings him to his knees. He struggles to bring up his gun - but the Boa knocks it out of his hand. The Boa locks Bond�s head in an unbreakable choke hold from behind. Bond pulls on the massive arms - but to no avail. He glances down to his right - HIS GUN - just out of reach. Bond reaches out for it - his fingers just graze it. Suddenly the Boa�s foot kicks out, knocking the gun across the room. He tighten his grip and speaks in Bond�s ear. BOA For years I was told I could never take the great James Bond and his Walther PPK. What good is your gun now, Bond? Bond can�t breathe, his eyes start to dim. He slumps forward, his left hand touches something hot. It�s the iron basket of coals used to keep the water pipes lite. Bond�s fingers touch the wire handle that arches across the top. He grabs it and with his last reserves - Swings it at the back of his head hitting the Boa on the side of the head with the SOUND OF RAW BACON HITTING A HOT SKILLET. The Boa drops Bond and leaps to his feet holding the side of his face. Bond falls forward fighting for breath and trying to clear his head. The Boa runs out the back door. Bond finds his gun, holsters it and follows. EXT. ISTANBUL - SIDE STREET - DAY Bond comes out into a side street crowded with VENDERS AND SHOPPERS. Bond sees the Boa pushing his way through the crowd to... EXT. ISTANBUL - FERRY TERMINAL - DAY RUSSIAN TRAMP STEAMER taking on cargo. Bond enters square in time to see the Boa making a Bee line for the Russian steamer. As the Boa, much the worse-for-ware, starts up the gangway to the top deck of the steamer, Bond hitches a ride on a cargo net that is being hoisted aboard by the ship�s boom. EXT. RUSSIAN STEAMER - DAY Boa, breathing hard gets to the deck. He lumbers across it but before he can reach the other side he is tripped up by Bond who has been waiting for him by the side of the deck house. The Boa goes sprawling. As Bond comes for him he scrambles to his feet, grabs a nearby bailing hook, and swings at Bond. But Bond is ready for him. He wards off the blow with a small wooden cover from a shipping crate. He traps the Boa�s arm and gives him two quick devastating kicks in the solar plexus. He Boa stages back to the railing. A final kick from Bond sends him over the side... THE BOA FALLS, LANDING ON HIS BACK ON THE DECK BELOW WITH A SICKENING THUD. Bond looks down, sees the Boa�s body at a horrible angle, his neck broken. Bond sighs, turns... GABOR is there. Gun trained on him. GABOR Welcome aboard, Mr. Bond. BOND�S P.O.V. A thug steps into sight below, holding CHRISTMAS hostage as well. EXT. MAIDEN�S TOWER - DAY A magnificent ornate tower in the centre of the Bosphorus. An innocent-looking launch coasts up to it. A tarp is raised and Bond and Christmas are revealed, hands bound. They are helped out, led inside by a number of henchmen. INT. MAIDEN�S TOWER - DAY Elektra crosses the hallway as the doors open. Kisses Bond on the cheek as she eyes Christmas. ELEKTRA James Bond and his amazing resurrection. If only you�d kept away, we might have met again in a few years, become lovers once more. Christmas eyes Bond anew as Elektra leads him to an ornately carved chair, covered in silk. ELEKTRA (to guards) Take her to Renard. Bond and Christmas exchange a look as the guards start her towards some steps. Elektra indicates for him to sit. Behind him, the whole of Istanbul is visible through a large curved window. ELEKTRA Pretty thing. You had her too? Bond ignores her. ELEKTRA I could have given you the world. BOND Not interested. This cuts. She casually reaches behind his neck, flips up a wooden arm to which is attached a metal collar. A GAROTTE. ELEKTRA They were digging near here and they found some very pretty vases. They also found this... (meaning the garotte) I think we ignore the old ways at our peril, don�t you? Bond recoils as she fastens the collar... She steps back. BOND (ignoring her) Where�s M? ELEKTRA Soon she�ll be everywhere. Bond keeps his cool: BOND All this, because you fell for Renard? ELEKTRA Five more turns and your neck will break. She moves to the back of the chair, twists the screw ONE NOTCH. The effect on Bond is instantaneous as a bolt jolts into the back of his neck, tilts his head back. ELEKTRA Since I was a child, I�ve always had a power over men. When I realized my father wouldn�t rescue me from the kidnappers, I knew I had to form a new alliance. BOND (realizing) You turned Renard. ELEKTRA (smiling) Just like you...only you were even easier. She pulls the jewel from her ear, reveals the ugly scar: ELEKTRA I told him he had to hurt me, he had to make it look real. When he refused I told him I would do it myself. She turns the screw again. BOND So you killed your father. ELEKTRA He killed me! He killed me the day he refused to pay my ransom. A flicker of emotion. Bond is getting to her. BOND Was this all about the oil? ELEKTRA It is my oil! Mine and my family�s! Her eyes are shining. She moves toward the view, gazing out at this spectacular cradle of civilization. Bond works his wristbinds feverishly. ELEKTRA It runs in my veins, thicker than blood. I�m going to redraw the map. And when I am through the whole world will know my name, my grandfather�s name, the glory of my people. BOND No-one will believe this melt-down was an accident. She eyes him, impressed that he�s worked out her plan. Tightens the screw again. Her confidence amazing. ELEKTRA They will believe. They will all believe. Tightening the screw again: ELEKTRA You understand? Nobody can resist me. Now she straddles him. She puts the jewel back on her ear. All the time, he�s working that wristbind. ELEKTRA Know what happens when a man is strangled? BOND Elektra, it�s not too late. Eight million people needn�t die. She smiles, twists the screw again. A nasty, grinding sound. Sweat trickles from his brow. She licks it away. ELEKTRA You should have killed me when you had the chance. But you couldn�t. Not me. A woman you�ve loved. She pushes her hips into his. Turns the screw. The bolt is jammed right into the back of his neck. His face is angled upwards. Breathing is difficult. He glares up: BOND You meant ... nothing ... to me. She fingers the bolt. Prepares to turn it the last time...His hand strains at its binding... BOND One... last... screw? ELEKTRA (kissing his ear) Oh James. She begins to turn the screw... ... when SEVERAL GUNSHOTS are heard outside. Bond is on the edge of consciousness. Elektra freezes. Gets off him. Moves to a window. EXT. MAIDEN�S TOWER - BOSPHORUS - DAY HER POV: Big, battered and bloody, Valentin Zukovsky is leaving a boat, moving over the rocks toward the entrance with three of his men. Two bodies in his trail. He�s on course for Elektra and nothing is going to stop him, even as his henchmen are cut down by ferocious fire. INT. MAIDEN�S TOWER - BOSPHORUS - DAY Elektra moves to her gun. Just then, Gabor crashes through a stained glass window, neck broken. TWO ELEKTRA HENCHMEN appear from below stairs as the doors burst open. Zukovsky stands there. A bloody giant. They open up with machine guns, but two shots from Zukovsky take them out, though he takes one in the shoulder. Right now, he�s unstoppable. A shocked silence after the shooting. He eyes Bond in the chair. To the room: ZUKOVSKY I�m looking for a submarine. It�s big and black, and the driver is a friend of mine. Then his eye falls on the HAT Renard had brought up from below. He knows at once what it means. ZUKOVSKY Bring it to me. She picks it up, walks to him (surreptitiously sliding a gun beneath it). She proffers the hat... ELEKTRA What a shame. You just missed him. BLAM BLAM BLAM -- she fires through the hat. He staggers back. Stares. Slumps down. Lowers his head to the ground. She walks over, puts her heel on his gun arm, presses down, smiling a half-psychotic smile. The gun is pinned. Zukovsky is dying. But he dredges up every last ounce of energy to raise his gun a millimetre off the ground, his outstretched arm already pointing at Bond. Elektra looks surprised, then amused as Zukovsky�s finger begins to squeeze the trigger: he�s going to shoot Bond! Bond stares back. Zukovsky�s eye narrows -- trying for extreme accuracy... BLAM! The SHOT hits the binding at Bond�s wrist. Splinters the wood there. ELEKTRA stares at Zukovsky. She didn�t see where the bullet went, just that it missed Bond. She watches his head slump further, staring at Bond... A look passes between the two men. Comrades in arms. The merest of smiles. Then the light fades from his eyes. Dead. ELEKTRA turns back to Bond. Smiles. ELEKTRA Excuse me. She picks up a walkie-talkie, speaks into it: ELEKTRA Everything�s under control up here. Are you ready? RENARD (filtered) Yes. Au revoir... Lost for a moment, she breathes heavily. She glances at Zukovsky�s corpse. Slightly puzzled, to Bond: ELEKTRA Zukovsky really hated you. (beat) Time to say goodnight. And she kisses him -- reaches behind to deliver the killer twist... One super-fast movement: Bond�s hand breaks free, grabs her throat, tight. He holds her, their faces close together, disdain in his eyes -- hurls her backwards, her hand scratching at his face. Ripping the collar from his neck, he gets to his feet. Moves to Zukovsky, checks his pulse, takes the bloody gun from his fingers. Turns back, to see Elektra disappearing upstairs. A moment�s dilemma: should he race below to the sub -- or up to Elektra? He takes off after Elektra, grabs the radio handset. CUT TO: EXT. SUBMARINE - SECRET QUAY (MAIDEN�S TOWER) - DAY The submarine�s engines roar to life. INT. TOWER - CONTINUOUS ELEKTRA rises up one of the triple spiral stairways leading to the various balconies of the minaret tower. INT. TOWER/M�S CELL - DAY Bond stalks up after her. THEIR VOICES ECHO through the intertwined stairs: ELEKTRA James. You can�t kill me. Not in cold blood. But Bond isn�t wavering. Clutches Zukovsky�s bloody wet gun. He heads up in the semi-darkness -- and suddenly swings to his right, at an unexpected but familiar Voice: M Bond -- Bond kicks open a door and enters... M�S PRISON ROOM He fires at the lock on her cell door and frees her. Turns to go, heading upward, after Elektra. M Go after the submarine, forget the girl. Bond! INT. BALCONY/MAIDEN�S TOWER - BOSPHORUS - DAY Elektra has reached a balcony. It affords a spectacular view of Istanbul. Bond appears, has her cornered. BOND Call him off. He holds the walkie-talkie to her mouth. BOND I won�t ask again. Call him off! She looks at him seriously. He�s giving her a last chance, willing her to save herself and the city. ELEKTRA (into walkie-talkie) Renard. Bond waits... ELEKTRA (to Bond) You wouldn�t kill me. You�d miss me. And her face breaks into a perverted grin and -- ELEKTRA (into walkie-talkie) Dive! Bond -- BLAM! Bond shoots her. She staggers back, shocked at her own mortality. BOND I never miss. He looks out: EXT. BOSPHORUS - DAY Sees the nose of the sub heading into the Bosphorus, half submerged. The hatch is still open. INT. BALCONY/MAIDEN�S TOWER - BOSPHORUS - DAY He stares at her dead body a beat. And then, he crouches. He touches her cheek, just once, before he goes. Behind him, unbeknownst, M has seen it all. EXT. MAIDEN�S TOWER - BOSPHORUS - DAY He moves to the ledge. Composes himself -- and DIVES ONE HUNDRED FEET to the water. Amazing. EXT. SUBMARINE, BOSPHORUS - DAY He surfaces close to the exiting sub. Grabs a ladder, pulls himself up. The hatch is closing... He splashes through the water flooding over the sub, appears in front of the amazed sailor shutting the hatch. WHACKS him with the hatch. Gets inside. Closes it. Milliseconds before the hatch slides under the water. INT. SUBMARINE - CONTINUOUS Bond down below. Renard�s crew are spread throughout the sub. He creeps through... Approaches one man working some levers, smoking. Bond holds his gun to his head. BOND How do you want to die? (re: cigarette) That? (re: gun) Or this? INT. CABIN, SUBMARINE - MOMENTS LATER A few SOLID BANGS on the metal of Christmas� door. It opens and Bond lets the now unconscious man hit the deck. That was his head banging. CHRISTMAS (stunned) James!... He takes her by the hand, they move through the shadows of the sub. INT. SUBMARINE - MOMENTS LATER A man is operating the tanks. Through the intercom: RENARD (filtered) Flood tanks 4 and 5... The man does as told. When he�s finished -- Bond knocks him out with the butt of his gun. INT. SUBMARINE CONTROL ROOM - MOMENTS LATER Several men occupy the central control room, Renard at their centre. Beyond, on the other side, the outer chamber of the reactor. INT. OTHER END OF CONTROL ROOM - SUBMARINE - DAY From the other end of the control room, Bond and Christmas, so near and yet so far -- they can�t get to the reactor because there are so many men in there. Keeping behind cover: CHRISTMAS Is there another way? BOND We go down to the torpedo bay. INT. TANK CONTROLS ROOM, SUBMARINE LOWER DECK - MOMENTS LATER Bond and Christmas get attacked. A vicious, silent fight... Then the radio set sparks into life -- RENARD Open the tanks. Bond is throttling the man with the cable. Speaks into the handset. BOND (disguising voice) Tanks open. But the man has stretched his hand to a fire alarm: The KLAXON RESOUNDS. INT. SUBMARINE CONTROL ROOM - CONTINUOUS Renard looks up. RENARD (to self) Bond... He flicks a switch; RENARD (into mic) Bond! You have decided to join me on this historic voyage. Welcome to my nuclear family. INTERCUT: BOND ON AN INTERCOM: His voice fills the control room. BOND You�re really going to commit suicide for her? Renard responds, into the microphone. RENARD In case you�ve forgotten. I�m dead already. BOND Haven�t you heard the news? So is she. Renard�s face screws up in pain more searing than any he could feel in his skin...he SCREAMS... INT. SUBMARINE... The scream, like a wounded animal, echoes throughout the doomed craft. BACK ON RENARD, gasping, spent. RENARD You will die for this. He strides through to the INT. REACTOR CHAMBER Jams shut the hatch behind him. Now moves through to the INT. CHAMBER BEYOND REACTOR Where he picks up the PLUTONIUM. Moves back into the INT. REACTOR CHAMBER Sealing the other door behind him. And now he opens up the cover of the glaring REACTOR... INT. TANK CONTROLS ROOM, SUBMARINE - CONTINUOUS Christmas sees a panel light up: CHRISTMAS The cover is off the reactor. Bond reads off more lights... BOND He�s sealed himself in. CHRISTMAS He�s going to insert the plutonium. Thinking fast, Bond moves to some controls. Hits switches. CHRISTMAS Do you know what you�re doing? BOND Like riding a bike. INT. AIR TANKS, SUBMARINE - CONTINUOUS The air tanks immediately filling with water. INT. TANK CONTROLS ROOM, SUBMARINE - CONTINUOUS Christmas and Bond shift to the side. Everything not screwed down starts sliding... EXT. SUBMARINE - CONTINUOUS - LONG SHOT The submarine is tilting, further and further, the nose dropping down and down... Pretty soon we have the strange and incredible sight of a submarine hanging vertically, nose down. INT. REACTOR CHAMBER, SUBMARINE - CONTINUOUS Renard hangs on, swings, until he can get a footing on the nearest wall. INT. TANK CONTROLS ROOM, SUBMARINE - CONTINUOUS Bond and Christmas hang on too, get a grip. He helps her up. CHRISTMAS What kind of bikes did you ride? BOND Just wanted to put him on edge... INT. REACTOR CHAMBER, SUBMARINE - CONTINUOUS Renard is disturbed by the sub�s position, but only momentarily. He moves to an intercom: RENARD Open the torpedo tubes. INT. TORPEDO ROOM - CONTINUOUS Bond hears a creak, turns to see the tubes open -- water gushes up toward them at an incredible rate. BOND Climb! He pulls Christmas up and they ascend to the next level. No chance to seal the chamber though, the water is already through the hatch. BOND Keep moving. INT. REACTOR CHAMBER - CONTINUOUS Renard now struggles back up to the reactor, stares into the violet blue heat... He hits a button. A ROD slowly rises out of the reactor. INT. LOWER SUBMARINE - CONTINUOUS Bond and Christmas are ahead of the water. They have reached a level where various systems are operated from. BOND There�s one chance. He punches buttons. EXT. SUBMARINE, BOSPHORUS - CONTINUOUS High up on the sub, a hatch opens. Water floods into an escape hatch. An inner door stops it getting into the submarine itself. INT. REACTOR CHAMBER - CONTINUOUS Renard slowly inserts the plutonium rod. Immediately the light around him becomes a deeper blue, a horrible luminescence. The staccato click of a distant Geiger counter intensifies. INT. SUBMARINE - CONTINUOUS As Bond opens the inner door of an ESCAPE HATCH, he points out a cabinet on the wall to Christmas. BOND Re-breathers. She opens the box to find the RE-BREATHERS are ripped to shreds. No-one was ever meant to get off the sub. She shows Bond. BOND Never liked those things anyway. He climbs into the escape chamber. BOND Count to twenty. When you get to twenty open the hatch. It can only be opened for a few seconds or we�ll sink. CHRISTMAS But what if... BOND Count to twenty. I�ll be there. She moves over and seals the door, wrenches a lever which immediately floods the chamber with water. INT. ESCAPE HATCH - CONTINUOUS Inside the chamber, Bond holds his breath as water seeps in. The most claustrophobic thing you�ve ever seen. INT. SUBMARINE - CONTINUOUS A green light comes on and Christmas punches a button... EXT. SUBMARINE, ESCAPE HATCH - CONTINUOUS The OUTER DOOR opens... Bond burst out and starts the long swim up the OUTSIDE OF THE SUBMARINE... INT. SUBMARINE - SAME Christmas is counting. CHRISTMAS One, one thousand, two, one thousand... EXT. SUBMARINE - UNDERWATER It�s dark out here. It would be very easy for Bond to get disoriented. He peers around, trying to get his bearings against the vast vertical whale he�s swimming up. Passes the conning tower. INT. SUBMARINE CHRISTMAS Fourteen, one thousand, fifteen, one thousand... EXT. SUBMARINE - UNDERWATER Bond is running out of air... And then he sees it -- the open hatch of the rear escape door. He gets inside, yanks it closed... INT. SUBMARINE - CONTINUOUS Christmas, shivering in the rising water. CHRISTMAS Twenty. She presses a button... INT. CHAMBER BEYOND (NOW ABOVE) REACTOR - CONTINUOUS The hatch opens and Bond collapses out in a gush of water. The hatch closes. The whole world is at a crazy angle here. Bond looks down at the sealed door of the reactor chamber, curses. INT. REACTOR CHAMBER - CONTINUOUS Bathed in the horrible light of the over-heating reactor, Renard looks upwards, aware of sounds on the other side of the door... KER-BLAM! A BLINDING FLASH OF LIGHT. The door shoots off its hinge, blasted by Bond. Bond drops down into the chamber, takes one look at Renard, now a crumpled heap in the corner. Bond moves down to the next door, opens it: BOND Christmas! And there she is, struggling, the water level way below still rising... He lowers an arm, pulls her up. They clamber up to the reactor: INT. REACTOR CHAMBER BOND�S POV: in the intense glow inside -- the overheating rod, protruding slightly. CHRISTMAS We have to get the rod out of the reactor! INT. REACTOR CHAMBER Bond looks at the gauges from behind a thick GLASS SHIELD. Christmas comes up level with him: CHRISTMAS Melting down. 4000 degrees, the Zirconium casings on the rods crack. 5000, the plutonium melts. In ten minutes, a hydrogen explosion. THE TEMPERATURE GAUGE READS 4500 AND RISING... He starts toward the reactor when suddenly RENARD IS BEHIND BOND, THROTTLING HIM. CHRISTMAS grabs at him, is flung back, nearly falls through the hatch but manages to grab a pipe, hangs on for dear life. THE GAUGE HITS 4700 BOND AND RENARD struggle... Both slamming into switches and buttons. CUT TO: OMITTED 314-316 INT. SUBMARINE - CONTINUOUS THE GAUGE IS PASSING 4900, EDGING TOWARDS THE NO-WAY-BACK 5000 MARK. Meltdown imminent... He looks down the sub -- more water racing upward... Back to the pile. Scans the scene, searching for an idea. Sees a HOSE, compressed air escaping from a fissure. Thinks fast. Grabs the hose, snaps it free... RENARD is recovering, has found a FLARE GUN near him. Raises it to Bond... BOND�S POV in the reflection of the gauge (which is millimeters from 5000), we see Renard approaching from behind us... BOND jams the hose into the reactor, ducks down -- as the air blows the rod out - narrowly missing him as it shoots past -- impales Renard in the heart, just before he could shoot. Renard stares at Bond in horror. Bond calmly takes the flare gun off him. BOND She�s waiting for you. And he lets him fall past Christmas, through consecutive open hatches of the sub, crashing into the rising water. Christmas looks down at the floating corpse. Bond watches the gauge -- as it edges DOWN from 5000. The nuclear disaster looks like it�s averted. But suddenly water is gushing in from above, through splits in the sub�s shell; it�s going to sink. BOND We�re sinking. But she won�t come. As water courses over them: CHRISTMAS Help me. We have to seal it. She moves to the reactor, closing the cover. Bond uses his strength to push the heavy locking mechanism into place. Bond climbs upwards, dragging Christmas with him. BOND We�ve got to get out. CHRISTMAS We can�t. INT. CHAMBER BEYOND REACTOR - CONTINUOUS They clamber into the next chamber up... EXT. SUBMARINE, BOSPHORUS - CONTINUOUS The submarine is slowly sinking, nose down. Air is escaping from the many seams that are creeping apart. We can hear the metallic GROANS through the water. INT. TORPEDO ROOM Bond and Christmas crawl into TORPEDO CHAMBERS... Bond reaches out, setting a timer to FIRE... The clock ticks down... EXT. SUBMARINE - UNDERWATER BOSPHORUS - DAY The Torpedo doors open and Bond and Christmas are SHOT OUT INTO THE WATER, streaking through, as behind them... THE SUBMARINE EXPLODES in spectacular fashion. EXT. SURFACE, BOSPHORUS - DAY Bond and Christmas reach the surface... Look around them. No boats coming to the rescue. They wave to a tourist boat passing. The boat heads over to pick them up... DISSOLVE: OMIT 324 EST. SHOT - MI-6 - NIGHT The damaged wing is being repaired. INT. BRIEFING ROOM - SAME Tanner overseeing things, and then... M walks in. Efficient and steely as ever. All eyes turn to her. She looks at everyone...makes the briefest of nods. That is all the sentiment allowed as business resumes. She scans the machines: M Any word from him? TANNER Still no contact yet. EXT. ROOF, ISTANBUL - NIGHT A magnificent rooftop garden looking out over Istanbul. Christmas and Bond alone with some Bollinger. FIREWORKS explode above. They clink glasses. He looks out at the cityscape. BOND I love Christmas in Turkey. CHRISTMAS So isn�t it time you unwrapped your present? INT. BRIEFING ROOM - NIGHT Tanner and Q look at a SATELLITE THERMAL IMAGE OF ISTANBUL. TANNER That�s strange. The satellite image zooms in one particular car parked in a side street. We can just make out Bond�s ASTON MARTIN. TANNER He must be nearby. M comes over. The image moves from the car, closes on the garden rooftop. The thermal image is multi-coloured, difficult to decipher. M Where? Q This picks up body heat. Humans should be orange. (searching) There. And he points to ONE orange figure lying on the rooftop. M (to Tanner) I thought you said he was with Doctor Jones? They all look back to the image. The figure is turning RED, almost glowing. M It�s getting redder. Tanner, Q and M realize as one that this is an image of two people, one atop the other. And getting hotter. M Bond. Q switches the screen off, clears his throat. Q Could be a premature form of the Millennium Bug. EXT. ROOF, ISTANBUL - CONTINUOUS It�s dark, we can�t really see them. CHRISTMAS You know James... I think Christmas is coming early this year. FADE OUT THE END

All IS A BLUR. . . ...then WORDS appear, twisting and vaguely transparent, reflected on the window GRADY TRIPP stands before as he reads from a sheaf of NEATLY-TYPED PAGES. GRADY 'The young girl sat perfectly still in the confessional... 1 INT. CLASSROOM - UNIVERSITY - AFTERNOON Grady--45-year-old novelist, professor, and insomniac--is in the midst of reading a story to the dozen college STUDENTS who make up his Advanced Writing Workshop. GRADY ...listening to her father's boots scrape like chalk on the ancient steps of the church, then grow faint, then disappear altogether.' As he finishes, GRADY ponders a PAIR of MAINTENANCE MEN, perched on ladders in the quad below, stringing a LARGE BANNER between two bare trees. The BANNER reads: WELCOME TO WORDFEST GRADY turns, peers at his students. They look as if they've been on a field trip to the DMV. GRADY (cont'd) (a wave of the pages) So. .Anyone? A GIRL with jet-black hair turns to a PALE YOUNG MAN sitting at a desk in the back of the classroom. He is JAMES LEER, 19. Like GRADY a moment before, he is staring out the window. CARRIE MCWHIRTY Let me get this straight. The girl with the big lips is depressed because, each night, when her father goes off to work at the bakery, her mother sneaks some mysterious lover into the house. Not only does this girl have to listen to her mother working this guy in the next room, she has to wash the sheets each morning before Daddy gets home. After a few weeks of this, she starts to go a little nutty/ so Daddy takes her to confession--only, once she gets in the box, she gets a whiff of the priest and realizes he's the mother's secret lover. Is that it? James Leer says nothing, huddling lower in the PATTY OVERCOAT he wears. CARRIE MCWHIRTY I mean, Jesus. What is it with you Catholics? GRADY All right. Let's try to keep it constructive, shall we? Howard, what about you? HOWARD I hated it. GRADY That's not exactly what I meant by constructive, Howard. HOWARD I think James should try to be more constructive. This is my second semester with him. His stories are brutal, man. They make me want to kill myself. GRADY glances at James, but his face remains impassive. Then--with a visible sense of relief--GRADY notices the raised hand of the achingly beautiful HANNAH GREEN. GRADY Yes, Hannah? HANNAH GREEN I think maybe we're missing the point. It seems to me James' strength as a writer is that he doesn't take us by the hand. He treats us like adults. He respects us enough to forget us. That takes . . . courage . GRADY nods, smiles subtly. Appreciative. GRADY Well put, Hannah. And a good note to end on, I think. (as the students rise) Don't forget about WordFest this weekend. And remember: those of you driving V.I.P.s to tonight's cocktail party need to have them at the Chancellor's house no later than 5:30. Hannah Green gathers her things, pauses by Grady. GRADY Thanks for that. He all right? HANNAH GREEN I think so. ..What about you? GRADY Me? Sure. Why? HANNAH GREEN Just checking. GRADY watches her glide away in her CRACKED RED COWBOY BOOTS, then starts to exit himself. JAMES LEER Turn out the light, please. GRADY pauses, studying the wan figure sitting at the back of the classroom, then--reluctantly-hits the switch on the wail, leaving James Leer alone in the DARK. 2 INT. STAIRWELL/CORRIDOR - AFTERNOON (MOMENTS LATER) GRADY hurries down the steps, then spies SARA GASKSLL, 45, standing below. She is talking to a BOY with an armful of SLICK PROGRAMS. SARA (calm but firm) No, Elliot, I said five hundred programs for today. This means we have no programs for the weekend. This means that tomorrow morning, at 9AM, several hundred people will walk into Thaw Hall and have absolutely no idea where they are going. (shaking her head) It's all right, Elliot. I'll take care of it. GRADY watches Sara take the programs, turn, and spot him. There is the slightest of hesitations, then.... SARA Professor Tripp. GRADY Chancellor. SARA I got the message you called. GRADY I got the message you called too. This hangs in the air, awkward somehow, then both nod and continue on, without so much as a backward glance. 3 INT. GRADY'S CAR - MOVING The RADIO BLASTS as GRADY pops the glove box, removes a JOINT as big as his pinky, and wheels his DARK MAROON '66 GALAXIE RAGTOP away from campus, cruising under another BANNER: WELCOME TO WORDFEST FEBRUARY 26-28 4 EXT. GALAXIE - MOVING.. - PITTSBURGH GRADY cruises past the three rivers and modest skyscrapers of downtown, sipping at the weed. 5 INT. PITTSBURGH AIRPORT GRADY rides the long, automated treadmill that runs half the length of the terminal, until... 6 INT. ARRIVAL GATE - PITTSBURGH AIRPORT ...TERRY CRABTREE--Grady's editor and friend-exits the tunnel with a STUNNING YOUNG WOMAN in a skin-tight black dress, bright red topcoat, and three-inch spike heels. Grinning devilishly, Crabtree whispers something in the woman's ear, then spots Grady. CRABTREE Tripp! GRADY How are you, Crabtree? CRABTREE Brimming. Say hello to my new friend, Miss Antonia. . .uh. . . . WOMAN Sloviak. CRABTREE I took the liberty of inviting Antonia to tonight's festivities. You don't mind, do you. Trip? ? GRADY (a slight beat) The more the merrier. MISS SLOVIAK Terry was telling me about you on the plane. It was ail so interesting. CRABTREE I was explaining to Antonia how a book comes to be published. What you do as a writer, what I do as an editor... GRADY I sweat blood for five years and he checks for spelling. MISS SLOVIAK (indicating Crabtree) That's exactly what he said. CRABTREE We know each other pretty well. (to Grady) So where's Emily? GRADY Emily? CRABTREE Your wife. GRADY Oh. We're picking her up. Downtown. CRABTREE Perfect. Well then, shall we? GRADY nods, but lingers briefly--studying the architecture of Miss Sloviak's ankles as she CLICKS off in her spike heels, arm in arm with Crabtree. 7 INT. BAGGAGE CAROUSEL - AIRPORT - MOMENTS LATER GRADY and Crabtree watch suitcases tumble as Miss Sloviak sits across the way, inspecting her face in a compact. CRABTREE Do you know how many times I've boarded an airplane praying someone like her would sit down beside me? Particularly while I'm on my way to Pittsburgh. GRADY Lay off Pittsburgh. It's one of the great cities. CRABTREE If it can produce a Miss Sloviak you'll get no argument from me. GRADY She's a transvestite. CRABTREE You're stoned. GRADY She's still a transvestite. CRABTREE Mm. GRADY Isn't she? Crabtree ignores Grady's question, smiling placidly as he watches the carousel spin. CRABTREE So how's the book? GRADY stiffens. He had been expecting this, but not so soon. He tries to act casual. GRADY It's fine. It's done. Basically. I'm just sort of. ..tinkering with it. CRABTREE Great. I was hoping I could get a look at it sometime this weekend. Think that might be possible? GRADY I don't know. I'm sort of at a critical. . . juncture . CRABTREE I thought you were tinkering. GRADY I just mean. . . CRABTREE Forget I asked. I don't want to pressure you, Tripp. But... (pointedly) ...I get pressure. Know what I mean? GRADY ponders this, troubled by it. Suddenly, Crabtree's face brightens again. CRABTREE Ah. ..well now. What do you suppose that would be? GRADY turns, watches an immense PONY HIDE CASE drop onto the carousel. GRADY That would be a tuba. 8 INT. GRADY'S CAR - MOVING - LATE AFTERNOON 8 As the Galaxie emerges from a TUNNEL, GRADY watches the great city of Pittsburgh reveal itself in the distance, then glances in the rearview mirror. GRADY That perfume you're wearing, Antonia. It wouldn't happen to be Cristaile, would it? MISS SLOVIAK Why yes. How did you know? GRADY Lucky guess. CRABTREE You didn't actually purchase this car, did you. Trip?? GRADY It was Jerry Nathan's. He owed me money. CRABTREE He owes God money. You know, he queered himself for good with Esquire. GRADY takes a joint from the ashtray, snaps a Scripto butane. GRADY He said something about being between things. CRABTREE Yeah, between a bookie and a pair of broken legs. 9 EXT. OFFICE BUILDING - MOMENTS LATER A YOUNG WOMAN with a crumpled PITTSBURGH STEEIERS UMBRELLA exits the building and-seeing GRADY parked in front of a fire hydrant--stops, a puzzled expression on her face. As she approaches, GRADY roils down the passenger window. GRADY Hi, Tanya. (to the others) This is Tanya. My wife's secretary. CRABTREE and MISS SLOVIAK smile and nod. Tanya smiles and nods back, her eyes passing uneasily over Grady's joint. TANYA Grady.. ..Emily's not here. GRADY just smiles, nods. TANYA (cont'd) Is there anything I can do for you? GRADY watches a tiny stream of water trickle through Tanya's sad umbrella. GRADY You're leaking, Tanya. Tanya nods--at a loss-then turns away into the rain. CRABTREE Trip? ? GRADY She left me. Crabs. CRABTREE Left you...? Who? Emily? GRADY This morning. I found a note in the kitchen. CRABTREE But. ..why didn't you say something, Tripp? I mean, what are we doing here? GRADY gazes at the glittering scene beyond his windshield, turns on the ignition. GRADY I thought maybe I made it all up. 10 EXT. GASKELL HOUSE - EVENING Through the windows, a rabble of writers, faculty and select students can be SEEN, mingling under a haze of cigarette smoke. GRADY brings the Galaxie to a lurching halt across the street, parks in front of another fire hydrant. As the trio steps out. MISS SLOVIAK notices a GREENHOUSE, shimmering quietly in the chill night air. MISS SLOVIAK That's a nice greenhouse. GRADY It's Mrs. Gaskell's. Her hobby. CRABTREE I thought you were Mrs. Gaskell's hobby, Tripp. GRADY Piss off, Crabs. I lost a wife today. CRABTREE Oh, I'm sure you'll find another. You always do. 11 EXT. FRONT PORCH - GASKELL HOUSE As the front door swings open, Sara Gaskell appears, riding a wave of jagged party CHATTER onto the porch. SARA Well, hello, everyone. Terry, good to see you again. CRABTREE Chancellor. Don't you look ravishing. SARA Aren't you sweet to say so. I was beginning to wonder if you were ever going to--oh! As Sara steps forward, her heel-catches and she pitches forward ...into Grady's arms. GRADY Easy there. SARA I'm sorry. It's these goddamned shoes. I don't know how anyone actually walks in these things. MISS SLOVIAK Practice. Sara looks at Miss Sloviak, a faint glitter of scientific curiosity in her eye. SARA I don't believe we've met... MISS SLOVIAK Antonia. Antonia Sloviak-- Just then, a THICKLY-MUCSCLED DOG with very strange EYES skitters around the corner, BARKING SAVAGELY in the general direction of Grady. SARA Poe! CRABTREE (mildly) This wouldn't be Walter's dog, would it? Poe continues to rage, his paws doing crazy eights on the hardwood floor, until he's spun himself completely around and is barking at the living room. MISS SLOVIAK Who ' s he barking at now? GRADY He's still barking at me. He's blind. SARA Poe' Hush! Now stop this. Honestly. As Poe simmers to a deep growl, GRADY leans forward. GRADY I need to talk to you. SARA That's funny. I need to talk to you, too. (strategy in her tone) Perhaps you could put some of these coats in the upstairs guest room, Professor Tripp. GRADY (reading her) I don't believe I know where the upstairs guest room is. SARA Well then. I'd better show you. Terry-- CRABTREE We'll just make ourselves at home. (kneeling by Poe) Won't we, Poe? Yes, yes.... 12 INT. UPSTAIRS ROOM GRADY enters a room swimming in BASEBAIL MEMORABILIA. AUTOGRAPHED BASEBALLS abound, as well as PHOTOGRAPHS of famous big-leaguers. In one somewhat-dated PHOTO a TRIM MAN IN HIS FORTIES (a younger Walter Gaskell) stands with PITTSBURGH PIRATE BILL MAZEROSKI at an old-timers game. As Sara eases the door shut, GRADY nods to a 1951 YANKEE'S PENNANT hanging over the mantle. GRADY New? SARA (nodding) Walter just got it back from the framer today. Sara takes Grady's hand, drawing him away from the pennant and down onto the coat-covered bed. SARA You go first. GRADY All right. This morning-- SARA I'm pregnant. A flash of LAUGHTER flutters from the living room below. GRADY starts to speak. SARA I'm sure. GRADY Well. This is...surprising. Does Walter... ? SARA I think Walter would find this a little more than surprising. GRADY nods, getting her drift, then roils onto his back. GRADY Emily left me this morning. SARA She's left before... GRADY She's left the room before. She always came back. Sara nods. Considers this. SARA So. I guess we just divorce our spouses, marry each other, and have this baby, right? Simple. GRADY Simple. GRADY and Sara stare at the ceiling. Sara sniffs the coat lying beneath her. Miss Sloviak's coat. SARA Is that Cristaile? GRADY Hm. SARA (weary) My God, I wear the same scent as a transvestite. She IS a transvestite, isn't: she? GRADY If she's not now, Terry will make sure she is by the end of the evening. SARA Has he asked to see the book yet? GRADY Yes. SARA And? Are you going to tell him? GRADY No. Maybe. I don't know. I don't know what I'm going to do. SARA (distantly) Neither do 1. GRADY starts to pull up, but his arm is underneath Sara. GRADY Sara, my arm. I'm stuck, honey. SARA I guess you're going to have to chew it off then. 13 INT. LIVING ROOM - GASKELL HOUSE Poe noses blindly through a forest of legs, pauses by Miss Sloviak's high heels and scores a Rye Krisp. Crabtree, returning with a pair of DRINKS, tiptoes around him, finds MISS SLOVIAK chatting with a trim MAN in his 50's. CRABTREE Walter! I see you've met my friend. WALTER GASKELL Yes . She' s charming. MISS SLOVIAK (taking her drink) Walter's been telling me the most fascinating things about Marilyn Monroe and. ..who was it? WALTER GASKELL Joe DiMaggio. Simply put, Antonia, it' s my contention that their marriage tapped into the very id of American popular culture. Joe DiMaggio represented, metaphorically speaking, the Husband as Slugger.. And, though it may be controversial, I personally believe every woman, in some way, desires to be Marilyn Monroe. MISS SLOVIAK Oh, I couldn't agree more. NEW ANGLE GRADY works his way through the crowd, spies Walter, and changes course. Directly ahead is an oddly commanding MAN ("Q"). From the behavior of the people in his vicinity it's clear he is someone of interest. Presently, he is putting the make on Hannah Green. Q And while my latest has been on the New York Times bestseller list for 40 weeks, I can't help but lament that my first book, which contains what I consider my finest writing, was remaindered in less than five. So, I find myself conflicted. GRADY Ask him if he's conflicted about his house in the Hamptons. HANNAH GREEN (brightening) Grady. Q eyes GRADY over his wine glass. Q Hello.. .Professor. GRADY Q,. Hannah's had two stories published in The Paris Review. You'd best dust off the 'A' material for her. As GRADY moves off, he sees Poe sniffing, and goes the other way, heading directly into the crosshairs of a MAH IN TWEED, who is talking to another, shorter MAN. MAN IN TWEED (to short man) A supermarket for the mind, my ass. I'm telling you, they're nothing but a big, fat mob laundry. Have you ever been to Davenport, Iowa? Let me tell you, they need a 30,000-square-foot bookstore like they need another goddamn cow. (as GRADY passes) Grady! GRADY Hello, Nathan. MAN IN TWEED My God, I haven't seen you since, what? The PEN/Faulkner Awards. That was a big night for you, Grady. (to his friend) GRADY was there for Arsonist's Daughter, The short man blinks, impulsively takes Grady's hand. SHORT MAN Douglas Triddly, Amherst. I kid you not when I say Arsonist's Daughter belongs in the pantheon of late twentieth century fiction. I've had it on my Graduate Studies syllabus three years running. GRADY (pulling away) No wonder it's still in print. As GRADY flees, he passes a WOMAN holding a cigarette. WOMAN WITH CIGARETTE ...can take my word for it, writer's are lousy fucks. Poets aren't bad, but then you've got to deal with the sweater thing. They'll discover the cancer in your heart every time, but God forbid they find a decent dry cleaner. 14 EXT. REAR GASKELL HOUSE - NIGHT GRADY comes out the back: door and ferrets a JOINT from his pocket, lights it. He takes a long draw, walks around the side of the house. As he passes a window, a VOICE accosts him. MAN'S VOICE There you are. GRADY starts, but when he looks through the window, he sees that the VOICE belongs to WALTER GASKELL and the person to whom he's talking is Sara. They are standing in the kitchen, near an elaborate WINE RACK. WALTER I could swear I had a '63 Chateau Latour in here. You haven't seen it, have you? SARA I doubt I'd recognize a '63 Chateau Latour if I was sitting on it. WALTER You'd recognize it if you tasted it. SARA I doubt it, darling. WALTER (angling & bottle to the light) Well, Q certainly will. And, given that he will be addressing 500 people in little over an hour... SARA You want to keep him happy. WALTER If he' s happy. . . (kissing her as he exits) I'm happy. As Walter goes, GRADY studies Sara as she stands alone in the quiet little room, looking small and tired. Finally, she takes a breath, steeling herself, and moves off, returning to the clamor inside her house. GRADY sighs, guilt-stricken, then detects a FLICKER of LIGHT coming from the darkness beyond. A FIGURE is watching him from the retaining wail that leads to the Gaskell's garage. GRADY blinks, chagrined that he's been caught eavesdropping, then his eyes narrow and he steps off the porch. GRADY James? James Leer wears the same nasty overcoat from class, a GREEN KNAPSACK hanging off one shoulder. GRADY looks at what appears to be a sliver of moonlight in James' palm. JAMES LEER It's fake. James' face betrays his own fragile chagrin and GRADY peers more closely at what lies in his extended hand. The sliver of moonlight is, in fact, a shiny PEARL-HANDLED PISTOL. JAMES LEER It was my mother's. She won it in a penny arcade in Baltimore when she was in Catholic school. GRADY It's very convincing. JAMES LEER It used to shoot these little paper caps, but they don't make them anymore. The caps. GRADY reaches for the gun, but James closes his fingers and slips the tiny thing back into his overcoat. JAMES LEER It's just. ..for good luck. Some people carry rabbits' feet... GRADY ...You carry firearms. As GRADY exhales a plume of smoke, James' eyes pass briefly over the jay. GRADY notices, offers. JAMES LEER No, thank you. I don't like to lose control of my emotions. GRADY nods, accustomed to James' weirdness. JAMES LEER I'm not supposed to be here, in case you were wondering. I crashed. I mean, not intentionally... James nods toward the house, where Hannah Green can be seen in a window, still fending off the determined Q. JAMES LEER (cont'd) ...but the other night, Hannah and I were together, at the movies, and she asked me. Since she was coming. So I ended up coming. Too. GRADY nods, ponders this over-elaborate explanation. GRADY Are you and Hannah seeing each other, James ? JAMES LEER No! What gave you that idea? GRADY Relax, James. I'm not her father. I just rent her a room. JAMES LEER She likes old movies like I do, that's ail. (glancing back at the window) Besides, she doesn't really know me. She thinks she does, but she doesn't. Maybe it's because she's Mormon and I'm Catholic. GRADY Maybe it's because she's beautiful and she knows it and try as she might to not let that screw her up, it's inevitable that it will in some way. James looks away from the window, at Grady. JAMES LEER You're not like my other teachers, Professor Tripp. GRADY You're not like my other students, James. So what was the movie you two saw? JAMES LEER Huh? Oh. Son or Fury. With Tyrone Power and Frances Farmer. GRADY She went crazy, Frances Farmer. JAMES LEER So did Gene Tierney. She's in it too. GRADY Sounds like a good one. JAMES LEER (a crooked smile) It's not bad. GRADY considers James' fragile face. GRADY Listen, James, about this afternoon. In workshop. I'm sorry. I think I let things get a bit out of control. JAMES LEER They really hated it. I think they hated it more than any of the other ones. GRADY Well... JAMES LEER It doesn't matter. It only took me an hour to write. GRADY (truly impressed) Really? That's remarkable. JAMES LEER I have trouble sleeping. While I'm lying in bed I figure them out. The stories. As James gazes off at the gloaming greenhouse, GRADY looks down at the left front POCKET of James' overcoat. Like a nervous tic, James' hand- hidden-twitches against the modest bulk of the cap gun. GRADY You cold, James? JAMES LEER (distant) A little. GRADY So what are you doing out here? JAMES LEER It's colder in there. - GRADY (laughing) You're right. James blinks, startled by Grady's laughter, startled that he's said something funny. He looks back to the greenhouse JAMES LEER Actually, I saw the greenhouse. So I thought ...I thought I'd come out here and take a look at it. You don't see one of those every day. It looks like heaven... GRADY Heaven? JAMES LEER I saw a movie once. Part of it took place in heaven. Everyone wore white and lived in crystal houses. Like that. At least that's the way I remember it... Abruptly, James glances at his watch. JAMES LEER I should be going. James turns away, then stops. He stands like this a moment, then turns back. Holds out his right hand. JAMES LEER (cont'd) Goodbye, Professor Tripp. GRADY hesitates, then shakes James' hand. James moves off then, leaving the light of the house behind. GRADY James. (as he stops) Don't leave just yet. There's something I think you ought to see. JAMES LEER I'll miss my bus. GRADY This is worth it. James looks conflicted. GRADY (cont'd) Trust me. 15 INT. LIVING ROOM - MOMENTS LATER It's quieter now, the party winding down, as GRADY sneaks James past the departing guests and toward the stairs. HANNAH GREEN Hey, you two. GRADY stops, sees Hannah slipping on a coat in the foyer. HANNAH GREEN (cont'd) Are you riding with me, James? JAMES LEER No, I'm going ho-- GRADY He's going with me. You take Crabtree. And his friend. All right? HANNAH GREEN Ail right. By the way, his friend...? GRADY The answer's yes. I think. Yes. I don't know. Where are they exactly? CRABTREE Here we are! CRABTREE appears at the top of the landing with Miss Sloviak. Her lipstick is blurry. CRABTREE (spying James) Nell, hello there. CRABTREE steps down the stairs, hand extended. James Leer's pale fingers rise as if on a string. GRADY James. This is my editor, Terry Crabtree. HANNAH GREEN James'll know about George Sanders. JAMES LEER George Sanders? HANNAH GREEN Mr. CRABTREE was saying how George Sanders killed himself, only he couldn't remember how. JAMES LEER Pills. August 25, 1972. In a Costa Brava hotel room. The few people within earshot glance oddly at James, but Crabtree's eyes glitter with intrigue. CRABTREE How comprehensive of you. HANNAH GREEN Oh, James is amazing. He knows all the movie suicides. Go ahead, James. Tell them who else. JAMES LEER There's so many... HANNAH GREEN Just a few then. The big ones. James glances at the loose group of people around him, watching, then... JAMES LEER Pier Angeli, 1971 or '72, also pills. Charles Boyer, 1978, pills again. Charles Butterworth, 1946, I think. In a car. Supposedly it was an accident, but, you know. . . (a trace of irony) He was distraught. Dorothy Dandridge, she took pills in, like, 1965. Albert Dekker, 1968, he hung himself. He wrote his suicide note in lipstick on his stomach. Alan Ladd, '64, more pills, Carole Landis, pills again, I forget when. George Reeves, Superman on TV, shot himself. Jean Seberg/ pills of course, 1979. Everett Sioane-- he was good--pills. Margaret Sullavan, pills, Lupe Velez, a lot of pills. Gig Young. He shot himself and his wife in 1978. There are more but I don't know if you would have heard of them. Ross Alexander? Clara Blandick? Maggie McNamara? Gia Scaia? HANNAH GREEN I haven't heard of half of those. CRABTREE You did them alphabetically. James turns, finds Crabtree's laser eyes on him. James blinks, as if he had forgotten about Crabtree, then shrugs shyly, looks away. JAMES LEER That's just how my brain works, I guess. CRABTREE Fascinating. Listen, why don't you come out with us after the lecture. There's a place on the Hill I always get Trip to take me. JAMES LEER Actually. ..I just want to go home. CRABTREE Oh, don't be silly. No one your age just wants to go home. Besides, faculty will be present. Just think of it as a field trip. As he exits, CRABTREE raises an eyebrow to Grady, as if to say: "Bring him." MISS SLOVIAK follows, eyeing James glacially as we CUT TO: BLACK The dull PURR of a COMBINATION LOCK is HEARD, a DOOR opens, and a triangle of LIGHT falls on a PHOTOGRAPH of MARILYN MONROES JOE DIMAGGIO on their wedding day. 16 INT. CLOSET - GASKELL HOUSE GRADY and James Leer stand in the doorway. Just below the photograph of Marilyn and Joe--hanging next to a PIN- STRIPED JERSEY bearing the number 5--is a SHORT BLACK SATIN JACKET trimmed with an ERMINE COLLAR. JAMES LEER Is that really it? GRADY That's really it. JAMES LEER The one she wore on her wedding day? GRADY So I'm told. James, in the presence of the holy grail of suicide garments, stands speechless. GRADY (cont'd) Go ahead. JAMES LEER Really? GRADY Really. James swallows, then'-goes to the jacket. Carefully, he reaches out his fingers and touches the yellowed collar, barely making contact, as though it might crumble to dust. JAMES LEER They're glass. The buttons. GRADY Like the lady herself. GRADY says this airily, ironically, riding his buzz a bit, but James nods solemnly, eyes transfixed on the jacket, as if Marilyn herself were inside it. JAMES LEER She was small. Most people don't know that. The shoulders are small. (touching the satin) It looks so perfect. I bet it's the only time she wore it. That day. She must've felt so ...happy. GRADY studies James as he takes the fringe of the jacket, lifts it lightly. JAMES LEER It's feels unreal, like butterfly wings or... something. It must've cost Dr. Gaskell a lot. GRADY I guess. Walter never tells Sara the truth about how much he pays for these things. JAMES LEER You're really good friends with the Chancellor, aren't you? Grady's eyes slide, paranoid, but James' face remains unchanged, consumed with the jacket. GRADY (carefully) Pretty good. I'm friends with Dr. Gaskell, too. JAMES LEER I guess you must be, if you know the combination to his closet and he doesn't mind your being here in their bedroom like this. GRADY Right. A DOOR SLAMS downstairs and GRADY and James jump. The CLICK of a woman's HIGH HEELS sends GRADY to the bedroom window, where he watches Sara slide into a WHITE CITROEN DS23, turn on the ignition, and motor away. GRADY We, better skedaddle. Close that closet-- James? You ail right? James is slumped on the Gaskell's white linen bed, knapsack between his knees, head in hands. JAMES LEER I'm sorry. Professor Tripp. Maybe it's seeing that jacket that belonged to her. It just looks...really lonely. Hanging there. In a closet. Maybe I'm just a little sad. GRADY Maybe. I'm feeling a little sad myself tonight. JAMES LEER You mean, with your wife leaving you and ail? (off Grady's look) Hannah mentioned something about it. About a note. GRADY Yes. Well. It's complicated, James. I think we should go now. Without thinking, GRADY flicks out the bedroom light, leaving James Leer in the dark for the second time today. James just sits there, a shadow in a room of shadows. 17 INT. HALLWAY A LOW RUMBLE freezes GRADY as he enters the hail. A few feet away, Poe lies belly to the ground, his blind blue eyes trained, more or less, in Grady's direction. GRADY Okay. Easy now. Eee-zy. . . . GRADY starts to take a step, when.... Poe shoots forward and sinks himself deep into Grady's ankle. GRADY Jesus! GRADY hops gracelessly, momentarily lifting Poe off the ground as he swings his leg up. Poe, countering, rolls his head in a snapping motion and drops GRADY in a clumsy heap. GRADY Get off of me, you son-of-a-bitch! Poe regains his feet, but doesn't let go, whipping his head back and forth, back and forth, over and over, growling low, dark, and hideously from the back of his throat, until there is a sharp... CRACK! CRACK! Poe YELPS, goes perfectly still, then topples heavily onto Grady's legs. GRADY turns. James Leer stands in the doorway, posed with the little pearl-handled pistol like Steve McQueen. GRADY looks at James. Then Poe. Then back to James. GRADY Shit, James. You shoe Dr. Gaskell's dog. JAMES LEER I had to. Didn't I? GRADY Couldn't you've just pulled him off me? JAMES LEER No! He was crazy. I didn't-he looked-- 1 thought -- GRADY Okay, okay. Take it easy. Don't freak out on me. GRADY roils down his sock. Apparently, Poe went through life with a slight overbite. JAMES LEER Do you have a mirror? It's the best way to see if someone's breathing. GRADY He's dead, James. Believe me, I know a dead dog when I see one. James looks miserably at Poe. JAMES LEER What are we going to do? GRADY rises awkwardly, holds out his hand. GRADY First you're going to give me that little cap gun of yours. 18 INT. GALAXIE - MOVING GRADY and James stare gloomily out the windshield. JAMES LEER Professor Tripp? Can I ask you a question? GRADY Yea, James. JAMES LEER What are we going to do with... James glances in the backseat, where Poe lies, strange blue eyes gleaming. GRADY I don't know. I'm still trying to figure out how to tell the Chancellor I murdered her husband's dog. JAMES LEER You? GRADY Trust me, James, when the family pet's been assassinated, the owner doesn't want to hear one of her students was the triggerman. JAMES LEER Does she want to hear it was one of her professors? GRADY I've got tenure. 19 EXT. PARKING LOT -- THAW HALL (CAMPUS) As sporadic APPLAUSE wafts from the high windowpanes of Thaw Hall, GRADY leans into the Galaxie's trunk, creates a space between the tuba and a ZIPPERED SUITCASE. GRADY Okay. James totters forward, arms hooked under Poe's front legs looking like a sorry marathon dancer. GRADY frowns, limps forward, and takes the hind legs. JAMES LEER He's still a little warm. They lay him down, push him deep into the trunk--until there is a SOUND like a pencil SNAPPING. JAMES LEER Yuck. GRADY grabs Crabtree's garment bag, frisks the pockets. JAMES LEER That's a. big trunk. It fits a tuba, a suitcase, a dead dog, and a garment bag almost perfectly. GRADY (searching) That's just what they used to say in the ads. Come on, Crabtree, I know you're holding... JAMES LEER Whose tuba is that anyway? GRADY Miss Sloviak's. JAMES LEER Can I ask you something about her? GRADY She is. Ah. Here we go... GRADY unravels a pair of boxer shorts, finds an airplane- size bottle of JACK DANIELS, then grabs another pair of boxers. JAMES LEER Oh. So. Is--is your friend Crabtree-- is he-- gay? GRADY Most of the time he is, James. Some of the time he isn't. Now what do we have here? GRADY rattles a prescription bottle, then shakes out a pair of WHITE PILLS, each etched with a tiny numeral 3. GRADY Looks like ...our old friend Mr. Codeine. That should take the pinch out of my ankle. (handing the bottle to James) Have one. JAMES LEER No thanks. I'm fine without them. GRADY Right. That's why you were standing in the Chancellor's back yard twirling that little cap gun of yours tonight. You're fine, all right, you're fit as a fucking fiddle. GRADY opens the tiny bottle of Jack with his teeth, drinks down two number 3's, then looks at James. GRADY I'm sorry, James. I'm sorry I said that. Recklessly, James takes a pill, tosses it in his mouth, and tips back the tiny bottle of Jack. Half a second later, he spits it all out. GRADY looks down, peels the soggy pill from the lapel of his jacket. GRADY How 'bout we try that again. 20 INT. AUDITORIUM - LATER On the stage. Walter Gaskell stands alone at a podium. WALTER ...really needs no introduction. Walk down the aisle of any airplane or by the pool of any hotel and you'll see his face beaming back at you. You all know the name, you all know the books, so welcome if you will, the man those of us who know him simply call.. .Q. As the audience THUNDERS, GRADY and James slink into the auditorium. It's standing room only. As they head for an open space against the back wail, GRADY squeezes past a KID with a GOATEE .who regards him warily. Q Good evening. GRADY stares, over the gleaming sea of heads before him, watching as Q pauses, ..for a very long moment... waiting until the auditorium is consumed in a heavy, anticipatory hush. Finally, he speaks again. Q I am a writer. As the audience EXPLODES with glee, GRADY frowns. He glances to his right, sees James' left brow crinkled with a similar look of bafflement. Q (cont'd) As a writer, one thing you learn is that everyone you encounter has a story. Every bartender, every taxi driver, everybody has an idea or a. story that would make a "great book" or a "great movie." Presumably, each of you has an idea. (gestures to the audience) But, how do you go from there to here? How do you go from having an idea to having a book? How do you get across? What is the bridge, the bridge that allows you to walk on air from the shoreline of inspiration to the terra firma of accomplishment? Faith. Faith that your story is worth the telling, faith that you have the wherewithal to tell it, faith that the carefully woven structure you create won't collapse beneath you... GRADY glances at James, sees that his eyes are unblinking and glazed, then sees, beyond him, Sara standing by the far EXIT. A blink later, she is gone. Q (cont'd) ...and faith that when you get to the other side someone will be waiting who gives a damn about the tale you have to tell. GRADY leans back, listening to the BEATING of his own HEART, the soft GLIMMER of the chandeliers hanging by a thread forty feet above his head... Abruptly, James LAUGHS OUT LOUD--some private amusement: bubbling up from the bottom or his brain and out into the auditorium. As Q looks and four hundred other heads turn, James ducks down--mortified. Crabtree, sitting a few rows away, studies James with amusement, then winks at Grady. GRADY blinks, turns to James. GRADY I'll be right back. 21 INT. LOBBY GRADY bursts through the auditorium doors and into the lobby. A PAIR. of local BOOKSELLERS, chatting quietly behind a table arrayed with the BOOKS of attending authors, glance up as GRADY limps toward the restrooms. 22 INT. CORRIDOR GRADY stumbles down the sloping carper, but the corridor begins to turn sideways on him and he stops, resting his cheek against the cool...cool...wall. ..as...ail..-goes.... BLACK FOR A MOMENT AND THEN.... SARA'S VOICE Grady? Grady? GRADY opens his eyes, finds Sara's face swimming above him. He is lying on his back in the corridor, his corduroy blazer bundled under his head like a pillow. SARA You had another one, didn't you? You have to see a doctor, Grady. First thing Monday morning. All right? GRADY Is the thing-is it over? SARA Almost. Wane to sit up? (as he winces) What's the matter? GRADY Nothing. I think I twisted my-- GRADY looks at his ankle and feels a rush of guilt. GRADY I have to tell you something. Something.. .hard. Sara's face stiffens, becomes more Chancelloresque. SARA Then stand up. I'm too old for all this roiling around on the floor. GRADY lets her pull him up, watches her light a cigarette. GRADY Well... SARA Don't. I know what you're going to say. GRADY No, really, Sara, I don't think you-- SARA You love Emily. I know that. And you need to stay with her. GRADY I don't think I really have a choice in, that. Emily left me. SARA She'll come back. That's why I'm going to. ..to not have this baby. GRADY watches her flip her hand up, bring the cigarette to her lips, and inhale ...then grimace and drop it to the floor. GRADY Not have it. SARA No. There's no way. I mean, don't you think there's no way? GRADY Well, no, I don't see any way. (taking her hand) And I know how hard it is for you to-- to lose this chance. SARA (jerking away) No you don't. And fuck you for saying you do. And fuck you for "saying. . . (quietly) ...for saying there's just no way. Because there could be a way, Grady. Somewhere deep in the building, APPLAUSE swells. SARA (composing herself) He must be finishing. We should go. GRADY looks sadly at Sara then stoops to retrieve his coat. As he grabs it, James Leer's little pistol CLATTERS to the floor. SARA Who's gun is that? GRADY It's-it's a souvenir. Of Baltimore. Before GRADY can close his hand, Sara has it in her own. SARA Heavy. Smells like gunpowder. GRADY Caps. She points it-at Grady's chest. He smiles nervously. SARA Pow. GRADY You got me. SARA I love you, Grady. GRADY places his fingers gently over Sara's... and removes the gun from her hand. GRADY I love you, too. 23 INT. LOBBY The auditorium doors swing open and James Leer emerges, arms draped over CRABTREE and a LARGE STUDENT. JAMES LEER Woah! The doors made so much noise! As they make for the restrooms, Sara and GRADY appear. JAMES LEER This is so embarrassing! You guys had to carry me out. GRADY Is he ail right? CRABTREE (rolling his eyes) He's fine. He's narrating. JAMES LEER We're going to the men's room. Only we might not make it in time. SARA Terry CRABTREE and James Leer. Leave it to you to make that mistake, wait here. As Sara heads off after James, GRADY turns toward the lobby...directly into the hostile gaze of Miss Sloviak. MISS SLOVIAK I need a ride. GRADY I'm your man. 24 EXT. STREET 24 As the Galaxie's big trunk yawns open. MISS SLOVIAK stares at what's wedged up against her suitcase. GRADY There's an explanation. MISS SLOVIAK raises an eyebrow and then, leaning in, unzips her suitcase. 25 INT. GRADY'S CAR - MOVING As GRADY drives, MISS SLOVIAK finishes with the top button of a man's shirt, then reaches into the zippered COSMETICS BAG in her lap. Onto the open tray of the glovebox, she places a JAR of COLD CREAM, a BOTTLE of NAIL POLISH REMOVER, and a cloud of COTTON BALLS. MISS SLOVIAK Couldn't he have just thrown a shoe at the poor thing? GRADY James is. ..I don't know... MISS SLOVIAK Disturbed. And when your friend CRABTREE gets done with him, he's going to be even more disturbed. GRADY I'm not sure that's possible. MISS SLOVIAK Sure it is. GRADY watches MISS SLOVIAK peel the wig from her forehead. GRADY Listen, Antonia-- MISS SLOVIAK Tony. Now that I'm home. GRADY Tony. I'm sorry if things didn't work out so well for you tonight. With Terry. MISS SLOVIAK Forget it. I should've known better. Your friend is just, I don't know, into collecting weird tricks. Mind? Tony angles the rearview mirror toward himself. GRADY He's writing his name in water. MISS SLOVIAK What's that? GRADY Like most editors, he really wants to be a writer, but he's too busy living a novel to bother writing one. MISS SLOVIAK That sounds like a fancy excuse for being a shit. GRADY He'd call it habit. But now. ..I get the feeling he's going through the motions a bit. Tony peels off a pair of false eyelashes, blinks. MISS SLOVIAK You mean because his career's ruined and all? GRADY Jesus. Is that what he told you? MISS SLOVIAK He said he hasn't had a success in ten years and everyone in New York thinks he's kind of .a. . . As Tony re-sets the rearview mirror, GRADY gets a glimpse of his own swollen eyes. MISS SLOVIAK ...loser. But I'm sure your book is so good that he'll be able to keep his job. Hearing this, GRADY looks troubled. MISS SLOVIAK points. MISS SLOVIAK (cont'd) Turn here. 26 EXT. SLOVIAK HOUSE GRADY pulls in front of a small brick house. On the front lawn, a small statue of the BLESSED VIRGIN stands under a little white BAND SHELL painted with stars. GRADY That'' s nice. All we have is a Japanese beetle trap. MISS SLOVIAK It's a bathtub. What she's standing under. The PORCH LIGHT conies on and a SMALL, WHITE-HAIRED MAN squints through the screen door. MISS SLOVIAK There's Pop. (turning) Let me see it. The gun. GRADY reaches into his pocket, hands it over. Tony smirks. MISS SLOVIAK Figures. It's like the kind of gun Bette Davis would carry. In a little beaded purse? GRADY studies the gun in Tony's hand, then glances at the front screen door. Pop is still there. GRADY I'd better go. I think I may have to rescue James Leer. MISS SLOVIAK returns the gun, .steps out of the car, and peers in at Grady. MISS SLOVIAK You know, Grady, if I were you. I'd think about going home. You look like you need a little rescuing yourself. 27 EXT. PARKING LOT - HI-HAT CLUB GRADY parks near a VAN that has KRAVNIK'S SPORTING GOODS stenciled on the side. He watches a BOUNCER frisk a patron in the PINK LIGHT of the Hi-Hat Club's entrance, then slides -James Leer's little PISTOL into the glovebox. 27A EXT. ENTRANCE - HI-HAT CLUB As GRADY steps to the door, the bouncer gives him a perfunctory pat-down. BOUNCER (kidding him) Clean tonight, hub, Professor? GRADY As a whistle. 28 INT. HI-HAT CLUB Hannah Green is dancing with a sweat-drenched Q as GRADY enters this SMOKE-FILLED RHYTHM AND BLUES club. She beckons with a finger, but Grady--Nervous at the sight of her glistening Mormon skin--merely pantomimes an exaggerated shrug and she points. CRABTREE and James Leer sit at a dark corner table. James slouches, eyes half-closed, while CRABTREE stares in the general vicinity of the dancers, his hand extended beneath the table, in the general vicinity of James' lap. Grady, looking a little alarmed, grabs a passing WAITRESS. GRADY Double Dickel on the rocks. 29 INT. BOOTH As GRADY arrives, CRABTREE withdraws his hand delicately and James' eyes flutter open .briefly, ..then close. GRADY Is that just beer? CRABTREE Primarily. Although I gather you two staged a little raid on the CRABTREE pharmacopoeia. You missed a few bottles, by the way. GRADY I'm sure. Where is everyone? CRABTREE Sara and Walter declined. Guess they wanted to go home and curl up on the couch with the dog. GRADY cuts James a glance, trying to determine if he's copped on Poe, but James is winking out. His head drifts back against the wail, settles with a gentle ...thunk. GRADY Jesus. He's out. CRABTREE glances over, nods. CRABTREE He has a book. GRADY I know. He started it Fall semester. CRABTREE He finished it Winter Break. GRADY looks up, unable to disguise his surprise. He glances at James' slack face tilted against the wall. CRABTREE So. Is he any good? GRADY No. Not yet he isn't. CRABTREE Well, I'm going to read it anyway. GRADY Come on. Crabs. Don't do this. He's . one o� my students, for Christ sake. I'm not even sure if he's- CRABTREE He is. Take my word for it. GRADY I think it's more complicated than that. Besides, he's a little...scattered. He almost ...did something stupid tonight. At least, I think so. Anyway, he doesn't need sexual confusion thrown into the stew right now. CRABTREE On the contrary, it 'could be just the ticket. WAITRESS (ducking in) Double Dickel. GRADY Thanks. GRADY notices the waitress's nametag (OOLA) and realizes she is conspicuously PREGNANT. He watches her disappear beyond the blur of bodies on the dancefloor, where Hannah Green's slinky form seizes his attention. CRABTREE No sexual confusion there, eh, Professor? GRADY Shut up and drink. CRABTREE grins, brings his bottle up, then stops. CRABTREE Oh my goodness. Do you see what I see? GRADY follows Crabtree's glance and finds Oola again, but it's not Oola CRABTREE is eyeing, it's her CUSTOMER. GRADY President of the James Brown Hair Club For Men. Sitting alone in the dark booth is a SMALL BLACK MAN with big hands, a face peppered with scar tissue, and--most noticeably--a tsunami of hair sprouting from his scalp. GRADY (initiating an old game) He's a boxer. A flyweight. CRABTREE Huh uh. A jockey. His name's, um, Curtis.. .Curtis Hardapple. GRADY Not Curtis. CRABTREE Vernon, then. Vernon Hardapple. The scar's are from a--from a horse. He fell during a race and got trampled. GRADY And now he's addicted to painkillers. CRABTREE He can't piss standing up anymore. GRADY He lives with his mother. CRABTREE And he had a younger brother who . . .was . . . a. . . GRADY Groom. Named Claudell. And his mother blames Vernon for his death. CRABTREE (stumped) Because. . .because. . . JAMES LEER (sleepily) .. .he was killed, when a gangster named Freddie Nostrils tried to shoot his favorite horse. He took the bullet himself. GRADY and Crabtree turn to look at James Leer, who opens one bloodshot eye to regard them. JAMES LEER Vernon, over there, was in on the hit. James' eye closes. CRABTREE looks over at Grady. CRABTREE That was good. GRADY He heard everything we were saying. Just then, Hannah Green bounces up in her red boots. HANNAH GREEN Come on. Teach. I want you to dance with me. 30 INT. DANCEFLOOR - MOMENTS LATER 30 GRADY and Hannah, reflected in bits and pieces in the jack 'o lantern wail of MIRRORED TILE, slow-dance to a sexy, measured blues. HANNAH GREEN I've been re-reading Arsonist's Daughter. It's so beautiful, Grady. So natural. It's like ail your sentences always existed, just waiting around in Style Heaven, or wherever, for you to fetch them down. GRADY I thank you. HANNAH GREEN And I love the inscription you wrote to me. Only I'm not quite the downy innocent you think I am. GRADY I hope that isn't true. We need all the downy innocents we can get. GRADY spies the corner table, watches CRABTREE say something to Q and then, casually, stroke a lock of hair from James Leer's forehead. HANNAH GREEN So what are you going to do? GRADY Do? HANNAH GREEN I just mean, I--I guess Emily isn't going to be there when you get home. GRADY looks down into Hannah's translucent face, then catches a glimpse of himself in the fractured, wail. The tile that would reflect his head is missing. GRADY Are you holding me up or am I dragging you down? Hannah snuggles closer, lays her head on Grady's chest. HANNAH GREEN Shush. 31 EXT. PARKING LOT - HI-HAT CLUB (2 AM) Grady, limping on his bad ankle, carries James to Hannah's rumpled RENAULT, props him against the fender. GRADY Look, Hannah. When you get him home ...make sure he's ail right. Before you leave. Okay? HANNAH GREEN I would if I knew where I was taking him. GRADY Hannah, are you telling me you don't know where James Leer lives? HANNAH GREEN Some apartment somewhere. But I've never seen it. GRADY That strikes me as odd. HANNAH GREEN James is odd. I know he has an aunt in Sewickley Heights. I dropped him there once, but... (remembering) Come to think of it, it-wasn't even his Aunt's house. He said she worked there. Or something. I don't remember. James MUMBLES, starts to slide onto the hood of the car. JAMES LEER Mmhmmm.. . . knap ...sap.... GRADY What's he saying? HANNAH GREEN His bag. You know that ratty green thing he's always carrying around. He must've left it inside. GRADY Hh-uh. Last time I saw it was... GRADY glances at the idling Galaxie across the street. CRABTREE and Q huddle inside. GRADY Shit. He must've left it back at Thaw. In the auditorium. JAMES LEER (delirious, but insistent) Mmrrmmm.. .KNAP SAP! GRADY frowns in annoyance, opens the passenger door. GRADY (cont'd) All right. Take him to my place. He can crash on the sofa. HANNAH GREEN The one in your office? It's the best one .for naps. GRADY I don't think it really matters, Hannah. We could probably stand him up in the garage with the snow shovels at this point. As GRADY lowers James into the seat, he WHIMPERS, curls into a bail. Hannah turns her puppy dog eyes on Grady. GRADY Ail right. In my office. As GRADY starts to turn away, Hannah's fingers graze his face. HANNAH GREEN Hey. If you want to talk later...I'll be up. GRADY watches her fold her lovely self into the car and drive away. He sighs, crosses to the Galaxie, and just has his hand on the doorhandle when a TINY FIGURE appears. Vernon Hardapple. VERNON HARDAPPLE You driving this car? GRADY Excuse me? VERNON HARDAPPLE This 1966 maroon Ford Galaxie 500. You driving this car? GRADY It's mine. VERNON HARDAPPLE Bullshit. It's mine, motherfucker. GRADY You must be mistaken. VERNON HARDAPPLE Bullshit. GRADY shakes his head wearily, opens the door. GRADY Go home to your mother, Vernon. 32 INT. GALAXIE GRADY slides in next to Q, puts the car in gear, and starts to pull away. As he glances in the rearview, he sees CRABTREE smiling darkly in the backseat. GRADY All right, what's the matter? CRABTREE just keeps smiling. GRADY Christ, Crabs, what do you expect me to do? The kid's practically in a coma. CRABTREE Tripp. GRADY Yes. CRABTREE Hit your brakes. GRADY flicks his eyes from the rearview mirror just as a SHADOW looms in his headlights. As he squashes the break pedal, Q's EYEGLASSES go flying into the windshield. Q (squinting) Oh my God! What is that? It's Vernon, waving his arms, his shadow enormous in the beams of light. GRADY What's this guy's problem? CRABTREE Just go around him. GRADY taps the accelerator, but each time, Vernon dances back in front of Grady's grille. GRADY Shit. CRABTREE Back up. Go out the other way. GRADY throws the car in reverse, backs straight up, then turns up a one-way street. He shoots down the alley behind the Hi-Hat, turns onto the adjoining street, ..and watches in amazement as Vernon materializes from behind the high wooden fence that runs parallel to the Galaxie. As GRADY pinches the brakes, Vernon grins. GRADY Now what? Q (mischievously) You could always go over him. Then, as the three men watch, Vernon rocks back on his heels and--with a gymnast's precision-pitches himself onto the Galaxie's big hood. He -lands on his ass, slides smoothly off, then takes a deep bow and disappears into the night. Q What just happened? GRADY peers at the wrinkled asterisk on his hood. GRADY I just had my car jumped on. 33 EXT. THAW HAIL - NIGHT (TWENTY MINUTES LATER) Grady stops the car in the red zone and gets out. GRADY Wait here. I'll be right back. CRABTREE Where would we go? 34 INT. LOBBY The JANITOR, the same shaggy-haired kid GRADY saw rigging the WordFest banner earlier, is struggling with a balky FLOOR WAXER as GRADY steps up to the double doors and slaps his hand against the glass. JANITOR It's open. GRADY pushes on the door and it opens. JANITOR (cont'd) Hey, Professor Tripp. (off Grady's look) Traxler. Sam. I took your class freshman year. Then I dropped out of school. GRADY I hope it wasn't my fault. TRAXLER (taking him seriously) No. I guess you're here for the backpack. GRADY Oh.. .yeah. 35 INT. AUDITORIUM The knapsack is sitting on one of the metal folding chairs as Sam and GRADYenter the silent hail. TRAXLER I saw the manuscript inside. So when you showed up, I figured. . . GRADY lifts the knapsack, peers inside. There is no title page to the MANUSCRIPT, Just the words The Love Parade and then, halfway down, TEXT. TRAXLER Is it good? GRADY (reading) I don't know. It might be... 36 CUT 37 EXT. THAW HALL - NIGHT - A MOMENT LATER GRADY steps outside, closes the flap of the knapsack and, hunching his shoulders against the cold... stops. Crabtree. Q. The car. Gone. 38 INT. TRAXLER'S HONDA - NIGHT Traxler gives GRADY a ride in his Honda, one of the original Hondas best suited for sidewalk driving. The backseat bulges with a huge AMPLIFIER and BASS GUITAR. TRAXLER Say, Professor Tripp, is ail that stuff true about Errol Flynn? How he used to put coke on his dick. To make himself, you know, like, last longer? GRADY Christ, Traxler. How the hell should I know? TRAXLER Well, jeez, you're reading his biography, aren't you? Sam points and GRADY glances at the knapsack riding on the seat between him and Sam. A BOOK'-bearing ERROL FLYNN'S PICTURE--IS tucked into the side pouch. GRADY Oh, right. Yeah, that's true. He used to rub ail kinds of things on it. Paprika. Ground lamb. TRAXLER Sick. 39 EXT. SASKELL'S HOUSE - NIGHT (MOMENTS LATER) Sam brings the car to a coughing idle across the street from the Gaskell's house. TRAXLER Wow, check out that greenhouse. Is that your wife? GRADY gazes at Sara, a .vaporous blur in the greenhouse. GRADY No, my wife's out of town. Just then, the Honda FILLS WITH LIGHT. HEADLIGHTS loom, then a POLICE CAR sweeps into the Gaskell's driveway. Walter appears on the front steps. TRAXLER (cont'd) Who's that guy? GRADY Her husband. Traxler looks anxiously at the police car. TRAXLER What exactly are we doing here, Professor Tripp? GRADY (staring at Sara) Taking the long way home. 39A EXT. GRADY'S HOUSE - NIGHT - A LITTLE LATER As Traxler drives away, GRADY mounts the porch with James Leer's knapsack hanging from one shoulder. He reaches above the door, feeling for a key, but his fingers come away with only dust. He stands, dispirited, then an idea strikes. He takes the doorknob, turns it. It opens. 40 INT. .HALLWAY - GRADY'S HOUSE GRADY enters, closes the door quietly behind him. 41 INT. LIVING ROOM The room is dim but the TV is on, throwing crazy slashes of light onto the wails and ceiling. As GRADY limps by, he finds a sleeping Hannah Green, bundled in a blanket, T- shirt, and little else. On the floor, near her dangling hand, Woolf's A Common Reader lays open next to a Diet Coke. GRADY considers the smooth geography of her body, but his eyes 'are most powerfully drawn to. ..her feet. He steps forward, lifts the blanket gently, but finds-to his disappointment--only the red cowboy boots. He picks up the remote, turns off the TV, and exits. 42 INT. GRADY'S OFFICE James Leer slumbers on a green sofa, draped in an old sleeping bag. GRADY drops behind his desk, lets James' knapsack slide to the floor. He lifts his cuff, inspects his ugly ankle, then glimpses something in the knapsack. Something yellow. Something soft. GRADY reaches down and, slowly--like a magician producing a magical scarf-extracts MARILYN MONROE'S WEDDING JACKET from James Leer's ratty green knapsack. GRADY glances at the young man on his sofa, then, looking very tired, reaches for the desk lamp ...and turns out the light on the both of them. 43 EXT. FRONT PORCH - SATURDAY MORNING (NEXT DAY) GRADY steps outside in a WOMAN'S CHENILLE BATHROBE and plucks the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette from the second porch step. He fishes out a charred ROACH, starts to light it, then notices the Galaxie sitting in the driveway. 44 INT. GUEST BEDROOM - MINUTES LATER As CRABTREE SNORES thunderously, GRADY eases open the door, spots the CAR KEYS on the dresser, grabs them. 44A INT. LANDING - CONTINUOUS GRADY eases the door shut, starts to turn, then stops, his eyes drawn to the door just across the landing from Crabtree's room. 44B INT. EMILY'S OFFICE GRADY pushes open the door with the tips of his fingers, lets it glide open. The room that is revealed is bright and well-ordered, in direct contrast to the lazy clutter of Grady's office. There is a DRAFTING TABLE and a COMPUTER, pads and pens neatly arranged alongside. A BULLITEN BOARD hangs on one wall, bearing an intricate mosaic of multi-colored index cards. There are PRINTS, framed, from various art exhibits, and two of Grady's DHSTJACKETS--including, most prominently, Arsonist's Daughter. There are PHOTOGRAPHS of EMILY too. In a black turtleneck with friends. In a sundress with Grady. In a billowing Burberry, floating like a dark butterfly against a BLUR of YELLOW TAXIS on a street in Manhattan. Smiling brilliantly. Beautiful. 45 INT. GRADY'S OFFICE GRADY enters with a THERMOS--pauses--redistributes the sleeping bag over James Leer's pale body. JAMES LEER (without waking) Thank you. GRADY You're welcome. GRADY sits at his desk, pours himself a cup of coffee from the thermos, then sets the cup directly in the center of a galaxy of previous coffee rings. Next, he takes a clean piece of paper, balls it up, and-with ritual precision-strokes it into the MINIATURE BASKETBALL HOOP that crowns the rim of the WASTE BASKET across the room. All net. A 9-VOLT CROWD ROAR belches from the hoop and, without further ceremony, GRADY turns to the blank page curling from his IBM SELECTRIC and SPACES to the top right corner, TYPES: (beat) 2611 In other words: Page 2611. CLOSE UP - THE TYPEWRITER PAPER -- darkening with WORDS, the KEYS SNAPPING faster and faster, a CRAZY CLAMOR that grows and grows until, finally, it just ....Stops. GRADY James I GRADY awakes with his back to the floor, James leer's quizzical face floating like a cloud above him. GRADY I'm okay. I just lost my balance. JAMES LEER I put you on the floor. GRADY Oh. JAMES LEER I thought you might--l don't know-- swallow your tongue or something. (nodding to Grady's robe) I guess you really miss her, huh? GRADY peers down at the geraniums blooming on the pockets of the robe, its overall fuzziness. GRADY Huh? Oh, no. This isn't Emily's. I just write in it. JAMES LEER I guess there's probably a story behind that. GRADY There is, but it's not that interesting. James nods. Down the hallway, in another room, the TELEPHONE RINGS. JAMES LEER Want me to get that? GRADY Sure. As James shuffles away in the sleeping bag, GRADY rises delicately and turns toward the window, ..just in time to see a POLICE CAR roil slowly by on the screen below. JAMES LEER (returning) He didn't give his name. GRADY Who? JAMES LEER The guy on the phone. GRADY What'd he say? JAMES LEER He wanted to know if a GRADY Trip? lived here and drove a dark maroon 1966 Ford Galaxie 500 with black interior. GRADY What'd you tell him? JAMES LEER Yes. GRADY Good, James. If the Zodiac killer calls, be sure to mention the back door pops open with a couple hard shakes to the right. JAMES LEER I thought maybe you'd won a radio contest or something. Is that single-spaced? James has noticed the towering stack of 20 Ib. bond on Grady's desk. GRADY Afraid so. JAMES LEER That's a big book you're writing. GRADY I think it's sort of writing itself at this point. JAMES LEER Wow, Hannah always swore you were working, but-- GRADY But . . . ? JAMES LEER Nothing, it's just that,, well, it's been awhile since Arsonist's Daughter, and some people--some of the kids in workshop--thought maybe you were... GRADY Washed up? JAMES LEER Blocked. GRADY Ah. I don't believe in writer's block. James takes another glance at the mammoth manuscript. JAMES LEER No kidding. A LOUD HACKING is HEARD. GRADY and James turn, watch Crabtree, wearing only a pair of striped boxers, materialize in the hallway. CRABTREE Good morning, boys. James. James waves feebly from beneath the sleeping bag. GRADY (re: James' "attire") If-you 're planning on staying for breakfast, I'd put on something a little less comfortable if I were you. As GRADY moves to his desk to reacquaint himself with the page curling from the typewriter, James continues to stare into the emptiness of the hallway. The sight of CRABTREE seems to have made him suddenly queasy. JAMES LEER Professor Tripp? GRADY Hm. JAMES LEER How did I get here last night? GRADY No one seems to know where you live, James. Hannah thought you'd like my couch. JAMES LEER And ...and before that. Did I do anything? Anything bad? GRADY Well, James, you did shoot the Head of the English Department's dog and steal his most prized piece of memorabilia. As James contemplates this, the DOORBELL RINGS. GRADY looks up, sees the POLICE CAR he noticed earlier, now parked at the bottom of his driveway. GRADY Do yourself a favor, James ...Hide. 46 EXT. FRONT PORCH A POLICEMAN not much older than James Leer waits. As the door opens, GRADY appears. OFFICER PUPCIK Good morning... (eyeing Grady's robe) Professor Tripp? Sorry to bother you, sir, but I understand you attended an event at Sara and Walter Gaskell's house last night and were one of the last to leave... 47 INT. LANDING - SAME TIME 47 James lurks at the top of the stairs, swaddled in the sleeping bag, straining to hear. OFFICER PUPCIK (O.S.) ...was just wondering if maybe you saw anyone. Someone you didn't know. Who seemed out of place. Suspicious maybe... 48 EXT. FRONT PORCH GRADY is scratching his head in mock thought. GRADY Well, there's always people you don't know at these things, but I can't say there was anybody particularly suspicious. ..Wait. There was one guy. Tiny fella. Claimed to be a jockey. OFFICER PUPCIK A jockey? You mean, like-- GRADY Horses, right. Vernon something... (thinking... ) Hardpple Pupcik stops on his pad, looks up. OFFICER PUPCIK Hardapple? GRADY I could be wrong. What happened anyway? OFFICER PUPCIK Huh? Oh, someone pulled a B&E on Dr. Gaskell's closet. And the dog's missing. GRADY That's weird. OFFICER PUPCIK We figure the perpetrator let him out. He's blind and we figure he just wandered off and got run over. GRADY The perpetrator. OFFICER PUPCIK No, the dog. GRADY Just kidding. Pupcik nods slowly, as if re-filing GRADY under "Dealing With Assholes." OFFICER PUPCIK One other thing. About this kid, this student of yours- Leer--James Leer. You wouldn't know how I could get in touch with him, would you? GRADY I might have his number on campus. OFFICER PUPCIK That's all right. We'll find him. Pete Pupcik smiles, tips his big blue police hat, and turns away. GRADY frowns, starts to close the door... HANNAH GREEN (O.S.) There you are... GRADY stiffens, then turns to find Hannah Green across the room in her t-shirt and cowboy boots, looking ail dewy- eyed and delectable. HANNAH GREEN I thought we were going to talk. Last night. GRADY Oh. Well. I... Hannah stretches and the t-shirt slides dangerously up her thighs. HANNAH GREEN It's okay. ..I'm here when you want me. GRADY stands frozen as Hannah smiles sleepily, pushes through the swinging door into the kitchen. A THUMPING is heard as James, tangled in the sleeping bag, hitches down the last few steps of the stairway. He watches Pete Pupcik drive away in his big police car. JAMES LEER What do we do now? #####Before GRADY can reply, .the TELEPHONE sitting on the table next to him #####RINGS. GRADY Hello? SARA'S VOICE Grady, it's Sara. Thank God you're there. You won't believe what's happened. GRADY Could you hold on a minute, honey? With a look of wonderment, GRADY watches his hand ever- so- gently ...hang up the phone. GRADY How 'bout we get the hell out of here? 49 EXT. GRADY'S HOUSE - MORNING (MOMENTS LATER) James, now wearing one of Grady's flannel shirts beneath his ratty overcoat, follows Grady-to the Galaxie, knapsack swinging from his shoulder. GRADY tosses him a ring of KEYS. GRADY You start her up. As GRADY runs a plastic WEDGE over the GLAZE of ice blanketing the windshield, James stares curiously at the keys, as if they were some strange artifact, then slides behind the steering wheel. JAMES LEER (as the engine roars) How's that? GRADY Well done, James. As GRADY works, James' face comes into view, then ...the wedge SNAPS, splintering into the flesh of Grady's hand. GRADY (cont'd) Shit! James blinks, pokes his head out the window. JAMES LEER You're bleeding. Professor Tripp. 50 INT. AISLE - MARKET - MORNING (LATER) GRADY and James stand in the sundries aisle of a neighborhood MARKET. GRADY has a TIN of BAND-AIDS open and is presently plastering his ragged thumb. GRADY Where exactly do you live, James? James, in the midst of chugging from a 64-OUNCE JUG of ORANGE JUICE, stops. GRADY Apparently not even Hannah Green has a clue as to the location of your apartment. GRADY tosses the tin of band-aids into a small plastic hand basket, begins to move down the aisle. JAMES LEER I got kicked out. Well, not exactly kicked out. I was asked to leave. GRADY I guess there's probably a story behind that. JAMES LEER There is, but it's not that interesting. GRADY So where have you been staying? JAMES LEER (a long pause) The bus station. GRADY stares incredulously at James. JAMES LEER It's not -so bad. I know the night janitor. And there's a broken locker I can put my stuff. GRADY (trying to fathom this) But James. I mean. ..How long? JAMES LEER A couple weeks. That's why... that's why I had the gun. For protection. GRADY Jesus, James, you should've told someone. JAMES LEER Who? GRADY I don't know... (unconvincingly) Me. GRADY drops the basket at the check-out counter and, abruptly, finds himself face to face with a BABY, lolling on the shoulder of the woman before him. The baby is staring, spellbound, at a display of...Q'S LATEST PAPERBACK. GRADY frowns, then detects the true source of enchantment: a spray of SHINY MYLAR GIFT BALLOONS. A thought evolves. GRADY (cont'd) (the balloons) What do you think of these? James takes another chug from his jug, nods. JAMES LEER Nice. 51 EXT. GASKELL HOUSE - MORNING Grady, squinting through the ten-inch panel of cleared ice on the windshield, roils slowly up onto the curb in front of Walter and Sara Gaskell's house ...then off. 52 INT. GALAXIE - CONTINUOUS GRADY pops the glovebox, takes out a PEN, and scratches something on the GIFT CARD attached to the BALLOON. James glances briefly at a plump ZIPLOC OF POT stashed in the glovebox, then peers at the house. JAMES LEER (the house) Isn't this...? GRADY Hm. GRADY gets out, then pauses, glancing at the giant orange juice jug between James legs. It's about half-down. GRADY You better ease off that stuff, James. It's pretty acidic. James takes a powdered donut that lies on his coat, studies it curiously. JAMES LEER I can't help myself. I don't know what's the matter with me. GRADY Shit, James, you're hungover. What do you think's the matter with you? As GRADY turns away, James ponders this, then considers the ring of white sugar imprinted on his coat and re-sets the donut in precisely the same place. 53 INT. GREENHOUSE - MOMENT LATER Through the steamy panes, we SEE GRADY approach with the balloon, enter. He crosses to a high table, sets the balloon down, and steps back, considering the placement. SARA O.S.) Feeling guilty? GRADY jumps--startled--and turns. Sara has materialized behind a ficus, large POTTING GLOVES on her hands. SARA (cont'd) I can't believe you hung up on me, you dick. GRADY Totally. I'm sorry. A lot was happening this morning. Can you talk? Sara nods, moves the ficus to another table. SARA Walter's on campus, being the good soldier for WordFest. But he's a basket case. Someone stole Marilyn's jacket last night. And Poe's missing, too. GRADY I-heard. SARA You heard? How? GRADY A twelve-year-old policeman came by the house this morning. SARA Did you confess? GRADY looks up, mildly alarmed. SARA Your fingerprints were all over the bedroom. GRADY Really? That was fast. SARA (frowning) I'm kidding. Hello? GRADY Oh. Right. Ha. Listen, about last night. There is something I need to tell... SARA Are you limping? Why are you limping? GRADY Hub? Oh, well, that's part of what I need to . . . SARA Did you pass out again, Grady? Did you fall somewhere? GRADY No. I mean. Well, actually, yes. Sort of. I don't remember. Listen, Sara, I have to tell you something. SARA All right. Sara settles back, folds her arms. Waiting. GRADY I... As GRADY stares into Sara's eyes, things begin to blur. GRADY (cont'd) ...want to be with you. Sara looks at him. SARA Gee, Grady, that sounded so heartfelt. I don't know whether to swoon or smirk. GRADY Really, Sara, I... Sara holds up one gloved hand. SARA I believe you. I believe you want to be with me. But this is not just about me anymore. GRADY I know that. I know what's at stake here... SARA No, I don't think you do. And besides... I haven't decided yet. GRADY About the baby. SARA That ...and you. GRADY goes still, watches Sara strip off the gloves, drop them on a table. SARA I'm not going to draw the map for you on this one, Grady. Times like these you have to do your own navigating. Sara turns to leave, then stops, squinting far down the street. SARA Who's that sitting in your car? GRADY James Leer. SARA What's he doing out there? GRADY I'm sort of helping him work through some issues. Sara raises an eyebrow, then pushes through the door. SARA Isn't he lucky. GRADY watches her ripple across the glass, head for the house, and wave. James, slumped low in the Galaxie, offers a limp hand in return, but it's too late. She's already gone. 54 INT. GALAXIE - MOVING - LATER 54 GRADY cradles the wheel in his bandaged paw, while James sits stiffly, the orange juice jug bobbing between his thighs. JAMES LEER She seemed to take it pretty well. GRADY Yeah, well, actually. . . James looks over. GRADY (cont'd) The moment didn't really present itself. James nods, unsurprised, then turns back to the window, staring at the landscape, still sitting oddly still. GRADY glances at him. At the orange juice jug. GRADY (cont'd) You' re not planning on puking in my car, are you, James? Nothing. GRADY Don't be proud, James. We're in Sewickley Heights. We could find you a nice golf course to barf on. JAMES LEER (sharply) No. GRADY looks over, surprised by the James' tone. James blinks, looks embarrassed. JAMES LEER (cont'd) I mean. I'm fine. I'm sorry. I just... James peers out the window at passing landscape. JAMES LEER (cont'd) I've got a thing about, ..places like this. I know what those houses are like. I know what the people are like. GRADY Your aunt ? James turns, eyes flashing with surprise. GRADY (cont'd) Hannah mentioned something about an aunt. James nods vaguely, then reaches into the ashtray, takes a JOINT between his fingers, sniffs it. JAMES LEER Humboldt County? GRADY (surprised) Maybe... JAMES LEER It's my father. He gets it from his doctor. GRADY Glaucoma? JAMES LEER Colon cancer. GRADY Jesus, James. Wow. James puts the joint back in the ashtray. JAMES' LEER It's a bit of a scandal. My parents live in a small town. GRADY Where's that? JAMES LEER Carvel. GRADY Carvel? Where's Carvel? JAMES LEER Outside Scranton. GRADY I never heard of it. JAMES LEER It's a hellhole. Three motels and a mannequin factory. My dad worked there for thirty-five years. GRADY Your father worked in a mannequin factory? JAMES LEER Seitz Plastics. That's where he met my morn. She was a fry cook in the cafeteria. Before that, she'd been a dancer. GRADY What kind of dancer? . JAMES LEER Whatever kind they wanted her to be. GRADY (in disbelief) James Leer, are you telling me your mother was a stripper? JAMES LEER I'm telling you what I was told by my uncle. And he should know. He ran half a dozen men's clubs in Baltimore before he skipped town on a bad debt. GRADY Didn't you say your Mom went to Catholic school? JAMES LEER When we fall, we fall hard. GRADY Amazing. GRADY takes the joint from the ashtray, lights it, then notices-with surprise--James has his hand out. GRADY (cont'd) I thought you were the guy who didn't like to lose control of his emotions. JAMES LEER Maybe I just needed the moment to present itself. 55 EXT. NEIGHBORHOOD (KINSHIP) - DAY .(ONE HOUR LATER) GRADY glides down the graceful, tree-lined streets of a modest, but well-kept neighborhood. James still has the JOINT-now only a tiny nub-pinched between his fingers. JAMES LEER This is so nice. It's like where Andy Hardy would live. What's it called again? GRADY Kinship. JAMES LEER Kinship. And what's here? GRADY Unless I miss my bet...my wife. James' heavy eyelids flutter with surprise. JAMES LEER The one that left you? GRADY That's right. That one. 56 EXT. FRONT PORCH - WINTERS FAMILY HOUSE GRADY RAPS on the front door, then cups his hands against the glass of the living room window, squints inside. Nothing. As he turns away, GRADY sees James sitting on the hood of the Galaxie with the box of powdered donuts. He's sitting in the indentation. JAMES LEER Someone jumped on your car with their butt ..- GRADY How can you tell? JAMES LEER You can see the outline of a butt. As GRADY nods, James holds out the donut box. JAMES LEER (cont'd) Want one. They're incredible. Incredible. GRADY Smoke the rest of that joint, James, and you can start on the box. 58 EXT. BACK PORCH - BACK YARD (MOMENTS LATER) As GRADY steps onto the back porch, James follows. JAMES LEER Maybe she didn't come here. GRADY She came here. We'll just wait. In the meantime, I need you to shimmy through. James stares at the "Doggy Door" cut into the back porch door. GRADY Relax. Emily hasn't carried a house key since she was twelve years old. And your hips are as slim as hers. JAMES LEER It's not that. It just reminded me of-- you know-of what's in the car. In the trunk. GRADY (a pang of guilt himself) Oh. Right. Well, let's try not to think about that. James takes another sad glance at the little door, then drops onto ail fours. 59 INT. LIVING ROOM - WINTERS HOUSE - MOMENTS LATER GRADY leads James through the house. Everything about it speaks of family. Even the furniture seems arranged so that people will gather together, light a fire, talk. JAMES LEER It feels really... good. ..here. GRADY I know. It's the house you want to wake up in on Christmas morning. (moving off) Make yourself at home. I'll be right back. 60 INT. UPSTAIRS BEDROOM 60 Grady, laboring badly on his ankle", enters and finds a DUFFEL BAG open on the floor, its contents a tangle of quickly-packed clothes. Everything else in the room feels of another time. PHOTOGRAPHS are everywhere, documenting a PRETTY GIRL'S life, from first recital to cap and gown. One photograph lies face down. GRADY turns it over and finds the pretty girl grown into a beautiful young woman, standing in a white gown next to a younger Grady--on their wedding day. 61 INT. DEN James enters, FRENCH ROLL in hand, and sees a REMOTE CONTROL atop the BAR. Taking it, he points it at the WIDE- SCREEN TELEVISION imbedded in the opposite wall and, seconds later, GEORGE SANDERS walks into his CLOSE-UP. GEORGE SANDERS There's no such thing as a good influence, Mr. Gray. All influence is immoral... 62 INT. UPSTAIRS BEDROOM - SAME TIME Grady, a PINK PRINCESS PHONE to his ear, lies on the bed next to a huge TEDDY BEAR. GRADY (into phone) Yes, I' m looking for the Chancellor... I don't know. She should be in the main hall ...Thank you. 63 INT. DEN James runs through the channels, pauses on MARTIN MILNER and GEORGE MAHARIS, riding in their curvy Corvette. 64 INT. UPSTAIRS BEDROOM - SAME TIME A Nelson Riddle's THEME FROM ROUTE 66 BOOMS from below, GRADY cups a hand over his ear. GRADY Sara? Hi. It's Grady. SARA'S VOICE Where are you, Grady? An elevator? GRADY I'm in Kinship. Listen, Sara, there's some things we need to talk about... SARA'S VOICE (evenly) You're in Kinship? GRADY Yes. But that's not why I called... SARA'S VOICE With Emily? GRADY What? No'. There's no one here. I'm just ...just.... SARA'S VOICE Just what? Doing a little dusting? As GRADY endeavors to respond, TWO YOUTHFUL VOICES, CHEERFULLY SINGING, rise from below. CHEERFUL VOICES Good Morning! Good Morning! GRADY (yelling) James! For Christ sake, will you turn that thing down! SARA'S VOICE James? He's still with you? 65 INT. DEN James, in the midst of pouring himself a tumbler of Bushmills, smiles as JUDY GARLAND and MICKEY ROONEY sing their hearts out in Babes In Arms. JUDY/MICKEY We talked the whole night through! 66 INT. UPSTAIRS BEDROOM GRADY shakes his head, carries the phone toward the bedroom WINDOW. GRADY Look, Sara. ..I'm not here. ..I'm not here to . . . As GRADY watches, a late-model PONTIAC BONNEVIlLE turns into the driveway below him. GRADY (cont'd) ...reconcile with Emily. SARA'S VOICE Are you there to not reconcile with her? The Bonneville's trunk pops open, revealing THREE BAGS OF GROCERIES, and HANK and IRENE WINTERS, both in their 60's, get out. An enormous NEWFOUNDLAND vaults from the backseat. Sara, eating phone static this whole time, interprets Grady's silence her own way. SARA'S VOICE (cont'd) Goodbye, Grady. GRADY No. Sara, you don't understand... SARA'S VOICE Trust me, I understand. I just want to say something to you, Grady. GRADY (dreading it) Yea? SARA'S VOICE How you choose to live your own life is your business. But you be careful with that boy, Grady. With James. He belongs to somebody else. As the line goes dead, GRADY watches Hank and Irene Winters disappear below him. 69 INT. DEN 69 James--Irish whiskey in one hand, the pride of Humboldt County in the other--watches with deep absorption as Judy and Mickey have a heartfelt conversation. Then, sensing something ...he turns. Hank and Irene Winters, grocery bags in arm, stand frozen. JAMES LEER Hullo. FOOTSTEPS are HEARD on the staircase and GRADY hobbies into view. He tries a smile. GRADY Mom. Dad. 70 INT. DEN - WINTERS HOUSE - (A BIT LATER) Hank Winters emerges from the bathroom with a roll of tape, a bottle of alcohol, and some cotton wool. HANK Well, it's infected, I can tell you that. I'm just going to clean it up a bit. It's up to you to-find someone who knows what they're doing. Here. Put your foot up. GRADY puts his foot up on Hank's lazy-Boy, then notices a BOOK lying face down on the seat. The AUTHOR on the back cover looks as if he's trying very hard to look consequential. To his surprise, GRADY realizes the author is himself. HANK So he's one of your students, this boy? GRADY glances into the living room, where James and Irene sit on a long couch together, sipping something hot. James is looking out the window, a curious expression on his face. GRADY looks out his own window, sees the Newfoundland sniffing curiously at-the Galaxie's trunk. When he glances back into the living room, he and James make brief eye contact, then blink, look away. GRADY Yes. He's a good kid. Maybe a little messed up. HANK Well, I'm sure with the proper guidance he'll be fine. GRADY tries to read Hank's face---is he messing with him?--but Hank gives nothing away. GRADY nods to the book. GRADY What made you pull out that old thing? HANK (shrugging) I was thinking of you. GRADY And? HANK It's no Arsonist's Daughter, but I guess you know that. It's a young man's book. It got me remembering how it felt to be young. GRADY Maybe I should read it. HANK Oh, I don't think there's any danger of you aging prematurely, Grady. GRADY doesn't have to read Hank's face this time. GRADY Where's Emily, Hank? HANK I 'don't know if she'd want me to tell you that, Grady. GRADY I'm not going to stalk her. Hank. I just. ..want to know where I stand. Hank looks up, incredulous. HANK Where you stand? GRADY (embarrassed) l-just want to say I'm sorry. HANK She's in Philadelphia seeing Linda Aahby. The neurologist. GRADY Neurologist? Why? What's wrong? HANK (frowning) Nothing's wrong. They went to Wellesley together. GRADY (sheepishly) Oh. Right. Linda ...I haven't been doing a lot of sleeping lately. My editor's in town and I have the book to finish and-- HANK Ah, right. The book. GRADY starts to continue, then stops, cowed by something in Hank's tone, something dismissive. Instead, he looks away, toward the living room, and catches sight of James again, sitting alone now with his big cup of cocoa. GRADY Listen, Hank, I'm sorry about ail this. I didn't come here to upset you and Irene. I want you to know that. HANK Why did you come here, Grady? GRADY gestures vaguely. GRADY I -just wanted to see her, I guess-- Emily. And to see you too-you and Irene. And to let everyone know that, even though it may be difficult to comprehend now, this-everything that's happening-it's not forever. It doesn't mean "Goodbye." HANK Give me a break, Grady. Hank snaps off the tape, slaps Grady's ankle. HANK You're done. 71 INT. GALAXIE - MOVING - DUSK 71 GRADY glowers darkly at the road, then puts his hand up against the HEATING VENT which, apparently, is not putting out any heat. JAMES LEER I'm having a really good time, Professor Tripp. GRADY glances over, sees James burrowing into the Ziploc. GRADY I'm really happy for you, James. But do me a favor, will you? Lay off my dope. That stuff's not for amateurs. James looks at Ziploc as GRADY fiddles with the heat LEVER. JAMES LEER I just wanted a little sip. GRADY (squinting at him) I just wanted a little sip? Tell me, James, exactly what point was it that you turned into Serpent Boy? JAMES LEER Probably about the time you gave me the codeine pills last night. GRADY stops with the heater, glances over at James, whose face bears not the slightest trace of irony. GRADY Jesus... (thinking, then. . . ) Look, James, you appear to possess-like many an aspiring writer before you, by the way-a rather ardent affinity for the stuff of which dreams are made. However, I 'think it's best if, for the moment at least (taking the Ziploc) ...we abstain. JAMES LEER You're mad at me, aren't you? GRADY What? JAMES LEER You're mad because I shot your girlfriend's dog. GRADY It wasn't her dog. It's her husband's-- (stopping) Who said anything about girlfriend? James eyes shift slowly, as if to 'say: Who are you kidding? GRADY Okay, James, I wish you hadn't shot my girlfriend's dog. Even though Poe and I weren't exactly what you'd call simpatico, that's no reason for him to take two in the chest. Still, the fact remains that I'm the one who took you up into the Chancellor's bedroom. I'm the one who has to take the blame. I- don't know what the hell I was thinking. JAMES LEER Sure you do. You were thinking: 'That's no cap gun in that kid's overcoat.' You were thinking 'I can't let that kid get on. the bus alone-he might never get on the bus again.' You were thinking: 'I've got to find a way to distract this kid. ' So you did. It was--in its way--a noble act. GRADY Thanks for the halo, James, but I've . never done that much thinking ahead in my" life-ever. James looks -out the window, pondering this. JAMES LEER So, why did you take me up there? GRADY (feeling for the heat again) I -don' t know, James . I don' t know why I do half the things I do. Who does? (looking over) Why do you wear that coat? James looks down, a little defensive. JAMES LEER It's warm. GRADY James, fall semester, first day of class, it was 95 degrees and you were wearing the coat. James just blinks, no ready answer-available. GRADY That's why they all give you such a hard time in workshop. JAMES LEER Because of my coat? GRADY Because you act like a goddamn spook all the time. Not to mention the fact that every last one of them is jealous of you. JAMES LEER (smirking) Jealous? Of me? GRADY Not you. Your talent. James' face hardens. He looks away. JAMES LEER You're lying. GRADY The hell I am. JAMES LEER Yes you are. My stuff stinks. I know it. You said so yourself. GRADY I never said that. JAMES LEER Yes you did. Last night. To your friend Crabtree. "Is he any good?" he said. And you said: "Not yet he isn't." I heard you myself. GRADY I didn't mean it that way. JAMES LEER It's okay, Professor Tripp. Carrie, Howard, the others--they 're right. My stories are annoying. They go on and on and on, and the longer they go on the more annoying they become, until finally you just want to grab something heavy and-- GRADY Shut up, James. You're annoying. Carrie and Howard don't know what the fuck they're talking about, okay? The entire class combined- including the lovely Hannah Green-has about one tenth of one percent the talent you have, okay? James stares blankly at Grady, then turns his face to the window. He ponders Grady's words, the praise inherent in them. A hint of pleasure glints in his eyes. JAMES LEER But, last night... GRADY Who cares what-. I said last night, James I I was drunk, I was stoned. I'd been bitten by a dog. My wife had left me. How 'bout cutting me some slack? JAMES LEER (quietly) I'm sorry. GRADY And don't be so goddamn sensitive. Who cares what anybody thinks anyway? You want to .be a good writer? You want to be-a great writer? Then stop giving a damn what other people think. Most of them haven't thought in .years. James turns, studies Grady's face as it flickers in the first headlights of the evening. GRADY Let me spell it .out for you, James. Books don't mean anything. Not to anybody. Not anymore. JAMES LEER Arsonist's Daughter meant something. GRADY smiles contemptuously. JAMES LEER I mean it. It means something to me. It's one of the reasons I came to school here. To be in your class. To be taught by you. (quietly) It's one of the reasons I wanted to become a writer. GRADY stares ahead, watching the darkness tumble away before the wide sweep of the Galaxie's headlights. GRADY Well, for that, if nothing else, James, I'm sorry. 72 EXT. COFFEE SHOP/MOTEL - OFF THE HIGHWAY - EVENING GRADY rolls into a space near the coffee shop and James slides out. GRADY stays put, hands still on the wheel. JAMES LEER You coming? GRADY In a minute. Get us a table. James nods, pushes past the glass doors into the coffee shop, and a big REDHEAD in a waitress cap leads him to a table with a view of the highway. GRADY watches James-- stick figure in black brogues--slide into the booth and open his big, laminated menu. Finally, as if concluding some internal debate, GRADY kicks open his door, steps out. 73INT/ EXT. PHONE BOOTH - PARKING LOT - MOMENTS LATER GRADY rests his forehead against the PAYPHONE as he speaks. GRADY C-a-r-v-e-I. That's right, Carvel. Yes, I'm sure. It's outside Scranton. GRADY straightens up, takes a peek at James, sitting by himself on the far side of the coffee shop. GRADY You have no listing. Okay, well, lady-- at this very moment, as we speak, I'm looking of a resident of Carvel, Pennsylvania. I think he'd be pretty interested to learn that the good people of Bell Atlantic have misplaced his entire hometown. It's not like I'm making this up as I go along-- GRADY stops, his own words ringing in his head. GRADY (cont'd) Never mind. My mistake. 74 EXT. GALAXIE - PARKING LOT 74 GRADY upends James' knapsack, sifts through: An AUTOGRAPHED POSTCARD of FRANCES FARMER. A wrinkled box of CHICLETS. Nothing. Then he notices ERROL FLYNN'S eyebrows peeking at him from the knapsack's side pouch. He takes the book, opens it. Bingo. A library notice: James Seiwyn Leer is three weeks overdue. Under ADDRESS it says only: "On File." But if one was to dial the PHONE NUMBER, odds are it won't be the night janitor at the Greyhound depot who picks up. 75 INT. BOOTH - COFFEE SHOP - NIGHT (LATER) The remains of a FRIED CLAM SANDWICH sit before James as he turns his attention to a GIANT PIECE OF LEMON MERINGUE PIE. GRADY sips only coffee, stealing glances at the cars that whip by on the highway beyond the window. JAMES LEER Want a bite? GRADY No thanks. JAMES LEER That's why you're having them. Your spells. GRADY Spells? Jesus, James, you make it sound like we're in a Tennessee Williams play. I don't have spells. JAMES LEER What would you call them then? GRADY I don't know. ...'Episodes.' James shrugs, spears a fluffy chunk of pie. JAMES LEER It's because you don't eat. GRADY I eat. JAMES LEER When? GRADY When nobody's looking. GRADY watches a pair of headlights approach... JAMES LEER (mouth full, garbled) I just worry about you, that's all. ...then pass. James' words finally register. GRADY looks at him. GRADY You just worry about yourself, James. Okay? JAMES LEER Okay. Just then, a long, pale WAND of LIGHT splinters against the coffee shop windows and a CAR sweeps into the parking lot. GRADY follows it with his eyes, rises. JAMES LEER (cont'd) Where you going? GRADY Nowhere. You just sit here and... eat. GRADY moves off, then stops, looking back at James and his giant piece of pie, still troubled by his words. 76 EXT. COFFEE SHOP/MOTEL As GRADY limps out of the coffee shop, he finds an OLDER MAN in a TUXEDO standing in the open door of a gleaming BLACK MERCEDES. Beyond him, in the front passenger seat, a WOMAN in MINK examines her eye shadow in the tiny mirror of the sun visor. MAN (eyeing GRADY dubiously) Professor Tripp? GRADY Grady. MAN Fred Leer. This is my wife Amanda. GRADY (re: their clothes) Looks like I've dashed a-wonderful evening. FRED LEER Hardly. AMANDA LEER We were on our way to a benefit. But, as luck would have it, the club was on the way, so... (snapping shut the visor) We were able to put in an appearance. FRED LEER Otherwise we would've been here earlier. GRADY Ah. Well, that's ail right. James and I 'had a little dinner. FRED LEER Well, certainly we'll reimburse you. GRADY That's not necessary. I just felt. ..it might be good for James to be with his family this weekend. FRED LEER Well, of course, we can understand that. GRADY considers the two glittering ghosts before him. They seem to be waiting. Just waiting. GRADY Well. Let me go get him. GRADY turns for the coffee shop, then stops, looks back. GRADY (cont'd) I "hope you won't consider this forward of me, Amanda, but I wonder if I might ask. ..did you ever attend Catholic school? Amanda Leer's eyes narrow ever-so-slightly. AMANDA LEER Excuse me? 77 INT. BOOTH - COFFEE SHOP77 James is glowering at the parking lot as GRADY returns. JAMES LEER I'm not going with them.. GRADY James. Listen. Things-things are a little weird with me right now and I-- well--I have enough blame to shoulder these days without having to take the blame if something bad happened to you. And if you hang around me long enough, something bad is going to happen, trust me. That's why I need you to go home. Understand? JAMES LEER I'm not going, with them. GRADY James, like it or not, they're your parents. JAMES LEER Parents? They're not my parents. They're my grandparents. My parents are dead. GRADY stares at-James wearily. JAMES LEER I swear. My father had his own airplane he used to fly up to Quebec. One Christmas, he and my mom were flying up to our house in the Laurentians when the plane went down. It was in the newspaper. GRADY doesn't flinch, unpersuaded. JAMES LEER I 'swear. My father was a senior vice president at Dravo. My mother was a socialite. Her maiden name was Guggenheim. GRADY starts to protest, then pauses. GRADY I remember that. Five or six years ago. JAMES LEER Six. Their plane went down right outside Scranton. GRADY (sardonically) Near Carvel? JAMES LEER I'm sorry about all that. I just-I don't like to talk about my family. They treat me like a freak. (nodding towards Amanda) She makes me sleep in. the basement of my own house. It's mine. My parents left it to me. GRADY glances toward the parking lot, studies the contours of Fred Leer's face. Frowns. GRADY James, come on. That man is obviously your father. You look just like him. James looks down at the table, takes a deep breath, and speaks in a voice heavy with implication. JAMES LEER There's a reason for that. Grady's addled brain grapples with this dark little riddle, finally deciphers what James is suggesting. GRADY Get out of here. JAMES LEER That's why she hates me. That's why she makes me sleep in the basement. GRADY In the crawl space, with the rats and the casks of Amontillado. Come on. Up. As GRADY lifts him from the booth, James attempts a plaintive tone, but his heart's not in it. JAMES LEER I swear. 78 EXT. COFFEE SHOP - MOMENTS LATER 78 As Fred Leer SLAMS the back door of the Mercedes, GRADY waves vaguely, peers into the darkness of the back seat. FRED LEER Thank you. Professor Tripp. GRADY Take care of him. AMANDA LEER Oh, don't worry. We'll take care of him. You can be sure of that. Fred Leer hits the gas and swings the Mercedes around in a tight little arc, feathering Grady's pants--from the knee down--with a pudding of ICE and MUD. GRADY glances down at his spattered self, then notices, sitting on the front passenger seat, James' knapsack. GRADY grabs it, turns. GRADY Hey! GRADY'S POV - REAR WINDOW as the Mercedes begins to pull away and James turns, elbows on the back dash, his pale face slack. Spying Grady, he raises one limp hand, and then-as if it were held by a string-lets it drop. GRADY (cont'd) (softly) Hey. 79 EXT. PARKING LOT - MQTEL/COFFEE SHOP - A. BIT LATER GRADY sits in-the GREEN GLOW of .the radio dial, smoking a joint. He glances at the knapsack, sees James' MANUSCRIPT: The Love Parade He reaches in, takes the manuscript and, in the light that rains from the PARKING LAMP overhead, begins to read. 80 EXT. GRADY'S HOUSE - NIGHT (LATER) 80 Grady's HOUSE looks like a three-dollar whore on a block full of nuns. MUSIC BLARES, LIGHT BLAZES from every window, and there are so many CARS GRADY is forced to leave the Galaxie in the middle of the street. GRADY (knowingly) Crabtree. 81 INT. GRADY'S HOUSE - MOMENTS LATER Times Square before the ball drops. GRADY enters, scans the room, then shoulders his way to the stairs. 82 INT. GRADY'S OFFICE Hannah Green sits on the sofa, twisting a long strand of hair around her finger as she reads a THICK MANUSCRIPT. GRADY (entering) Hey. HANNAH GREEN Grady! She slaps the page she is reading back onto the stack at her thigh. GRADY stares. The manuscript. It's his. HANNAH GREEN (embarrassed) I know I shouldn't have, but there it was, just sort of lying out, and I couldn't resist and-and--I suck. GRADY No, it's okay. I just can't believe I left it out in the open like that. CRABTREE hasn't been in here, has he? Poking around? HANNAH GREEN I don't know--maybe- I don't think so. Grady's mind races with unfortunate possibilities, but only briefly: his immediate thoughts are elsewhere. GRADY Listen, Hannah. You don't remember where that aunt worked, do you? James' aunt. HANNAH GREEN He shot the Chancellor's dog, didn't he? The blind one. GRADY Actually, He's not the Chancellor' s--What? HANNAH GREEN At first the police thought he just ran away, but this afternoon Dr. Gaskell found some blood spots on the carpet - GRADY Jesus. HANNAH GREEN CRABTREE said it sounded like something James would be messed up in. GRADY Crabtree? He doesn't even know James. HANNAH GREEN Who does? Just then, Crabtree's VOICE bellows in the hallway outside. CRABTREE (O.S.) Trip?! Where are you' GRADY looks anxiously toward the door. GRADY The aunt, Hannah. Where did you take James that day? HANNAH GREEN I told you, Sewickly Heights. GRADY But where? I need the street. HANNAH GREEN I don't know, Grady. I just dropped him on a corner. CRABTREE (O.S.) Trip?! GRADY Shit. As GRADY starts to turn away, Hannah hooks her finger inside his belt buckle. HANNAH GREEN No! Don't go. I've been waiting ail night for you. GRADY looks at Hannah's hand, where it rests. He looks terrified. GRADY Listen, Hannah, I'm flattered, really, but right now I-- CRABTREE (bursting in) Tripp, where the hell. . . CRABTREE stops, takes in the tableau before him. CRABTREE (cont'd) Oh, I'm sorry. Am I interrupting a. student- teacher conference? GRADY delicately removes Hannah's hand from his buckle, points at Crabtree. GRADY You stay there. CRABTREE What? Ohhhh. Is that... it? CRABTREE cocks his head toward the reams of paper stacked on Grady's desk. CRABTREE Honestly, Tripp. Do you actually think I would sneak in here and read your book without asking you? GRADY Gee, I don't know. Crabs. I don't seem to remember you actually asking me if you could invite 200 people over to trash my living room. CRABTREE Sometimes we have to improvise. GRADY (ignoring him) Think, Hannah. Does James have any friends. I mean, besides you and. ..me? CRABTREE James? My James? What's happened? GRADY Nothing, he's just been sort of, I don't know.. .kidnapped. CRABTREE Kidnapped? By who? GRADY His parents. CRABTREE Good God. Let's go rescue him. GRADY Good idea. Crabs. Only one problem. I don't know where they live. CRABTREE Ah. Wait a minute. The university must know where he lives. GRADY It's a little late to call Admissions. CRABTREE Is it a little late to call the Chancellor? GRADY Maybe ...I don't know. HANNAH GREEN Two-sixty-two Baxter Drive. GRADY and CRABTREE turn, see Hannah sitting on the corner of Grady's desk with the WHITE PAGES open on her lap. HANNAH GREEN (cont'd) They're in the book. 83 INT. GALAXIE - MOVING - TEN MINUTES LATER CRABTREE snaps James' manuscript closed. CRABTREE You know--based on what I've read-- this is a very exciting piece of material, this Big Parade. GRADY Love. It's Love facade--and what do you mean 'based on what you've read'? You skimmed two chapters at 80 miles an hour while gargling methamphetamines. CRABTREE I've been doing this a long time, Tripp. I feel this kid in my bones. GRADY Only in your bones? GRADY smirks, glances at Crabtree, but gets a surprise; CRABTREE offers no snappy come-back, no antic wordplay. He just stares out the window, his voice distant. CRABTREE No. I think I might be right. I've felt it before... As Crabtree's voice trails off, GRADY studies him. GRADY How bad is it for you? CRABTREE Bad enough. And God knows I don't exactly fit the new corporate profile. GRADY Which is? CRABTREE Competence. GRADY and CRABTREE look at each other a moment, then CRABTREE smiles, gives a little shrug, and picks up James' knapsack, rummaging through the contents. CRABTREE (cont'd) So tell me about you and the Chancellor. GRADY What's to tell? CRABTREE Plenty, I'm sure. But, for what it's worth... CRABTREE fishes out the biography of Erroll Flynn, gives it a look. CRABTREE ...I like her. GRADY peers at the stars, his voice barely audible. GRADY Me too. 84 EXT. RESIDENTIAL STREET - SEWICKLEY HEIGHTS 84- The battered Galaxie floats up a narrow road, gliding through a canyon of mansion walls and the occasional winding drive. Up ahead a stone post marker with the numerals "262." GRADY kills the headlights. GRADY This is it. 84A EXT. LEER HOUSE - MOMENTS LATER Grady--limping like an aging prizefighter--leads CRABTREE up a steep incline toward an enormous three-story house. The Leer's Mercedes gleams in the shadows. CRABTREE Jesus. There must be two dozen windows on . that thing. How are we-supposed to find his? GRADY I told you. They keep him chained in the basement. Come on. 85 EXT. REAR - LEER HOUSE LIGHT GLOWS from a low BASEMENT WINDOW. From one side, a WOMAN is HEARD SINGING. GRADY and CRABTREE pause, listen. WOMAN SINGING Why should I care though he gave me the air? Why should I cry, heave a sigh, and wonder why? And wonder why? CRABTREE Doris Day. CRABTREE and GRADY look at each other. GRADY/CRABTREE James Leer. GRADY moves to the window and RAPS on the glass. A moment later, James peeks out. Seeing Grady, his face brightens briefly, unguarded, then quickly resumes its usual Leerian aspect. He motions with his hand, as if to say, "That way." 86 EXT. BASEMENT DOOR The DOOR swings open to reveal James Leer, decked out in a pair of RED, INK-STAINED PAJAMAS sagging badly in the seat. He looks like one of Santa's elves. JAMES LEER Hey. What are you guys doing here? CRABTREE We're springing you. Leer. Get some pants on. As they step inside, GRADY gives James' PJs the once- over. GRADY I can't believe you made fun of my robe. 87 INT. JAMES' ROOM - BASEMENT 87 Electric CANDELABRAS light a large converted cellar whose walls are crowded with MOVIE POSTERS and LOBBY CARDS. There are STACKS of what look suspiciously like LIBRARY BOOKS and an enormous BAROQUE BED, complete with CANOPY. CRABTREE I like what you've done with it. When's Captain Nemo moving in? JAMES LEER The candelabras were my Gran's. GRADY Oh, Christ, don't start on ol' Gran or we'll leave you here. CRABTREE Hey, I heard all about it--the parents, the grandparents, the China town thing-- and I believe you, okay? That's why we're here. Now go get dressed. James scoops up the shirt GRADY lent him. this morning. JAMES LEER Can I--I mean--do you mind--if I wear this again. Professor Tripp? GRADY Ah, wear whatever you want. James flinches, stung, then disappears into a bathroom. CRABTREE So modest. GRADY So sensitive. CRABTREE (nosing around the room) Oh, come on, Tripp. Cut the kid some slack. GRADY It's just ail that crap he spins out. Just once I'd like to know if the little bastard is telling the truth. CRABTREE The-truth. I know that's always been real important to you. Key, check this out... CRABTREE leans over an old ROYAL TYPEWRITER, reads from the freshly-typed PAGE curling from the carriage. CRABTREE Finally, the door opened. It-was a shock to: see him, shuffling into the room like an aging prizefighter. Limping. Beaten.' (with an amused smile) Sound like anyone we know? (resuming) But it was later, when the great man squinted into the bitter glow or twilight... (frowning) Bitter glow of twilight? This kid definitely needs an editor. (resuming) ...and muttered simply, "It means nothing. All of it. Nothing," that the true shock came. It was then that the boy understood that his hero's true injuries lay hidden in a darker place. His heart...' CRABTREE stops abruptly. GRADY Yes? 'His heart...' CRABTREE hesitates, then... reads on: CRABTREE 'His heart, once capable of inspiring others so completely, could no longer inspire so much as itself. It beat now only out of habit. It beat now only because it could. ' GRADY nods, his face unreadable, then James returns. JAMES LEER I'm ready... James stops, sees the two men looking at him. JAMES LEER You all right, Professor Tripp? CRABTREE He's great. Come on, let's blow before ol' Gran decides to boil your bones for breakfast. JAMES LEER Oh, well, that's just it. She's been coming down here, every half hour or so, to, sort of, check on me. If I'm not here, she might ...call the police or.. .something. CRABTREE Hhhuh. So we decoy her. Stick a couple pillows and one of your teddy bears under the spread and she won't know the difference. JAMES LEER (brightening) Yeah. Like in Against All Flags. Only they use a couple big hams. GRADY No. CRABTREE and James turn. GRADY I've got something better than a teddy bear. CUT TO: POE -- as he's lowered delicately onto James' bed. 88 INT. JAMES' ROOM - BASEMENT (A FEW MINUTES LATER) GRADY strategically arranges the coverlet, gently adjusting Poe's head so only a TUFT of FUR shows. He steps back, joining CRABTREE and James for an assessment. GRADY Sweet dreams, Jimmy. 89 EXT. GRADY'S HOUSE - LATER The lights are still blazing, the front door is wide open, but not a soul remains. 90 INT. LIVING ROOM A quiet disaster, the only sound an LP playing meekly on the STEREO. James passes through first, ignoring the TORTILLA CHIPS POPPING under his shoes, then CRABTREE and GRADY appear. CRABTREE Things must've picked up after we left. CRABTREE pats Grady's cheek, heads upstairs. 91 INT. HALLWAY Crabtree's door is closing as GRADY hobbles into view. GRADY Crabtree. CRABTREE (sticking his head out) Ye-es? GRADY looks down, sees James Leer's black brogues sitting on the floor outside Crabtree's door. GRADY Nothing. The door closes, the LATCH CLICKS, and GRADY is left alone, the bossa nova floating softly in the air. 92 INT. HANNAH'S ROOM Hannah Green lies tangled in the sheets, surrounded by little colonies of Grady's manuscript. GRADY studies her, then detects something on the floor. The red boots. Delicately, he lifts the sheet. Hannah Green's feet-- finally revealed in ail their naked glory--prove to be thick, wide, and ordinary. GRADY sighs. 93 INT. GRADY'S OFFICE The TV is on. GRADY steps to the doorway, pauses. VOICE Hey. A HEAD cranes over the sofa. It's the Goatee Kid from Thaw Hail. GRADY How are you--is it Joe? GOATEE KID Jeff. Sorry. I didn't even know this was your house until about an hour ago. GRADY Don't sweat it. Well. 'Night, Jeff. GOATEE KID Oh, Professor Tripp? You know, last semester, what I said that time in office hours-I hope there's no hard feelings. GRADY No... GOATEE KID I mean, I was breaking up with this girl at the time and my car was ail fucked up and-- well--I was pretty bent in general. GRADY It's cool, Jeff. Really. GOATEE KID I just want you to know that's why I dropped your class and said all that shit about the university stealing my money and you being a pseudo-Faulknerian nobody. 94 EXT. PORCH - GRADY'S HOUSE - NIGHT (A BIT LATER) GRADY sits quietly on the porch steps, a joint burning in his fingers. To his left, perched atop a Haagen-Dazs container, is a TELEPHONE. As he pulls it into his lap, a LAMP in the living room pirouettes clumsily, spins free of the cord, and SHATTERS on the floor. GRADY blinks, looks away, and DIALS, just as. ..the CLATTERING COUGH of an ENGINE is HEARD and a VAN appears. Stenciled on its side panel is: Kravnik's Sporting Goods The van slows, almost coasting, then abruptly bursts past Grady's house and disappears around the corner. GRADY frowns, then realizes a MAN'S VOICE is coming from the RECEIVER in his lap. MAN (O.S. ) Hello? Hello...? The VOICE is groggy. It is Walter Gaskell's voice. GRADY Walter? WALTER'S VOICE Yes? GRADY says nothing, as if wondering what he's doing. WALTER'S VOICE (cont'd) Who's this ? GRADY It's Grady, Walter. WALTER'S VOICE Grady? GRADY GRADY Tripp. English Department. WALTER'S VOICE I know it's you, Grady, I just... Christ, Grady, do you know what time it -is? GRADY (looking at his watch) I have ...eight-fifteen. That's not right, is it? WALTER'S VOICE It's three-thirty, Grady. GRADY This is important. WALTER'S VOICE Oh? GRADY I... I... WALTER'S VOICE What is it, Grady? GRADY I'm in love with your wife. WALTER'S VOICE Excuse me? GRADY Sara. I'm in love with her. Silence. Then Walter's VOICE returns: even, administrative. WALTER'S VOICE Are you drinking. Professor Tripp? Right now. GRADY sips on his roach, responds in a pinched voice. GRADY No. WALTER'S VOICE Nevertheless, I'd like to see you in my office Monday morning. As the line goes dead, GRADY stares at the phone, wondering if he has, in fact, just done what he thinks he's just done. 95 EXT. GRADY'S NEIGHBORHOOD - SUNDAY MORNING (NEXT DAY) A CAR rattles down the street, NEWSPAPERS pinwheeling from-the window. 96 INT. GRADY'S OFFICE - SAME TIME A heavy THHNK hits the driveway outside and GRADY blinks. Sitting in his pink robe, bleary-eyed, he reconsiders the piece of paper curling from his typewriter. GRADY'S POV - of THE PAGE It's obvious he's been sitting like this for some time. Just then, the DISTINCTIVE PURR of an ENGINE is HEARD. GRADY peers through the window, watches a CAB. glide to the curb below. A Citroen DS23. Sara. 97 EXT. FRONT PORCH - GRADY'S HOUSE GRADY steps onto the porch, unintentionally punting a BOTTLE of Iron City Beer onto the front lawn.. GRADY Sara. SARA I tried to call, but apparently there's something wrong... Sara leans down, replaces the uncradled phone. SARA (cont'd) ...with your phone. Unfortunately, mine was ringing loud and clear this morning. GRADY doesn't know what this means, but he's pretty sure it's not good. GRADY Oh? SARA It seems one of our students is - missing and his parents found a dead dog in his bed. GRADY (slumping to the porch) I'm sorry, Sara. I've been trying to tell you. It's all my- Sara raises her hand, silencing him. SARA I'm not very happy with you right now, Grady. But more importantly, Walter's not very happy and he's gotten the police involved. They seem to think James Leer is somehow responsible for all of this. You wouldn't happen to know where James is, would you, Grady? GRADY Inside. SARA And the jacket? GRADY Over there. In the backseat of the... Grady's hand hangs in mid-air, gesturing pointlessly to the driveway, where the only thing that exists is an oil stain roughly the shape of North Dakota. GRADY (cont'd) Someone stole my car. SARA Grady. GRADY Honestly. Someone stole my car. I parked it right there last night. SARA Are you sure you parked it there? GRADY Of course, I'm sure. Ah, Christ, the puberty police are back. Sara turns, sees Officer Pupcik cruising to the curb. SARA I'll deal with this. You dig up James. 98 INT. CRABTREE'S ROOM - MOMENTS LATER CRABTREE sits in bed, flipping through the pages of The Love Parade while stroking a tiny TUFT of HAIR that is the . sole visible part of .James Leer. GRADY (swinging in) Is he awake? CRABTREE I'm afraid he's pretty worn out, poor kid. GRADY Nevertheless. There's a police officer standing on the porch and I don't think he's going away. JAMES LEER (from under the covers) That same guy? CRABTREE peels back the blankets and James Leer opens one eye. JAMES LEER You snore. CRABTREE So I hear. JAMES LEER (studying Grady) No offense, Professor Tripp, but you look sorta crappy. CRABTREE He's right, you look horrible. GRADY Thank you, Frankie and Annette. James swings his pale little legs to the floor and walks bare assed across the room to retrieve his BVDs. JAMES LEER It's the Chancellor. CRABTREE Ah, right. Well, I gave you my opinion. GRADY And we both thank you for that, but we're... we're... fine. JAMES LEER I'm fine, right. Fit as a fucking fiddle. GRADY squints at James as he pulls on his pants. GRADY Shut up, James. CRABTREE So what's the problem? GRADY (a tad tense) There is no problem. Did I say there was a problem? As James' head pops through Grady's fully-buttoned flannel, he and CRABTREE exchange a knowing glance, at once referring to and excluding Grady. SARA (0. S.) How's it coming back there, Professor Tripp? CRABTREE Who's that? GRADY Who do you think it is? CRABTREE The Chancellor's here? Now? GRADY Evidently. (calling) Coming! JAMES LEER Does she mean--does she know about ...her dog? GRADY It's Walter's dog and yes, she does. Know. But let's spare her the details. Come on, your shoes are in the hail. CRABTREE James. This book of yours. It's not bad. Not bad at all. James stops, considers this piece of news with a look of deep seriousness, then nods. JAMES LEER Thank you. CRABTREE You're welcome. As James shuffles off into the hail, CRABTREE looks at Grady, his eyes dancing with excitement. CRABTREE I want to publish this. I've got to. I think they'll let me. With a little editorial guidance it could be brilliant. GRADY Great. Between you and Officer Pupcik out there he can be the next Jean Genet. It's been awhile since somebody wrote a good book in jail. 99 EXT. GRADY'S HOUSE - MOMENTS LATER Sara and GRADY stand by as Pete Pupcik deposits James in the back of the squad car, SLAMS the door. PUPCIK As I told the Chancellor, Professor, I'm. just going to run James here over to the university. It'll be up to Dr. Gaskell where we go from there. GRADY nods, leans in the window to James. GRADY Don't worry, James, I'll figure something out. JAMES LEER I'm not worried. You're not worried, are you. Professor Tripp? GRADY I'm a little worried, James. JAMES LEER Don't be. I don't care if they expel me. I probably should be expelled. GRADY Well, let's see if we can keep that from happening. James nods and GRADY starts to step back from the car. JAMES LEER Professor Tripp...? GRADY Yes, James. JAMES LEER Even if I end up going to jail.... James smiles his crooked grin. JAMES LEER (cont'd) You're still the best teacher I ever had. On this, Pete Pupcik pulls away, leaving GRADY standing on the curb, watching the back of James' head, framed in the rear window of the police car, growing smaller. SARA This is not what the university has in mind when it promises a liberal education, Grady. GRADY Would Walter really press charges? SARA It's within the realm. He takes his souvenirs pretty seriously. And he was just a wee bit prickly this morning. Grady, detecting something in Sara's tone, turns, watches her take a drag on her cigarette. SARA (cont'd) You didn't happen to call the house last night, did you, Grady? GRADY I think I might have. SARA And what do you think you might have said? GRADY I think I might've said I was in love with you. Sara's face remains .unchanged. GRADY (cont'd) He told you. SARA He told me. GRADY And what did you say? SARA I said it didn't sound like you. Sara tosses her cigarette in .the gutter, gets into her car, and dives away. GRADY looks after her sadly, then turns, sees CRABTREE standing on the porch wearing a shirt which claims "Ativan Chases the Clouds Away." CRABTREE So- what do we do now? , GRADY Find the jacket. CRABTREE Oh' huh. Exactly how do we do that? GRADY First I see if Hannah will let me borrow her car. CRABTREE It seems to me that girl would let you borrow her pancreas. 100 INT. HANNAH'S ROOM - 100 Hannah, wrapped loosely in cotton sheets, SMILES as she listens to the Goatee Kid, who sits cross-legged at the foot of-her bed, fully clothed. GOATEE KID I'm telling you, the tango is ail about latent homosexual love. Look at the way they dance-- it's sodomy. HANNAH GREEN (laughing) Stop it. Hannah looks up, sees GRADY in the doorway and blushes. She pulls the sheet up, gives an oddly formal wave. HANNAH GREEN Grady. Hi. What's up? Jeff eases off the bed, past GRADY uneasily. GOATEE KID I'll be ...somewhere else. GRADY Hey, Jeff. If you're really interested in discussing that business with the tango, try the guy at the end of the hall. Jeff nods--puzzled--then goes. GRADY smirks. GRADY He cribbed that from Borges. HANNAH GREEN It beats 'What's your major?' GRADY nods, detecting a new aloofness in her voice. GRADY Right. Anyway, I was wondering if I could borrow your car. Mine's sort of out of commission. HANNAH GREEN Sure. The keys are on the dresser next to. ..to your book. The hitch in Hannah's voice hangs in the room like a cloud. HANNAH GREEN I uh, I didn't finish, I ...fell asleep. GRADY That good, hub? HANNAH GREEN No, it's not that, it's... Hannah glances at the huge stack of paper sitting on her dresser, then, hesitantly, looks back to Grady. HANNAH GREEN It's just that, you know, I was thinking about how, in class, you're always telling us '-that writers make choices--at least the good ones. And, don't get me wrong. I'm not saying the book isn't really great-I mean, really great- but at times it's, well, very detailed, you know, with the genealogies of everyone's horses and ail the dental records and so on-and I don't know, maybe I'm wrong, but it sort of reads, in places, like, well, actually, like... (with trepidation) ...you didn't make any choices at all. And I was wondering if it might not be different if, maybe, when you wrote, you weren't always ...under the influence. GRADY (stung) Hh huh. Well, thanks for the thought, but, as shocking as this may sound, I'm not the first writer to sip a little weed. And furthermore, it might interest you to know that one book I wrote, as you say, 'under the influence, ' happened to win a little something called the PEN award which, by the way, I accepted 'under the influence. ' Hannah nods, averts her eyes, and immediately GRADY feels ridiculous. He starts to say something, but instead gathers his manuscript and exits. 101 INT. LIVING ROOM - MOMENTS LATER Crabtree, dressed now, studies the freight 'in Grady's arms as he reaches the bottom of the stairs. CRABTREE Want some help with that? GRADY (passing by) Don't touch it. 102 INT. HANNAH'S RENAULT - MOVING CRABTREE sucks on a Kool, driving Hannah's rattling Renault too fast, shifting gears apparently at random. GRADY rides shotgun, still wearing the robe over his clothes, the Wonder Boys manuscript sitting like a watermelon on his lap-looking, all in all, fairly pathetic. CRABTREE Let me get this straight. Jerry Nathan owes you money. So, as collateral, he gives you his car. GRADY Only now I'm starting to think the car wasn't exactly Jerry's to give. CRABTREE So whose car is it? GRADY My guess-Vernon Hardapple. CRABTREE The hood jumper? GRADY He said a few things that lead me to believe the car's his. CRABTREE Such as. GRADY 'That's my car, motherfucker.' CRABTREE Hh hub. So. We find Vernon, we find the car. We find the car... GRADY ...we find the jacket. CRABTREE There's only one problem, Tripp. We don't know his real name. We just made it up. In fact, we made the whole guy up. GRADY No wonder he screwed us over. CUT TO: BILL MAZEROSKI legendary Pittsburgh Pirate second baseman, large as a Macy's Day float, his weathered image scaling three floors on the BRICK face of a RIVERFRONT STOREFRONT. 103 INT. HANNAH'S CAR CRABTREE takes a corner recklessly, immediately slows, and blinks in amazement. CRABTREE Christ, Tripp. How did you know? GRADY Call it a hunch. Parked in front of KRAVNIK'S SPORTING GOODS is the white van. A few feet behind, the battered Galaxie. CRABTREE I'd call it genius. GRADY steps out, strips off the robe, and drops the lumpy leviathan that is his manuscript on the front seat. GRADY It's good to know I'm still talented at something. Keep the motor running. 104 EXT./ INT. GALAXIE 104 GRADY peers into the backseat, squinting against the WIND that swirls around him. Errol Flynn's face leers back at him. But no jacket. GRADY slides in, pops the glove box, and frowns at the ZIPLOC of Humboldt County. He pockets it anyway, then spies something else. James Leer's little PEARL-HANDLED PISTOL. GRADY takes it, rotates it-in his palm. SUNLIGHT GLINTS off the chrome barrel and everything slowly turns to a SWEET, SOFT BLUR... 105 INT. HANNAH'S RENAULT CRABTREE stomps on his Kool. GRADY looks very much like a man who has pulled off the road to take a nap. CRABTREE What the hell... 106 INT. GALAXIE As GRADY lolls behind the steering wheel, a CLOUD appears, hovering, then slowly mutates, and GRADY realizes it's not a cloud at all, it's MARILYN MONROE standing by the side mirror, wearing a bright pink dress under her wedding jacket. MARILYN I know you. . . Marilyn's face swims before Grady's eyes, but there's something wrong with it. This girl's eyes are brown and besides, she's ...fat. MARILYN (cont'd) Double Dickel on the rocks. The last of the fairy dust evaporates and GRADY finds- standing before him in a pink jersey dress and Marilyn Monroe's wedding jacket--0ola, the pregnant waitress from the Hi-Hat Club. GRADY Oola. OOLA I never forget a drink. GRADY I never forget an Oola. Suddenly, there is a HEAVY CLICK. MAN'S VOICE (0.S.) Forget me? GRADY starts to turn, but his head won't move: largely because the BARREL of a GERMAN NINE is pressed to his temple. Grady's eyes slide. GRADY Vernon. VERNON (to Oola) Move away, cupcake. He's got a gun. GRADY Who's got a gun? VERNON You've got a gun, motherfucker. Drop it! GRADY Relax, Vernon... OOLA Why's he calling you Vernon? VERNON Why's he sitting in my car? He's crazy, that's why. He probably calls everybody Vernon. GRADY Not true. You're the only Vernon I know. Actually, I'm wrong. I once knew a Vernon Peabody at Penguin U.K. VERNON Shut up. (to Oola) Cupcake. Please. Inside. OOLA You' re not going to shoot him, are you? VERNON I'm going to shoot him. If he doesn't put that gun down. GRADY It's just a souvenir. They don't even make the caps anymore. VERNON Bullshit. I know a gun when I see one. And that's a gun. GRADY No, really.... GRADY lifts his arm, points the little pearl-handled pistol to the DARK CLOUDS overhead. 107 INT. HANNAH'S RENAULT CRABTREE jumps as the tiny pistol at the end of Grady's arm FLASHES, makes a FEEBLE POP in the wind. CRABTREE Holy shit. 108 EXT. KRAVNIKS Vernon stands half-hunched, stunned. VERNON Are you crazy! The gunshot seems to have cleared Grady's head. He stares at the gun, watches Vernon wrest it from his hand. VERNON (cont'd) Get out! What's the matter with you? Can't you see the condition my girl's in? As GRADY gets out of the car, Vernon places his hand on Oola's tummy. VERNON You all right, cupcake? OOLA Who's Vernon? A rude SQUEAL breaks the silence--rubber scratching asphalt--and Grady, Oola, and Vernon turn to see Hannah Green's rattling Renault lurching awkwardly toward them. VERNON What the...? Gears GRINDING, tires smoking, CRABTREE fish-tails wildly, then kicks open the passenger door. CRABTREE Tripp! Run! GRADY doesn't move an inch, watching in mute amazement as CRABTREE whistles by, proceeds halfway down the block, then turns back for another pass. VERNON Who the hell is that? GRADY A Manhattan book editor murdering a Mormon girl's clutch. The car bucks crazily, picks up speed, and Crabtree-- swiping aside a flutter of MANUSCRIPT PAGES that have taken flight inside the car--begins to veer right toward Grady, Vernon, and Oola. VERNON Woah. Vernon steps into the street, levels the German Nine. VERNON (cont'd) Pull off, you crazy motherfucker! Frantic, GRADY steps between Vernon, the German Nine, and the oncoming Crabtree. GRADY No! Don't shoot! He's just a lousy driver. CRABTREE fans the wheel wildly, goes into a slide and the passenger door snaps wide, releasing what looks to be a FLOCK OF WHITE DOVES into the wind-whipped sky. Only, these ain't birds. � - ^ GRADY Oh... my... God! These are PAGES. Seven years of-pages. CRABTREE goes into another slide, one-hops the curb, and smashes flat into the weathered GLOVE of BILL MAZEROSKI painted on the front wail of KRAVNIK'S SPORTING GOODS. As Hannah Green's RADIATOR EXPLODES, CRABTREE steps free of the car and looks skyward. It's a ticker-tape parade ail the way down the street, ending in the frigid waters of the Ohio River. GRADY (cont'd) (to Vernon) I take it back. Shoot him. 109 INT. GALAXIE - MOVING Vernon drives, Oola at his side. In-the back, CRABTREE puffs philosophically on a Kool while GRADY sits grimly with the sad remains of his manuscript: SEVEN RUMPLED PAGES, one of which bears the watermark of a shoe print. CRABTREE Naturally you have copies. GRADY I have an alternate version of the first chapter. CRABTREE You'll be all right then. Look at Carlyle, when he lost his luggage. GRADY That was MacCaulay. CRABTREE Or Hemingway, when Hadley lost all those stories. GRADY He was never able to reproduce them. CRABTREE Bad examples. Look, Tripp, I don't want to depreciate the loss here, but perhaps--in a sense- this-- (nodding to the pages) is for the best. Grady's eyes shift, study Crabtree. GRADY Kind of a sign, you're saying. CRABTREE In a sense. GRADY I don't think so. In my experience, signs are usually a lot more subtle. VERNON Let me get this straight. All that paper that went into the river. That was the only copy? GRADY 'Fraid so. VERNON (glowering at Crabtree) And you're saying it's some kind of sign? What the fuck's the matter with you? CRABTREE I'm just saying that sometimes, subconsciously, a person will put themselves in a situation-perhaps even create that situation- in order to have an arena in which to work out an unresolved issue. It's a covert way, if you will, of addressing a problem. Vernon stares at CRABTREE as if he's from another planet. VERNON I'll tell you the problem. You behind the wheel. There's your fucking problem. CRABTREE That's pretty simplistic, don't you think? VERNON Hey, pal, you don't start doing crazy eights in the middle of the street none of this happens. CRABTREE Excuse me. Did you, or did you not, have a gun to his head? VERNON He was trying to steal my car! GRADY Ail right, all right It's done. There's no need to talk about it. It's done. They ride in silence for a moment, then Oola turns, glances at GRADY and his little sheaf of pages. OOLA So what was it about? (as GRADY looks up) Your book. What was the story? GRADY stares into Oola's sweet, brown eyes. GRADY I don't know... Oola's brow wrinkles. CRABTREE glances at his old friend, genuine compassion in his eyes. CRABTREE What he means is, it's difficult to distill the essence of a book sometimes. It-lives in the mind. VERNON Yeah, but you gotta know what it's about, right? I mean, if you didn't know what it was about, why were you writing it? GRADY I couldn't stop. 110 EXT. CAMPUS ENTRANCE Grady, James Leer's hollow knapsack in hand, stands with CRABTREE at the campus entrance as Vernon and Oola prepare to leave in the Galaxie. GRADY Hey, Vernon. Can I ask you a question? VERNON Shoot. GRADY glances at little round Oola. GRADY Boy or girl? VERNON As long as it looks like her, I don't care. You know what I'm saying? GRADY watches Vernon give Oola a kiss on the forehead. GRADY Right. Well, thanks. For the lift. VERNON No sweat. Only do me a favor? GRADY Sure. VERNON Stop calling me Vernon. CRABTREE leans into Grady, WHISPERS. CRABTREE The jacket, Tripp. We need the jacket. GRADY (cont'd) Oh, right. Oola. About that jacket... OOLA Yea? GRADY looks at the waitress in her pink jersey dress, snuggled up in the silk wedding jacket. GRADY It used to belong to Marilyn Monroe. She had small shoulders, like you. Most people don't know that. As Oola smiles, pleased, Vernon shakes his head. VERNON Man, that book of yours must've been one nutty motherfucking ride. Vernon points an imaginary gun, fires a friendly cap into Grady, and pulls away. CRABTREE stands stunned. CRABTREE You mind explaining what you just did? GRADY watches the shrinking Galaxie sail under a drooping NORDFEST BANNER, lost in thought. GRADY Came to my senses. CRABTREE Ah. Well. Congratulations. Meanwhile, what is James supposed to do? Pray for Walter Gaskell to come to his? GRADY Walter Gaskell isn't going to send James Leer to jail, Crabs. I know that. CRABTREE Do you know he won't expel him? GRADY No. But I don't think that matters. CRABTREE That's very enlightened, Professor. It's comforting to know that America's children have you for a teacher. GRADY blinks, ponders this briefly, then looks toward the buildings of the campus, his VOICE still distant. GRADY Nobody teaches a writer anything. You tell them what you know. You tell them to find their voice and stick with it, because that's all you have in the end. You tell the ones who have it to keep at it and you tell the ones who don't to keep at it, too. Because that's the only way to get where you're going. (ruefully) Of course, it helps if you know where you want to go. (thoughtfully) Maybe that's the only thing--that and Sara-- that's made the last seven years worthwhile. GRADY slides James' knapsack off his shoulder, smiles cryptically as he considers it. - GRADY (cont'd) As for James, he doesn't need me anymore... Without warning, GRADY tosses CRABTREE the knapsack. GRADY (cont'd) He's got you. CRABTREE stares at the saggy green canvas in his hands, watches GRADY walk away. CRABTREE Me? What can I do? GRADY Gee, I don't know, Crabs... (over his shoulder) Improvise. You're good at that. GRADY continues on, leaving CRABTREE to stand alone, as he walks toward the buildings in the distance. CRABTREE I'm sorry, Tripp. GRADY stops, turns. GRADY You peeked, didn't you? CRABTREE I peeked. GRADY considers this. Nods. It-doesn't seem to matter anymore CRABTREE It really had the makings, Tripp. There was a lot to admire. I've ...never read anything quite like it. If there was a Kentucky Derby for editorial bullshit, Crabtree's last three utterances would finish win, place, and show. And GRADY knows it. GRADY You're not just trying to make me feel better? CRABTREE looks directly at Grady, his old friend. CRABTREE Scout's honor. CRABTREE and GRADY stare into each other's eyes. Both are acutely aware of the subtext of this conversation. GRADY Well, thanks for that, Crabs. 111 INT. HALLWAY - ENGLISH DEPARTMENT Dead quiet. Gradually, STEPS are heard, coming from the stairwell, then GRADY limps into view. 112 INT. GRADY'S CLASSROOM - MOMENTS LATER GRADY surveys the room. Empty chairs. Empty desks. He walks to a WINDOW, the same window he stood at two afternoons ago when reading James Leer's story. A chill breeze pitches the fabric of his shirt as he studies the barren benches and icy walkways of the quad. Finally, he-. turns away, settles behind his desk and, reaching into his pocket, removes the seven remaining pages of his manuscript. He considers them, then folds them in half length-wise. He continues, folding the top right corner down into a triangle along the first crease... 113 EXT. QUAD A moment. Then-from the third floor window-a PAPER AIRPLANE glides into view, soaring then dropping, soaring then dropping, again and again, graceful as a dove. 114 INT. LOBBY - THAW HALL - LATER GRADY hobbles into the lobby just as one of the auditorium doors swings open. APPLAUSE SWELLS and he spies Sara standing inside, talking to a STUDENT USHER. GRADY Sara! Sara turns ...as the door glides shut. As GRADY hustles forward, Q, wine glass in hand, intercepts him. Q Grady. I have to tell you. I took another look at Arsonist's Daughter the other night. There's a description of a bald cypress that left' me breathless. GRADY (pushing past him) Thanks, Q. I felt the same way about the bank teller's breasts in your last one. 115 INT. BACK ROW - AUDITORIUM - THAW HALL GRADY enters, but Sara is ...gone. He picks his way behind the back row, scanning the aisles. GIRL'S VOICS Hey, Professor Tripp. It's Carrie McWhirty, James' tormentor from workshop. GRADY takes another look around, then drops into the seat- next to her. CARRIE MCWHIRTY If you're looking for Hannah, she's on the aisle. GRADY No... But GRADY looks anyway. Hannah sits a dozen rows down the aisle, hair pulled back in a clip, glorious skin gloaming. The Goatee Kid sits close beside her. CARRIE MCWHIRTY Who's that guy she's with? Didn't he used to be in workshop? GRADY Jeff. He comes from a long line of tango dancers. 116 INT. MAIN STAGE Walter turns over the last page of-his prepared notes. WALTER And now, as those of you who've been with us in previous years know, we have a tradition of sorts here at WordFest. I'm speaking, of course, of The Plums. An anticipatory BUZZ sweeps through the audience as Walter begins to read from a separate list. WALTER This weekend, Susan Lowery, of North Braddock, found a publisher for her children's book. The Loneliest Prawn, Susan, stand up. 117 INT. BACK ROW - THAW HALL^ As a CHUBBY WOMAN stands to acknowledge the applause, GRADY cranes his neck, searching the sea of seats. To his surprise, he finds CRABTREE sitting prominently in the front row, in his shirtsleeves, smiling his spookily complacent smile. James is next to him, now wearing CRABTREE'S METALLIC SPORTS COAT over Grady's flannel shirt. WALTER And Robert Wilkenson--who many of you know for his City Beat column in the Post-Gazette--has found a home with Putnam for his new Three Rivers thriller. Blood Patterns. Robert. A SHORT, BALDING MAN stands briefly then Walter's VOICE takes a shift in tone. WALTER Now, this next one, I think, is especially exciting to announce, because it concerns a student here at the university. Our own James Leer, a sophomore in English literature, has found a publisher for his first novel, which I believe is called The Lovely Parade. GRADY blinks, leans forward, and watches Walter smile warmly toward the front row. CRABTREE gives James a jab in the ribs and slowly, awkwardly, James rises. Stunned, Carrie McWhirty turns to the GIRL next to her. CARRIE MCWHIRTY I have a class with him. James hangs-like a scarecrow from a nail, waiting as the APPLAUSE slows, then sputters, then dies out altogether. CARRIE MCWHIRTY The guy's kind of an alien probe, if you know what I mean. Grady, in a last attempt to save James from himself, cups Hi his hands around his mouth. GRADY Take a bow, James! James turns, spots GRADY in the back row, then-a sheepish grin on his face--spreads his arms, hangs his head, and takes his first sweet public bow. GRADY (cont'd) (softly) Wonder Boy. WALTER And finally--and perhaps not least importantly--Terry Crabtree, of Bartizan, has also decided to publish my own book--a critical exploration of the union of Marilyn Monroe and Joe DiMaggio and its function in American mythopoetics-which, tentatively, I've entitled The Last American Marriage. " Wild, obsequious APPLAUSE. GRADY smiles cynically, watches Walter take a brief, dignified bow of his own. . : WALTER Until next year. Thank you, everyone. The LIGHTS come up. As the auditorium empties, CRABTREE shakes Walter's hand and Jeff and his goatee escort Hannah Green down the aisle, where she drapes her lovely arms around James. GRADY watches them ail, sitting alone in his row, when suddenly Sara appears over James' shoulder. She says something congratulatory, turns, and exits out a side door. GRADY blinks, scrambles up. 118 INT. CORRIDOR - THAW HALL - MOMENTS LATER GRADY bursts into the corridor.' GRADY Sara! Its empty. Quiet. GRADY pauses. Somewhere, a HEAVY METAL DOOR CLOSES. GRADY rushes on. 119 INT. NEW CORRIDOR Grady, limping badly, turns a corner and sees a DOOR. He moves to it, pushes past... 120 INT. STAIRWELL - CONTINUOUS ...and finds himself standing in a stairwell. He leans out over the railing, peers down. It's a steep drop, very. steep, ending in a small rectangular space, a kind of basement office, with VENDING MACHINES, PLASTIC CHAIRS, and a COLLAPSIBLE CARD TABLE. GRADY turns back to the door he came through, pushes against it. Locked. He sighs, looks back at the stairs, his ailing ankle, then sits. He fishes out the Ziploc of- marijuana, considers the perfectly roiled JOINT floating atop the bag of buds, but, for once, isn't up to it. The SOUND of FOOTSTEPS echoes far below and, hopeful they're Sara's, GRADY pulls himself up, peers over the railing. It's Traxler, with a broom, a big plastic bag. GRADY Yo, Traxler. TRAXLER (looking up) Hey, Professor Tripp. GRADY considers the Ziploc in his hand, looks down again. GRADY Do you get high, Sam? TRAXLER Only when I'm working. GRADY hangs-over the railing and lets fly the Ziploc. It pinwheels through the vortex of stairs, lands at Sam's feet. TRAXLER Holy shit. Are you serious? GRADY As a heart attack. TRAXLER Thanks-Whoa, Professor Tripp, careful ^here... GRADY is still hanging over the railing-but looking dizzy now. His eyelids flutter and he tips forward-a Steinway on a window ledge-and as he starts to drop... ...there is a SHARP JERK on his- COLLAR, a SHIRT BUTTON caroms off his cheek, and slowly, he is hauled back. SARA Grady, what are you doing, you idiot? GRADY looks up into Sara's freckled face. GRADY Looking for you. He wants to say more, he opens his mouth, but then... ALL GOES BLACK AS SARA'S VOICE CALLS... faintly at first, then more forcefully, calling Grady's name, calling so insistently that the earth seems to RUSH upward until we see that she is... KISSING him or something, and all goes softly... Blue. 121 INT. HOSPITAL ROOM - DAY GRADY lies in a powder blue paper gown surrounded by blue plastic curtains in a blue room. Through a gap in the curtains, he can see the bottle of-GLUCOSE that drips slowly into his arm, and beyond, a window. Flakes of SNOW fall outside. The DOOR SQUEALS, a SHADOW ripples across the blue, then the curtains part and a RESIDENT with a clipboard appears. His NAMETAG says GREENHUT. GRADY I passed out. GREENHUT You did. GRADY I've been doing that a lot lately. GREENHUT So I hear. You've also been smoking a lot of marijuana, I understand. GRADY Do you think that's why I've been having these... (grabbing James' term) ... spells? GREENHUT How long have you been having them? GRADY The last month maybe. GREENHUT How long have you been smoking marijuana? GRADY Spiro T. Agnew was vice president, I believe. GREENHUT That's probably not the problem, then. What about your lifestyle. Any major changes recently? GRADY I've been trying to finish a book... GREENHUT And your wife left you. GRADY Is that in my chart? GREENHUT I spoke with the woman who saved your life. You're lucky she came along when she did. GRADY considers the larger ramifications of this statement GRADY I know. GREENHUT (tapping the glucose bottle) You need to see a doctor, Mr. Tripp. An internist. And I think you really ought to consider seeing a therapist, as well. GRADY She told you about. . . GREENHUT Her dog, yes. GRADY Actually, it was her husband's dog... Greenhut glances up, looking GRADY in the eyes for the first time, and GRADY stops. GREENHUT Look, Mr. Tripp. You have a drug problem, all right? On top of that, you have a bite on your ankle that is severely infected. We pumped you with antibiotics so you'll be fine, but another day or two and you might have lost the foot. As for your spells. I'm guessing they're a result of the anxiety you've been experiencing lately. GRADY They're anxiety attacks? That's a little disappointing. GREENHUT Better luck next time. GRADY So is my friend...is Sara still here? GREENHUT No. There's no one here. GRADY I have to see her. As soon as possible. Greenhut studies Grady, calibrating the desperation in his eyes, then takes a quick glance at his watch. GREENHUT Look, Mr. Tripp. If you really want to leave, I can't stop you. But I'm going to write you a prescription for a course of ampicillin and I want you to follow it to the end-no matter how stupid you decide to be with everything else. All right? 122 INT. HOSPITAL/BRIDGE WALKWAY - AFTERNOON GRADY sits in a WHEELCHAIR, watching the snow fail around him as a NURSE escorts him through the tunnel of glass that connects one building to another. GRADY I wonder if you could show me something. 123 EXT. NURSERY - HOSPITAL - MOMENTS LATER GRADY stares through the glass. There are only TWO BABIES on display, heads dented from natural delivery, skin purple and crazy with veins. GRADY Are these the only ones you have? The nurse's eyes crinkle. GRADY (cont'd) Kidding... 124 EXT. GASKELL HOUSE - LATE AFTERNOON GRADY pays a TAXI CAB DRIVER, then turns, looks at the Gaskell house. 125 EXT. FRONT DOOR - MOMENT LATER GRADY KNOCKS. Nothing. Peers into the living room window. Dark. He stands helplessly, then spies the greenhouse, standing ghostly across the yard, feathers of snow drifting onto its roof, melting. 126 EXT. GREENHOUSE - MOMENT LATER12S GRADY hobbles to the greenhouse, puts both hands to the glass as he looks inside. Quiet. Empty. Dispirited, he pulls away, but not before leaving... ...the IMPRINTS of his hands, perfectly etched in the frost of the glass. 127 EXT. STREET 127 The snow continues to fall as GRADY lumbers down the street. Finally, wearily, he stops, sits his crippled self on the curb. He plunges his fist into his jacket and. ..straight through the lining, James Leer's silly little pistol at the end of his hand. He considers the pistol, then looks up into the sky. GRADY'S POV - of the SKY... ...dark and menacing. Suddenly, a THUNDERCLAP shatters the silence. NEW ANGLE - GRADY ...still sitting with the gun in his hand. GRADY (as if addressing God) Is that a suggestion? GRADY sits, blinking the snow out of his eyes, then TWO SHAFTS of-LIGHT dance across his shoes. A white Citroen DS23 appears. It passes. Slows. Stops. GRADY stares at the car, burbling at the curb, then lifts himself up and makes his way to the driver's window. Sara makes a face, bugging her eyes a little-mad at him, but- not without humor. Then she rolls down the window. GRADY I'm so glad to see you, Sara. SARA I believe you. Did that nice doctor let you out? Or-is this you improvising again, Grady? GRADY I'm through improvising. SARA Terry told me about Wonder Boys. Is it true? Did you lose it all? GRADY I lost it ail. SARA Oh, Grady. You're such a putz. GRADY I know. SARA And you're old. Sara strokes his scalp, takes a gray hair between her fingers. Yanks. GRADY Ouch. How many? SARA Dozens. It's very sad. Sara smiles at Grady, but the mischief leaves her eyes when she looks into his, and-she glances away. GRADY I went and looked at-some babies just now. SARA Oh? GRADY (trying to make her laugh) I guess you have to go on faith. SARA (she doesn't) Some times... GRADY studies her as she traces her finger around the HOSPITAL BRACELET still encircling his wrist. GRADY Did you tell Walter? SARA I told Walter. GRADY Does he still love you? SARA It didn't come up. GRADY studies Sara's freckled cheeks, her anxious profile, then turns her chin gently toward him. GRADY Well I do. I've always loved you, Sara. I didn't know it at the time, but I'd always been waiting for you. My whole life. Because you're who I need. Because nothing makes sense without you. Because the best moment of every day is the moment I first see your face. And because when you leave a room, there's no reason to be in it any more. It's just a room again. Sara cocks her head. SARA Did you just make that up? GRADY (shaking his head) In the hospital. I "was kind of excited about it at-the time, but then I was on pretty heavy painkillers. She frowns good-naturedly. GRADY (cont'd) Even so...it's still true. Every word. Sara just nods, looks away, her face unreadable. GRADY (cont'd) Sara, I promise, even though commonsense might tell you... Sara turns, puts a finger on GRADY's lips... SARA Don't write a page when a paragraph will do. GRADY nods, takes her hand. Looks at it as he speaks. GRADY You don't deserve me, you know. SARA I know, but sometimes... Sara turns, looks at Grady. Her eyes are glistening. SARA (cont'd) You just go on faith. GRADY looks into her eyes, then rises, and we do too, drifting above the streetlights as GRADY limps to the other side of the car and gets in. As GRADY snaps shut his door, the car drifts off, gradually losing itself in- the soft veil of falling snow. After a moment, GRADY and Sara are lost too, nothing more than a blur. THE END

BLACK Sounds of a train rolling to a halt, a shrill whistle. EXT. CAMP - DAY UP ON the door of a weathered cattle car as a German soldier steps into frame wearing that familiar gray of the all-too familiar era. He throws the door to reveal a mass of huddled and frightened people inside. The words are not necessary. The language is not ours and the images say enough. Men, women and children are herded off the train like cattle toward a large open yard. There they huddle until the Germans begin to shout and shove through the mob. EXT. FENCE CORRIDOR - DAY We are looking up at rows and rows of fences topped with barbed wire all designed to create a separator for the thousands of Jew who pour through each day. Then we see the eyes themselves that look up at them. A LITTLE BOY. A boy who will not die this day. A boy who will live to see the end of the war and the world of the future. He stares at the metal wire with an unusual fascination. The boy looks up at HIS WORRIED PARENTS - a sturdy- looking couple who try to smile and comfort him. The corridor comes to a junction where it splits in several different directions. Soldiers here push the mob using rifles as pikes, screaming and terrorizing the lot of them. Suddenly it is clear what they are doing. They are dividing the mob into smaller groups. Soon, the groups themselves become evident. Men from women. Children from adults. The family tries to stay together, clinging to one another dearly, until finally, they are put upon by a number of gray uniforms and pulled apart. The boy is dragged screaming his feet no longer touching the ground. Two soldiers carry him as they follow the back of a large column of children being led through a gate of barbed wire so dense, it resembles wool. The gate closes and the boy looks back to see his parents - along with many others - being restrained by a number of soldiers. The screaming is deafening. And the boy's can be heard above it all. The soldiers seem to be having a hard time carrying such a frail child. The farther they get from the fence, the heavier he seems to get, until they are literally pulling him as though he were anchored to something. His outstretched fingers claw at the thin air and he screams until the blood in his face is blue. The soldiers are literally pulled back a step and they begin to slip in the mud. They look at one another and then over their shoulders as they hear a sound. A groaning, creaking sound. And then the unmistakable twang of wire stretched to snapping. ANGLE ON: The fence. The gate that separates the parents. It bows toward them like iron filings to a magnet, and several of the strands of barbed wire have given way. The boy continues to scream as all the other faces simply freeze and wonder. One of the soldiers pulls a wooden baton from his belt and brains the boy violently. He slumps and the soldiers carrying him spring forward as through a rope that was holding them back has been cut. They nearly fall, looking at one another with some concern, some confusion.... Then they follow the line of children that has gotten ahead of them. ANGLE ON: The boy's parents watch him as he -- as they, are taken away. The rest of their story is as you would expect. EXT. SKY - DAY Bright, bright blue framing a blinding white sun. PAN DOWN AGAIN TO REVEAL: The cracked, drought-stricken soil of nowhere. TITLES: KENYA - 1978 A group of children at play. Tribal children who, without the help of the titles, could be from any age. They run through a tiny village of tents, playing. Every child holds a long reed-like stick and they chase each other playing their version of tag. As each child is tapped, they chase the others. Each trying to avoid being "it", though never going far enough away to miss the fun. One girl in particular. A PRETTY GIRL OF 12, with unusual white hair, is tagged and immediately shunned. She chases kids this way and that, but to no avail. She is not strong enough, nor agile enough, to win. She tumbles and lands on her stick, snapping it. She stands and, when the children see that her stick is broken, they begin to giggle. The giggles become laughter and the laughter becomes a taunt, and before we even realize, the inherent cruelty of children let loose becomes evident. They have now formed a circle, at first avoiding her touch with distance, but now growing tighter with menace. In the unspoken manner of children at prey, the group begins to chant in their native tongue - a song we have not heard but sung in a way none-too inviting. They begin to poke at her with the reeds, driving her back. The girl now moves to the center of the circle, no longer wishing to tag anyone. ONE DEVIOUS CHILD seems to get an idea. He takes his stick and smacks it across her shoulder. She turns to face the child and another swings his stick across her back with a solid THWACK. Before long, mob rule gives way and all the kids are swinging at her and laughing. It grows to the brink of frenzy, the laughing and the shouting not too unlike the noise of the previous scene. So much so, we may miss the first flake of snow. The children certainly do. It is snowing for a good ten seconds before the last of them stops. By then, the snow is thick as flies and wafting down to melt instantly on the hot African soil that has never seen snow before. ANGLE ON: Adults come out of their huts and in from the fields and the whole of the village is soon gathered around the little girl, staring up from the clear blue sky and the snow that falls from nowhere. From nothing. One by one, all eyes fall on the little girl and the looks of curiosity become looks of fear. Of superstition. Punctuated by a solid thump. And then another. AN OLD MAN looks down at his feet and sees a tiny, misshapen ball of ice, no bigger than his eye. He looks at it, bites it, then pops it in his mouth - breath turning to steam. Another such chunk of ice pops him on the head. THE CROWD LAUGHS. They look up again and see that mixed with the snow are tiny pellets of hail, seeming to increase in number as the snow mysteriously wanes. And the pellets are getting larger. Until they land as hunks. The white haired girl drops to the ground and covers her head as hailstones the size of baseballs plow into the Earth. Before long, tents are collapsing and panic ensues. And all along the white haired girl sits huddled in the dust, crying. As hailstones fall in a circle around her, never coming closer than then a few feet or so. INT. HIGH SCHOOL GYMNASIUM - NIGHT ONE MORE SKY. This one a backdrop. Cheap paint and tissue paper hung with hooks on a wall just behind the basket on a full court. As we pull back, we see the skyline of New York, crudely made out with its silhouette buildings of dark gray and black - windows of yellow. Among the famous landmarks represented is the Statue of Liberty, complete with a real light bulb burning in the torch. We are at a prom. The theme is RHAPSODY IN BLUE and the decor has made tragic efforts to show it. The tablecloths are blue, the napkins are blue - far too many of the tuxes are powder blue, and the blue eye shadow is as heavy as expected. Peter Gabriel's "In Your Eyes" gives painful indication of the era, but here it is, nonetheless: SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA - 1986 MOVE ACROSS THE FLOOR and through the swaying, clutching, sweating dancers to the bathroom. Through the door to the usual - INT. BOYS BATHROOM - NIGHT Several boys are here, bow ties undone - unclipped in most cases. Smoking, drinking from whatever inventive container was used to smuggle in booze. Breath freshener and Visine are the chaser. Some of the guys are rolling joints while others make the sad effort to wave smoke away. Who are they kidding? It's a fog in here. MOVE DOWN THE ROW OF TOILET STALLS to one in particular. Here we find A FRECKLED KID standing in front of mirror, clearly holding himself up from the effect of God knows what. He talks to his friend in the he stall behind him. FRECKLED KID Man, what's the matter with you? His friend is on the toilet with his head in his hands. He seems to be in some pain. He is SCOTT SUMMERS - AGE 17. FRECKLED KID (contíd) Dude. Lighten up. She's just a girl. You just gotta- SCOTT No, my eyes... my eyes are killing me. The Freckled kid offers a small plastic bottle. FRECKLED KID You want some Visine, man? SCOTT My... eyes... The freckled kid looks and sees that Scott's eyes are watering so badly that tears are literally streaming through his fingers. He goes back to the mirror to look at his own. SCOTT ... they're burning... The freckled kid turns back to him. FRECKLED KID Dude, how much did you smoke? SCOTT I didn't smoke anything. Scott looks up, taking his hands away, revealing for an instant that his eyes are merely bright red embers in his head. Featureless but for the color. Freckles takes a step back. INT. GYM - OUTSIDE BOYS ROOM - NIGHT A blinding flash of light shows through the frosted glass in the double door and cuts through the crack into the dark of the gym. All who see it are stunned. Frozen. A lingering moment of confusion, then: BOOM, the doors to the Boys Room burst open and the occupants scatter into the gym. INT. GYM - STALL - NIGHT Freckles is still there, legs locked. FRECKLES' P.O.V. He looks at Scott who is now crying meekly in the stall, covering his eyes again -- afraid to open them. The door of the stall across from him swings closed TO REVEAL: A HOLE, PUNCHED THROUGH THE STALL DOOR framing Scott's face perfectly. Pull back to reveal that the hole continues through the wall, into the girl's bathroom next door. In the corner several girls huddle together, they are afraid. INT. SENATE HEARING ROOM - DAY Packed with reporters and photographers. There's a dais - a raised panel of senators - and a second, lower panel. This is where the "experts" are testifying. Panning across the faces of several G.O.P. creeps as they watch something with varying degrees of interest. TITLES: WASHINGTON D.C. - THE NOT TOO DISTANT FUTURE A woman's voice holds over the proceedings. It is the voice of JEAN GREY - whom we will soon meet. As she is speaking, we come to a large screen television at one end of the room. JEAN (O.S.) In every organism on Earth there exists a mutator gene - the X-factor, as it has come to be known. It is the basic building block of evolution - the reason we have evolved from homo habilus... FOOTAGE REFLECTS THE VARIOUS STAGES OF HUMAN EVOLUTION. Accompanying it is a GRAPH with a DIAGONAL LINE indicating the ascent of the "human being" as we know it. Accompanying the graph are evolving images of the "evolution of man." JEAN (O.S.) (contíd) ... to homo erectus, to homo sapiens Neanderthals, and, finally, to homo sapiens. The animated demo on the screen zooms in on the lowest order of human depicted - homo habilus - a primitive, ape- like humanoid covered in hair. As he is singled out, the terrain of his time appears, along with the harsh signs of his winter. JEAN (O.S.) (contíd) Taking it's cues from the climate, terrain, various sources of nourishment, the mutator gene tells the body when it needs to change to adapt to a new environment. The process is subtle, normally taking thousands of years. As the graphic changes and depicts WARMER CLIMATE, the HAIR STARTS TO DISAPPEAR ON THE MAN'S BODY - gradually evolving into the human we now know as ourselves. Now the terrain is modern, the weather pleasant. The image pulls back and places this man back in line at the front of evolution. JEAN (O.S.) (contíd) Only in the last few thousand years did mankind begin to make clothes for himself, build shelters, use heat and grow food in large quantities. With this man-made environment remaining relatively stable, the X-factor became dormant. QUICK SHOTS: early huts, early clothing; then early homes, later homes, air conditioning, cars, modern high- rises, etc. PULL BACK WIDER JEAN (O.S.) (contíd) Until now. On the room, the reactions, and on JEAN herself. A strong, attractive woman in her early 30's. A simple placard before her: JEAN GREY. GENETICALLY ENHANCED RIGHTS ASSOCIATION. The screen shows the words "PRESENT DAY," where the "evolution line" has resumed its rise. JEAN (contíd) For reasons still not known to us, we are seeing what some are calling the beginnings of another stage of evolution - A MICROPHONED VOICE interrupts. Bearing down is the flamboyant SENATOR SCOTT "FRANK" KELLY, a conservative from Florida, and the hearing's Chairman. Just behind him sits his aide HENRY GUYRICH - mid 30's, typical government cog. KELLY You're avoiding the question I posed to you at the beginning of the hearing, Ms. Grey. Three words: Are mutants dangerous? JEAN I am avoiding a question that is decidedly loaded, Senator. The wrong person behind the wheel of a car can be dangerous. Another SENATOR (LUCINDA ROWEE) speaks into her microphone: SENATOR ROWEE Well, we do license people to drive. JEAN But not to live. Kelly raises a hand, continuing his tirade. KELLY Ms. Grey -- you work at a school for mutants in Westchester, New York. Can you tell the members of this committee what exactly you are teaching these mutants? JEAN Math. History. Science. English. Athletics -- KELLY You wouldn't happen to be teaching them how to use their powers to -- JEAN Control, Senator... we teach them control. Kelly raises a blown-up photograph: a grainy, super- zoomed, somewhat obscured image of a CAR ON A FREEWAY which appears to have "melted." Now he's really playing to the crowd. KELLY This was taken by a state police officer in Secaucus, New Jersey. A man in a minor altercation literally melted the car in front of him. I don't know where you come from, Ms. Grey, but where I come from, you don't go melting people's cars when they cut you off. You do it the old fashioned way -- you give 'em the finger. (laughs from the crowd) But what you presume to tell this committee - JEAN I presume nothing, I am here to tell you that in time, the mutator gene will activate in every living human being on this planet. Perhaps even your children, Senator. KELLY I can assure you, there is no such creature in my genes. The room LAUGHS. Kelly mistaken thinks it is for him, until the double meaning occurs to him. He is momentarily embarrassed, but he quickly recovers. KELLY (contíd) Ms. Grey, we are not here to weed out mutants. The Registration Act is designed merely to assess their potential threat - if any - to national security. The crowd reacts loudly in support of the Senator. Some cheer, some roar, some yell obscenities at Jean. Jean stands and walks out, pushing her way through reporters now moving in for her response. All the while, Kelly is delivering his last words. KELLY (contíd) Mutants are very real. They are among us. We must know who they are. And above all, we must know what they can do. AS THE SHOUTS OF THE MOB RISE AND GIVE WAY TO: EXT. CAPITOL BUILDING - WASHINGTON D.C. - DAY An angry mob outside the Senate hearing. Voices roar in dissent when Jean emerges, coming down the steps without hesitation. She sees signs condemning mutants, a scarce few supporting them. A group of reporters are behind her and more meet her in front, closing her in. Microphones are shove in her face. REPORTERS/VARIOUS Dr. Grey, how do you feel about the Senator's Statement / How is the mutant community reacting? Is it true that mutants are dangerous? / Is there a mutant plot to overthrow the government? She ignores them all, trying to push through. ANGLE ON: A KID IN THE CROWD holding a full can of Coke. Smiling to his friend beside him. He fires it over the heads of everyone toward Jean. Perfect trajectory. Closing fast. Suddenly: Silence falls over the crowd. A total silence. An absolute silence. All eyes watch in awe at the can and its liquid trail, frozen in mid-air a few inches from Jean's face. It simply hovers there. JEAN Weíre not the ones to be afraid of. Using telekinesis she slowly lowers the can to the ground. She shakes her head, almost ashamed of the display. Almost as if to say ìI didnít want to do that.î The can rolls down the steps. People move away from it as though the can itself were dangerous. The crowd steps back in genuine fear. Jean simply moves ahead now, unimpeded, still shaking her head. EXT. CABIN IN THE SNOW COVERED WILDERNESS - DAY Smoke curling from the chimney, warm light emanating from the window. A well-worn pick-up truck parked axles deep in the snow, the back filled with a cord of cut wood. A hand painted scrawl on the door reads: Firewood for Sales A slope, just behind the cabin leading to a frozen lake. PUSH IN SLOWLY TOWARDS THE CABIN. Ten beers sit cooling in the snow outside the door. We hear LED ZEPPELINíS ìBLACK DOG.î INT. CABIN - DAY Music thunders, quite a contrast to the surroundings. A cosy little abode, showing signs of neglect, as though decorated with a gentler touch that passed not too long ago. A large shelf replete with books. An electric mix from Sun Tsuís The Art of War to Mark Twainís The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. A fire burns in the fireplace. On the mantle sit a few old black and white photos of a slightly younger Logan posing with a group of HARD-CASE MILITARY TYPES in a heavily wooded area. We can not tell if they are true Military or simply mercenaries. In the wall above the mantle, a sketch of a beautiful woman. And finally we come to the occupant of the house, sitting at the only table in the center of the room. His back is to us. His hair is coarse and black, sprouting wildly from his head. He is LOGAN. We will come to know him well. As well as we can. Despite the loud, pounding music, he is working with the meticulousness of a watch maker. At the same time, he smokes a thick cigar. A tall bottle of beer on the floor next to his chair. A SINGLE, SILVER DOG TAG hangs from his neck from a battered chain. As we get closer, we look over his shoulder and see what he is working on so intensely. Pencil rubs against paper furiously. He is sketching, what we cannot see. But he is definitely caught up in his own minds eye. HIS HEAD SUDDENLY TURNS. He listens to something we cannot begin to hear. A momentary pause, and he goes back to sketching. Just as he seems to be settling back into the details again. WHACK He reaches over and shuts off the music coming from the box beside him. He listens. He stands, turning around slowly in a circle. He drops the sketch pad on the chair. Only the crackle of logs in the fire. LOGANíS P.O.V. We follow his gaze around the room. Past the fire which sounds suddenly like a blazing inferno, past the clock which ticks as loud as clapping hands, past the simmering tea-kettle which hisses like a seething cauldron. Finally, he glances at the cigar which we hear crackling nearly as loud as the fire. Loganís senses are amplified many times more then ours, he walks to the door. E.C.U. His nostrils flare. He raises his fist beside his face. For a moment, it seems as if he is just chinking. Then -- SHOOK - THREE STEELY CLAWS some nine inches long, emerge inexplicably from the skin just above Loganís knuckles. Logan barley turns his head before. BOOM THE WINDOW EXPLODES, letting in freezing wind and billowing snow. Logan is hit from behind. The attack is so ferocious that we are unable to make out the attacker. Whatever it is, it is HUGE. We can hear it snarling and see flashes of its claws as it slams Logan back. EXT. CABIN - DAY The front door SMASHES OPEN. The two combatants roll madly down the hill obscured by flying snow. Finally, we see Logan separate from his attacker and CRASH THROUGH THE ICE of the frozen lake. E.C.U. - A MASSIVE CLAW-LIKE HAND lifts into frame the SHINING DOG TAG hanging from it. The tagís chain slides off and too the ground. UNDER ICE Logan struggles, already short of breath. As he struggles -- water starts to fill his lungs. His skin goes pale. He is drowning. EXT. ABOVE ICE - DAY We hear an angry grunt as the thing starts to hunt for Logan. It stalks across the ice, searching. We catch a glimpse of shoulder, a CLAWED FOOT, a MANE OF HAIR. UNDER ICE Loganís struggle has decreased somewhat as his strength wanes. CRACK The ice above Logan shatters as a clawed hand reaches through. EXT. ABOVE ICE - DAY A violent YANK. The ice gives way to the soaked and half- frozen Logan. The creature picks Logan up by his face, CUTTING DEEPLY into his cheek, and holds him up like a rag doll. The two are face to face. This is called SABRETOOTH. The reasons are obvious. Teeth like said animal and catís eyes to match. A mutant, certainly a member of a class remote in the extreme. And then it speaks. SABRETOOTH Itís not gonna be that easy. Logan, half-drowned, opens his eyes and looks right at Sabretooth as though heís going to say something. Instead, a LUNG-FULL OF WATER comes shooting out. With that, Sabretooth ROARS, as he hoists Logan up and throws him. Logan flies nearly ten yards. He lands head first. Sabretooth skulks over to him. With the sound of Sabretoothís breathing comes the rising of the wind... Snow from the ground begins to swirl in the bitter cold air. Sabretooth is nearly upon Logan now and the wind rises further, until he must shield his eyes from the bitter icy air. As he approaches, we see a fresh cut on Loganís face HEALING BEFORE OUR VERY EYES, leaving not so much as a scratch. THEN: A SUDDEN FLASH OF LIGHT Lightning. No. Lightning is not red. Sabretooth looks around, puzzled, then down at Loganís motionless body. Then to his feet where a hole in the ice sprouts bubbling water. The wind blows so violently now that he nearly misses two figures standing only a few yards away - mere silhouettes in the icy haze. A closer look tells us it is a man and a woman, THEY WEAR STRANGE UNIFORMS of form-fitting material - the man wears a reflective visor that hides his eyes. The womanís face is care revealing dark skin, penetrating eyes and unusual white hair. ANOTHER FLASH - one that seems to come from the manís visor itself. An intense beam of red light. Sabretooth looks down and sees the ice at his feet has broken away. He plunges through the ice like a mark in a carnival dunking tank. His massive weight and hairy coat quickly suck him down. The TWO FIGURES - CYCLOPS (Scott Summers) AND STORM (Ororo Munroe) - obviously two of the children we saw earlier now grown - move over the hole and calmly watch Sabretooth gather himself and swim back to the surface. Storm looks down at the hole, concentrating her intense gaze. The wind whips further and the water in the hole begins to freeze over. UNDER THE ICE Sabretooth wisely concedes. With one last look at the two mysterious figures now nearly obscured by the ice, he turns his body and swims away with the same agility he had on land. ABOVE THE ICE THE SNOW AND WIND ARE NOW VIOLENTLY RAGING Cyclops and Storm walk over to Logan and look down at him curiously. LOGANíS P.O.V. They look at one another, wondering. Above them, a black shape looms into frame, bringing with it the whining of jet engines. This is the X-JET and it is like no other plane we have seen before. Loganís eyes begin to close as they obscure the last of all perceptible detail. INT. CAVERNOUS ROOM - NIGHT CLOSE UP ON: The Periodic Table of Elements. A chart made up of blocks depicting the elements and their chemical symbols. Among the standards like Gold (Au) and Iron (I) and Oxygen (O2) is a new square on simple red construction paper tacked to the top. It contains simply a large letter ìA.î TRACKING SHOT THROUGH: We are in a laboratory of sorts, quite different from any we have ever seen -- and so are its occupants. MORTIMER TOYNBEE, a dim, loyal thug whose agile leaping ability and superhuman strength have earned him the name TOAD. Across the room, JOHN ALLERDYCE, a wiry redhead whose ability to control fire with his fingers has earned him the name PYRO. In the corner we see BLOB, no explanation needed, devouring a BUCKET of cereal, preariously balanced on his huge belly. They are a bestial and sinister bunch. Toad and Pyro are working on: A MACHINE A fantastic device which occupies a hallowed space in this lab. It is meticulously designed, and with its intricate circuitry, wires, and power boards, it resembles most closely (and only resembles, because truly itís like nothing weíve ever seen before) a combination of an upright torpedo and a fantastic light source -- only far more dark and foreboding. Pyro holds a stick of solder in one hand. He lights a lighter with the other, then drops it. Strange thing -- the flame remains hovering about his finger. Quickly the flame intensifies and turns blue, melting the solder over a small circuit board. Then, the flame is gone. He sticks out his hand like a surgeon. PYRO Hand me the dykes. Toad, both hands occupied, flicks his long tongue and grabs a pair of pliers which he rests in Pyroís hand, leaving them slicked with SLIME. The flame in his finger goes out. The slimy coat over the pliers quickly HARDENS, freezing their action. PYRO (contíd) I asked you not to do that. Blob laughs. Toad shrugs. In the background, almost ignored by them, something is on the television. The news. NEWSCASTER (O.S.) Preparations are nearly completed for the upcoming anniversary gala celebrating the formation of the United Nations. With nearly every invitation confirmed, the occasion promises to be the largest single gathering of world leaders in history. The image in the screen is a helicopter shot of ELLIS ISLAND, with Liberty Island and the famous Statue in the background. NEWSCASTER (contíd) Ellis Island, once an arrival point for thousands of immigrants crossing the Atlantic with the hopes of a better life, will open its doors again. Only this time it will be to leaders and their families from over 200 nations. Blob belches his skepticism deafeningly. TRACK FURTHER THROUGH THE LAIR AND OUT THE DOOR as the Newscast drones on. INT. CORRIDOR/OFFICE - NIGHT WE MOVE through subterranean corridors and past dozens of projects that share some similarity to the machine we have seen, including crude designs that have been rejected or stripped of their good ideas. FAINTLY we become aware of a clicking sound. Almost like a stopwatch very far away, always growing louder. The newscast has faded and another voice is getting closer from somewhere down the hall. Sabretooth emerges around a corner heading towards us, turning just as we get to him. The clicking is loud and clear now. Sabretooth enters an office and we follow him. Seated at a desk in the center of the room is MAX LENSHERR - age - somewhere after sixty, but strong and vital for his years. He is more often called MAGNETO. The clicking is from the sound of an executive pendulum thingy on his desk. The six steel balls hang onto one another from string supports in formation depending on how many are let to fly from either end. One ball strikes one and one ball swings out from the other. Two balls and two, and so on. Slight difference. There are no strings supporting the balls, thus defying gravity. A chess set - all of its pieces made of beautifully crafted iron - sits on the far end of the desk. He is watching television, or more accurately listening - his eyes looking off into space, deep in thought. INTERVIEWER ...and the leading voice in the call for Mutant registration is Senator Scott Frank Kelly, of Florida, who claims to support the constitutional rights of the genetically enhanced, but whose crusade to register mutants is gaining popularity. Now Kelly is on the screen. Magneto shakes his head. MAGNETO Not this one again. When Sabretooth clears his throat, the clicking balls instantly freeze and hover there. The volume on the television drops, though no remote is in sight. Magneto notices Sabretoothís apparent exhaustion, his torn clothing, including the slashes in his side. His look asks ìwhat happened?î Sabretooth crosses the room and places the shining dog tag on the table. The one he ripped from Loganís neck. He sits at the desk, puzzling over it. MAGNETO (contíd) Your expression tells me the news is not good, brother. SABRETOOTH I lost him. MAGNETO How? SABRETOOTH It was Xavierís people. They knew. Frustrated. Magneto inspects the dog tag. MAGNETO I want him. That is all they know because that is all you know. Nothing odd about the tag at a glance, military dog tag, weathered and beaten, but certainly plain, Canadian Military, Loganís name, rank, and a faded serial number. His thumb feels the indention of the word at the bottom of the tag that does not seem to fit here. WOLVERINE We hear the voice of Senator Kelly on the TV. Kelly is on the screen giving good face. As he turns up the television, and again, we donít see how, he places the dog tag on his desk, thinking. KELLY I think the Presidentís pre-occupation with international affairs has drawn his attention away from this problem. Americanís deserve the right to decide whether they want their children to be in school with mutants. To be taught by mutants. They also have the right to know the dangers. Thatís the purpose of registration. And mark my words, if the President isnít strong enough to do what needs to be done... As the Senator continues we PULL BACK and see Magneto watching this. He begins speaking over Kellyís diatribe. MAGNETO And you may mark my words, Senator Kelly. All your plotting, all your hatred. I have plans for you. Iíve seen you come, and I will see you go. As Magneto turns Loganís dog tag between his fingers, we canít help but notice FADED PURPLE SERIAL NUMBERS TATTOOED IN HIS ARM. He then drops the dog tag on the desk, Magneto stands and heads for the door, Sabretooth follows. The television shuts off and Magneto waves a hand as though beckoning someone to follow. Or some thing. He stops and looks back at the dog tag on the desk and waves again. A paper clip just next to the dog tag skips off the desk and into Magnetoís hand. He drops it, annoyed and tries again. A slight rattle, then nothing more, as though the dog tag were held down by an unimaginable weight. He walks over and picks up the dog tag, inspecting it, then trying to bend it. Nothing. MAGNETO (contíd) Can it be..? He puts it back on the desk. Now Magneto concentrates - sending a wave of magnetic force that ripples the air around it. The tag trembles, but does not budge. He looks at Sabretooth and smiles. SABRETOOTH Is that what youíre looking for? MAGNETO A piece. Only a piece. SABRETOOTH Is it enough? MAGNETO Enough for a test. And as Magneto looks up at Kelly on the television we: PAN OVER TO A BULLETIN BOARD on the wall beside him. To a periodic table, smaller than the first. But still with that red square and added letter ìAî. EXT. WHITE HOUSE - PARKING LOT - DAY Kelly and Guyrich walk out of the White House on their way to their limousine. KELLY I canít believe the President canít see it. I wouldnít be surprised if he has a mutant on his staff. Kelly and Guyrich climb into the limo and slump back in their seats. INT. LIMOUSINE - DAY GUYRICH Have you thought of a demonstration of some kind? Maybe use the UN Summit to our advantage. The whole world will be watching. KELLY Iím not interested in the whole world, Henry... Iím interested in America. Let the rest of the world deal with mutants their own way. GUYRICH Where to? Kelly rubs his eyes. KELLY Home. Guyrich leans to address the driver. GUYRICH Dulles Airport. INT. LABORATORY - DAY Medical monitors beep, keeping track of the vital signs of -- Logan, who lies in a bed in the middle of a medical lab. In the wall beside Loganís bed is a light board on which hang Loganís X-rays. Loganís skeleton seems to be more the creation of a Deco architect than of nature. Streamlined, refined... almost manufactured. He is asleep, recovering. Jean Grey enters the lab. She walks over and examines the X-rays, fascinated by their unique structure. She notices what appears to be an unusually complex network of bones in the forearm. Jean looks down and runs her fingers over the traces of three incisions on the backs of Loganís hands. Jeanís eye moves across his body. His rippling muscles. Jean uncaps an IV needle and moves to the middle of Loganís arm. We cannot help but notice a diamond ring on her left hand. Jean starts to put an IV in Loganís arm. Just as she is sticking the needle in his arm HE JOLTS VIOLENTLY. SNAP Loganís hand reaches up quickly, breaking the needle off in his arm. He grabs a startled Jean by the throat. He is out of bed. She is unable to speak, choked silent by his grip. He places his fist near her face. We see the three faint scars just above his knuckles. Hesitation. Logan looks at her for a moment. Taken by her beauty. Then he is on his feet. Jean is on the floor, gasping for breath. Logan realizes something is missing. He reaches to his chest and feels for the dog tag. Gone. He stifles a curse. LOGAN Where is it? He looks at Jean who recoils from him in terror. Logan thinks, then bolts. INT. HALLWAY - DAY Logan comes out into an empty hall. Strange. Deathly quiet. It is very sparse and modern, matching the lab we have just left. Logan runs and goes through the first door he comes to, to keep Jean from seeing where he has gone. INT. READY ROOM - DAY He looks around and sees he is in some sort of locker room. A row of lockers run along one side of the wall. And hanging from the other side in a row, are UNIFORMS, much like the ones Cyclops and Storm were wearing in the snow. He starts to rummage through the lockers, coming up with a shirt and pants that almost fit. A pair of sneakers as well. He hears the sound of approaching foot-steps coming from the hallway. He spots another entrance on the far side of the room and, carrying his clothes, he staggers out, still in considerable pain. INT. HANGER - DAY Logan rushes through the door, looking behind to see if he has been seen. He closes the door and leans back to catch his breath... which stops momentarily as he looks around the massive hanger he has entered. The X-Jet, the stealth plane we saw in Alaska, now sits parked and quiet. Logan walks to the plane and stops -- listening. We hear a strange THUMPING. He listens for a second. The sound picks up in speed and we realize that we are listening to the SOUNDS OF A BASKETBALL GAME coming from above. As Logan tries to digest this, the door that he had just come through begins to open, letting in a shaft of light. Logan looks around wildly for a moment, looking for a place to hide when - BING. An elevator door opens in the wall of the hanger ten feet from where Logan now stands. He whips around and runs for it. There is a button marked ìG.î He presses it. INT. HALLWAY - DAY The elevator opens on a hallway that doesnít match the rooms we have already seen at all. It is plush and stately, the hallway of a great mansion. He hears a voice coming from a room. As he gets closer to it, we can begin to hear: VOICE ... until the Emperor Constantine converted to Christianity. With that one act, history was changed. The Christians who were once prosecuted and fed to the lions, became accepted. Now the voice is clear as a bell, coming from a room with the door slightly ajar. INT. CLASSROOM - DAY Logan peeks in and sees in front of a chalk board, a massive blue furry creature called BEAST. Besides two arms and two legs, the only remotely human thing on his ape-like face is a pair of wire spectacles. He addresses a class of kids between the ages of 16 and 17. Besides the occasional physical alterations, there is an overall oddness to the group, giving way to the fact that in some way or another these are all mutants. BEAST So as their leaders went, so did follow the hearts and minds of the people of the Roman empire. Which made for some very happy Christians. Now he sees Logan standing in the door, looking back at him in mute shock. BEAST (contíd) Can I help you? All the students turn to see Logan, standing in a hospital gown with a mean case of bed head. They start to giggle. Logan turns and heads down the hallway to the left. INT. HALLWAY - DAY Logan hears footsteps and quickly does a one eighty back down the hallway. He turns a corner, hugging the wall. He halts. A large oak door stands down the hall. He smells something, taking in a deep breath, his head cocking to the side - listening. He turns and looks behind him. More foot steps. Someone is about to enter the hall. He turns again, ready to run the other way when he sees the SHADOWS of two more people coming from the other direction. Logan is trapped. He lunges for the large oak door and bursts through. INT. XAVIERíS OFFICE - DAY Logan shuts the door and leans his head back against it, exhausted. VOICE (O.S.) Good morning, Logan. Logan, still clutching his stolen clothes, opens his eyes and sees a man sitting behind a large mahogany desk -- PROFESSOR CHARLES XAVIER, an intense and intelligent man just to look at him. XAVIER Would you like some breakfast? Logan, who was prepared for anything but this, just stares. XAVIER (contíd) Iím sorry, allow me to formally introduce myself -- I am Professor Charles Xavier. This is my school. LOGAN How do you know my name? Xavier taps the side of his head with his finger. XAVIER Youíre not the only one with gifts. When he speaks, his lips do not move. We realize Logan ìhearsî the voice in his head. In addition, the voice is accompanied by the FAMILIAR SOUND OF FOOT STEPS indicating that perhaps Xavier had herded Logan through the mansion with his mind. He does not like it. Xavier comes out from behind his desk. We see that he is in a MOTORED WHEELCHAIR. Realizing that he is safe for the moment, Logan begins putting on his stolen clothes. LOGAN What am I doing here? XAVIER I brought you here so that you would be safe from Magneto. LOGAN Who? XAVIER A very powerful mutant who for some reason has taken an interest in you. Iím not sure why, but until we find out, I must ask you to stay. Logan looks Xavier over. He is obviously a kind man who is offering his help. Logan is silent for a moment. LOGAN No thanks. Logan goes to the door. Xavier, disappointed, just watches him go. INT. FRONT HALL - DAY Logan sees a grand entrance with two huge oak doors and brightly-polished steel knobs that scream ìexit.î He starts in that direction when the doors begin to open. A moment of traffic, laughing, chatter... then they are all gone. He gets to the doors and pushes them open. Bright white sunlight floods in, nearly blinding him. EXT. MANSION - DAY The first thing he sees through the haze is wings - GIANT WHITE, FEATHERY ANGEL WINGS. A young boy, no more than fourteen, has them sprouting from his back. He is stretching not only his limbs, but his unusual appendages in the morning breeze. Sensing something - the boy turns, and sees this shambling ruin of a man in the doorway. Off Loganís expression, we hear the flapping of wings and see his awestruck face following the boy onto the sky. This only holds his attention for a moment. Logan looks across an expanse of grounds that house the Mansion. A high, wrought-iron gate surrounds the entire property. He watches as several children play basketball across a large court. Logan shakes his head and is out the closing door. Xavier simply watches from his window. EXT. MANSION - FRONT GATE - DAY Logan heads for the gate. SHOOK -- Logan pops his claws. Suddenly, the gate slowly opens -- Inviting him to leave. He pauses, momentarily confused. He takes one long look back at the mansion. And then leaves. Stay for a moment. Watch him go. Then pan across a sign which reads -- PROFESSOR CHARLES XAVIERíS SCHOOL FOR THE GIFTED Westchester N.Y. PANNING slowly across the road to the thick woods on the other side of the street. SOMETHING MOVES in the trees, catching our eye. Someone is watching. It is Toad, camouflaged amidst the trees and branches. EXT. SKY - DUSK A helicopter streaks across the sky. INT. HELICOPTER - DUSK Kelly sleeps fitfully in the large seat. A bump of turbulence. He wakes suddenly and looks out the window seeing the ocean below. Kelly looks out the window again and sees water. They are flying low. He looks at Guyrich, who sleeps as well. He wakes him. KELLY Where the hell are we? Guyrich looks out the window and looks at Kelly, puzzled. He stands and goes to the door to the cabin of the helicopter. GUYRICH Pilot? No answer. Guyrich tries to open the door. Itís locked. GUYRICH (contíd) Pilot? Kelly looks out the window now and sees the helicopter is closing in on an island - where, is anyoneís guess. What is known is that the place is no pleasure resort. It is in fact some sort of refurbished island fortress, complete with turrets, built right into the side of the cliffs. EXT. ISLAND HELIPAD - DUSK A clearing in the middle of a ring of trees at the base of a rocky rise. The helicopter touches down. THE PILOT, wrapped from head to toe in a flight suit and helmet, gets out and opens the side door, exposing Kelly and Guyrich to the intense wind of the rotors. They cover their eyes, cowering. KELLYíS P.O.V. Two figures come out of a hole in the mountain. One seems extremely larger than the other. Guyrich and Kelly step out. As they get closer he can make out Magneto and Sabretooth. KELLY Dear God... Dear... God. The Pilot removes his helmet to REVEAL: Pyro, smiling. KELLY (contíd) What the hell is this? Kelly is utterly confused. As Magneto nears, Guyrich steps forward to greet him, putting arms around Magnetoís neck and kissing him deeply. Then Magneto looks deep and lovingly into Guyrichís eyes. And with that GUY SHAPE SHIFTS into a beautiful woman who herefore will be known as MYSTIQUE. Her body is covered in iridescent blue scales, which complement her lovely, solid yellow eyes. Kelly, of course, is shocked. Mystique shows a little hip, raising the scales at her mid-section mockingly, as the last of what we thought was Guyrich slips underneath. KELLY You... wha... Who are you... Where is Henry? MAGNETO Mr. Guyrich has been dead for some time Senator. KELLY You mutant bastards... Pyro grabs the Senator as he runs back for the helicopter in vain. KELLY Whatever you do to me... no matter what youíll make me right. Every word I have spoken will be confirmed. MAGNETO Gosh, I hope so. As Kelly struggles against all hope. KELLY People like you are the reason people like me exist. And with that, Mystique walks up. MYSTIQUE And people like you are the reason I was afraid to go to school as a child. With that, Mystique punches Kelly. Knocking him out cold. BLACK INT. MACHINE ROOM - MAGNETOíS LAIR - NIGHT Kelly comes to. Magneto walks past him, holding Loganís dog tag. His thumb crushes one last time over the curious ìWolverine.î PULL OUT TO REVEAL: Kelly is strapped to a metal chair, bound impossibly tight. He struggles. Mystique watches from the far side of the room. MAGNETO Are you a ìGod-fearing man,î Senator? Kellyís reaction tells him he is certainly afraid of something right now. MAGNETO (contíd) That term always confused me. As if there were something to fear. Kelly looks around wildly, terrified. MAGNETO (contíd) God after all, is often defined as all- forgiving. A description I rather like. I think what you really are afraid of... Magneto uses his mind to move Kellyís chair a little closer. Kelly nearly loses it. MAGNETO (contíd) ...Is me and my kind. The Brotherhood of Mutants. He touches Kellyís face and Kelly recoils. MAGNETO (contíd) And this law. Your mutant registration act is only the beginning. KELLY The intention of registration act - MAGNETO INTENTION? Intention, Senator? We are talking about mankind here. His fear. It is only a matter of time before mutants will be herded into camps. Studied for weaknesses. And eventually wiped off the face of the Earth. Kelly shakes his head. There is nothing he can say to sway this man. Magneto turns and admires his machine. MAGNETO (contíd) Well, weíre much more giving than that. We simply want to share with you... To help you understand. KELLY What is it you intend to do to me? MAGNETO (smiling) Letís just say, God works too slowly. Magneto moves to the machine. MAGNETO (contíd) Youíre a leader, Senator Kelly -- you set an example. And if more of you... were like more of us? Well, youíll see. Kelly watches as Magneto takes Loganís dog tag and places it atop a tube at the bottom of a large spire in the center of the room some thirty feet high. He walks toward the opposite side of the room and watches as the tag is raised to the top of the device, through the shaft. MAGNETO (contíd) Donít fear God, Senator. And certainly - most certainly... donít fear me. A beat. MAGNETO (contíd) Not any more. ANGLE ON: MAGNETO raises his arms and a series of metal rings up from the machine platform that holds the dog tag. With a slight motion of his hand, the rings begin to spin slowly gaining in speed as Magneto controls it with his power. The air around it ripples, gaining in intensity. WAVES OF MAGNETIC ENERGY POURS from Magnetoís hands toward the machine. Now, Magneto has the rings spinning around the dog tag at such speed, the rings themselves are no longer visible - merely a blur around the stationary tag. Magneto lowers his hands. The machine is now working on its own. Kellyís eyes grow wide with fear as the metal dog tag begins to glow. Dull at first... the brightly... too brightly. The deafening whine of the machine builds louder and louder. Suddenly -- SILENCE FIVE SECONDS OF ABSOLUTE SILENCE. The sphere vanishes, enveloped in a light so white, it defies description. But Iíll try: A light that seems to ooze rather than radiate. A light that fills the room as it expands outward and engulfs everything in sight. It is liquid light. Creeping and unstoppable. From outside the room, Pyro and Sabretooth watch through the window. It comes through, first casting its shadows darkly against the wall, then erasing them as it swallows them - as though they were never there. INT. HALLWAY - NIGHT From under a door, the light leaks in, filling the room. All through the lair, air vents, keyholes, drainpipes and the like, the liquid light fills the lair to the gills. EXT. MAGNETOíS LAIR - NIGHT THROUGH THE TURRET ATOP THE LAIR, the light beams up into the night sky, shinning like a beacon for miles. Then the white light obscures all. Fueled by this tiny piece of metal, the light extends like an ever growing bubble, out and up over the ocean. PULL BACK FROM THE SMALL ISLAND The bubble of white light is easily five miles across. INT. MACHINE ROOM - NIGHT Kelly grits his teeth, barely visible in the whiteness. Then it is gone. He hangs his head in exhaustion. Magneto himself is a bit overwhelmed. He looks at his own skin - no apparent change. He shakes his head, blinks his eyes. Sabretooth and Pyro are also a bit struck by the display and they also seem a bit dazed. Magneto walks over and reaches into the still steaming metal device. His hand comes out holding the dog tag - actually its remains. A frazzled, blackened wire, warped and spent. Nothing more. And this turns to dust in his fingers. Magneto has amazed even himself this time. The silence is shattered by a phone ringing. Sabretooth picks it up. He listens, then hands the phone to Magneto. SABRETOOTH Weíve found him. Magneto puts the phone to his ear. He smiles. MAGNETO Where? ANGLE on Kelly, his skin glistening slightly, almost luminescent. Pinker (healthier?) then it was when he came in. KELLY Oh... Oh God... what have you done to me? Magneto hangs up the phone. He crosses to Kelly, leans in and whispers in his ear. MAGNETO Welcome to the future... brother. Magneto stands, looks at his machine, then back at Kelly. MAGNETO (contíd) Now if youíll excuse me... I have a train to catch. EXT. TRAIN - NIGHT The silver Amtrack moves speedily through the dark countryside. INT. TRAIN - NIGHT A CONDUCTOR makes his way through a half filled car of commuters taking tickets. He passes a restroom and exits the car. He takes a seat. Logan emerges from the restroom, having avoided paying his fare. A few seats in front of him, in a grouping of seats that face one another, sit four large guys, early twenties -- Theyíre the guys from your college named Brad that used to get drunk and try to drown freshmen in the toilets. Weíll call them BRADS 1, 2, 3, and 4. They are drinking from beer cans in paper bags. Across the aisle from them sits a lone oddly pretty twenty year old girl. Her name is ROGUE -- a dark-eyed and somewhat distant creature. From the shawl around her head to her boots, layers of odd clothing wrap every inch of her body, except her face and hands. She looks worn, it is the face of a runaway. Next to her, a dirty duffle bag. The Brads are staring at Rogue, making lewd comments about her. They have obviously been drinking for awhile. BRAD 1 Hey. Rogue looks at him, then quickly looks away. BRAD 1 (contíd) Hey... Hey Iím talking to you. The Brads laugh amongst themselves at her reaction. BRAD 2 (looking at her duffle bag) Where are you going? BRAD 1 Awww... look guys sheís shy. BRAD 3 Maybe thatís why sheís alone. Is that why youíre alone? Brad 4, who is closest to Rogue, leans toward her. BRAD 4 Iíll keep you company. Rogue is silent and turns her back on him, trying to ignore him. BRAD 4 (contíd) Hey... Iím talking to you. Rogue continues to ignore him. This gets Brad 4 angry. The other Brads watch his failure and laugh. BRAD 4 (contíd) (louder) I said Iím talking to you! ANGLE ON: Logan, his ears picking up everything. Rogue looks down trying not to look at them. Brad 4 will not be ignored. He reaches out to the one place which is not covered by clothing that he can reach - - Rogueís hand lying at her side. BRAD 4 (contíd) (louder still) I said...! He grabs her hand. Suddenly, Brad 4ís eyes open wide as if heís in shock, an instant later, he COLLAPSES. Rogue reels back. Bradís 1, 2, and 3 stand up, they are angry. BRAD 1 Hey, what did you do? ROGUE Donít touch me. Rogue stands, frightened and confused. Brad blocks her in. BRAD 3 Hey Brad, sheís a mutant! Rogue moves to get away, but Brad 1 shoves Rogue. Rogue falls to the floor of the train, right next to Loganís feet. Brad 1 moves toward her. Suddenly, Logan steps in front of Brad 1. LOGAN How about you sit down and leave the kid alone, alright? BRAD 1 Sheís a mutant. LOGAN Yeah, well, nobodyís perfect. ANGLE ON: Rogue, she gets up and huddles toward the rear of the train. BRAD 1 (who is considerably larger than Logan) I think you should take a seat little fella. He shoves Logan backward. Logan gathers himself. Brad 4 is very weak but regaining consciousness. Brads 2 and 3 stand to back their friend against Logan. Itís now three against one. All the passengers are watching -- LOGAN Listen -- I donít want any trouble. BRAD 1 Well you got trouble. Brad 1 slams his fist into Loganís stomach. Logan grabs the manís fist and lifts him up and over, slamming him into the train floor. Brad 2 grabs a commuterís briefcase and smashes it on Loganís head. Bursting open, its contents fly everywhere. Logan turns. Brad 2 stares wide-eyed as the gash on Loganís head starts to heal. Suddenly, Brad 1 is up. He grabs Logan around the neck from behind. He holds Logan in his head lock while Brad 2 and 3 start punching him in the stomach and face. Logan is taking quite a beating and naturally the entire train of people are doing nothing. ANGLE ON: Loganís eyes, his pupils are getting smaller. His brow furrows like a wolf. A low guttural GROWL. Suddenly rage -- PRIMAL RAGE Loganís feet kick out, his left foot strikes Brad 1 in the face knocking him backward, while his right foot hooks around Brad 2ís head dragging him forward. With his left hand Logan grabs Brad 2 by the throat, squeezing the esophagus. Brad 2 is paralyzed. His eyes roll up as the oxygen is cut off. Brad 2 collapses. ANGLE ON: Brad 3 running out of the car with the other passengers. A TRANSIT COP pushes past the fleeing passengers, into the car. Brad 1 still bear hugs Logan from behind. Logan reaches pushing his knuckles against Brad 1ís leg. Suddenly: SHOOK -- the sound of metal extending. Brad 1 howls in pain. SHOOK -- the sound of metal retracting. Brad 1 releases Logan and stares down at three punctured holes in his leg. Logan wheels around, kicks him to the floor, and punches him. All eyes in the train are on Logan, as he raises his fist. SHOOK -- Logan extends his claws. Logan is at the peak of his rage. The passengers stare in disbelief. Even Rogue is astonished. TRANSIT COP Freeze... transit police. Drop your weapon. Logan pauses, only for a second. Brad 1 is wailing for his life. But rage has taken over. Logan raises his blades to finish what he started. Suddenly, THE TRAIN LURCHES VIOLENTLY. Logan goes flying backward. EXT. TRAIN - NIGHT The train has been brought to a sudden stop -- but the wheels are still turning. Finally, they are shut down. INT. TRAIN CAR - NIGHT The lights are out. Everyone gathers themselves. Then comes a low grinding creak. The sound of metal bending. Rivets popping. EXT. TRAIN - NIGHT Like the top of a sardine can, the entire side wall of the train car is peeled off. Revealing the terrified passengers inside -- and Magneto, Sabretooth, Mystique Toad and Pyro on the outside. With a final thrust, the air RIPPLES and Magneto tosses the car wall to the side. Passengers from the other cars stare wide-eyed out their windows. The train has stopped at a railroad crossing, the gates are down. MAGNETO You can come out now, Logan. Youíre among friends. The transit cop rises to his feet, brandishing his pistol. TRANSIT COP Freeze! With a turn of his finger, Magneto draws the pistol to him. The cop holds tight and is yanked off the train, onto the ground. With another twist of his hand, Magneto makes the gun leap from the copís grasp and HOVER, pointing at the copís head. MAGNETO You Homo Sapiens and your guns. The gun cocks. XAVIER (O.S.) Thatís enough, Max! All turn to see Xavier, seated in his wheelchair -- flanked by Cyclops, Jean and Storm. All, save Xavier, are in uniform. THUNDER RUMBLES ACROSS THE SKY ANGLE ON: Storm, a GUST OF WIND. MAGNETO Iíll never understand your regard for them, Charles. XAVIER And Iíll never understand terrorists. MAGNETO I am trying to save our kind, Charles. You should do the same. XAVIER Not at the cost of lives, Max. Xavierís metal chair is gripped by magnetic forces. It shakes and begins to inch towards Magneto. MAGNETO Magneto. The chair is pulled closer to Magneto. Cyclops steps forward. Xavier need not turn to know help is coming. Magneto sees and respects Cyclopsís power. The chair stops moving. XAVIER (to Cyclops) Itís alright... itís alright. Magneto glances at Storm, then Cyclops. MAGNETO The two in Alaska. Just how do you people manage to be in the right place at the right time? Still tinkering with Cerebro? XAVIER (referring to Logan) What do you want with him? Magneto smiles now, tapping his METAL HELMET. MAGNETO Canít read my mind? Xavierís expression falters. It appears as if the helmet has been made to block Xavier from doing just that. MAGNETO (contíd) Iíll tell you something, Charles, we are more alike now than we were when we started. XAVIER Is that so? MAGNETO Still trying to make the world safe for our kind. Still trying to find a way to introduce ourselves -- definitively. XAVIER You definition of definitive was always a bit extreme for me, Max. What is it like these days? MAGNETO Letís just say that I am out to make some radical changes. Now come on Charles. For old times sake, for your sake... Leave him to me. Logan slowly rises from the huddled passengers. Sabretooth fighting the urge to move on him. Logan glares back at Sabretooth. MAGNETO (contíd) Ahh... there you are brother. I believe you possess something I am very much in need of. Just then, SABRETOOTH ROARS UNCONTROLLABLY and punches Toad in the stomach, doubling him over. Oddly - Toad is laughing. He stands upright. TOAD Do it again. Another roar and another punch. Toad is crying and laughing at the same time. TOAD (contíd) Oh God it hurts. Do it again. Magneto watches this, momentarily stunned. Suddenly, Pyro grabs hold of his face. PYRO IíM BLIND. And Mystique MORPHS into a small child and begins tugging at Magnetoís pant leg. MYSTIQUE I have to go to the bathroom. Magneto looks at the cause of it all: XAVIER, HIS EYES CONCENTRATING, HAS ALL OF MAGNETOíS MINIONS UNDER HIS PSYCHIC CONTROL. Cyclops cannot help laughing. Storm and Jean smile. Magneto is furious. MAGNETO If I could make you understand. If you could just be made to see it the way I do. The way itís going to be. XAVIER The way what is going to be? MAGNETO Iím going to change the world with or without you as a witness, Charles. (Points to Logan) And this one gets a front row seat. XAVIER What do you mean to do? And Magneto steps back a little further. His oddly behaving consorts follow. MAGNETO This checkmate goes to you. I didnít want to hurt anyone. But you leave me no choice. XAVIER WHAT DO YOU MEAN TO DO? Sabretooth and Toad walk away, still with the punching and asking to be punched. Magneto takes the little girl/Mystique by the hand and the blind Pyro by the arm and leads them away, humiliated, to their waiting helicopter. Xavier turns back to Logan, still standing in the train car, amidst all the huddled passengers. Suddenly, all the passengers except Rogue lay on the floor and seats and go to sleep. A few of them even snore. XAVIER (contíd) Now will you come back with us? A look crosses Loganís face. Uncomfortable. LOGAN Look, I appreciate your concern. But, I do better on my own. Xavier indicates the wreckage of the train. XAVIER You got less than sixty miles today. Iíll make you a deal. Two days. If we havenít figured out what Magneto wants with you by then... Iíll bring you back myself. Logan looks up at Xavier suspiciously, hating that he is making sense. Xavier moves closer. Logan looks over at Rogue, covered in her layers of clothes. Storm is helping her off the train, yet taking care not to touch her skin. LOGAN What are you going to do with her? Xavier looks to Rogue. A warmth comes over his face. An look of understanding. At a glance he has read her mind. He knows her pain -- her struggle. Rogue looks to Xavier. Their eyes meet. XAVIER Rogue is a beautiful girl, with an extraordinary power. One that even her own family isnít able to accept. Sheís been on her own for weeks now, searching for a home. A place to belong. Xavier turns to Logan. XAVIER (contíd) -- Weíre going to give her that. Logan looks at rogue, contemplating this. Then to Xavier. LOGAN Forty-eight hours, old man. But if you cross me, I wonít feel any guilt about what I do to you. XAVIER Deal. Logan eyes the rest of the gang until he settles his gaze on Jean. He offers a faint seductive smile. This is not lost on Cyclops. INT. MAGNETOíS LAIR - CELL - LATER - NIGHT A cell with bars, but no visible door. Kelly is hunched over his toilet, heaving. His suit is rumpled and dirty, showing signs that time has passed. There is a television just outside the door: We see SEVERAL NEWS HELICOPTERS circling a platform built against the backdrop of the main entrance to Ellis Island. We see massive security measures, the likes of which have never been attempted, being prepared. (Voice plays over the rest of the scene) NEWSCASTER (V.O.) Is there such a thing as too much security? A possible complication adding to the United Nations Anniversary is the sheer number of security personnel for what will be the largest single summit in the history of the planet. He walks towards the cell and tries to look down the hall, pressing his face to the bars. NEWSCASTER (V.O. CONTíD) While the Secret Service has never had difficulty handling one or even several world leaders, it has never had to handle the daunting task of watching over all of them. It is only then that he hears a slight crack and his head squeezes between the bars like a soft-shelled egg. He gasps in pain, but more from shock. He pulls his head back with some difficulty and POP, it squeezes right back through. KELLY What have you bastards done to me? Kelly is horrified. Disgusted. He paces the cell, unable to comprehend what has happened to himself. It is only when he hears the sound of a HELICOPTER IN THE DISTANCE that he reacts. He starts to panic, then collects himself. Then he goes over to the bars again. He pauses, afraid... then: He pops his head through again. He turns his shoulder toward the bars and begins to push. His feet slip in the floor and his fingers stretch and crack inside, then his ribs begin to pop one by one with the brittleness of undercooked spaghetti. It is agonizing, but Kelly finally manages to pull his horribly-altered body through the bars. INT. HALLWAY - NIGHT Kellyís whole chest and pelvis are slightly flattened beneath his clothes, but with a hideous crunching sound, they seem to inflate again back to normal. Kelly looks at his body with a mixture of fascination and disgust. VOICE HEY. Kelly turns and screams. Blob has just walked into the room and lunges, grabbing him by the arms. Kelly is enveloped in this fat, hulking mass. He manages to keep one hand free and all he can do is push it against Blobís face. It is futile. Until... Steam begins to come off Blobís face. And Blob SCREAMS IN PAIN. EXT. HELIPAD - NIGHT Senator Kellyís helicopter, which has obviously been pilfered for Magnetoís use, lands. Magneto, Sabretooth, Pyro, Mystique (no Toad) all climb out, having returned from their ill-fated attempt to get Logan. INT. HALLWAY - ELSEWHERE - NIGHT Kelly peers down the hall where we first went on our way to meet Magneto. Kelly, with only that way to go, does so, passing once again the odd assortment of machines, very reminiscent of the one he was exposed to. He hears voices coming toward him and he looks around wildly, wondering what to do. Shadows foretell the arrival of the brotherhood headed this way. Kelly turns to run back from where he cam from. INT. HALLWAY - ELSEWHERE - NIGHT Magneto and Sabretooth come walking from the other end of the hall and pass the very spot where we just saw Kelly. No sign of him. INT. CELL - NIGHT From which Kelly has escaped. The bars bend to make room for Magneto as he walks into the room. MAGNETO How are we feeling today, Senator? Advanced, I hope... But he freezes when he actually enters the room. First, he sees that Blob is laying on the floor with a purple, welt-like hand print across his face. It is blistered and hideous. Blob is gasping for air. Magneto looks and sees the cell is empty. He looks at Sabretooth. MAGNETO (contíd) I want him alive. SABRETOOTH Iíll find him. MAGNETO ALIVE. And Sabretooth bolts back from where they came. EXT. MAGNETOíS LAIR - NIGHT Kelly hits the fresh air, looking around wildly. He runs for the edge of a cliff high over the ocean. He raises his hands, we see his palms are covered with those wicked spines and they are dripping a venomous fluid not too different in color from the wound on Blobís face. But then suddenly, something is wrong. Kelly buckles, clutching his stomach again. He squelches what would have been a scream of agony. He looks at his palms and the spikes are gone. Kelly hears footsteps. Suddenly out of the darkness Sabretooth barrels toward him. Kelly turns and LEAPS. Sabretooth comes to the edge of the cliff. When he looks over, Kellyís body has vanished. Swallowed by the sea. Only his clothes remain on the rocks below. INT. LOGANíS ROOM - NIGHT Jean shows Logan the simple dorm cube with a bed and a small desk. Jean opens the door for Logan and he inspects the sparse surroundings grimly. Cyclops stands just outside the door - eavesdropping. JEAN Anything else I can get you? LOGAN Some cigars. Case of beer. JEAN Thereís no smoking or drinking on the school grounds. LOGAN I wonít light the cigars - how about that? JEAN Iíll see what I can do -- You should get some sleep. Even with your healing ability, youíre going to be hurting for a while. LOGAN What if I like the pain? Jean doesnít know what to make of that. She is about to leave, then pauses. JEAN The Professor said you were a solider. Actually, I believe he used the word mercenary. LOGAN Yeah? Well I donít like to talk about my past. JEAN Maybe, the Professor could help you with that. LOGAN By reading my thoughts? JEAN If necessary. LOGAN (smirks) What if theyíre naughty? Jean smiles politely at his knowing glance. JEAN Get some shut-eye, slick. She shuts the door. INT. HALLWAY - NIGHT Jean hesitates at the door, thinking. Smiling. She turns and only then does she realize Cyclops is standing there. She is startled. JEAN Scott.. I - CYCLOPS I donít like him being here. JEAN What are you talking about? CYCLOPS You saw what happened tonight. You think Magneto wonít come after him again. You think he wonít come here if necessary. This is a school, for Godís sake. JEAN If Magneto is planning to use Logan for some terrible purpose itís our responsibility to do something. Cyclops shakes his head. JEAN (contíd) Whatís wrong? Thereís something else bothering you. Cyclops gets closer to Jean. She puts her hand on his chest. CYCLOPS I have a bad feeling about this. Jean leans in slowly and kisses Cyclops just beside his mouth JEAN You know I love you, Scott. Cyclops pulls her close. The hold each other. INT. LOGANíS ROOM - NIGHT E.C.U. Loganís ear. His super-sensitive hearing has picked up the whole conversation. Logan looks over on the bed and sees a new sketchbook and several pencils. A small note is attached. I hope you donít mind. I understand this helps you relax. - X Logan shakes his head. INT. XAVIERíS OFFICE - LATER - NIGHT A white light board. Beastís blue furry hand slides a long, full-body x-ray in place. Beast is showing Loganís x-rays to Cyclops, Storm, Jean and Xavier. BEAST Adamantium. Until today I thought it to be a myth. Impenetrable, unbendable, resistant to the most extreme heat, cold, indestructible. Beast points to the x-ray. BEAST (CONT'D) Itís been grafted to his entire skeleton. XAVIER He also has accelerated healing abilities - uncharted regenerative capability, making his age impossible to determine. He could very well be older than I am. STORM Is the Adamantium part of his mutation? XAVIER No. Someone put it there, relying on his healing abilities to keep him alive. CYCLOPS What do you think Magneto wants with him? Xavier wheels himself to the window, starring out, deep in thought. XAVIER Iím not entirely sure itís ìhimî that Magneto wants. ANGLE ON: X-ray of Loganís Adamantium skeleton. INT. MANSION - NIGHT Rogue. The waifish young thing who hides so well in the shadows seems more comfortable to be moving through the mansion at night. She passes through the halls and rooms not making a sound in her strangely-swathed body suit. INT. LOGANíS ROOM - NIGHT She creaks a door open slowly, letting a shaft of dim light slice the darkness. The light shines across a nightstand. Rogue stares down at the notepad, a sketch it. It is of an animal, small but fierce - a wolverine. She walks in to a figure laying in the bed and stands over him. Over Logan. He lays under a single sheet, sweating, his eyes moving quickly this way and that in R.E.M. His hands twitch. Rogue leans closer. PUSH IN ON LOGANíS EYES AS THEY MOVE UNDER THE LIDS. FLASH - DREAM SEQUENCE INT. MILITARY LAB - THE PAST - NIGHT Like none we have ever seen thus far. In fact, judging by most of the instruments here, we are looking at a laboratory some fifty years old. Logan looks down and we can see his body, naked, strapped to a table. A hand puts a mask over his mouth and - BLACK He awakens - STILL LOGANíS P.O.V. He struggles weakly with restraints as doctors in lab coats and thick, red rubber gloves stand over him taking notes, paying very little attention to him at all. On the other side of the room is a huge vat filled with some kind of molten metal. At the base of the vat is a giant electromagnet generating a huge gyroscope which created enormous friction energy - the apparent source of the intense heat for melting the metal in the vat. AGAIN THE MASK PUTS HIM UNDER AND: BLACK Awake again, but this time sinking into water - restrained completely now. Logan looks down and gets only a glance of his body, seeing that he is a series of incisions from head to toe - literally split open - the flesh held back with hundreds of clamps. HE SINKS INTO THE STRANGE LIQUID - LIKE WATER BUT THICK AND VISCOUS. And the sound of a DROWNING SCREAM. AND THE METAL IS POURED IN AFTER HIM. THE SOUND OF MOLTEN METAL HITTING LIQUID IS UNNERVING. Mixed with screams, it is unbearable. INT. LOGANíS ROOM - NIGHT SCREAMING Loganís screaming as he comes to. Loganís eyes FLASH OPEN. He looks up and sees a figure looming over him. In a flash he reacts. THUD. Nothing more. Then silence. The door bursts open and Cyclops stands in the doorway shocked. Frozen. Jean is next and finally Storm. They can only stare. Logan sits upright in bed, CLAWS EXTENDED, INTO ROGUEíS CHEST. She is literally frozen at the end of his arm. Finally, Cyclops breaks the silence and moves to grab her. STORM DONíT TOUCH HER. Cyclops freezes. Logan finally pulls his claws free and retracts them. Rogue staggers, she pitches forward and touches his face gently with her hands, as though she would like him to be the last thing she sees on this Earth. Logan and Rogue, locked in a fatal moment of tenderness snaring a look of loneliness that only they can understand. But suddenly, Logan seems to change. And before he can say another word, he begins to tremble, then he starts to howl in pain. Rogue SNAPS BACK, mouth open in a gaping, silent scream. What sound comes out does not match the expression at all. Merely a gasp, like steam escaping. Through the huge slash in her clothes, we see the wound on her chest slowly vanish. Before long, she transforms back into a healthy young girl with no sign of injury. Then, her escaping breath begins to accelerate, much in the way Loganís did - too much like Loganís did. It is as if she has taken in his trait of berserker rage. Soon she is smashing things all around her. One hand rakes the wallpaper like claws. Finally, she gets a hold of herself, becoming the introverted Rogue we all know so well. Then she stands slowly, looks at the others. And she runs from the room. Storm runs after her. The rest turn to Logan, who lays on the floor, convulsing. Jean goes to help him. She looks back at Cyclops. His expression makes it clear that his worst fears about Logan have come to pass. EXT. PUBLIC BEACH - DAY A familiar scene of suburban escapism. Crowded enough that most people can move about unnoticed. In fact, most people do not notice the very large jellyfish shooting through the water at remarkable speed. And only a few notice the COMPLETELY TRANSPARENT MAN emerging from the water. It is Senator Kelly, and he resembles in many ways a jellyfish. His skin and innards are clear and gooey. It is only when he comes completely and naked out of the water that he returns to somewhat normal. He walks up to the beach and people recoil from the very sight of him. Pointing, whispering. Then just laughing at the naked man. Kelly grabs a towel off an empty chair, a Hawaiian shirt off another. Suddenly, he buckles, grabbing his stomach and lurching away in terrible pain. He barely pauses when he hears a childís voice in semi- whisper: CHILDíS VOICE Mom, is that a mutant? INT. HALLWAY - DUSK Storm and Logan walk down the hall. Logan is wearing sweats. He has obviously just woken up. The sun is low in the horizon and the hall is suffused with an orange glow. Students pass by them. By now, the students have heard rumors about what happened the night before. They watch Logan fearfully as they pass by him. LOGAN Why is everybody up at sunrise? STORM The sun is setting, Logan. Youíve been asleep for nineteen hours. LOGAN What did she do to me? STORM She borrowed your power to save her life. When she touches someone, she absorbs their strengths -- their gifts. In your case -- your ability to heal. Thatís why she keeps her body covered. LOGAN I felt like she almost killed me. STORM If she held on any longer she could have. LOGAN And you think it helps calling her Rogue? Storm shakes her head, but remains patient. STORM Weíve learned to embrace what we are rather than hide it like an affliction. For some, it has become their identity. You mock the names these people choose but they wear them as badges of pride. They arrive at the door to the gym. LOGAN Inspiring -- Now what am I doing here? CYCLOPS (O.S.) I wanted to talk to you. Logan turns and sees Cyclops. CYCLOPS (contíd) Storm, would you excuse us please? STORM Of course. She exits. CYCLOPS Letís take a walk. Cyclops begins to walk away in the other direction. Logan just watches him go. After a moment, he decides it might be more interesting to see where this is going. He follows. They walk across the hall to: INT. GYMNASIUM - NIGHT On first glance, the gym looks really average. A fairly standard boxing ring in the middle. A fairly standard weight set nearby. Then you notice the weights themselves are abnormally large. 100. 200. 300. 400 pounds. All the way up to 2000. And that is just one stack. Cyclops enters first with Logan coming in behind him. CYCLOPS How long have you been in Alaska? LOGAN I donít remember. Is that what you wanted to ask me? Logan is barely through the door when Cyclops whips around on Logan and thumps his finger into his chest. CYCLOPS I just wanted to make you clear on something. Personally, I donít care what Magneto wants with you. He can take those claws of yours and use them for Barbecue skewers. What I do care about is the safety of this group. The Professor is in charge, and after the Professor, thereís me. So, for the remainder of your time here, youíre going to keep that killer instinct of yours locked down so no one else gets hurt. Beat. LOGAN (smirks) Iíve served with men like you before. Methodical. Systematic -- Naive. You know what happens to those men in a real fight? CYCLOPS You know, you -- LOGAN Shut up. I got no interest in you, Xavier, (he points mockingly at the Xís on Cyclopsí uniform) or your... X-Men. Logan takes him in for a moment. LOGAN (contíd) And I donít think this has anything to do with my ìkiller instinct.î You just donít like the way Iím looking at your girl -- Or maybe you donít like the way sheís looking back. And maybe you think youíre man enough to do something about it. Cyclops is enraged. A red light begins to glow around the edge of his visor and the ruby-quartz lens brightens. We can faintly hear the low hum of immense power that is now barely contained. Before Cyclops can even react, Logan puts his fist against Cyclopsí throat. SHOOK! Logan extends one claw up one side of Cyclopsí neck. He smiles. LOGAN (contíd) Címon sport. You think you can blow the meat off my bones before I gut you? Letís find out. The air is now charged with tension. The two men are about to attack when- XAVIER (O.S.) Cyclops! Logan whirls and sees Xavier regarding them sternly. Logan turns his building anger on Xavier. LOGAN I have a question for you, Chuck. Whatís the point? Xavier sits calmly as Logan, claws still extended, marches over to him. XAVIER The point of what? LOGAN This. This whole God damn thing. (derisively, at Cyclops) Making yourselves into some sort of ìteamî of super-powered freaks. Teaching wayward mutants about classical literature. For what? Logan continues to advance on Xavier. Cyclops moves to stop Logan, but Xavier waves him off. XAVIER The point is to step into a more evolved position of social responsibility. To recognize that there is a world out there and that we mutants are as much a part of it as normal human beings. LOGAN What if it never happens? What if theyíre so afraid of us that we become the enemy? -- This place is gonna be one giant cemetery. Xavier has heard this argument before. XAVIER Now thatís Magneto talking. LOGAN No. Thatís me talking. And you know what? Itís only been thirty-two hours and you still have no idea what this guy wants with me. XAVIER I believe he wants you for your Adamantium. Logan raises his hand to his chest grasping for something that no longer hangs from his neck. XAVIER (contíd) Youíre thinking of your dog tag. It was made of Adamantium wasnít it? JEAN (O.S.) Professor. Logan turns and sees Jean walking towards them. XAVIER What is it? JEAN Rogueís missing. Logan looks at Jean with concern. INT. CORRIDOR - NIGHT A long, dark subterranean corridor with gleaming walls and floor. Well lit and strangely echoless. Logan follows Xavier, who are in turn followed by Storm, Cyclops and Jean to a thick steel door at the end of the hall. LOGAN Where are we going? XAVIER To find Rogue. LOGAN How? XAVIER The brainwaves of mutants are quite different than those of the average human being. At Xavierís eye level is a black screen with a chin-rest like you see at the eye doctor. Xavier rests his head in it and the screen lights up. XAVIER (contíd) Cerebro amplifies my power. It allows me to browse the worldís consciousness and find the genetically enhanced. A vertical beam scans across his eye and a picture of Xavierís retina appears on the screen next to a computerized image of the same. The two images overlap and match perfectly. XAVIER (contíd) This is how I found you. A small beep and a loud KNOCK of tumblers rolling and the vault door opens. They walk inside. INT. CEREBRO - CONTINUOUS - NIGHT They come into a room with a high sphered ceiling - entirely black. In the center of the room is a huge - for lack of a better term - device. Part computer, part super- structure, it is the sort of precision tangle of metal and wire that would make Da Vinci weep. It has a space in the bottom that seems to fit Xavier and his chair perfectly. Suspended above its center -- a web of wires, tubes, and cables all connecting to the heart of the device -- a CHROME SKULLCAP. Logan slowly circles the device. Logan looks at Xavier, perhaps even a little impressed. LOGAN You designed this yourself? XAVIER Actually, Magneto helped me put it together. LOGAN He helped you? XAVIER We were friends once... But that was a long time ago. Jean, Logan, Cyclops and Storm watch as Xavier fits his wheelchair into the huge machine, and the chrome skull cap lowers onto the Professorís head, fitting like a second skin. It comes to life. What was dark and menacing is now a brilliant explosion of colored lights. CLOSE UP ON: XAVIER - into and through his eyes and: EXT. SPACE - NIGHT Closing in rapidly on the planet Earth. Passing into its atmosphere, making a few orbits, all the while hearing the deafening voices of billions. Every country, every city, every town, berg, hamlet and village. Every language. Every thought. The voices descend to a sizeable crowd of millions, then thousands, gradually working their way to one. EXT. SKY - OVER WESTCHESTER - NIGHT Down a tree-lined road and around a corner into a parking lot. Single out a figure that - by the clothes - can only be Rogue. Close in faster and faster, lower and lower until we go right through the back of her head to: BLACK SILENCE ROGUE (O.S.) I donít belong... I donít belong... Iím sorry... so sorry... thereís nowhere... INT. CEREBRO - NIGHT Xavierís eyes open. XAVIER Iíve found her, Westchester Mall. LOGAN Iíll go. CYCLOPS No... Iíll go. Logan looks over to Jean. LOGAN O.K. sport... you go. INT. WESTCHESTER MALL - NIGHT A mother and child wander in a typical shopping daze. PULL OUT TO REVEAL Crowds of shoppers mill about, a typical crowded evening at the mall. Rogue comes up the escalator, wandering through them all. She walks under a high-sphered glass ceiling, revealing the night sky outside. She walks over to a Victoriaís Secret store and looks up at the mannequins in the windows who wear almost nothing at all. Quite a contrast from her own, stifling garb. She touches the glass as though trying to reach them, then she moves on. ROGUEíS P.O.V. She looks all around the mall at the many oblivious people here. Children playing tag on one side. A young couple holding hands. Human contact all around. She walks past a small child, her hand nearly brushing the girlís hair. Rogue takes a seat on a bench, alone. A figure comes into frame. STORM Rogue. Rogue looks up and sees Storm standing right in front of her. Her eyes dart around, looking for a way out. STORM (contíd) You donít have to run. Finally, Rogue surrenders. ROGUE Iím sorry. Iím not like the rest of you -- Iím tired of hurting people. She starts to cry now. STORM Itís okay. ROGUE Why did I have to be like this? What purpose does it serve? And when Rogue looks up, she sees another figure - this one filling the frame behind Storm. A huge clawed hand grabs Storm around the throat and lifts her up as she struggles in vain. INT. MALL - LOWER LEVEL - NIGHT Cyclops looks up and sees Storm is being CHOKED BY SABRETOOTH, her feet not touching the ground. Rogue is frozen with fear. He tries to get a shot with his visor, but too many people are in the way. INT. MALL - UPPER LEVEL - NIGHT Sabretooth smiles as Storm struggles to turn. He whispers in her ear. SABRETOOTH Scream for me. CLOSE UP ON: STORMíS EYES as the life is being squeezed out of her. INT. XAVIERíS OFFICE - NIGHT MIRROR SHOT OF XAVIERíS EYES Suddenly, Xavier touches his throat, then raises a shaking hand to his head. XAVIER Dear God. Xavier wheels himself from the room. INT. MALL - LOWER LEVEL - NIGHT Cyclops has a clear shot now. His eyes start to glow brightly. Suddenly, a familiar movement on the pedestal behind him. Toad has been camouflaged the entire time. He comes down and FLICKS HIS LIZARD-LIKE TONGUE, snatching the visor from Cyclopsí face. Deep red light far greater than anything we have ever seen before comes blasting out of cyclopsí eyes without any sort of control, as if a fire hydrant had been ripped from the ground. His head comes back and the light blows the whole of the glass ceiling to smithereens, bringing it down on panicking shoppers who scatter. Toad leaps to the second level and then again out of sight. INT. MALL - UPPER LEVEL - NIGHT Sabretooth reacts, surprised by the sudden shift. This gives Storm one last chance to breath. We notice now that something is happening to her body. INT. MALL - LOWER LEVEL - NIGHT Cyclops stumbles helpless, his eyes are shut to prevent further destruction. CYCLOPS GET OUT OF THE WAY. GET OUT OF THE WAY. INT. MALL - UPPER LEVEL - NIGHT Storm, nearly lifeless now, struggles with what little strength she has to get free of Sabretooth. He relishes the slow kill. But suddenly ALL THE HAIR ON HIS BODY STANDS ON END. Sabretooth is momentarily confused. Stormís eyes open wide as her body convulses. BOOM A huge bolt of lightning shoot from her body into Sabretoothís chest, knocking him back in shock. Storm falls to the ground, not breathing. Sabretooth, stunned and scorched, gets to his feet and smiles at his handiwork. He is about to move in and finish them both when the rumble of a helicopter can be heard above. He looks up and sees SENATOR KELLYíS HELICOPTER passing over the hold in the roof. Sabretooth leaps up and pulls himself out of the opening. Toad is a leap behind. Rogue rushes to Storm, struggling with how to give her mouth to mouth, CPR, anything to resuscitate her without touching. She is starting to panic now. She looks around, but anyone still left in the mall is running for the doors. ROGUE SOMEONE HELP ME. SHEíS NOT BREATHING. INT. MALL - LOWER LEVEL - NIGHT Cyclops stumbles blind and helpless, covering his eyes. He hears Rogue screaming. CYCLOPS ROGUE? ROGUE (O.S.) HELP ME. STORM ISNíT BREATHING. Cyclops tries to find a way up, but he trips over all the debris, helpless. CYCLOPS YOU HAVE TO COME AND GET ME. I CANíT SEE. EXT. STREETS - NIGHT Xavier is in a specially designed car that enables him to drive solely with his hands. He races towards the mall. INT. MALL - UPPER LEVEL - NIGHT Rogue is talking, walking backwards towards Storm, trying her best not to lay a hand on Cyclops. ROGUE Here, here, here... a little left. Careful. ANGLE ON: Cyclops drops to his knees, the sprinklers still gushing. His eyes are tightly shut. He feels for Stormís face and touches her lips. CYCLOPS Oh God. He immediately begins mouth to mouth, though it may have been too long. EXT. MALL - NIGHT Xavier fights the rush of traffic - people fleeing madly from the mall. As he pulls up to the front doors, he sees Cyclops emerging, carrying Storm. She is conscious, but her breathing is shallow. His eyes are shut tightly and he must follow Rogueís direction. Sirens wail in the distance. Xavier looks at the lot of them: waifish Rogue, blind Cyclops, unconscious Storm and his wheelchair-bound self as their guardian. XAVIER But why would they do this? Then a look of realization... EXT. MANSION - MEANWHILE - NIGHT Rogue hurries past several students. She runs up to the large front doors of the school, but they are locked. She looks around and then runs toward the side of the building. INT. LABORATORY - NIGHT Beast, continuing his research into Magnetoís plan, is analyzing the x-rays of Loganís skeleton. Several books about metallurgy are scattered across the table. INT. LOGANíS ROOM - NIGHT Logan is sketching quietly. He chews a cigar, keeping it politely unlit. He hears something. He stands, goes to the door and opens it. He cocks his head... listening... smiling... We hear it too, sharing his ears. It is a woman breathing, groaning. He smiles and follows the noise. EXT. MANSION - NIGHT Rogue climbs through a studentís open window. INT. MANSION - NIGHT She darts down a hallway and around a corner, looking around, staying low. INT. GYMNASIUM - NIGHT Jean is working out on an average-sized set of free- weights, sweating, pushing hard. Obviously the sound Logan heard. She is on her back doing presses. Suddenly, she looks up and sees Logan standing over. She is startled and starts to drop the bar. He catches it. LOGAN You should always work with a spotter. JEAN Heís busy right now. Logan cannot help but glance at her left hand, still clinging to the bar. The shimmering diamond on the third finger. LOGAN I was thinking maybe you and me could go into town. JEAN Were you now? LOGAN What do you say? JEAN Not interested. Logan shrugs, starts to take his hands away. Jean is not ready to take the weight of the bar. It almost comes down on her when he catches it again. JEAN Let go. LOGAN Suit yourself. And he does. And so does Jean at the same time. She gets up and faces Logan - the bar simply hovers in mid- air. Logan smiles. INT. LABORATORY - NIGHT Beast looks at his watch. Itís stopped. He puts it to his ear -- shakes it. Then his ears perk up. He hears something. He glances at the wall. All things METAL -- picture frames, chairs, objects on tables, etc. start to move one after the other. It is as if some magnetic force is moving past the wall, just outside the lab, heading for the open door. Beast, sensing the danger, makes a run for the metal door. Just as he reaches it, it SLAMS closed -- knocking him back across the room. Beast CRASHES into the wall on the opposite side of the lab. His leg badly hurt, Beast tries to crawl toward the door. But as he does this, METAL OBJECTS from around the lab fly in front of it sealing him in. INT. CORRIDOR - NIGHT Rogue moves quietly down the corridor that leads to Cerebro. She comes to the retinal scanner - she brings her eye to the screen. It lights up and scans her eye. A PICTURE OF XAVIERíS RETINA appears on the screen. A SINGLE WORD APPEARS ON THE SCREEN beneath it: ACCESS DENIED The scanner scans again. E.C.U. ON ROGUEíS EYE Something is wrong. The eye not being scanned is a familiar yellow. It is Mystique. Her other eye changes in the light of the scanner. The retina reshaping itself in minute ways. ANGLE ON: The screen -- ACCESS GRANTED -- CHARLES XAVIER The door to Cerebro opens. Rogue or rather Mystique, rushes in. She goes to a small panel on the side of Cerebro. She opens it. She reaches in. SHE REMOVES A COMPUTER CHIP -- No more than three inches wide. INT. HALLWAY - NIGHT ANGLE ON: The black boots of a man, walk down a hallway, as students peer from their sleeping quarters, terrified. INT. GYMNASIUM - NIGHT Jean is casually wiping sweat from her brow. Loganís eyes possess a certain focus intent. LOGAN Heís uptight. JEAN He takes his work seriously. LOGAN He takes himself seriously. JEAN What is it youíre failing to get at? Are you interested in me? JEAN Iím just interested. Holding out her left hand. JEAN Logan, do you see this ring? LOGAN Iíve seen a lot of rings. JEAN Yeah, Iíll bet you have. Before he can reply, Rogue is standing in the doorway looking at them. JEAN Rogue, where have you been? ROGUE Logan. The Professor wants you to come with me right away. E.C.U. on Loganís nose. His nostrils flare... sensing... Logan squints the tiniest bit. We know he knows something is wrong, but he is hiding it. LOGAN (to Rogue) Hey Rogue, tell Jean what you were telling me last night. Rogue pauses. Confused. ROGUE The Professor-- Logan walks towards her. LOGAN You remember. About women. He moves closer. ROGUE Logan-- LOGAN Whatever you say about them being the same... SHOOK. The claws are out. HE LUNGES. LOGAN (contíd) No two women smell alike. He grabs Rogue by the throat. JEAN Logan, what are you doing? Jean, seeing Logan threaten Rogue with his claws for the second time, RAISES A VAULTING HORSE INTO THE AIR. LOGAN This ainít Rogue! He keeps his claws pointed at her face. ANGLE TIGHT: Loganís left hand is wrapped around Rogueís throat but part of it is TOUCHING THE EXPOSED SKIN OF HER FACE WITH NO ILL EFFECTS. Jean realizes that Logan is right. ROGUE MORPHS INTO MYSTIQUE. MAGNETO (O.S.) Telekinesis. Jean spins around and sees MAGNETO. Without hesitation, the vaulting horse FLIES AT MAGNETO. Simultaneously, one of the thousand-pound weights flies from the weight set and smashes the vaulting horse aside. MAGNETO (contíd) Fascinating. What I wouldnít give for that. Alas, metal is all Iím good for. But it seems to serve me well enough. Jean is completely unaware of the huge set of lockers rising behind her. LOGAN Jean! WHAM. The lockers hit her in the back, sending her flying. Jean lies motionless on the floor, unconscious. The heavy lockers are floating above her, wavering between a few feet and a few inches. MAGNETO I do love a good check mate. LOGAN What do you want? MAGNETO Come with me and Iíll let her live. LOGAN You think I care about her? Iím the only one whoís sure to walk out of here. Pause. MAGNETO Then why donít you kill her. This catches Logan a little off guard. MAGNETO (contíd) Go on. Kill her. You can do it quicker than I will. Maybe Iíll just cripple her. The lockers now stand upright, hovering over Jeanís knees. MAGNETO (contíd) So do her the favor. Show her mercy. Logan thinks for a moment -- looks at Jean still unconscious on the floor. Then: Logan retracts his claws. Mystique has morphed back into her natural state with the exception of ONE OF ROGUEíS POCKETS, which still clings to her hip. Mystique produces a large syringe from the pocket and sticks it in Loganís neck. Loganís legs weaken instantly. MAGNETO (contíd) (to Mystique) Call the others and tell them we have what we came for. EXT. MANSION - LATER - NIGHT The fence that surrounds the property has been bent and buckled violently. INT. MANSION HALLWAY - NIGHT Xavier wheels down the hallway, pajama clad students are milling about the halls. Their faces showing that they are afraid to go back to their rooms. One GIRL, younger and smaller than the others, seems particularly upset. Xavier wheels over to her and gently touches the side of her face. XAVIER Itís going to be alright. She manages a faint smile. Then Xavier looks to the other students -- their frightened faces. INT. LABORATORY - LATER - NIGHT Beast reclines in his lab chair, a splint on his leg. Jean stands with Cyclops who watches through a new visor. Rogue sits off to the side, bearing the guilt. While Storm, her neck badly bruised, stands near her. For the first time we have seen -- Charles Xavier is angry. STORM When Rogue left the mansion, they must have followed her. Xavier shuts his eyes furious. XAVIER Yes... they wanted me out of the way. If I had been here... I... Xavier opens his eyes and sees Rogue sitting on a chair in the corner. She is visibly upset. Xavier wheels over to Rogue. Xavier reaches out and softly touches her clothing covered shoulder. XAVIER (contíd) This was not your fault. I knew there was a danger, I should have never left the school. And with that he turns his wheelchair to the door. XAVIER (contíd) I am going to find Logan. Xavier leaves. INT. CEREBRO - NIGHT Xavier enters and wheels himself into the giant machine. It immediately comes to life - lighting the room. The chrome skull cap descends onto Xavierís head. Xavier closes his eyes as the machine powers up. E.C.U. ON XAVIERíS EYES They fly open. And then a terrible noise. The sound of a well tuned machine suddenly going horribly wrong. Xavier is in terrible pain. His back arches and he falls from his chair onto the floor. He struggles to reach for a fire alarm on the wall. His fingers stretch until finally -- he pulls it. Warning bells wail. Xavier falls unconscious, convulsing. ANGLE ON: Cyclops and Jean as they burst into the room. INT. LABORATORY - LATER - NIGHT Xavier lies asleep in a hospital bed. Several electrodes are taped to his head. A screen next to the bed monitors his erratic brain waves. Jean and the splinted Beast stare at the monitor following its rhythm. Storm and Rogue stand at the foot of the bed. They are each trying to hide their fear, and not doing a very good job of it. Cyclops looks on, the stress shows on his face. CYCLOPS Whatís wrong with him? JEAN His vital signs are weak and getting weaker. BEAST Iím in the process of running more tests. But it seems that every minute that goes by he gets weaker. All are silent. Rogue looks to Beast with desperate eyes. ROGUE Can you help him? BEAST I donít know. Xavier lies in bed, motionless. INT. FRONT HALL - DAY Two huge wooden front doors -- morning light shines through the jagged holes in the wood where the knobs had been pulled off. The antique steel knobs lay twisted and mangled on the floor. The small girl from last night kneels in front of the door with a dustpan, sweeping up the mess. Something catches her eye. She sits up and leans in closer to the jagged hole in the door. ANGLE ON: The little girl -- light from the hole washes over her face. Then suddenly the light is cut off, as if something is blocking the hole. DOLLY IN: as the small girl steps back, a look of fascination comes across her face. As if she sees something coming through the hole. INT. CEREBRO - DAY Cyclops, Jean and Storm stand before the device. Beast rises awkwardly on his splinted leg, his back to the open control panel. BEAST Itís gone. The neuro-filter, someone removed it. Jean stands. STORM What does that mean? BEAST The neuro-filter acts like a surge protector, regulating the infinite flow of information from Cerebro to the Professorís mind. Itís what keeps him from being crushed by the consciousness of millions. Cyclops steps away, pondering Beastís words. He understands the ramifications -- the damage that has been done to Xavier. CYCLOPS Can the Professor repair his own mind? BEAST Iím afraid without Cerebroís help, he wonít have the strength to heal himself -- And without the neuro- filter... thereís no Cerebro. Jean is noticeably upset. JEAN Heís already losing control of his vitals. Respiratory. Cardiovascular. Unless we manage to replace the filter by tomorrow morning, Iím afraid. CYCLOPS We have to find Magneto. He exits. Jean follows him. INT. HALLWAY - DAY Cyclops is standing, motionless. JEAN Are you all right? CYCLOPS No. Iím... I donít know if we can do this without Charles. Jean puts her hand lovingly to his face. Cyclops takes her hand. JEAN He put you in charge for a reason, Scott. She goes to kiss him. SMALL GIRL Dr. Grey?... The small girl stands alone in the hallway. SMALL GIRL (contíd) Someone is here to see you. Jeanís eyes widen -- and around the corner steps Senator Kelly, wearing the clothing he had taken from the beach. He trembles as though from a high fever. His body is covered with a layer of sweat. KELLY Dr. Grey. JEAN Senator? CYCLOPS How did you get in here? KELLY Your front door was damaged... there was a hole... Kelly makes a hole with his hands that is not much larger then that of a coffee can. KELLY (contíd) ... I squeezed through. Kelly buckles in pain, but then catches himself. Jean and Cyclops rush to help him. Beast crutches himself out to see whatís happening. Kelly notices Beast. KELLY (contíd) What in Godís name are you? BEAST Iím Beast. KELLY Of course you are. INT. LABORATORY - LATER - DAY Xavier is in bed, eyes closed. Rogue holds vigil at his side. Kelly is in the bed next to him, trembling, burning up from what seems to be a bad fever that keeps getting worse. Jean has a syringe in her hand and is swabbing some alcohol on Kellyís skin. KELLY Iím sorry to come here, Ms. Grey. I was afraid if I went to a hospital, they would... JEAN (interrupting) Treat you like a mutant? We are not what you think. Not all of us. KELLY Tell it to the ones that did this to me. Jean looks closer at his hands. JEAN I donít see these spikes youíre talking about. Iím going to give you an antibiotic for the - Oh my God. Jean and Kelly both look as the cotton swab ignites like flash paper in her hand. Everyone is shocked. Jean pauses and takes the bottle of alcohol from the shelf. She pours a small amount on Kellyís arm and it instantly catches fire. INT. LABORATORY - LATER - DAY Rogue is still sitting in a chair, next to Xavierís bed -- Xavierís opens his eyes. He looks at Rogue and smiles softly. XAVIER Hello, Rogue? Rogue almost jumps out of her chair with excitement. ROGUE Hold on, Iíll get the others. Rogue exits. Xavier slowly looks over to Kelly lying in the bed next to him. Both men are weak and getting weaker. XAVIER Senator... Kelly? KELLY Yes... Who are you? XAVIER I am Charles Xavier. This is my school. Kelly tries to speak, but his strength is waning. The two men are a pitiful sight, both slowly coming apart. XAVIER (contíd) Can you tell me what happened to you? Kelly is in pain. Itís a struggle to speak. KELLY (weak, delirious) I was kidnapped... They killed GUYRICH... mutants... There was a light... a bright... light. Xavier turns to Kelly, looking deep into his eyes. He begins to PROBE KELLYíS MIND. INT. EXT. VARIOUS FLASHBACK - DAY/NIGHT FLASH The following is an audio-visual collage of Kellyís perspective from throughout the film, coming back to us in a new order. THE CAGE OF SENATOR KELLY in Magnetoís lair. NOW HIS P.O.V. as seen by Xavier. Vision fades in and out in a sedated haze. He is laid out of a gurney. KELLY (V.O.) Whatever you do to me... no matter what -- youíll make me right. Every word I have spoken will be confirmed. He looks up and sees Mystique wheeling the gurney, smiling down at the Senator. MYSTIQUE (V.O.) And people like you are the reason I was afraid to go to school as a child. FLASH Kelly is looking around a large, sphered room. In the center is the MACHINE. JEAN (V.O.) The mutant gene tells the body when it needs to change. KELLY (V.O.) I can assure you, there is no such creature in my genes. FLASH The DOG TAG as it is elevated into the machine. JEAN (V.O.) In every organism on Earth there exits a mutator gene -- The X-factor. The beginnings of another stage of evolution. SLOWLY BUILDING LIGHT, growing brighter and brighter. MAGNETO (V.O.) God works too slowly. Pull back as if the camera is pulling back through his eye, into his head -- A MICROSCOPEíS VIEW OF HIS CELLS, suddenly and violently disturbed. KELLY (V.O.) What have you bastards done to me? CHILDíS VOICE (V.O.) Mom, is that a mutant? Kellyís reflection in the metal of the sink in his prison. MAGNETO (V.O.) Youíre a leader Senator Kelly, you set an example... Blobís face, burned by Kellyís hands. Over the cliff. GUYRICH (V.O.) ... A Demonstration of some kind? The venomous spike emerging from Kellyís hands. MAGNETO (V.O.) Because if more of you... were like more of us... like more of us... GUYRICH (V.O.) ... the UN summit... the whole world will be watching. KELLY (V.O.) What is it you intend to do to me? The woman staring up at him on the beach. KELLY (V.O.) Oh... Oh God... what have you done to me? The boy on the beach. JARRING FLASH KELLY (V.O.) Dear God.... dear... God. NEWSCASTER (V.O.) ... the largest single summit in the history of the planet. JEAN (V.O.) ... the mutator gene will activate. MAGNETO (V.O.) Welcome to the future... brother... The brotherhood of mutants. A VIOLENT COLLISION OF NOISE, IMAGE AND LIGHT AND THEN: Xavierís eyes burst open. INT. LABORATORY - NIGHT Rogue leads Storm, Jean, Beast and Cyclops quickly into the lab. Xavier is lying in his bed. Jean looks up at the screen above him and sees Xavierís brain waves have dropped severely. Kelly lies unconscious in his bed, his heart monitor weakening. Beast limps over to Xavier. Xavier struggles to speak. Beast bends down so that Xavier can whisper into his ear. E.C.U. Xavierís lips move as he tells Beast what he knows. INT. LAB - LATER - NIGHT Jean, Storm, Beast and Cyclops talk while the news plays silently on the TV in the background. BEAST It appears as though Magneto has built a machine which somehow triggers the mutator gene in normal human beings. And he is using Adamantium as its core. CYCLOPS Its core? Beast grabs a wax pen and draws a lightbulb on a glass drawing board. BEAST Thomas Edison knew how to make the light bulb. He had the energy source. He had the vacuum. But he didnít have the filament. He tried metal after metal but nothing would hold to power. STORM (nods -- now understanding) ... until he found tungsten. Beast finishes his lightbulb by drawing the filament. BEAST Correct... Apparently, Adamantium is the only metal strong enough to hold the energy this machine produces. He used the Adamantium in Loganís dog tag to test it on the Senator. And I assume now he plans to use the rest of Loganís skeleton for a larger demonstration. CYCLOPS For what purpose? BEAST Yes -- Only thereís a problem. The mutator gene is not responding to the radiation the way it would in mother nature. Itís forcing the bodyís cells to replicate thousands of times faster than theyíre accustomed to. The Senatorís body is literally burning itself out. Scott -- this machine kills people and I donít think Magneto realizes it. CYCLOPS So where do you think heís planning this larger demonstration? Jean looks down and sees Xavier pointing with a trembling hand, trying to speak. Xavier is pointing to the television. XAVIER There... He is looking at yet another report on Ellis Island. Cyclops and Jean walk over. All they see on the TV is an aerial shot of Manhattan, slowly coming around toward the harbor. The television image is from the P.O.V. of a helicopter circling Ellis Island, taking in all the security and construction. The grand main hall to Ellis Island and finally, what the helicopter sees as it comes around for one more pass. SUDDENLY - The sound of Kellyís heart monitor begins to PICK UP SPEED. Jean rushes to Kelly and touches his pale neck. She draws her hand back quickly as if burned. The heart monitor keeps speeding up until it is racing faster than a human heart could possibly produce. Jean backs away helplessly. The sheet that covers Kellyís body begins to flatten out. The sweat covering the hapless Senatorís body thickens into a viscous, clear liquid and begins to run off the table. Kelly is literally melting away. Cyclops holds Jean as she turns away. ANGLE ON: THE TV -- the gathering leaders of the world, the water clogged with boats, and the thousands of onlookers on Manhattan Island. All well within range. INT. READY ROOM - NIGHT Storm finishes preparing to leave in another section of the ready room. Beast stands by on his Beast-size crutches feeling useless. BEAST I wish I could go. STORM We all do. BEAST Storm. Try to look for the highest vantage point. From what I can figure, heíll need to gain as much altitude as possible to blanket the island. It is my feeling that Magneto has to-- STORM Beast. Beast looks at her. STORM (contíd) Weíll be fine. INT. LAB - NIGHT Cyclops stands looking down at Professor Xavier. He starts to walk away but he is stopped. He looks down and sees that the Professor has weakly grabbed his sleeve. Cyclops looks at Xavier but he is still unconscious. His hand falls back to the bed. CYCLOPS You can still hear me... canít you. Xavier lies still. CYCLOPS (contíd) I want to thank you for taking me in. Taking us in... You have taught me everything in my life that is worth knowing. Cyclops grimly regards Xavier. CYCLOPS (contíd) And I want you to know that Iíll take care of them. INT. READY ROOM - NIGHT Cyclops and Jean get into their uniforms. Jean is about to go to the hanger when Cyclops stops her. CYCLOPS Hey. Iím sorry. About Logan. I was jealous. JEAN (putting her arms around him) Well, I think thatís perfectly understandable. CYCLOPS Iíll tell you one thing though. JEAN Whatís that? CYCLOPS He calls me sport one more time, and Iíll blow a watermelon-sized hole through him. She smiles and kisses him. CYCLOPS (contíd) Now letís go get him. INT. X-JET - NIGHT Cyclops, Storm, and Jean board the X-Jet. They find -- ROGUE, strapped into a seat, ready to go. INT. HANGER - NIGHT ROGUE stands outside the jet, obviously having been kicked off. INT. X-JET - NIGHT Jean reaches out a hand. Cyclops takes it. They squeeze tight. The X-Jetís engines begin to fire up. INT. HANGER - NIGHT The hatch slowly starts to swing closed. From where she stands Rogue debates, and then runs, dashing inside as the hatch to the X-Jet closes behind her. EXT. BASKETBALL COURT - NIGHT A basketball sits on the ground near the middle of the court. Suddenly the asphalt starts to vibrate and the basketball rolls a few inches. THEN: There is a grinding noise and the surface begins to separate at the half court line. The basketball falls through the widening hole and bounces off the wing of the rising X-Jet. LIFT-OFF. The jet turns and clears the hanger before blasting off into the night sky. EXT. ELLIS ISLAND - NIGHT An aerial shot showing us the whole of the event. Security of every kind covers every inch of the island. Helicopters are coming in at the rate of about one every minute to deliver dignitaries and their families from all over the globe. EXT. ELLIS ISLAND - BRIDGE TO NEW JERSEY - NIGHT A steady flow of limos pour onto the island over a simple two-lane bridge from New Jersey. A NEWSCASTER IN THE FOREGROUND. NEWSCASTER With the ceremonies beginning shortly, it looks as though the last of the dignitaries have landed at Newark and Teterboro airports and will be arriving momentarily. It would seem the United Nations has had their wish tonight. There doesnít seem to be an empty seat in the house. EXT. BATTERY PARK - NIGHT The pier of the Ferry to Liberty Island. A great many families have come to watch curiously the going on. EXT. MANHATTAN HARBOR - NIGHT The harbor is filled with police and Coast Guard vessels watching the water closely. INT. NEW YORK CITY APARTMENTS/VARIOUS - NIGHT A series of shots showing the many folks gathering to watch the historic event on television. In some of these apartments, Ellis and Liberty islands can be seen from their windows in the distance. INT. SECURITY CONTROL CENTER - NIGHT The OPERATING COMMANDER monitors the countless video screens that display nearly every crevice of Ellis Island as well as other parts of New York Harbor as well as the network news feeds of the event... EXT. ELLIS ISLAND - MAIN ENTRANCE - NIGHT The front of the Great Hall of Ellis Island, where once immigrants poured into the new world by the millions. A huge military band off to one side plays music from the different countries to help with the milling about and shaking of hands. The PRESIDENT himself is in the crowd, meeting and greeting, a mob of Secret Service always right there. Follow him into: INT. ELLIS ISLAND - MAIN HALL A YASSAR ARAFAT TYPE, who we will call Yassir Arafat, comes up to the President and smiles. The President introduces his WIFE AND CHILD as more delegates approach. The two men LAUGH and then HUG to the flashing of a million bulbs. Smattering of ass-kissy applause. Arafat and the President wave to press and the like. EXT. OBSERVATION DECK - ELSEWHERE - NIGHT We are looking down on what APPEARS TO BE a deserted part of the island. Away from the action. PAN ACROSS THE EDGE OF THE ISLAND Every fifty feet or so, uniformed Secret Service agents keep tight watch on the island. ANGLE ON: One Secret Service guy in particular. PUSH IN FROM ABOVE - We realize we are pushing in unusually fast, as though we are falling. WHAM. A sickening crunch. Toad lands on top of the Secret Service guy. We have been watching from his P.O.V. The Secret Service man is tumbled into a heap. A real frog rabbits O.S. Toad looks around quietly, listens... THEN LEAPS out of frame. Hold on the body of the Secret Service guy. LONG PAUSE. ANOTHER SICKENING CRUNCH OFF SCREEN. EXT. LIBERTY ISLAND - NIGHT Two Secret Service guys approach one another. One is holding a smoke, the other is producing a lighter. Just as his smoke is about to hit the flame, the flame dodges to one side. He moves the smoke to follow it, and the flame dodges the other way. The guy with the smoke looks at the guy with the lighter as if to say ìknock it off.î The guy with the lighter shrugs as: THE FLAME INSTANTLY GROWS TO A RAGING INTENSITY, ENGULFING THEM. As they are incinerated and their ashes fall to the ground, Pyro climbs into view from the seawall below, dripping wet. He has come dressed to make trouble tonight. Strapped to his back is an impressive looking flame thrower. A three tanker. EXT. SEAWALL - NIGHT A Coast Guard boat crawls into view just off shore. A Secret Service man in the foreground waves to the boat as it passes by. EXT. COAST GUARD BOAT DECK - NIGHT A thirty footer. Fast and sturdy. The PILOT OF THE BOAT, a man in his late forties, waves back. EXT. SEAWALL - NIGHT As the Secret Service guy waves, he jolts upright, his face contorting in impossible pain. Slowly, he is lifted off the ground. EXT. COAST GUARD BOAT DECK - NIGHT PILOTíS P.O.V. Sabretooth holds the last Secret Service man aloft, impaled on his claws. He waves now, the body swaying this way and that before he casually throws it to the ground. The Pilot turns to the wheel of the boat as he MORPHS INTO MYSTIQUE and turns the boat toward the island. EXT. BOTTOM OF THE SEAWALL - BOAT - NIGHT Man-made rocky shore. The boat bumps and grinds on the rock. Sabretooth jumps down to the deck and meets Magneto coming up from below. They nod to one another and walk toward the front of the boat. On the deck is something covered with a tarp. Sabretooth pulls back the tarp to reveal Logan, still unconscious from the drug. ANOTHER, MUCH LARGER OBJECT is on the back of the boat under another tarp, but we cannot see what it is. Magneto steps off the boat and looks up -- up at someplace we cannot yet see. EXT. ELLIS ISLAND - GREAT HALL - NIGHT The dignitaries take their seats as the ceremony commences. INT. X-JET - NIGHT Cyclops pilots the plane as Manhattan comes into view. They bank to the south. Cyclops checks his monitors. CYCLOPS Radar Stealth Mode checks out. All right, thereíll be less security north of the George Washington Bridge. Iím taking her down. JEAN Into the Hudson? CYCLOPS (smiles) Uh-huh. EXT. HUDSON RIVER - NIGHT The X-Jet slows to a hover. Itís Harrier Jet engines tilt back until they are vertical to the water. The engines cycle down and the plane lowers until it is hovering a few feet off the surface. INT. X-JET - NIGHT CYCLOPS V.T.O.L. off. EXT. HUDSON RIVER - NIGHT The Jetís engines cut and the plane splashes down into the water. It floats there for a moment and then sinks below the surface. EXT. BELOW RIVER SURFACE - NIGHT As the X-Jet sinks, the hatches close off and the wings retract to transform the plane into a submarine. The engines pull tight to the body of the craft and begin to propel it forward. EXT. HUDSON RIVER - NIGHT AERIAL VIEW: The water ripples as the submersed aircraft passes under the bridge and into the harbor. INT. SMALL ROOM - NIGHT C.U. on Logan. He wakes. His arms are cuffed behind his back. He is delirious and weakened from the drug. He looks around and sees that he is in an oddly shaped room with barely enough space for him and Magneto, who smiles at him in the half darkness. LOGAN (very weak) Where am I? MAGNETO Youíre backstage at the encore of creation. He looks at his watch. MAGNETO (contíd) Three minutes to curtain. LOGAN What are you going to do? MAGNETO In the road to survival, there is always sacrifice Logan. We are the future... not them. We must protect ourselves. After tonight, when the leaders of the world return home -- They will return as brothers, as mutants... and our cause will be theirs. This is survival, I know you understand that, Logan... or is it Wolverine? He steps out of the hatch and closes it. EXT. LIBERTY ISLAND - NIGHT Magneto who looks down. From atop what, we cannot tell. Magneto comes to stand on a railing outside from his high perch, overlooking the island. From here we pull out to reveal at last where he is. HE IS NOT ON ELLIS ISLAND AT ALL Instead, he stands on the catwalk around the torch of the Statue of Liberty, about a mile away. He has his back to itís gold translucent flame, looking over at the activity on Ellis Island, hearing the band and inhaling the cool evening breeze. MAGNETO Give me your tired, your poor... And he turns to the bright lights of Manhattan and itís millions of inhabitants. MAGNETO (contíd) ... Your huddled masses. He brings a radio to his lips. MAGNETO (contíd) Lights. EXT. POWER STATION - NIGHT Sabretooth is tearing the padlocks off of the generator shed that powers the island. INT. POWER STATION - NIGHT Sabretooth grabs a hold of a fuse lever marked ìLiberty Display Lightsî and pulls it down. Turning it off. INT. TORCH - NIGHT Logan is now in darkness. He frantically pulls on his binds. No use. INT. X-JET - NIGHT Cyclops is monitoring the area above-water on a video screen. JEAN (points to the monitor) The lights on the Statue of Liberty are off. STORM Beast said that he would have to take a high vantage point. Cyclops, motioning to an open area of water next to Liberty Island. CYCLOPS Letís dock over there. Cyclops pulls a lever. The X-Jet begins to surface. CYCLOPS (contíd) Storm, give us some cover. INT. APARTMENTS/VARIOUS - NIGHT Televisions all over the city show the Statue sitting dark to countless curious viewers. INT. X-JET - NIGHT The water level outside the X-Jet lowers as the plane surfaces. EXT. X-JET - NIGHT The plane rises until it is nearly flush with the surface of the water -- Not a hundred yards from an obvious Coast Guard cutter. Out the jetís window, the Statue rises away into the fog that is now rolling in over the Harbor. INT. SECURITY CONTROL CENTER - NIGHT ANGLE ON: The OPERATIONS COMMANDER raises a radio to his mouth. OPERATION COMMANDER Liberty One, Liberty One, this is Horizon, do you copy. AN AGENTíS VOICE RESPONDS. AGENTíS VOICE Go, Horizon. OPERATION COMMANDER (on radio) Liberty, whatís the situation with the lights, over? EXT. LIBERTY ISLAND - NIGHT IT IS MYSTIQUE. The lower part of her face and the whole her neck are that of a stocky man. MYSTIQUE/AGENTíS VOICE Uhhh, Horizon, weíve seem to have had a shutdown at the generator, weíre five by five. There now, checking it out. Everything is fine other-wise. OPERATION COMMANDER (on radio) Roger Liberty one. Horizon out. She MORPHS back into her full self and smiles. MYSTIQUE Darling... Weíre clear. EXT. SEAWALL - NIGHT Jean, Cyclops, Storm and Rogue step off the wing tip of the X-Jet onto the island. They climb over the fog encased seawall and stand staring up at the Statue and the desolate island. EXT. TORCH - NIGHT Magneto takes this moment in the darkness to point his hands and all of his concentration on the bottom of the torch. The air RIPPLES with magnetic energy as -- the cap-like end piece of the torch begins to vibrate, metal groans, twists... WITH A CRACK OF METAL, it comes free, dropping to the ground. INT. TORCH - NIGHT Logan stares down through the hollow torch as the cap falls away into the fog. EXT. STATUE - BOTTOM - NIGHT The foursome are deciding how to proceed. CYCLOPS We should check out operations, see if the Secret Service is still around. Storm is surveying the layout of the island. She looks up at the Statue. STORM LOOK OUT. They all look up. The cap of the torch is SCREAMING DOWN towards them out of the sky. It crashes down as they leap out of the way. CYCLOPS Iím going to assume that means that the Secret Service is out of commission. Jean, can you raise me up there? JEAN Itís too far. CYCLOPS (assessing the situation) Storm, Rogue, -- you take the south entrance. (pointing to the main entrance) Jean and I will go in here. Storm and Rogue start for the south entrance. CYCLOPS (contíd) (to Storm and Rogue) Iíll see you both soon. EXT. TORCH - NIGHT Magneto prepares to execute the next stage of his plan when he looks out over the island. A DENSE FOG has rolled in, obscuring his view of the bottom half of the Statue. He looks out towards Ellis Island and sees that the fog is localized over Liberty Island. MAGNETO (into radio) Be careful everyone... I think we may have company. EXT. SEAWALL - NIGHT The Coast Guard boat Magneto came in on. The giant tarp on the boat and what is under it. IT RISES IN THE AIR, standing upright. The tarp slides to the deck to reveal: THE MACHINE. The one Kelly and Xavier saw. The air ripples as it rises higher in the air. INT. MUSEUM - NIGHT Storm and Rogue quietly enter the Statueís museum. It is filled with scale models and full size displays documenting the history of Lady Liberty. One display showcasing the METAL STRIPS which line the Statue for support. They quickly head for an exit on the far side of the room. SUDDENLY: The lights go out. Darkness. A low guttural CROAK echoes in the void. STORM (whispering) Rogue... run. Rogue runs into the darkness, heading for the exit. She dashes past a six foot copper replica of the Statue and out the door. As soon as Rogue is past, the Statueís HEAD TURNS and watches her go. The replica blinks and the eyes turn Mystique yellow. INT. TORCH - NIGHT The machine is rising. Logan yanks at the manacles in an attempt to pull his hands free. INT. OLD TORCH ROOM - NIGHT A giant room that welcomes the many visitors to the Statue. In the center is the old torch, placed there after the Statueís 1986 restoration. The only light in the room is a soft red glow that emanates from the old torch. Cyclops notices a map of the Statue on a pedestal. CYCLOPS Over there. Cyclops and Jean study the map, looking for the way to the torch. In front of them is the old torch. Itís eerie red glow is growing brighter. EXT. STATUE - TORCH - NIGHT THE MACHINE rises up and into the bottom of the torch itself. INT. TORCH - NIGHT The machine is now almost on him. Loganís struggles turns to rage. SHOOK -- He pops his claws and frantically cuts at the wall behind him, as the machine draws closer. INT. MUSEUM - NIGHT We hear an ominous LOW RUMBLE, as you hear on an overcast day just before a thunderstorm. SHEETS OF HEAT LIGHTNING begin to roll across the ceiling, lighting the room in sporadic bursts. Toad darts around the room. FLASH -- Reptile eyes -- DARKNESS. FLASH -- A WEBBED CLAW -- closer -- DARKNESS. FLASH -- leaping body -- closer -- DARKNESS. Silence. Darkness. The heat lightning continues to expose the room in rolling flashes. Silence. Darkness. Suddenly, behind Storm the sound of ELEVATOR DOORS OPENING. Storm spins and unleashes a BOLT OF LIGHTNING. The lightning strikes an empty GLASS HYDRAULIC ELEVATOR SHAFT. No TOAD. INT. OLD TORCH ROOM - NIGHT ANGLE ON: The map of the statue. Cyclops watches as the dim red glow turns brighter and brighter. He turns to look up at the old torch -- it glows FIERY RED HOT. CYCLOPS Get down! THE TORCH EXPLODES. A RING OF FIRE wipes across the room. Cyclops and Jean duck behind the marble map pedestal as fire whips around them. Move up through the CEILING OF FIRE to reveal Pyro at the center of the old torch. His eyes wide, manipulating the fire like an orchestra conductor. INT. HALLWAY OUTSIDE THE MUSEUM - NIGHT Rogue runs down the hallway, she stops. The sound of footsteps echo from behind her. The footsteps quicken from walking to running. Rogue runs to get away as the footsteps of her pursuer get closer. INT. MUSEUM - NIGHT Darkness. Silence -- except for the sound of Stormís own breathing. Stormís eyes dart around the room, her senses are in overdrive. Suddenly, SLIME drips onto her cheek. A low guttural CROAK. Storm looks up -- TOAD clings to the ceiling. WHAM. Webbed feet slam into Stormís chest sending her flying into the elevator shaft. She crashes helplessly to the bottom -- stunned. Toadís head peers through the open elevator doors to the level below, looking down on the helpless Storm. Toad SMILES. His webbed finger presses the elevator button. The elevator doors above her close, sealing her in the glass tubular shaft. The ROAR of the hydraulic engine coming to life, the elevator begins its crushing descent down toward Storm as she lies at the bottom of the shaft dazed. INT. OLD TORCH ROOM - NIGHT C.U. on Jean and Cyclops both pinned down. Fire sweeps around the map pedestal. Cyclops turns. BOOM -- He fires a series of OPTIC BLASTS blindly through the fire, blasting the ceiling. Chunks of debris from the ceiling shower down onto Pyro. The inferno stops. Smoke fills the room, Jean tries to catch her breath. Cyclops stands and heads toward the old torch trying to draw a bead on Pyro. Cyclops doesnít see him. When: A COLUMN OF FIRE erupts from the thick smoke, rocketing at Cyclops. Cyclops dodges, flipping a heavy wood table with flaming pamphlets on it -- using it as a shield against Pyroís fiery onslaught. EXT. TORCH - BACK - NIGHT ANGLE FROM DIRECTLY OVERHEAD: Magneto on the side of the torchís flame raises the huge machine -- while on the other side -- LOGAN PUSHES HIMSELF THROUGH THE HOLE -- his hands still bound behind his back, and slams against the outer railing of the torch. Logan looks around in shock. He realizes where he is. He looks out at all the activity on Ellis Island, drawing a greater understanding of Magnetoís plan. EXT. TORCH - FRONT - NIGHT With a MAGNETIC RIPPLE of the air Magneto drives the machine right up through the bottom of the torch like batteries in a flashlight. EXT. TORCH - BACK - NIGHT Logan turns his back to the hole he has just emerged from and braces his cuffs against the rising machine. The machine pushes against Loganís wrists driving his cuffs up against the top of the hole. CRACK. The pressure leaves the cuffs apart. INT. ELEVATOR SHAFT - NIGHT Stormís eyes open, looking straight up. ANGLE ON: The elevator continuing its crushing descent. Storm struggles to her feet. Her hand presses against the thick glass elevator shaft, it surrounds her like a coffin. LIGHTNING strike the glass -- to no effect. Storm frantically searches for a way out. She looks up to see the elevator closing fast. Storm raises her hands above her head. WIND begins to lift Stormís hair. The wind picks up and starts swirling violently against the sides of the elevator shaft. Wildly, the wind whips around causing a CYCLONE within the glass shaft buffeting upwards against the elevator. The elevator groans as the hydraulics fight the unrelenting vortex of wind. Smoke begins to pour from the hydraulics, which whine in protest. At the center of the tornado stands Storm, a force of nature. As the elevator continues its descent the cyclone pushes outward. Small cracks start to appear on the glass walls. She is now forced almost to the ground. The elevator is now inches from Stormís head. The floor is made of a thicker version of the same Plexiglas and we look up through it, the massive elevator looming over Storm. BOOM. The glass walls explode outward, showering the museum. Storm partly rolls and is partly blown from the shaft to safety. The pressure of the cyclone released, the elevator SLAMS to the bottom. INT. OLD TORCH ROOM - NIGHT Jean, having caught her breath, looks over to: C.U. on Cyclops. Heís pinned down as fire wraps around the table -- the fire is burning through. Jean, seeing Cyclops defenseless, stands up from behind the marble podium. She quickly scans the room and spots, on opposite walls near the old torch, TWO LARGE FIRE EXTINGUISHERS. Jean stretches out her fists and focuses her telekinesis. Pyro spots Jean -- with one hand continuing to blast Cyclops, he uses the other to unleash an ARM OF FIRE toward Jean. Jean focuses as she brings her outstretched fists closer together. Suddenly -- the two fire extinguishers crash through their glass holders. Like two gunslingers in a showdown. The extinguishers bullet toward Pyro. The arm of fire rockets closer to Jean. Suddenly, the EXTINGUISHERS COLLIDE EXPLODING in front of Pyro. Inches from Jeanís face, the ARM OF FIRE disappears. The COLUMN OF FLAMES against Scott VANISHES. The flames once covering the room are gone, a choking smoke is all that remains. Through the smoke, at the center of the old torch, Pyro lies dead, covered in a sea of white foam. Jean starts choking on the smoke. Cyclops stands and motions for her to get out of the smoke filled room. EXT. TORCH - FRONT - NIGHT The machine finally locks into place. Magneto raises a walkie talkie to his face. MAGNETO Lights on. INT. POWER STATION - NIGHT Sabretooth grabs a hold of the lever for the ìLiberty Displayî power breaker and pulls up. Turning it on. INT. ELLIS ISLAND - GREAT HALL - NIGHT The lights of the Statue come back on. The crowd of dignitaries burst into enthusiastic applause as if it is part of the proceedings. INT. SECURITY CONTROL CENTER - NIGHT The Statue now lit up in the monitors. OPERATION COMMANDER Roger. We see the lights. EXT. TORCH - FRONT - NIGHT Magneto turns and opens the hatch. Magneto sees the hole -- Logan is gone. EXT. TORCH - BACK - NIGHT Magneto walks over and stares at the hole, clearly out by Loganís claws. Magneto looks at his fingers after wiping the edge of the hole. Loganís blood. Magneto looks down and sees Loganís claw marks down the arm of the Statue, marking his escape. Magneto scans the island from his high perch. He does not see Logan. EXT. STATUE - MAIN ENTRANCE - NIGHT The doors to the old torch room burst open -- SMOKE BILLOWS OUT. Jean runs out coughing violently. Suddenly, Toad lands in front of Jean, grabs her head and before she can react, his tongue launches at her face. His tongue covers her face with an ADHESIVE SLIME. Jean falls to the ground. Toad looks back at the main entrance, sees Cyclops emerging and LEAPS up, out of frame. ANGLE ON: Cyclops stumbles out of the smoke filled building. Seeing Jean lying on the ground, he runs to her. Cyclops turns Jean on her back, ready to perform CPR. He is shocked, the slime has now hardened to Jeanís face. She is suffocating. He desperately tries to pry it off. ANGLE ON: The camera quickly pulls higher and higher revealing -- TOADíS P.O.V. EXT. OBSERVATION DECK - NIGHT Toad looks down, perched on top of the railing surrounding the base of the Statue -- the same position he had before crushing the Secret Service agent. Toad arches his back ready to spring downward. He will kill two birds with one crushing leap. The sound of WIND. C.U. Toadís face static, his eyes slowly look to the side. His head twists, looking over his shoulder. Storm stands behind him. Toad turns and hops off the railing towards Storm. C.U. on TOADíS FACE. Which is horrible. TOAD Donít you people die? Suddenly the wind picks up violently. Toad moves closer -- fighting the wind. Storm is MAD. A face we remember seeing on a young girl in Africa. Toad fights the gale force winds, his webbed feet adhering to the ground. He inches closer to Storm. Toad bares his FANGS. EXT. STATUE - MAIN ENTRANCE - NIGHT On the ground Cyclops notices the wind howling with rage above him. He frantically pulls on the encrusted slime suffocating Jean. EXT. OBSERVATION DECK - NIGHT Stormís eyes widen. HURRICANE force winds blast Toad. Try as he might to use his sticky feet to hold on, Toad is blown back off his feet, catching the deck with his hands. The piece of the deck TEARS LOOSE still attached to Toadís hands. He flies off the deck, past the metal railing. Toadís tongue LASHES OUT AND ATTACHES TO THE RAILING. For a moment, Toad just flaps there like a flag. Storm RAISES HER ARMS. CRASH -- A huge BOLT OF LIGHTNING strikes the railing. Toad is blown off the railing in a flash of electricity and -- EXT. HARBOR - NIGHT Toad lands in the water. He disappears below the surface leaving nothing but bubbles. EXT. OBSERVATION DECK - NIGHT Storm moves to the railing. She looks down at Cyclops and Jean. Suddenly, the metal railing on which her hands rest BEGIN TO BEND TOWARD HER. EXT. STATUE - MAIN ENTRANCE - NIGHT Cyclops continues to pull on the slime. Jeanís struggles are becoming more panicked. Cyclops stops and puts his hands on Jeanís shoulders, pinning her down. CYCLOPS Jean. Jean stop. Stop moving. Jean continues to struggle for a moment. She starts to calm down, her chest still hitching involuntarily for air. CYCLOPS (contíd) Jean, trust me. Donít move. He takes a hold of her chin and grips it tightly. He FIRES A THIN, FOCUSED OPTIC BEAM INTO THE ENCRUSTED SLIME, splitting it in half. He pulls the remains away from her face. Jean GASPS for air. Then she looks up. Her face turns to horror. Behind Cyclops, towering over him is -- Sabretooth. WHAM! Sabretooth smashes down. BLACK INT. HALLWAY OUTSIDE THE MUSEUM - NIGHT Rogue turns the corner of the hallway and trips, tumbling to the ground. Rogue watches from the floor as the shadow of her pursuer bends around the corner. The sound of their footsteps get closer. The shadow is upon her, turning the corner. It is LOGAN. LOGAN I didnít mean to scare you. ROGUE Thank God. Logan... we have to help Storm we have to. Logan looks around to make sure itís clear. LOGAN Iíll go back, but first let me find you a safe place. Logan extends his hand. LOGAN (contíd) Here, take my hand. Rogue looks at Logan confused. Logan grows impatient. LOGAN (contíd) Take it! ANGLE ON: Over Loganís shoulder. On the back of his neck we see some BLUE SCALES. Logan is not Logan, Logan is MYSTIQUE. INT. STATUE - HEAD - NIGHT E.C.U.-on Magnetoís belt, which is lined with METAL STRAPS. Magnetoís hand comes into frame holding CYCLOPSí VISOR and places it against one of the straps. The strap WRAPS ITSELF BACK AND AROUND, pinning the visor to the belt. He brings a radio to his mouth. MAGNETO (into radio) Mystique... Mystique, where are you? Magneto turns to Sabretooth. MAGNETO (contíd) Find Logan. Sabretooth exits as Magneto turns to reveal -- Jean and Cyclops, without his visor, are trapped in a hideous tangle of metal (taken from the Statueís steel bracing) forcing the two to face each other. Two sharp points of metal rest on either side of Cyclopsí head, locking it in position. Cyclopsí is close enough to feel Jeanís breath -- if he opens his eyes, he will destroy everything in his path, including Jean. Storm is also encased in a myriad of sharp metal bands, pinning her to the wall. Razor sharp pieces of metal warp and close on her throat. All in all, they are completely disabled. Jean struggles to free them with her telekinesis, to no avail. CYCLOPS (whispering) Jean... can you? JEAN (whispering) Iím sorry. Iím not strong enough. Magneto stands next to Storm. Close. MAGNETO (whispering) If the temperature changes a single degree... (looking at Jean) I only need one hostage. Magneto stares icily at Storm. As if to accentuate the threat, a piece of metal pokes ever so slightly into the side of Stormís throat. MAGNETO (contíd) (raising his voice) Now if you can hear me Logan... EXT. SEAWALL - NIGHT We find Logan -- The real Logan. He has made it off the Statue and is about to jump off the seawall. He stops suddenly. E.C.U. of his ear. His powerful hearing enables him to hear Magneto. MAGNETO (V.O.) ... and I know you can -- It is a five minute run from the furthest distance on this island. If you are not back in this time... I will kill these friends of Xavierís. Including the young lady from the gymnasium. I think they came here to ìrescue you.î INT. STATUE - HEAD - NIGHT Magneto looks to his hand -- the CHIP from Cerebro. MAGNETO (contíd) I also have a small piece of Cerebro that might be of interest to you, if you hope to save Charles Xavier. EXT. SEAWALL - NIGHT MAGNETO (V.O.) Xavier is dying you know. Five minutes Logan. Loganís face shows the frustration. Again, he is forced to make a decision. INT. STATUE - HEAD - NIGHT Magneto pulls out the chip taken from Cerebro and walks over to Jean. MAGNETO Here -- Xavierís life. He tucks it in an exposed part of her uniform. MAGNETO (contíd) If I get what I want, you can try and save him... for old times sake. Magneto turns to Storm. MAGNETO (contíd) Now... shall we talk about the weather. INT. ELLIS ISLAND - MAIN ENTRANCE - NIGHT The President addresses the audience. We move across all the worldís leaders sitting with their families. Men, women and children of every race, color and creed that the planet Earth has to offer. INT. STATUE - HEAD - NIGHT JEAN Magneto. Iíve seen the results of your machine. Iíve seen Senator Kelly. MAGNETO Ahhhh, so the good Senator survived his fall? And the swim to shore? He is stronger than I ever could have imagined. JEAN The experiment was a failure. Kelly didnít make it. Yes, you were successful in activating his mutator gene, but you failed to take into account the rest of his body -- it wasnít ready for the strain. Kelly was dead within hours. Your machine kills. MAGNETO Quiet... Magneto pauses. Shock registering on his face that he could be wrong. Thinking. Considering what Jean is telling him. His mind races and calculates the possibility. Then: MAGNETO (contíd) I donít believe you. JEAN You donít understand. Magneto gets angry -- squeezing the metal surrounding Jeanís head. Jean gasps. This drives Cyclops crazy, but he is helpless to stop it. CYCLOPS (yelling) Stop it! MAGNETO Why canít you see what I am trying to do? Why do you stand in my way? Magnetoís anger is boiling over. THUD -- the sound of footsteps, then another and another. The faces around the room look at the stairs as the footsteps get closer and louder. MAGNETO (contíd) Check and mate. PAUSE. SUDDENLY: SHOOK -- Loganís claws shoot up through the floor, and through Magnetoís feet. Magneto howls. The claws retract and Magneto falls. Magneto, writhes in pain, rolling onto his stomach. Logan quickly comes up the stairs and into the Statueís head. He stands over the crippled Magneto. Logan turns to Jean who is still pressed eye to eye with Cyclops. He is relieved to see her alive. ANGLE ON: Storm. She sees something. Several of the steel bands that support the top of the Statueís head begin to move. STORM Logan! THREE METAL BAND peel off the ceiling, coming to life with magnetic energy. They leap across the room and wrap around Logan. Forcing his fists to press against his chest. Should he so much as extend his claws, he will rupture his own vitals. The metal bands wrap behind his back. Magneto raises his hand and MAGNETIC WAVES RIPPLE. Metal groans as Magneto peels open a gaping hole in the top of Lady Libertyís head. Magneto looks up at the torch. The wind howls. The AIR RIPPLES again as Magneto levitates the steel bands holding Logan, lifting Logan off the ground and out the hole in the Statueís head. EXT. STATUE - HEAD - NIGHT MAGNETIC WAVES thrust Logan through the air and -- INT. TORCH - NIGHT WHAM -- THROUGH the metal skin of the flame. Logan lands in the center of the sphere on top of the machine. Inside the sphere is a metal structure resembling the model of an atom. Its rings expand as it receives Logan. Logan looks through the hole in the frame, down into the hole in the Statueís head, at Magneto. INT. STATUE - HEAD - NIGHT Magneto struggles to his feet, pulling himself up by his hands. Magneto stares at Logan, impatient. Magneto stands with a hand raised up toward the machine. Then a slight motion of his wrist -- INT. TORCH - NIGHT The rings start revolving just as it did with Kelly, back at the lair. Spinning slowly, then gaining in speed. The air around it RIPPLES, gaining in intensity. INT. STATUE - HEAD - NIGHT MAGNETIC ENERGY POURS from Magnetoís hands toward the machine, behind him Jean and Storm watch helplessly. INT. TORCH - NIGHT The rings are spinning around Logan at such a speed, the rings themselves are no longer visible -- merely a blur around the stationary Logan. Logan yells. Unthinkable pain, his skeleton beginning to glow through his skin. His eyes look down, through the hole in the torch, into the Statueís head, searching for Jean. The deafening whine builds louder and louder. INT. STATUE - HEAD - NIGHT Magneto looks at the incredible displays as MAGNETIC ENERGY flows from his hands continuing to charge the machine. Mystique emerges from the stairwell behind Magneto. Her eyes widen in awe. MAGNETO Ahh, there you are. Mystique walks slowly toward magneto. Storm and Jean watch the torch in horror. JEAN (to Mystique) You have to stop him, the machine... it kills people... Mystique ignores Jean. She stops behind Magneto. She looks up and sees Logan staring back in agony. JEAN (contíd) ... Please do something. Magneto tilts his head slightly, acknowledging Jean, but not moving from his task. MYSTIQUE Donít listen to her... itís a trap. Magneto turns. MAGNETO What is? MYSTIQUE This is. And she grabs the sides of his face and kisses him deeply. There is an awkward moment. Until: MAGNETO CONVULSES. Once, then again. Then he struggles to be set free. And MYSTIQUE TRANSFORMS INTO ROGUE. It has been her all along, using SHAPE SHIFTING powers borrowed from the real Mystique. Magneto fights to get free, but his power is being drained from him. JEAN ROGUE, DESTROY THE MACHINE! Rogue goes to pull away, BUT MAGNETO WONíT LET HER GO. Magneto grabs hold of Rogueís throat -- CHOKING HER. INT. TORCH - NIGHT Logan looking down, through the hole in the Statueís head for Jean, sees Rogue and Magneto struggle. Logan watches helplessly as MAGNETO STRANGLES ROGUE. LOGAN YELLS -- THE WHITE LIGHT BEGINS TO EMANATE FROM HIS BODY. His flesh starts to SMOLDER. INT. STATUE - HEAD - NIGHT Magneto is strangling Rogue, who clings to his face -- drawing his powers. The walls GROAN as magnetic energy RIPPLES through the Statueís head. ANGLE ON: Rogue, choking to death, looks frantically at Cyclops for help. She raises one of her hands and uses Magnetoís stolen power to BEND BACK THE METAL POINTS so that Cyclops is able to move his head again. Without his visor however, he is still unable to open his eyes. Magneto, feeling the last of his power draining from him, grabs Rogue tightly and SLAMS her into the wall. Rogue slumps in Magnetoís arms and the two collapse to the ground. INT. TORCH - NIGHT The sound from the machine is DEAFENING. SUDDENLY -- SILENCE. ABSOLUTE SILENCE. At the silence, all eyes turn to the torch. It is too late -- THE MACHINE IS FULLY CHARGED. Loganís eyes tense. He clenches his teeth. Logan does the unthinkable. SHOOK. The glowing white claws extend through Loganís chest and out his back cutting three metal straps binding him. Logan ROARS in pain as he -- Pulls his claws from his chest. SLASH -- his claws rip through the inside of the machine - - cutting apart the rings spinning around him. The translucent torch of the Statue is CUT TO PIECES BY THE FLYING METAL. INT. ELLIS ISLAND - GREAT HALL - NIGHT The President and the dignitaries turn. Secret Service rush to the window. A wave of panic sweeps the crowd. INT. SECURITY CONTROL CENTER - NIGHT The flaming torch lights up one of many screens. OPERATION COMMANDER Liberty one this is Horizon... I repeat... do you copy? Liberty one this is Horizon ... I repeat... do you copy? EXT. STATUE - TORCH - NIGHT Where the flame of the torch once stood, now stands Logan, his skeleton cooling down. Logan leans on the torchís railing, his chest bleeds from the six claw wounds. Logan is exhausted. He looks down at his comrades still trapped by the metal bands. And Magneto lying powerless on the floor. SUDDENLY, from below -- A MASSIVE CLAWED HAND strikes Loganís chest. The blow sends Logan sailing back to the far end of the torch. Logan lies against the railing. Opening his eyes he sees -- TWO CLAWED FEET following upward to a very angry, very large Sabretooth, towering over him. Sabretooth leaps at Logan. Against the New York skyline THEY GO AT IT, SLASHING AND HOWLING. EXT. MANHATTAN HARBOR - NIGHT Several Coast Guard cutters head full-speed toward Liberty Island. ANGLE ON: Their decks covered with armed Secret Service. EXT. TORCH - NIGHT Sabretooth picks up Logan over his head and throws him like a rag doll into the railing on the other side of the torch. Logan struggles to his feet -- dazed. Suddenly, Sabretooth, running at full steam, tackles him. Slamming Logan into the railing. The metal railing bends. Sabretooth holds Logan by his wrists, trying to push him over the edge. It is several hundred feet to the ground below. Logan is weakening. Sabretooth is in complete control, he leans down near Loganís ear. SABRETOOTH (whispering) Your girlfriend is next. With all his might, Logan pushes his clenched fists as close to Sabretoothís face as he can. SHOOK! The claws pop. Sabretooth springs back to protect his face. LOGAN KICKS WITH ALL HIS MIGHT AND SABRETOOTH flies back to the other side of the torch. LOGAN leaps up and running at full speed, tackles Sabretooth -- like a train plowing into a stalled car. The metal railing snaps and they both go flying through the air. EXT. STATUE - HEAD - NIGHT CRACK. Sabretooth and Logan slam onto the top of the Statueís head. Logan rolls off the back of the Statueís head and falls. Sabretooth stands and looks over the edge - nothing. All he can see is the Statueís body curving away towards the ground. He smiles, and turns back to the hole. EXT. STATUE - HEAD - NIGHT ANGLE ON: LOGAN - Hanging from the ear of the Statue, the claws of his right hand embedded in the lobe at the end of three sets of long claw-marks. He looks up. A look of brutal determination crosses his face. Straining, he pulls himself up by his right arm. The cords stand out on his neck as he tries to get to shoulder level. He aims his left claw a little further up on the ear and -- THUNK. He drives it in. INT. STATUE - HEAD - NIGHT WHAM -- E.C.U. Sabretoothís feet as he lands on the metal floor. He quickly takes in the situation, Magneto and Rogue are still unconscious. He walks towards Storm. The air in the room starts to CRACKLE and Sabretoothís hair begins to stand on end as it did when these two last confronted each other. SABRETOOTH I donít think so. Sabretooth backhands Storm across the jaw, knocking her out. As her head drops, he draws his claws and slashes it down. It STOPS, just before tearing open Stormís throat, HELD BY AN UNSEEN FORCE. He turns and sees that Jean has focused her power in his arm. He smiles. He walks to Jean and tears off her bonds. He reaches out to grab her neck but his claw is stopped again in mid- air. Sabretooth just smiles wider and forces his hand forward. The outcome never really in doubt, the claw wraps around Jeanís neck. She begins to choke. CYCLOPS Jean! Sabretooth lifts Jean by the neck and walks away from Cyclops as he chokes her. SABRETOOTH Sorry about this sweetheart, but I made Logan a promise. Jean struggles desperately against Sabretoothís unbreakable grip, the life draining from her. Then -- LOGAN (O.S.) Hey, ya big pussy. Sabretooth whips around, still clutching Jean to see - LOGAN - Bleeding, beaten and panting, and yet still standing defiantly over Magnetoís unconscious body. LOGAN (contíd) I ainít finished with you yet. Sabretooth looks at him, disbelieving that this man can still be standing, let alone challenging him... and he starts to laugh. SABRETOOTH You? Logan grins. LOGAN Not just me. And with that: he extends ONE CLAW from his right hand, squats down, and cuts the piece of metal holding Cyclopsí visor to Magnetoís belt. He lifts it up and it slides down his claw to his hand. He casually throws it in the air. LOGAN (contíd) Jean? Logan looks at the visor and it freezes in the air. It flies across the room, right past Sabretoothís head. He lunges at it with his free claw but just misses it. The visor lands square on Cyclopsí eyes, and attaches itself to Cyclopsí face. He turns. BOOM! A focused OPTIC BLAST hits Sabretooth like a FREIGHT TRAIN. He drops Jean and SLAMS THROUGH THE WALL. EXT. STATUE - NIGHT We see the side of the Statueís head. Suddenly, Sabretooth BLASTS THROUGH THE EYE. For a moment Cyclopsí beam continues to fire through the eye as if the Statue itself is imitating Cyclopsí power. EXT. SEAWALL - NIGHT Magnetoís boat still sits quietly next to the seawall. CRASH. Sabretoothís body SMASHES THROUGH THE ROOF of the boat. The tarp flies up and drifts back down to rest over Sabretoothís body. INT. STATUE - HEAD - NIGHT Loganís breathing is strained, a blood stain in the middle of his shirt, but he is in control. Logan looks up, his eyes met by Jeanís. He walks over to Storm and Cyclops and SHOOK! cuts them loose. Jean and Cyclops catch Storm, who begins to come around. Cyclops smiles. Logan kneels down beside Rogue. He wants to comfort her but cannot touch her. She opens her eyes and sees Logan. ROGUE Hey... There you are. (sudden apprehension) Is it really you? LOGAN (not quite sure what sheís talking about) Yeah, itís really me. CYCLOPS Come on, letís get out of here. Logan stands. He takes a couple of steps before collapsing in Cyclopsí arms. LOGAN (sliding to the ground) Iím o.k. Iím o.k. CYCLOPS Sure you are, sport. EXT. LIBERTY ISLAND - DOCK - NIGHT Several Coast Guard cutters and police boats reach the island. Men run across the dock as we pull up -- EXT. LIBERTY ISLAND - NIGHT The Coast Guard, Secret Service, and FBI descend upon the island. INT. OLD TORCH ROOM - NIGHT Security enters the smoldering remains of the old torch room. The walls blackened by a past inferno. At the center, Pyro lies motionless in a sea of foam. INT. MUSEUM - NIGHT Push in on MYSTIQUE who is tied up. Across her feet a crack of light as the door begins to open. Swish pan over to the NYPD entering the room. Swish pan back. Mystique has taken the form of a Secret Service agent. AGENT/MYSTIQUE Hey, could somebody untie me! EXT. SEAWALL - NIGHT A Secret Service spots the wreckage of Magnetoís boat and the large tarp which covers it. He pulls his gun. SECRET SERVICE MAN #3 (to other agents) Hey! Over here. Three other agents pull their guns and aim at the tarp. The first agent pulls it back to reveal... nothing. Sabretooth is gone. INT. STATUE - HEAD - NIGHT NYPD and Secret Service rush up the stairs and into the head. Magneto lies unconscious on the floor. The lead guy, an NYPD OFFICER in a flak jacket, holding a shotgun, stares up at the ceiling. He peers out through the gaping hole. Beyond the damaged torch the star filled sky is momentarily eclipsed by a aircraft -- the X- Jet. The officer turns to say something, but stops -- wondering if his eyes were merely playing tricks on him. INT. MANSION - DAY Cyclops, Jean, Storm, Rogue and about two dozen students all sit in front of a wide screen TV watching the Special Report on the Mutant Registration Act vote. As the Anchorman speaks we move over the concerned looks on all of their faces. ANCHORMAN (O.S.) Even after last weeks terrorist vandalization of the Statue of Liberty by an unidentified mutant organization, the outcome of the vote was 51 to 49 in opposition to the Mutant Registration Act. A LOUD CHEER as the room erupts into celebration. CYCLOPS Quiet. Quiet everybody. ANCHORMAN This narrow defeat was probably due in large part to the surprising last- minute reversal by Senator Scott ìFrankî Kelly, who until today provided the loudest voice in the cry for Mutant Registration. Earlier today, Kelly had this to say: The TV cuts to a shot of Kelly being grilled by reporters as he walks down the Capitol steps. KELLY (struggling to get through) If we can not go into the future together, the divisions of fear and prejudice will tear this country apart. As he is speaking, we cut to: INT. CAPITOL BUILDING - WASHINGTON D.C. - DAY Kelly pushing past reporters. KELLY No more questions. Please, no more questions. E.C.U. The back of Kellyís neck as he passes. A BLUE SCALE is visible above his collar. INT. LOGANíS ROOM - DAY The FAINT CHEERS are heard through the walls. HAZY THEN FOCUS INTO -- light pushes through blinds. A gentle breeze moves them slightly. Logan sits up in his bed, his chest bandaged. VRRRIP -- the sound of blinds being pulled open. Bright sunshine fills the room, washing across a box and a card sitting on a bureau. ANGLE ON: the card as Logan reads it. LOGAN -- WELCOME HOME. It is signed simply, X. Logan reaches in the box, pulling out -- a UNIFORM. He lays it on the bed. He pulls on one of the gloves, stretching his fingers in it. Perfect fit. SHOOK -- He pops his claws through THREE METAL RINGLETS on the back of the glove -- clearly it was made specifically for him. Logan looks down into the box for him. INT. LOGANíS ROOM - LATER - DAY From behind Logan we see him finish putting something on over his head. Logan turns into frame, he is wearing a dark blue MASK. It fits his head neatly. The sides arch up shadowing his ears, giving him a wolf or fox-like appearance. The shape is reminiscent of Loganís sketch -- the wolverine. Logan stands facing a mirror. The mask looks good on him and he seems to know it. Xavier is in the doorway. Logan pulls off the mask, embarrassed. LOGAN Donít you knock? XAVIER Theyíre all asking how youíre doing. Are you feeling up to saying hello to everyone? LOGAN (pulling the glove off) Actually Iím feeling up to leaving. Logan walks over to the closet and pulls out a shirt. He puts it on. XAVIER (surprised) Why? You have a home here now, if you want it. Everyone will... LOGAN What?... miss me? Charley, Iím gonna walk out the front door and trust me, it wonít be soon enough for everyone here. Logan pulls a duffle bag out of the closet. LOGAN (contíd) Can I, umm? XAVIER Of course. Everything in this room is for you. Logan seems genuinely touched by the gesture. LOGAN Thanks, Iíll pay you back. Logan shoves some clothes into the bag, but not all. XAVIER Well if youíre going to leave then you at least owe them a goodbye. Logan smirks. He picks up his bag. They exit the room together. INT. MANSION - DAY The celebration continues unabated. The newscaster on the defeat of the Mutant Registration Act muted, in the background -- Storm, Jean, and Cyclops all sit around a table chatting. Rogue sits on the couch with other students, trying on a new pair of leather gloves. XAVIER (O.S.) Excuse me. (louder) Excuse me. Xavier is in the doorway. XAVIER (contíd) Everyone, Logan would like to say... Logan steps into the doorway. Everyone can see him now. Before Xavier can finish his sentence he is interrupted by -- APPLAUSE -- simple, genuine, applause. Students slowly stand up. Proud of Logan. For he is one of them. He is a mutant. And he is a hero. As the unconditional applause echoes around him, Logan seems sincerely touched by their spontaneous outpouring. He is almost choked up -- almost. The applause quiet. XAVIER (contíd) Well, Logan. All eyes are on Logan. Logan pauses. He looks to Xavier, then back to the room. LOGAN Whatís a guy gotta do to get a beer around here? Logan puts his duffle bag down. He walks over to the table with Storm, Cyclops and Jean. Jean smiles at him, so does Cyclops -- his arm around the back of her chair. Logan sees them together, they are happy, and finally he offers a smile. Xavier holds for a moment at the door. A look of pride on his face, the pride a father has for his children. INT. PLASTIC PRISON - DAY A CLEAR PLASTIC HALLWAY Thatís right, PLASTIC. Everything we can see -- walls, ceiling, floor -- is made, entirely, of thick, clear plastic. DOWN THE HALL TO: A THICK PLASTIC CELL There, in the middle, at the clear plastic desk, with two clear plastic cups filled with the only thing of color other than the two men in the room. Xavier and Magneto. They play a friendly game of chess. Magneto is notably without his trademark helmet. Two casts encase his legs from his Logan-inflicted injury. Xavier is on a modified plastic chair with plastic wheels. MAGNETO I wouldnít really have let you die, you know. I just needed... XAVIER (interrupting) I know. Magneto thinks for a while; then: MAGNETO Doesnít it ever wake you in the middle of the night? The feeling that some day, some day very soon, they will pass that foolish law - or one just like it - and they will come for you and your children? Take you all away? XAVIER It does indeed, Max. MAGNETO And what do you do when you wake up to that? XAVIER I feel a great swell of pity for the poor soul who comes to that school again looking for trouble. He stares right at Magneto. Xavier makes a move, Magneto counters. Xavier moves again. MAGNETO But you know that it is a war, old friend. And to win a war it takes the will to fight it at all costs, by any means necessary. And for that reason, I will always have the advantage. No matter how you trap me, how I am contained - Chess pieces seem to visually mimic their conversation Xavierís white pieces slowly surrounding Magnetoís Black King. MAGNETO (contíd) - I will always find an escape. XAVIER And I will always be there, old friend. And with that, Xavier places his queen gently down, taking away a knight. XAVIER (contíd) Check. Just then, the door to the cell opens. A Guard waits. Magneto and Xavier stare at one another before Xavier turns and wheels himself out of the room. The door closes behind him, leaving Magneto alone with his plastic chess set in his plastic cell. And Magneto looks at the pieces before him. Something occurs to him. He smiles a wicked smile. And his rook LEVITATES, despite its properties, moving across the board and toppling Xavierís king. MAGNETO And mate. BLACK

FADE IN: EXT. SNOWSCAPE A BLINDING WHITE SCREEN, under which we hear an ominous low end Dolby THX Big Screen rumble. We're not in 19" television land anymore, Toto. As the rumble builds, TWO BLACK FIGURES appear on what now has resolved into a distant horizon. From their movements we can shortly see that the figures are men. Moving along a windswept ice sheet in an otherwise featureless land. A LEGEND appears: NORTH TEXAS, 35,000 B.C. CLOSER ON THE TWO MEN Continuing toward us, we can now see that they are dressed in crude garments made of animal skins. If we squint we can see their hair is long, their jutting foreheads significant of primitive Homo Sapiens. They continue toward us, the wind beating against them, CAMERA IS CRANING DOWN to the snow that lies before them. To LARGE THREE-TOED TRACKS. FOLLOWING THE PRIMITIVES As they track the three-toed prints to a rocky crevice in the hard-pack ice. The prints stop here, and so do the men. Dropping down into the crevice in pursuit of their quarry. CUT TO: INT. ICE CAVE Dark in here, except where the sunlight penetrates the thick, glassy ice walls. The silhouettes of the Primitives stark against the glistening cavern. The sound of flint being struck, then A TORCH CATCHES FIRE, illuminating their faces. And: A CREATURE Deeper in the cave. Fleeing the light and the men. We get only a brief glimpse of it in the torch light, seeing that it moves upright on two legs and has gray, dinosaur-like skin. And large black eyes. But it moves quickly enough away that any other identifying feature is lost in the deeper shadows. THE PRIMITIVES Removing crude weapons made of sharpened bone from under their thick fur garments, and scrabbling into the constricting cavern, giving chase. Following them as they moves with animal-like agility through the tightening space. Predatory hunters. Their torchlight catching: THE CREATURE As it disappears into a tight opening in a smaller crevice leading off the main one. The Primitives entering frame after a moment, only a few steps behind. The LEAD PRIMITIVE dropping to the cave floor, pulling himself into this same tight fissure in pursuit. Splitting off from his partner who exits frame still on the run. INT. SMALLER ICE CAVE - HIGH ANGLE DOWN The fiery torch comes through first, held by the lead man. Throwing dancing shadows on the walls of what appears to be a box cavern. CLOSE ON LEAD PRIMITIVE Rising quickly to his feet. Not seeing what the torch illuminates just behind him: The face of a dead Primitive Man, his body frozen into the ice. He does finally notice this, turning to see it, when he's ATTACKED VICIOUSLY FROM BEHIND. The torch falls to the floor so that the fight is difficult to see, but it is loud and cruel. The creature squealing wildly as the grunts of the Primitive now turn to the sounds of painful struggle. Until: THE SECOND PRIMITIVE MAN Suddenly appears, driving his bone weapon into the body of the Creature. Again and again, until the Creature is driven away into the shadows. The Second Man grabs the torch now, not to see if his hunting mate has survived, but in pursuit of the Creature. In the light we see that he and his weapon are covered with spatters of OILY BLACK BLOOD. As is the First Primitive whose body lies heaving on the floor. The Second Primitive stepping over his hunting mate, stalking the Creature into the shadows, where it has collapsed. The torch finally landing, for the first time, on its face. When the torchlight hits its face, the Creature attacks. But the Primitive prevails. He drops his torch and dispatches the already wounded Creature with strong hard stabs of his weapon, one of which penetrates the Creature's eye. LOW ANGLE ON THE DEAD CREATURE The torch, which lies on the ground, illuminates the dead creature's face. Its wounds are flowing with the oily black blood, which, oddly now, BEGINS TO POOL. As if it has intelligence, sentience. Pooling and traveling into a fissure in the cave floor. And disappearing. ANGLE ON THE SECOND PRIMITIVE Watching this, unknowing. His chest heaving from the fight, as the spots of Oily Black Blood which have spattered onto him begin to crawl. Crawling toward his eyes and mouth. Causing him to let out grunts of fear. Which are the sounds we hear as the CAMERA SLOWLY CRANES UP past the struggling Primitive to the roof of the cave, where the dancing shadows of the torch FADE AWAY with the sounds of struggle. Moving into darkness and silence. But only for a moment. Until: SUNSHINE BREAKS THROUGH THE ROOF OF THE CAVE - PRESENT DAY Along with the spade of a shovel. And then -- the earthen cave ceiling gives way and A BOY wearing Nikes and an old t-shirt falls through it. Falling PAST CAMERA. We hear a YELL, then a THUD, and a CLATTERING of the shovel that's fallen in with him. Then a pained GASPING. Then SEVERAL HEADS appear in the opening. These are BOYS of ten to eleven, staring down into the cave. Hot sunlight blazing in. We have traveled far, far forward in time. 2ND BOY Hey, Stevie. You okay? INT. CAVE - PRESENT DAY THEIR POV OF STEVIE On the floor below covered with dirt, in his nose and mouth. Spitting out. (All these boys have Texas in their voices.) STEVIE I got...I got....I got.... (straining) ....the wind knocked out of me. This draws no sympathy from above, only LAUGHTER. THE BOYS UP ABOVE Staring excitedly. 3RD BOY Looks like a cave or something. 2ND BOY What's down there, Stevie? Anything? OVER THE BOYS ABOVE Stevie has gotten up, moving out of the patch of sunlight. Disappearing from view for a moment. Then reappearing, still spitting out dirt. But holding: STEVIE Human skull. One side partially missing from the cranium. But it brings WHOOPS of delight from the boys above. 3RD BOY Toss it up here, dude. STEVIE No way, buttwipe. I found it. It's mine. ANGLE UP ON STEVIE The other boys looking down at him. Stevie looking at the skull. Strangely, the light shines through it. It is milky, opaque, as if it's bone that's turned somehow glassy in places. Then: STEVIE Anyways, there's bones all over the place down here. Stevie looks down at his feet. CAMERA FOLLOWING HIS LOOK DOWN to where there are indeed more human bones. And something else. He takes a couple of steps in place, standing in a familiar BLACK, OILY substance -- which is climbing up his tennis shoe from the rock floor, over the edge of the shoe and down into the shoe itself. Then the SKULL drops in the frame, clattering on the hard floor of the cave. CAMERA SLOWLY RISING UP FROM STEVIE'S SHOES Following SUBCUTANEOUS WORMS which have begun locomoting aggressively up his legs. As his whole body is WRACKED by a shivering seizure of some kind. CAMERA RISES, following the path of the worms as they move up the legs of his shorts. Some appearing on his bare arms, but the great majority continuing up to Stevie's neck, toward his face. Stevie stands paralyzed. Letting out guttural sounds not dissimilar to when the wind was knocked out of him. 3RD BOY (O.S.) Hey, Stevie.... But Stevie cannot answer him. CAMERA CONTINUING UP to the boys above. Looking down at their friend. Their eyes go wide. 2ND BOY You okay? But what they see next answers that question for them. THEIR POV OF STEVIE His face suddenly alive with the subcutaneous worms. Moving toward his eyes which begin filling with BLACK OIL. Looking much now like ALIEN EYES. CLOSE ON THE BOYS ABOVE Freaked by what they see. And doing what any kid would do now. 3RD BOY Hey, man. Let's get outta here. And they do. Bolting from the hole in the top of the cave. CAMERA PUSHING UP THROUGH THIS HOLE to REVEAL we are: EXT. SMALL DIRT FIELD - NORTHERN TEXAS - DAY In a dirt hole that was being dug by the three kids. RISING UP out of the hole to REVEAL the parched dirt patch where THREE KIDS are running away from us, as fast as their feet will take them. Toward A NEW HOUSING TRACT (five floorplans to choose from, including the model home.) Disappearing into the neighborhood. A LEGEND appears: NORTH TEXAS, 1998. CAMERA CONTINUES RISING ABOVE THE ROOFTOPS to see the surrounding expanse of empty Texas flatland. And in the distance, the DALLAS SKYLINE. As CAMERA SETTLES, there are a few moments of nothing but the sound of the wind gently whistling across the landscape. In which we bury a short TIME CUT. EXT. NEIGHBORHOOD - NORTHERN TEXAS - DAY Then we HEAR it, before we see it: FIRE ENGINES pulling into the neighborhood, sirens WAILING. CAMERA DROPPING AGAIN as the lead engine pulls up. FIREMEN are hopping off, moving to the hole the boys dug. LOW ANGLE UP FROM BELOW GROUND LEVEL, IN THE DUGOUT HOLE TWO firemen carrying a ladder clamber down PAST CAMERA, THREE OTHERS appearing on their heels. The other two firemen clamber down, too. THE CAPTAIN at the edge of the hole watching them. Holding a radio. FIRE CAPTAIN This is Captain Miles Cooles...we've got a rescue situation in progress... INT. CAVE - CONTINUOUS As the LEAD FIREMAN steps down the ladder into the cave. He scans the darkness, illuminated only by the shaft of light permitted by the hole above. As the 2ND FIREMAN drops down next to him. The both stand motionless now, as if sensing something. THEIR POV Stevie's feet are just visible on the floor of the cave, a short distance away. RESUME FIREMEN - LOW ANGLE They start cautiously toward Stevie. CAMERA FINDING their feet. Tracking through the same OILY, BLACK SUBSTANCE we saw bleeding from the creature thirty five thousand years ago. As they move into the shadows, we HOLD ON THE SUBSTANCE....and see it MOVE. It's alive. TIME CUT TO: EXT. DIRT FIELD - SHORT TIME LATER CAMERA RISES out of the dirt hole, finds A GROUP OF NEIGHBORS: Concerned PARENTS, KIDS, including Stevie's friends. They're held at a distance by the remaining firemen. Everyone turning their concerned gazes skyward. Looking at: A MED-EVAC CHOPPER Coming off the sun-setting horizon. Moving toward us at high speed. The WHOP, WHOP of its blade soon shaking the neighborhood as it banks in and around and hovers just over the dirt field. Landing gently on the parched hard scrabble. The side door flies open and FIVE HAZ-MAT RESCUE PARAMEDICS jump out carrying a bubble litter. CAMERA PANS THEM to the dirt hole past THE FIRE CAPTAIN. The Haz-Mat Paramedics moving down into the hole. The Fire Captain watches this, then stares toward -- DR. BEN BRONSCHWEIG (in shirtsleeves, tie), exiting the chopper, following up the rear. The Captain meeting him in route. BRONSCHWEIG (over the chopper) Keep those people back. Get them out of here. FIRE CAPTAIN (to his men) Move them all back. (dogging Bronschweig) I sent four men down after the boy. They're not responding. Dr. Bronschweig's focus is elsewhere, though. He's making a bee line to the earthen hole where young Stevie is being pulled out and lifted into an enclosed QUARANTINE BUBBLE LITTER by the rescue squad. Bronschweig watches with great concern. Getting a good look now at Stevie's paralyzed body as it passes him. ANGLE ON CHOPPER As Stevie's body is loaded aboard, the side door is slid shut. The engine throttles up and the chopper takes flight again, almost as quickly as it arrived. The prop wash blowing: DR. BRONSCHWEIG And the gathering crowd. Bronschweig watches the chopper bank away, then turns his look to: THE NEIGHBORHOOD Where A SERIES OF UNMARKED CARGO VANS, TRUCKS are rolling in. A fleet of vehicles, driven by what looks like MILITARY PERSONNEL. Most conspicuously TWO WHITE UNMARKED TANKER TRUCKS. (There are NO MARKINGS on these vehicles.) RESUME BRONSCHWEIG As the Fire Captain moves around to face him off. FIRE CAPTAIN What about my men? DR. BRONSCHWEIG (brusquely) We're doing all we can. And he moves off toward the approaching trucks where the MILITARY PERSONNEL are pulling out tents, tent poles, scientific equipment. Leaving the Captain to wonder what the hell's going on. Watching the first of many REFRIGERATION UNITS being unloaded. The personnel carrying it paying him no mind as they blow past him. Moving RIGHT TO CAMERA and plunging us into BLACK. HOLD. Then OVER BLACK, a familiar sound again. The sound of a chopper auguring in. As we FADE UP, revealing we are: EXT. TOP OF A SKYSCRAPER - DAY The chopper is banking over the side of the building, preparing to touch down on the rooftop where FIFTEEN FBI AGENTS in dark ID windbreakers are standing. A LEGEND appears: FEDERAL BUILDING, DALLAS, TEXAS. ONE WEEK LATER. The chopper touches down and, again, the side door is thrown open. But now only one man exits: SPECIAL AGENT IN CHARGE (S.A.C.) DARIUS MICHAUD. Michaud moves with the measured pace of authority, approaching the waiting FBI Agents. One of whom steps up. FBI AGENT We've evacuated the building and been through it bottom to top. No trace of an explosive device or anything resembling one. S.A.C. MICHAUD Have you taken the dogs through? FBI AGENT Yes, sir. S.A.C. MICHAUD Well, take them through again. This is given as a non-negotiable order, to the somewhat weary FBI man. Who turns back to his charges, Michaud does not register this attitude, though. Something else has caught his attention. Causing him to walk to the edge of the building. CAMERA FOLLOWING HIM, seeing what he sees now. On an adjacent skyscraper is what appears to be AN FBI AGENT in an ID windbreaker exiting onto the roof. CAMERA CONTINUING AROUND into A CLOSE UP PROFILE of S.A.C Michaud. Staring at this, his jaw set. He doesn't like what he sees. And what he sees is: EXT. ROOFTOP OPPOSING SKYSCRAPER - DAY - CONTINUOUS Special Agent Dana Scully is coming out the door leading onto the roof. The door slams shut behind her. She, too, is dressed in an FBI windbreaker. She's dialing her cell phone as she moves around the rooftop looking for something. Dialing the number of: SCULLY Mulder -- it's me -- MULDER (FILTER) Where are you, Scully? SCULLY I'm on the roof. MULDER (FILTER) Did you find something? SCULLY (impatiently) No. I haven't. MULDER (FILTER) What's wrong, Scully? SCULLY I've just climbed twelve floors. I'm hot and thirsty and I'm wondering, to be honest, what I'm doing here. MULDER (FILTER) You're looking for a bomb. SCULLY I know that. But the threat was called in for the Federal Building across the street. MULDER (FILTER) I think they have that covered. WE ARE TRACKING WITH SCULLY. SCULLY (impatience) Mulder... when a terrorist bomb threat is called in, the logical purpose of providing this information is to allow us to find the bomb. The rational object of terrorism is to promote terror. If you'd study model behavioral pattern in virtually every case where a threat has turned up an explosive device. If we don't act in accordance with that data -- if you ignore it as we have done -- the chances are great that if here actually is a bomb we might not find it. Lives could be lost -- Scully, engrossed in her own argument, realizes she's been the only one speaking for the last short while. She stops walking. SCULLY Mulder...? MULDER What happened to playing a hunch? Scully almost JUMPS out of her own skin. The voice has come not over the phone, but from two feet away where: ANGLE TO INCLUDE AGENT MULDER Standing in the shadow of a large air conditioning unit. Cracking a trademark sunflower seed between his teeth. Clicking his cell phone off. Moving out. SCULLY Jesus, Mulder... MULDER The element of surprise, Scully. Random acts of unpredictability. If we fail to anticipate the unforeseen or expect the unexpected in a universe of infinite possibilities, we find ourselves at the mercy of anyone or anything that cannot be programmed, categorized or easily referenced... Mulder has moved to the edge of the building where he sails his sunflower seeds into the air. Dusting his hands off as if lost in a wistful through for just a moment. MULDER What are we doing up here? It's hotter than hell. And he's on the move. Scully moving to catch up. NEW ANGLE Mulder is moving toward the stairs, Scully catching him. Mulder allowing her to lead him up the steps. SCULLY I know you're bored in this assignment, but unconventional thinking is only going to get you into trouble now. MULDER How's that? SCULLY You've got to quit looking for what isn't there. They've closed the X-Files. There's procedure to be followed here. Protocol. MULDER What do you say we call in a bomb threat for Houston. I think it's free beer night at the Astrodome. Scully gives him a look. It's no use. She reaches the door first, grabs the knob but... it won't open. Turning to Mulder. SCULLY Now what? MULDER (suddenly nervous) It's locked? She wiggles the knob again. SCULLY So much for anticipating the unforeseen... Scully squints into the sun, staring at Mulder. But he's quick on the draw, and realizes what she's up to. He grabs for the door and... it opens. Looking to Scully whose hard look of mock-scolding has become a smirking smile. SCULLY Had you. MULDER No you didn't. SCULLY Oh yeah. Had you big time. And that's how it continues as they re-enter the stairwell, the door slamming shut behind them. CUT TO: INT. BUILDING LOBBY - DAY As an elevator DINGS and the doors open. Scully and Mulder exit into the lobby where people move in and out. Heads turn due to their FBI jackets. (Included atmosphere: a GROUP OF KIDS on a field trip, being led into an elevator by THEIR TEACHER.) SCULLY I saw your face, Mulder. There was a moment of panic. MULDER Panic? Have you ever seen me panic, Scully? SCULLY I just did. You're buying. Mulder fishes for change, but more out of sportsmanship. MULDER Alright... what'll it be: Coke, Pepsi? A saline IV? SCULLY Something sweet. Scully flashes a thin victory smile, as Mulder heads off. INT. HALLWAY OUTSIDE VENDING MACHINE ROOM - CONTINUOUS Mulder moving to a door with a small shingle above it which says SNACKS/BEVERAGES. As he approaches, sorting through the change he's fished up, the door opens and A MAN IN A VENDOR'S UNIFORM appears. He makes casual and ever-so-brief eye contact with Mulder as he brushes past him. Mulder making no note of this as he moves to catch the door before it closes. CUT TO: INT. SNACK AREA AND SODA VENDING MACHINE ROOM - DAY Mulder takes a few steps down into the windowless room. Moving past the snack machines to a LIGHTED soda machine. Finding the correct change and plunking it in. Hitting a button, but... nothing comes out. MULDER Oh, come on. He beats his fist a couple of times on the front of the machine. Nothing. He finds more change. Plunking it in. Hits the button. Nothing. He stares at the machine a minute, then BEATS IT HARD with his fist. Nothing. Moving around to the back of the machine, looking for: ANGLE ACROSS BACK OF MACHINE Mulder's face peering in on the slim space between the machine and the wall. Reaching down and lifting the PLUG on the end of the electrical cord. It isn't plugged in. Realizing now why the machine hasn't spit out his sodas. RESUME FRONT ANGLE ON MACHINE As Mulder appears, stepping very lightly in front of the machine that he was just pounding away on. Looking at it, then moving quickly to the door he entered through. Grasping the knob, but finding it... LOCKED. He jiggles the knob, pulls on it. But there's no two ways about it, he's locked in. CUT TO: INT. BUILDING LOBBY - DAY Scully stands looking at her watch. Wondering where Mulder is. When her CELL PHONE starts ringing. She answers it. SCULLY Scully... MULDER (FILTER) Scully, I found the bomb. SCULLY (thinks he's joking) Where are you, Mulder? MULDER (FILTER) I'm in the vending room. Scully is on the move, but she doesn't believe him for a second. INT. HALLWAY OUTSIDE VENDING MACHINE ROOM - CONTINUOUS Scully appears, heard A POUNDING. Following this noise to the door Mulder is obviously on the other side of. Tries the door. SCULLY Is that you pounding? INT. SNACK AND SODA VENDING MACHINE ROOM - DAY Mulder holds his phone to his ear, using his other hand to pound. MULDER Scully, get somebody to open this door. SCULLY (FILTER) Nice try, Mulder. CAMERA FOLLOWING MULDER as he steps back, revealing now that he's gotten the hinged front of the coke machine open. But we can't yet see what's inside. MULDER Scully -- listen to me. It's in the coke machine. You've got about fourteen minutes to get this building evacuated. INT. HALLWAY OUTSIDE VENDING MACHINE ROOM - CONTINUOUS Scully is shaking her head. Tries the door again. SCULLY C'mon. Open the door. His response to this is MORE HARD POUNDING. SCULLY Mulder? Tell me this is a joke. MULDER (FILTER) Thirteen fifty nine, thirteen fifty eight, thirteen fifty seven... As he is doing this, Scully is bending to see: THE KEYHOLE It's been freshly soldered over. INT. SNACK AND SODA VENDING MACHINE ROOM - DAY Mulder stands pacing in front of: AN ELABORATELY ENGINEERED EXPLOSIVE DEVICE Wired with circuit boards, electric belts and generally looking like it would take an expert a good long time to figure out where to even start. A lot longer than the 13:58 that reads on the digital read-out. MULDER ...thirteen fifty six... SCULLY (FILTER) Hang on. I'm gonna get you out of there. The line goes dead. And off Mulder's deepening anxiety, we: CUT TO: INT. BUILDING LOBBY - DAY Scully enters like General Patton, taking charge. Barking at the security guards who sit behind their security console. SCULLY I need this building evacuated and cleared out in ten minutes! I need you to get on the phone and tell the fire department to block off the city center in one mile radius around the building -- SECURITY GUARD In ten minutes.....?! SCULLY DON'T THINK! JUST PICK UP THE PHONE AND MAKE IT HAPPEN! And she's moving, dialing her cell phone now. SCULLY (into phone) This is Special Agent Dana Scully. I need to speak to S.A.C. Michaud. He's got the wrong building -- CUT TO: EXT. BUILDING - DAY UNMARKED FBI VANS, CARS are pulling up out front. Agents in windbreakers are exiting, moving at a run to the building. Among them S.A.C. Darius Michaud. Moving to: ANGLE ON SCULLY Exiting the building. Behind her, WORKERS are beginning to stream out of the building, as well as the young FIELD TRIPPERS. Michaud meeting up with Scully mid-plaza. As the windbreaker Agents move past them, entering the building. S.A.C. MICHAUD Where is it? MOVING WITH THEM now, back toward the building. As FIRE TRUCKS are pulling up out in the street out front. Suddenly this has the distinct feel of a situation veering out of control. SCULLY Mulder found it in a vending machine. He's locked in with it. CUT TO: INT. SNACK AND VENDING MACHINE ROOM - DAY THE DIGITAL READ OUT hits 7:00. Pull back to REVEAL MULDER staring at it. If he wasn't sweating enough on the roof, he's certainly sweating now. When his cell phone RINGS. Answering it. MULDER Scully? SCULLY (FILTER) Mulder. Move away from the door. We're coming through it. No sooner is this said than the CAMERA WHIPS OFF MULDER to the door, where A GAS PLASMA TORCH FLAME is sizzling along the hinges. CUT TO: INT. HALLWAY OUTSIDE VENDING MACHINE ROOM - CONTINUOUS Where Michaud himself, wearing a Kevlar vest now, is wielding the torch. Expertly cutting the metal while Scully and TWO AGENTS and TWO DALLAS BOMB SQUAD men look on. In the b.g. BUILDING EMPLOYEES are streaming out. Michaud finishes and shuts off the torch. Yelling: S.A.C. MICHAUD Go. The other Agents kick the metal door in sending it crashing to the floor. Mulder stands on the other side. Watching Michaud pick up a heft tool kit, stepping over the downed door. Scully right behind him. Along with the Agents, Bomb techs. ANGLE OVER MULDER AND THE SODA MACHINE/BOMB As Michaud steps in next to him, sizing up the time on the ticking digital readout: 4:07. And just exactly what kind of defusing work he's got cut out for him. MULDER Tell me this is just soda pop in those canisters. S.A.C. MICHAUD No. It's what it looks like. A big I.E.D. - ten gallons of astrolite. (studying the bomb) Okay, get everybody out of here and clear the building. MULDER Somebody's got to stay with you -- S.A.C. MICHAUD I gave you an order. Now get the hell out of here and evacuate the area. SCULLY Can you defuse it? Setting his tool kit down, opening it. As the other Agents heed his word, exiting the room. S.A.C. MICHAUD I think so. MULDER You've got about four minutes to find out if you're wrong. Michaud turns on him with unexpected intensity. S.A.C. MICHAUD Did you hear what I said? SCULLY Let's go, Mulder. Scully starts out. Mulder stares at Michaud for a moment, but Michaud's focus is on the bomb now. He won't meet Mulder's look. Finally Mulder moves off, following Scully. CAMERA HOLDS ON MICHAUD, just staring at the bomb. Just staring. CUT TO: EXT. PLAZA OUTSIDE BOMB BUILDING - DAY - CONTINUOUS The last of the building occupants are being hauled off in CITY BUSES which have moved in curbside. As these buses pull away, so do the fire trucks that have positioned themselves out front. And the police squad cars. As Mulder and Scully exit the front door. Moving quickly, until Mulder hits mid-plaza and slows. Scully not realizing this for a few steps, then turning. SCULLY What are you doing? (off his non-response) Mulder -- One last windbreakered Agent is exiting. Moving past them to the last cop car other than the car waiting for Mulder and Scully. LAST AGENT OUT All clear. Mulder has stopped and is looking back to the building now as Scully hustles back the few steps separating them. MULDER Something's wrong. ANGLE OVER THEM TO THE WAITING CAR As the Last Agent Out's car zooms away. Leaving only their car and the man driving it: a WINDBREAKERED AGENT. WINDBREAKERED AGENT What's he doing? The plaza is desolate now, void of life. MULDER Something's not right... SCULLY -- Mulder! Get in the car! Scully is pulling him now. Pulling him toward the car and the obviously impatient Windbreakered Agent. SCULLY There's no time! CUT TO: INT. SNACK AND SODA VENDING MACHINE ROOM - DAY CLOSE ON BOMB. The seconds ticking off now, as it passes the :30 mark. CAMERA PULLING BACK, ADJUSTING to Michaud. His tool chest is closed up, and he is sitting on it improbably. Still staring at the bomb, then pulling his head down in what appears to be resignation. As the seconds tick away. CUT BACK TO: EXT. PLAZA OUTSIDE BOMB BUILDING - DAY - CONTINUOUS Mulder has relented now, against his better instincts. Moving with Scully to the car, faster as they go. The Windbreaker Agent standing in the open door of the driver's side. Getting in behind the wheel... CUT BACK TO: INT. VENDING MACHINE ROOM - CONTINUOUS S.A.C. MICHAUD Sitting motionless in front of the bomb as the seconds tick down. 8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1- -- HARD CUT BACK TO: EXT. PLAZA OUTSIDE BOMB BUILDING - DAY - CONTINUOUS Mulder and Scully getting in the car. TRACKING BACKWARDS with them now as the Agent driving pulls away, getting only thirty, maybe forty yards when: the BOMB DETONATES and the building EXPLODES. And this is no fatwa symbolic little terror strike. This is Oklahoma City. Or do we say, Independence Day. REVERSE ANGLE ON CAR As all the windows blow out and the car is lifted up, slamming into the corner of a parked car. The air so quickly full of debris that it would seem the whole city has been destroyed. RESUME BUILDING As the debris starts to clear somewhat, much of it still floating to the ground, though. We see the fires raging on every floor. That most of the front of the building has been torn away and we can see right into many floors. RESUME ANGLE ON CAR Where it sits half cocked against a parked car. The air is full of debris, particulated matter. The rear door of the squad car opens now and Mulder gets out, covered with glass. Moving to the front passenger door, opening it for Scully. MULDER (with darkest irony) Next time you're buying. EXT. AERIAL SHOT OF WASHINGTON D.C. - DAY HIGH ABOVE the U.S. capital, the entire beltway. With a LEGEND, to establish. LOWER AND TIGHTER NOW On the J. Edgar Hoover Building, FBI Headquarters. Descending low on the three-sided monolith and its large interior courtyard. As another LEGEND appears, under: WOMAN'S VOICE (V.O.) In light of Waco, and Ruby Ridge... CUT TO: INT. FBI OFFICE OF PROFESSIONAL REVIEW - DAY A formal hearing. Several ASSISTANT DIRECTORS sit at a head table, going over documents. NAME PLACECARDS in front of them. PANNING the group, the sound of papers shuffling, the occasional clearing of a throat creating a stale air of importance, under: WOMAN'S VOICE (V.O.) ...there is a heightened need at the Attorney General's office to place responsibility as early as possible. CAMERA LANDING ON ASSISTANT DIRECTOR JANA CASSIDY A no-nonsense 40 year-old lawyer cum FBI Agent. CASSIDY ...for the catastrophic destruction of public property and the loss of life due to terrorist activities... Next to Cassidy is Assistant Director WALTER SKINNER, Mulder and Scully's former superior on the X-Files. Looking ruefully at: AGENT SCULLY At a small table, the chair next to her conspicuously empty. CASSIDY Many details are still unclear; some agents' reports have not been filed, or have come in sketchy, without a satisfactory accounting of the events that led to the destruction in Dallas. But we're under some pressure to give an accurate picture of what happened to the Attorney General, so she can issue a public statement. The door to the room opens behind Scully now, and Mulder enters, his manner that of a man who knows he's late to a function. RESUME A.D. CASSIDY She looks up at Mulder and Scully with a stern glare. CASSIDY We now know that five people died in the explosion. Special Agent in Charge Darius Michaud who was trying to defuse the bomb that had been hidden in a vending machine. Three firemen from Dallas, and a young boy. OVER MULDER AND SCULLY Mulder pulls out his chair to sit down, but remains standing. They trade a look. This is new news to them. MULDER Excuse me -- the firemen and the boy -- they were in the building? CASSIDY Agent Mulder, since you weren't able to be on time for this hearing, I'm going to ask you to step outside so that we can get Agent Scully's version of the facts. So that she won't have to be paid the same disrespect. MULDER We were told the building was clear. CASSIDY You'll get your turn, Agent Mulder. Please step out. Mulder trades looks with: A.D. SKINNER Who stares at him evenly, but not unsympathetically. He's been here with Mulder on many occasions. Seen Mulder run up against the Bureau and its stiff conventions. Always in the middle. MULDER It does say there in your paperwork that we were the ones who found the bomb... CASSIDY Thank you, Agent Mulder. We'll call you in shortly. RESUME MULDER, SCULLY As Mulder slides his chair in. Scully watching him exit. CUT TO: INT. HALLWAY OUTSIDE OPR HEARING ROOM - DAY Mulder sits by himself in a chair, head down. When the door to the hearing room opens. Mulder rising as A.D. Skinner exits. SKINNER Sit down, they're still talking to Agent Scully. MULDER About what? SKINNER -- They're asking her for a narrative. They want to know why she was in the wrong building. MULDER She was with me. Skinner studies Mulder, shaking his head. SKINNER You don't see what's going on here, do you? (off Mulder's look) There's four hundred million dollars in damage to the city of Dallas. Lives have been lost. No suspects have been named. So the story being shaped is this could have been prevented. That the FBI didn't do its job. MULDER And they want to blame us? SKINNER Agent Mulder -- we both know that if you and Agent Scully hadn't taken the initiative to search the adjacent building, you could have multiplied the fatalities by a hundred -- MULDER (grasping the irony) But it's not the lives we saved. It's the lives we didn't. SKINNER (reciting the dictum) -- if it looks bad, it's bad for the FBI -- MULDER -- if they want someone to blame, they can blame me. Agent Scully doesn't deserve this. SKINNER She's in there right now saying the same thing about you. MULDER I breached protocol. I broke contact with the S.A.C. I ignored a primary tactical rule and left him alone with the device. SKINNER Agent Scully says it was she who ordered you out of the building. That you wanted to go back. Mulder doesn't get to respond, because the door opens again and Agent Scully exits. She looks like she's been through it. SCULLY (to Skinner) They're asking for you, Sir. Skinner gives one last look to Mulder, then re-enters. Leaving Mulder and Scully alone. Scully wearing a pained look. MULDER Whatever you told them in there, you don't have to protect me. SCULLY All I told them was the truth. MULDER They're trying to divide us on this, Scully. We can't let them. SCULLY They have divided us, Mulder. They're splitting us up. MULDER (beat) What? What are you talking about? SCULLY I meet with the OPR day after tomorrow for remediation and reassignment... MULDER Why? SCULLY I think you must have an idea. They cited a history of problems relating back to 1993. MULDER They were the ones that put us together. SCULLY Because they wanted me to invalidate your work, your investigations into the paranormal. But I think this goes deeper than that. MULDER This isn't about you, Scully. They're doing this to me. SCULLY They're not doing this, Mulder. (off his look) I left behind a career in medicine because I thought I might make a difference at the FBI. When they recruited me they told me women made up nine percent of the bureau. I felt this was not an impediment, but an opportunity to distinguish myself. But it hasn't turned out that way. And now, if I were to be transferred to Omaha, or Wichita or some field office where I'm sure I could rise, it just doesn't hold the interest for me it once did. Not after what I've seen and done. MULDER You're... quitting? SCULLY There's really no reason left for me to stay anymore. (off his look) Maybe you should ask yourself if your heart's still in it, too. The door opens to the hearing room again now. A.D. Skinner steps part way out, gesturing to him. SKINNER Agent Mulder. You're up. SCULLY (regretfully) I'm sorry. Good luck. Mulder rises. Scully studying his poorly disguised hurt. Before he turns and goes into the room. Scully watching the door close behind him. Her feelings poorly disguised, too. CUT TO: INT. DOWNSCALE D.C. BAR - NIGHT CLOSE ON A SHOOTER OF TEQUILA being poured. CAMERA ADJUSTING to reveal the ATTRACTIVE BARMAID tipping the bottle. Pushing it across the bar to where TWO EMPTY SHOOTERS sit, making the exchange. BARMAID I'd say this about exceeds your minimum daily requirement. The person she's talking to us: MULDER He sits by himself on a stool, staring down at the bar. Staring at the shooter which he spins with his fingers. BARMAID Gotta train for this kind of heavy lifting. Mulder tosses back the shooter anyway. She watches him as she retrieves the small shot glass, intrigued by his dark silence. BARMAID Poopy day? MULDER Yup. BARMAID A woman? (Mulder shakes his head no) Work. Mulder nods, pointing to the tequila bottle again. The Barmaid agrees to pour another one, reluctantly. ANGLE OVER TO A MAN AT THE END OF THE BAR Staring at Mulder intently. He's older than Mulder, dressed in an old Brooke Brothers light summer suit. Mulder notices him, feels his gaze, but doesn't give it thought. RESUME BARMAID, MULDER BARMAID What do you do? MULDER What do I do. (off her curious look) I'm a key figure in an ongoing government charade. An annoyance to my superiors. A joke among my peers. "Spooky," they call me. Spooky Mulder. Whose sister was abducted by aliens when he was a kid. Who now chases little green men with a badge and a gun, shouting to the heavens and anyone who'll listen that the fix is in. That our government's hip to the truth and a part of the conspiracy. That the sky is falling and when it hits it's gonna be the shitstorm of all time. She stares at him for a moment, startled by his drunken screed. She pulls back the shooter she's just poured Mulder. BARMAID I think that about does it, Spooky. MULDER Does what? BARMAID Why don't you go home to the old lady -- MULDER Sorry. Don't have one. Mulder slides off his stool, noticing: MULDER'S POV The Watchful Man is gone. RESUME MULDER He feints toward the door, then reverses direction. Heads to the back of the place. INT. REAR OF DOWNSCALE BAR - NIGHT - CONTINUOUS Mulder appears, moving to the bathroom door. Only to find an OUT OF ORDER sign on it. He moves to the woman's room, but it's locked. Gathering what's left of his wits, Mulder does what any red-blooded man would do in this situation. He goes to the back door of the bar and exits into the alley. EXT. ALLEY BEHIND BAR - NIGHT Mulder has found a place against a wall, between two dumpsters. Jerking around in surprise at the sound of a VOICE. WATCHFUL MAN'S VOICE That official FBI business? MULDER (startled) What? ANGLE TO INCLUDE THE MAN FROM THE BAR He's not far from Mulder. His name is KURTZWEIL. KURTZWEIL Bet the Bureau's accusing you of the same thing in Dallas. Mulder's weirded out as the stranger moves to him un- threateningly. MULDER How's that? KURTZWEIL Standing around holding your yank while bombs are exploding. Kurtzweil enjoys a little laugh over this. MULDER Do I know you? KURTZWEIL No. I've been watching your career for a good while. Back when you were just a promising young agent -- before that. Mulder stares at this man as he finishes, zipping up. MULDER You follow me out here for a reason? KURTZWEIL Yeah, I did. Kurtzweil unzips his own pants now. There is a moment; one of those awkward moments where Mulder's not sure what's about to happen. But Kurtzweil's just relieving himself, too. Shuffling up to the wall, Mulder takes this as an opportunity to head back toward the bar. But Kurtzweil hails him again. KURTZWEIL My name's Kurtzweil. Dr. Alvin Kurtzweil. MULDER I know the name. Why? KURTZWEIL Old friend of your father's. Kurtzweil continues peeing. Knows this got Mulder's attention. KURTZWEIL Back at the Department of State. We were what you might call fellow travelers, but his disenchantment outlasted mine. (beat) I never believed in the Project. Mulder stares at Kurtzweil now. He's being toyed with. He turns, opens the door into the bar. As Kurtzweil gets a little louder. KURTZWEIL Oh, come on. Don't pretend you don't know about the Project. Your father died for it. Your sister was taken because of it. Kurtzweil finishes nature's call. Zips up. Heads after Mulder. CUT TO: INT. DOWNSCALE D.C. BAR - NIGHT Mulder is coming from the back. Kurtzweil moving to catch up. And he does, at the coat stand. The place has pretty much cleared out, except for the Barmaid and some help. MULDER How'd you find me? KURTZWEIL Heard you come here now and again. Figured you'd be needing a little drinky tonight. MULDER You a reporter? KURTZWEIL I'm a doctor, but I think I mentioned that. OB-GYN. MULDER Who sent you? KURTZWEIL I came on my own. After reading about the bombing in Dallas. MULDER Well, if you've got something to tell me, you've got as long as it takes me to hail a cab... Mulder starts out the door, but Kurtzweil grabs his arm. KURTZWEIL They're going to pin Dallas on you, Agent Mulder. But there was nothing you could've done. Nothing anyone could've done to prevent that bomb from going off. Because the truth is something you'd never have guessed; never have predicted. Mulder pulls away from Kurtzweil, but Kurtzweil dogs him to: EXT. STREET OUTSIDE DOWNSCALE BAR - NIGHT The street is empty, the hour is late. Mulder moves to the curb. MULDER And what's that? KURTZWEIL S.A.C. Darius Michaud never tried or intended to defuse the bomb. MULDER (rhetorical disbelief) He just let it explode. KURTZWEIL What's the question nobody's asking? Why that building? Why not the Federal Building? MULDER The Federal Building was too well guarded. KURTZWEIL No. They put the bomb in the building across the street because it DID have federal offices. The Federal Emergency Management Agency had a provisional medical quarantine office there. Which is where the bodies were found. But that's the thing... Mulder's got his hand up for a taxi coming. It's pulling over as Mulder steps from the curb, stepping away from Kurtzweil. KURTZWEIL ...the thing you didn't know. That you'd never think to check. Mulder's got the taxi door open, turning to Kurtzweil. KURTZWEIL Those people were already dead. MULDER Before the bomb went off? KURTZWEIL That's what I'm saying. Mulder stares at Kurtzweil for a moment. MULDER Michaud was a twenty-two year veteran of the bureau -- KURTZWEIL Michaud was a patriot. The men he's loyal to know their way around Dallas. They blew that building to hide something. Maybe something even they couldn't predict. MULDER You're saying they destroyed an entire building to hide the bodies of three firemen...? KURTZWEIL And one little boy. Mulder gets in the cab, closes the door. Rolls down the window. MULDER I think you're full of shit. KURTZWEIL Do you? Kurtzweil raps the top of the roof and steps away from the car. As the taxi takes off. WE STAY WITH KURTZWEIL, watching Mulder's cab speed away. (NOTE: This should also be covered from inside the cab with Mulder, to play the scene out on him.) CUT TO: INT. AGENT SCULLY'S BEDROOM - NIGHT Scully is in bed, lying awake. Staring at the ceiling. When she reacts to a POUNDING AT HER DOOR. CUT TO: INT. SCULLY'S APARTMENT - NIGHT CLOSE ON THE FRONT DOOR. Scully peeks in the peephole. Then she removes the safety chain, opening the door. MULDER (strangely intense) I wake you? SCULLY No. MULDER Why not? It's three AM. Scully gets a whiff of his breath. As he moves past her into the apartment. Radiating a kind of manic intensity. SCULLY Are you drunk, Mulder? MULDER I was until about an hour ago. SCULLY Is that before or after you got the idea to come here? Mulder looks at her curiously. MULDER What are you implying, Scully? SCULLY (frowning) I thought you may have gotten drunk and decided to come here to talk me out of quitting. MULDER Is that what you'd like me to do? Scully hesitates. Long enough to indicate her own wavering heart. SCULLY Go home, Mulder. It's late. MULDER Get dressed, Scully. SCULLY Mulder -- what are you doing? MULDER Just get dressed. I'll explain on the way. CUT TO: EXT. TEXAS FLATLAND - NIGHT The moon is rising over the horizon, across the curvilinear distance of endless scrub and sagebrush. When FLYING OBJECTS cross between it and us, their forms unidentifiable in the rising heat waves off the earth. But they are moving towards us, SILHOUETTES in the background of the moon. They move silently, their size INCREASING as they move closer. And then we hear them, moments before they arrive at our position, UNMARKED HELICOPTERS just overhead. Hugging the ground as they blast across the dark Texas night. INT. UNMARKED BLACK HELICOPTERS - NIGHT Flying at dangerously low altitude over the almost featureless night landscape. Heading for something that we see ahead in the distance. What looks like a LARGE GLOWING DOME surrounded by the lights of a residential area we've already seen, on the edge of suburban Dallas sprawl. CUT TO: EXT. SMALL DIRT FIELD - CENTRAL TEXAS - NIGHT The field where the kids had been digging has been transformed into some kind of worksite. A LARGE WHITE DOMED TENT has been erected over almost the entire patch of ground, surrounded by the CARGO TRUCKS that we saw earlier, and more unmarked vans and trucks. There are men in black fatigues moving about, and scientists in haz-mat suits. As the UNMARKED BLACK HELICOPTERS bank overhead. Coming in for a landing in the glow cast from the tents. CAMERA MOVING TOWARD one of the helicopters as it lightly touches down and its black door swings open. A man stepping out, and as CAMERA PUSHES UP INTO HIS FACE we recognize him as The Cigarette Smoking Man. The figure that we've come to know as an assassin and a model of modern self-interest and amorality. One of the central protagonists in the conspiracy to keep the truth from the American people about the existence of extraterrestrial life. Something known only as: "The Project." He walks out from under the whirring prop, just far enough to get a flame from his lighter, to get a cigarette lit. As we: CUT TO: INT. LARGE WHITE TENT - NIGHT - CONTINUOUS A SCIENTIST in a haz-mat suit is moving through the maze of clear plastic tubing that divides work areas within the tent. Areas where scientists are working at tables doing what appears to be some kind of high-tech archeological work. It is a hive of activity within, as the Scientist leads us past the REFRIGERATION UNITS to the earthen hole where Dr. Bronschweig (we've met him earlier, coming out of a med-evac chopper that landed when the tent city was erected) appears out of the earthen hole, which is reason for all this excitement. Climbing out A CLEAR HATCH which has been fashioned to cover the hole. Seeing: THE CIGARETTE SMOKING MAN Now suited up himself. Bronschweig approaches him. CIGARETTE SMOKING MAN You've got something to show me. DR. BRONSCHWEIG (nervous excitement) Yes. CUT TO: INT. ICE CAVE - CONTINUOUS What we originally established as icy, and what later became the unfrozen Texas field where the boys discovered the human skull, has been turned to its previously icy state. Thanks to two large vents that Dr. Bronschweig is pointing at: DR. BRONSCHWEIG We brought the atmosphere back down to freezing in order to control the development, which is nothing like we've ever seen. CIGARETTE SMOKING MAN Brought on by what? DR. BRONSCHWEIG Heat, I think. The coincident invasion of a host, the fireman, and an environment that raised his basic body temperature above ninety eight point six. They step over to a section of the cave which has been draped with more plastic, the lights from inside this are giving off a cool blue light (passing by TWO PORTABLE DRILLING RIGS which have been erected, their pumps moving up and down like rocking horses.) Bronschweig pushes away the plastic, revealing A MAN lying on a gurney draped in plastic. he is hooked up to various and sundry machines which are monitoring his life signs. His skin has turned almost translucent, the veins and capillaries now clearly visible, as is his pulse. His heartbeat sending life-sustaining blood and energy through his body. CIGARETTE SMOKING MAN This man's still alive. DR. BRONSCHWEIG Technically and biologically, though he'll never recover. The CSM is shaking his head in nervous, uneasy wonder. CIGARETTE SMOKING MAN How can this be? DR. BRONSCHWEIG The developing organism is using his life energy, digesting bone and tissue. We've just slowed the process. Bronschweig redirects a light so that it shines hard into the man's face and; then we see it. Movement. CLOSE ON MAN'S FACE Though the man's eyes still blink occasionally, we can actually see through his tissue and the bones in his skull to see something IS LIVING INSIDE HIM. ANGLE UP ON CSM AND BRONSCHWEIG The Cigarette Smoking Man's mind is working intently on all the possibilities, and consequences. DR. BRONSCHWEIG Do you want me to destroy this one, too? Before it gestates? CIGARETTE SMOKING MAN No. No...we need to try our vaccine on it. DR. BRONSCHWEIG And if it's unsuccessful? CIGARETTE SMOKING MAN Incinerate it. Like the others. DR. BRONSCHWEIG This man's family will want to see the body laid to rest. CIGARETTE SMOKING MAN Tell them he was trying to save the young boy's life, and that he died heroically like the other firemen. DR. BRONSCHWEIG Of what? CIGARETTE SMOKING MAN They seemed to buy our story about the Hanta virus. You'll make sure the families are taken care of financially, along with a sizeable donation to the community. (beat) Maybe a small roadside memorial. He watches the CSM exit, then back to the prostrate fireman. CLOSE ON PROSTRATE FIREMAN There is more movement within his body. Within his chest and neck, as if the creature gestating inside is continuing to stretch and grow. So that now we can see one of its BLACK EYES staring from through the clear flesh of the fireman. An eye which BLINKS at us. As we: CUT TO: INT. BETHESDA NAVAL HOSPITAL - NIGHT Mulder and Scully appear at the end of a long hall. Moving TOWARD CAMERA where a YOUNG NAVAL GUARD sits in f.g. As a LEGEND appears, to establish. Mulder and Scully moving the long distance to the Guard's station. Where the Guard looks up at them with military scrutiny. YOUNG NAVAL GUARD ID and floor you're visiting. They both show their FBI IDs. MULDER We're going to the morgue. YOUNG NAVAL GUARD That area is currently off limits to anyone other than authorized medical personnel. MULDER On whose orders? YOUNG NAVAL GUARD General McAddie's. Mulder doesn't miss a beat. MULDER General McAddie is who requested our coming here. We were awakened at three AM and told to get down here immediately. YOUNG NAVAL GUARD I don't know anything about that. MULDER Well, call General McAddie. YOUNG NAVAL GUARD I don't have his number. MULDER They can patch you in through the switchboard. The Guard is nervous about this, checking his watch. He picks up the phone, going through a large directory. MULDER Hey! We don't have time to dick around here watching you demonstrate your ignorance in the chain of command. The order came direct from General McAddie. Call him. We'll conduct our business while you confirm authorization. Mulder is already directing Scully past the Naval Guard who tentatively picks up the phone again. YOUNG NAVAL GUARD (to their backs) Why don't you go on ahead head and I'll confirm authorization. MULDER Thank you. LEADING Mulder and Scully, moving they've pulled off a con. MULDER Why is a morgue suddenly off limits on orders of a general? CUT TO: INT. BETHESDA NAVAL HOSPITAL - MORGUE FREEZER - NIGHT TRACKING TABLE HEIGHT across gurneys where white sheet-wrapped bodies lie. CAMERA LANDING ON Scully. Standing next to Mulder who is undoing the peculiar ropey stitching on the sheet used to secure the bodies. SCULLY This is one of the firemen who died in Dallas? MULDER According to this tag. SCULLY And you're looking for? SCULLY I can tell you that without even looking at him. (off Mulder's look) Conclusive organ failure due to proximal exposure to source and flying debris. Scully pulls out an autopsy report that was laid on the gurney under the body of the sheet-wrapped corpse. SCULLY This body has already been autopsied, Mulder. You can tell from the way it's been wrapped and dressed. Undeterred, Mulder works to get the sheet off. The first thing we notice is that he's still in his fireman's uniform. His face looks familiar to us, not because we know him, but because of the translucency of skin we saw in the other fireman. (We will also notice he's missing an arm, a leg and large part of his torso.) MULDER Does this fit the description you just read me, Scully? Scully comes around, reacting to what she sees. SCULLY Oh my God. This man's tissue... Scully is quickly removing a pair of latex gloves, stretching them on to palpate the man's tissue. MULDER It's like jelly. SCULLY There's some kind of cellular breakdown. It's completely edematous. She palpates the spongy skin on the man's face, neck. Unbuttoning the uniform now, seeing: SCULLY And there's been no autopsy performed. There's no Y incision here; no internal exam. MULDER You're telling me the cause of death on the report is false. That this man didn't die from an explosion, or from flying debris. SCULLY I don't know what killed this man. I'm not sure if anybody else could claim to either. Off Mulder's reaction to this: CUT TO: INT. MORGUE - PATHOLOGY LAB - NIGHT - MINUTES LATER The gurney with the fireman is pushed through a pair of swinging doors into the darkened lab. Scully flips the lights on, looking around at the giant facility. SCULLY (pushing him) You knew this man didn't die at the bomb site before we got here. MULDER I'd been told as much. SCULLY You're saying the bombing was a cover-up. Of what? MULDER I don't know. But I have a hunch what you're going to find here isn't anything that can be categorized or easily referenced. SCULLY Mulder, this is going to take some time, and somebody's going to figure out soon enough we're not even supposed to be here. (beat) I'm in serious violation of medical ethics. MULDER We're being blamed for these deaths. Scully, I want to know what this man died of. Don't you? Scully stares at Mulder, then back down at the body. How can she refuse, given the finality and the personal appeal of the request? After a moment's hesitation, she turns to the body, and to the tray table of tools nearby. Resigned, if not resolved. CUT TO: EXT. WASHINGTON D.C. - NIGHT A LEGEND appears: WASHINGTON D.C., DUPONT CIRCLE. 4:00 AM. The street is fairly empty, save for a garbage truck picking up the stacks of green garbage bags laid out on the sidewalks. Then A TAXI turns off a main street, MOVING TOWARDS US. INT. WASHINGTON D.C. STREET - TAXI - NIGHT OVER MULDER to the street: Where the taxi is moving forward toward a spot where two ARLINGTON PD cruisers are pulled up to the curb. Mulder checks the address he has written down. MULDER (to the Cabbie) I think this is it up here. EXT. SIDE STREET - NIGHT The taxi pulls over and Mulder exits, starting up the steps of a walk up where the door is open. INT. KURTZWEIL'S APARTMENT - NIGHT There are UNIFORMED OFFICERS inside, and a DETECTIVE. Mulder steps into an office. FOUR PAIRS of eyes give him the once over. The Detective stepping over to him. MULDER Is this Dr. Kurtzweil's residence? DETECTIVE (suspiciously) You got some kind of business with him? MULDER I'm looking for him. DETECTIVE Looking for him for what? Mulder pulls out his ID, flashes it at the Detective. DETECTIVE (to his partners) Feds are looking for him, too. (turns to Mulder) Real nice business he's got, huh? MULDER What's that? DETECTIVE Selling naked pictures of little kids over his computer. Mulder nods, though this is news to him. He steps in a little further, noticing a shelf lined with books. Their spines all have the author's name written large: DR. ALVIN KURTZWEIL. Mulder picks up one of these books, with the title: THE FOUR HORSEMEN OF THE GLOBAL DOMINATION CONSPIRACY. DETECTIVE You looking for him for some other reason? MULDER Yeah, I had an appointment for a pelvic examination. They stare at Mulder like he's a sicko. He smiles and they break into RAUCOUS LAUGHTER. DETECTIVE You want a call if we turn up Kurtzweil? MULDER No. Don't bother. Mulder puts the book back among the others on the shelf. And exits. Onto: RESUME EXT. KURTZWEIL'S APARTMENT - NIGHT Mulder starting up the street when he notices: MULDER'S POV Kurtzweil has stepped from between two apartments. He's staring at Mulder, nodding furtively to him. Then stepping back. RESUME MULDER Slows, then speeds up. EXT. SPACE BETWEEN TWO APARTMENTS - NIGHT Mulder appears at the end of the narrow walkway, finding Kurtzweil tucked a few yards in. KURTZWEIL See this bullshit...? Somebody knows I'm talking to you. MULDER Not according to the men in blue. KURTZWEIL What is it? Kiddie porn again? Sexual battery of a patient? I've had my license taken away in three states. MULDER They want to discredit you -- for what? KURTZWEIL For what? Because I'm a dangerous man. Because I know too much about the truth. MULDER You mean that apocalyptic trash you write? I knew your name was familiar. I just didn't know why. KURTZWEIL You know my work? MULDER (pointedly) Dr. Kurtzweil, I'm not interested in bigoted ideas about race or genocide. I don't believe in the Elders of Zion, the Knights Templar, the Bilderburg Group or in a oneworld Jew run government -- KURTZWEIL I don't either, but it sure sells books. He says it with an ironic smile. Causing Mulder to turn and start off. But Kurtzweil hurries to grab him, to prevent this. KURTZWEIL I was right about Dallas. Wasn't I, Agent Mulder? MULDER How? KURTZWEIL I picked up the historical document of the venality and hypocrisy of the American government. The daily newspaper. MULDER You said the firemen and the boy were found in the temporary offices of the Federal Emergency Management Agency. Why? KURTZWEIL According to the newspaper, FEMA had been called out to manage an outbreak of the Hanta virus. Are you familiar with the Hanta virus, Agent Mulder? MULDER It was a deadly virus spread by field mice in the Southwest U.S. several years ago. KURTZWEIL And are you familiar with FEMA? What the Federal Emergency Management Agency's real power is? FEMA allows the White House to suspend constitutional government upon declaration of a national emergency. To create a non-elected government. Think about that. (beat) What is an agency with such broad sweeping power doing managing a small viral outbreak in suburban Texas? MULDER Are you saying it wasn't such a small outbreak? Kurtzweil is getting intense now. KURTZWEIL I'm saying it wasn't the Hanta virus. They are both given a start when a POLICE CRUISER rolls by on the street, giving a burp of its siren. It rolls past as the two men tuck in tighter. MULDER What was it? KURTZWEIL When we were young men in the military, your father and I were recruited for a project. They told us it was biological warfare. A virus. There were rumors about its origins. MULDER What killed those men? KURTZWEIL What killed them I won't even write about. I tell you, they'd do more than just harass me. They have the future to protect. MULDER I'll know soon enough. KURTZWEIL (worked up) What killed those men can't be identified in simple medical terms. My god, we can't even wrap our minds around something as obvious as HIV. We have no context for what killed those men, or any appreciation of the scale in which it will be unleashed in the future. Of how it will be transmitted; of the environmental factors involved. MULDER A plague? KURTZWEIL The plague to end all plagues, Agent Mulder. A silent weapon for a quiet war. The systematic release of an indiscriminate organism for which the men who will bring it on still have no cure. They've been working on this for fifty years. While the rest of the world was fighting gooks and commies these men have been secretly negotiating a planned Armageddon. MULDER Negotiating with whom? KURTZWEIL I think you know. The timetable has been set. It will happen on a holiday, when people are away from their homes. When our elected officials are at their resorts or out of the country. The President will declare a state of emergency, at which time all federal agencies, all government will come under the power of the Federal Emergency Management Agency. FEMA, Agent Mulder. The secret government. MULDER And they tell me I'm paranoid. KURTZWEIL Something's gone wrong -- something unanticipated. Go back to Dallas and dig. Or you're only going to find out like the rest of the country, Agent Mulder. When it's too late. Kurtzweil turns, starts off. Mulder stares after him. Then: MULDER How can I reach you? KURTZWEIL You can't. Mulder moves to catch up to Kurtzweil, pulling out his cell phone. Kurtzweil stops, turns. Truly and intensely paranoid. Mulder makes him take the cell phone. MULDER No calling Hawaii. Mulder turns and moves back out onto the street. CUT TO: INT. MORGUE - PATHOLOGY LAB - NIGHT Agent Scully wears a surgical mask, latex gloves. Working on the body of the fireman...when she reacts to a NOISE. Doors opening, closing somewhere o.s. CAMERA MEDIUM WHIPS to a door where she and Mulder entered the morgue. Where...the Young Naval Guard and TWO MPs push through and enter. They stand looking at: THEIR POV Where Scully stood moments ago, there is now just an unattended gurney. A sheet over the fireman's body. Scully is gone. RESUME YOUNG NAVAL GUARD, MPs Tense. Listening, watchful. Moving into the room. CUT TO: INT. BETHESDA NAVAL HOSPITAL - MORGUE FREEZER - NIGHT Scully enters the space where she and Mulder found the fireman's body. Trying to quietly click the door shut. Standing now near the door, tense, listening. When the CHIRPING of her cell phone breaks the tense silence. She pats frantically at her coat, trying to get it answered before it rings again. Unsuccessfully. Finally getting a hold of it and hitting the send button. Scully sits breathing heavy, nervous breaths -- waiting for the Young Naval Guard to come running in. MULDER'S VOICE (FILTER) Scully...? She puts the phone slowly up to her face. SCULLY (low whisper) Yeah. INTERCUT WITH: INT. PHONE BOOTH - WASHINGTON D.C. - MORNING Mulder's at the pay phone. MULDER Why are you whispering? SCULLY I can't really talk right now. MULDER What did you find? SCULLY Evidence of a massive infection. MULDER What kind of infection? SCULLY I don't know. MULDER Scully -- listen to me. I'm going home, then I'm booking a flight to Dallas. I'm getting you a ticket, too. SCULLY Mulder -- MULDER I need you there with me. I need your expertise on this. The bomb we found was meant to destroy those bodies and whatever they were infected by. SCULLY I've got a hearing tomorrow -- MULDER -- I'll have you back for it, Scully. Maybe with evidence that could blow that meeting away. SCULLY Mulder -- I can't -- I'm already way past the point of common sense here -- Scully hears VOICES in the hall outside the freezer. CUT TO: MULDER MULDER Scully...? Hello...? But the line OFF, goes dead. Mulder hangs up the phone, frustrated. Exits the booth in a hurry. CUT TO: INT. BETHESDA NAVAL HOSPITAL - MORGUE FREEZER - NIGHT The door opens and the Young Naval Guard steps inside, followed by the MPs. Moving into the room. LOW ANGLE - TRACKING with the Naval Guard's feet as they pass by the rolling carts on which bodies are laid. TRACKING to find SCULLY, where she hides under one of the carts. Huddled and cold. The Guard's feet stop near here. He stands motionless for a moment, then moves off. HOLD her until the door slams shut. INT. FBI OFFICE - DALLAS - MORNING - MULDER enters a forensics lab with a FIELD AGENT. A LEGEND reads: FBI FIELD OFFICE, DALLAS : 11:20 AM. FIELD AGENT You're looking for what amounts to a needle in a haystack. I'm afraid the explosion was so devastating there hasn't been a whole lot we've been able to put together just yet. They are walking amid BOXES of evidence. STACKS of debris. There are FORENSIC TECHS sorting through this material. It looks like the most tedious and painstaking job in the world. MULDER I'm looking for anything out of the ordinary. Maybe something from the FEMA offices where the bodies were found. FIELD AGENT We weren't expecting to find those remains, of course. They went right off to Washington. MULDER Was there anything in those offices that didn't go to D.C.? FIELD AGENT Some bone fragments came up in the sift this morning. We thought there'd been another fatality, but we found out FEMA had recovered them from an archeological site out of town. MULDER Have you examined them? FIELD AGENT No. Just fossils, far as I know. Mulder is nodding, when both men look off at something that's caught their attention o.s. MULDER I'd like this person to take a look, if you don't mind. THEIR POV - AGENT SCULLY Standing in the doorway to the lab. She looks at Mulder as if she's come in spite of her misgivings. Moving toward them now. FIELD AGENT Let me just see if I can lay my hands on what you're looking for. The Field Agent nods to Scully as he passes, exiting deeper into the room. Leaving Mulder and Scully by themselves momentarily. MULDER You said you weren't coming? SCULLY I wasn't planning on it. Particularly after spending a half hour in cold storage this morning. But I got a better look at the blood and tissue samples I took from the firemen. MULDER What did you find? SCULLY (voice lowering pointedly) Something I couldn't show to anyone else. Not without more information. And not without causing the kind of attention I'd just as soon avoid right now. (off Mulder's look) The virus those men were infected with contains a protein coat I've never seen before. What it did to them it did extremely fast. And unlike the AIDS virus or any other aggressive strain, it survives very nicely outside the body. MULDER How was it contracted? SCULLY That I don't know. But if it's through simple contact of blood to blood, and if it doesn't respond to conventional treatments, it could be a serious health threat. Mulder's reaction is postponed, or at least subdued by the reappearance of the field agent. FIELD AGENT Like I said, these are fossils, and they weren't near the blast center, so they aren't going to tell you much. SCULLY May I? He offers Scully the small glass vials in which the bone fragments have been separated. She takes them, looking at them on her way over to the microscope. Tapping out a tiny fragment onto the viewing bed. She puts her eyes down to the stereoscope eyepieces, then almost immediately looks up at Mulder who translates this look almost instantly. MULDER You said you knew the location of the archeological site where these were found. FIELD AGENT Show you right on a map. Off Mulder and Scully's traded looks: CUT TO: EXT. SMALL PUBLIC PARK - WEST TEXAS - DAY The domed white tent is still in place, the fleet of trucks and equipment surrounding it unmanned. Several large sound-dampened generators still hum away, but the work being done here would be a mystery to anyone who didn't have access to the tent. CUT TO: INT. DOMED TENT - DAY An electric Bobcat-like bulldozer maneuvers a very high tech-looking CLEAR CONTAINER to the edge of the earthen hole. The container has monitors and gauges on it, oxygen tanks and what looks like a circulation refrigeration unit. A self-contained life support system. The inside of the container is covered with a thin layer of frost. When the small bulldozer gets the container over near the hole, several technicians lift it down off the shovel, hand carrying it toward the hole opening. As Dr. Bronschweig APPEARS, moving to a ladder that leads down into the hole. He's dressed in a haz-mat suit, with the hood off. DR. BRONSCHWEIG I need to have those settings checked and re-set. I need a steady minus two Celsius through the transfer of the body, after I administer the vaccine. The men nod to Bronschweig, begin checking the settings as Bronschweig puts his hood on, starts down into the hole, through the clear hatch. INT. SMALLER ICE CAVE - DAY The refrigeration vents are still pumping in arctic air when Dr. Bronschweig appears descending a fixed ladder. It is dark in here, save for the ice blue glow of light coming from the plastic draped area where we saw the fireman acting as an incubator/host for some kind of organism growing inside him. Bronschweig steps over to this area, moves aside the plastic drapery to enter. ANGLE INSIDE, PLASTIC LINED AREA Where the body of the fireman is still inside the quarantine bubble litter in f.g. Bronschweig takes out of his pocket a SYRINGE and an AMPULE. Turning now to the body. Stepping to it. Moving a work light, as he had done for the Cigarette Smoking Man, so that it shines on the face of the fireman. But when he does this, Bronschweig nearly JUMPS, his breath stolen away. Reacting to: ANGLE ON FIREMAN'S BODY The chest and torso have imploded. It has been turned into a muddy mass of blood-stained jelly; bone and tissue melted into an oozing mass which has sunken due to the fact that the creature which was inside is now gone. CAMERA WHIPS from Bronschweig to the wall. To the temperature gauge which reads about 6 degrees Celsius. WHIPPING BACK to Bronschweig who is now panicked. INTERCUT WITH: INT. DOMED TENT - DAY ANGLE DOWN ON EARTHEN HOLE, where the Technicians Bronschweig was speaking to minutes ago react to Bronschweig's MUFFLED VOICE. He's down below them in the cave, looking up. Pulling his haz-mat hood off. Yelling up to them. DR. BRONSCHWEIG It's gone! TECHNICIAN It's what? OVER THE TECHNICIANS TO BRONSCHWEIG DOWN BELOW DR. BRONSCHWEIG It's left the body. I think it's gestated -- Bronschweig is starting up the ladder when something stops him. RESUME INT. ICE CAVE CREATURE'S POV OF BRONSCHWEIG He stands frozen on the ladder, squinting into the darkness. DR. BRONSCHWEIG Wait -- I see it -- BRONSCHWEIG'S POV In the shadows there is movement, the creature edging into the light cast from the draped area. We see it is fully formed -- a replica of the Creature we saw at the opening of our story. Though it does not make any kind of aggressive move. As if, newborn, it is tentative. RESUME BRONSCHWEIG - CREATURE'S POV He remains standing on a rung of the ladder for a moment, then takes a gentle step back down to the ground. DR. BRONSCHWEIG (nervous wonder) Oh my god. Oh my god. TECHNICIAN You see it? DR. BRONSCHWEIG Yes. It's...amazing. You want to get down here -- (sotto to himself) Jesus Lord...so much for little green men. Dr. Bronschweig moves shakily to put the syringe in the ampule again...when, suddenly, the Creature STRIKES. CAMERA RUSHING FORWARD TO BRONSCHWEIG. MATCH CUT TO: OVERHEAD ANGLE - OVER THE TECHNICIANS As the Creature slams into Bronschweig, knocking him out of the line of sight from the top of the earthen hole. There are SCREAMS OF PAIN from Bronschweig, then they abate. RESUME INT. ICE CAVE Bronschweig can be heard, but not clearly seen. He is in the shadows himself now. Trying to pick himself up, and when he manages to do this, teetering back into the light we see that he is bloodied. He is hurt, injured. Making his way back toward the patch of light that comes from the hole above. Hoping to see that help is on its way, while keeping a watchful, wary and worried eye on the shadows, for another attack by the Creature. DR. BRONSCHWEIG Hey -- I need help. But the Technicians looking down on him offer him nothing of the sort. All they do is quickly close the clear hatch that seals Bronschweig inside the cave. DR. BRONSCHWEIG Hey! But he gets no answer, climbing the ladder shakily. A moment later the first Bobcat shovel-full of dirt falls onto the clear hatch and partially obscures the light. They are burying Bronschweig alive. INT. DOMED TENT - DAY ANGLE DOWN ON BRONSCHWEIG through the glass hatch. His SCREAMS continue. ADJUSTING to the small bulldozer which is quickly hauling the mound of excavated earth into the hole from which it came. While, all around, there is a hive of activity. Men running everywhere. CUT TO: RESUME INT. ICE CAVE Bronschweig reacts in silent horror now, only to turn in further horror when he feels the impending attack of: THE CREATURE Right behind and just below him. Its grotesque features in momentary high resolution, BEFORE IT ATTACKS CAMERA. Over and over, savaging Bronschweig in a violent fury. Its hideous teeth tearing at his flesh - AT CAMERA - driving him off the ladder where the attack continues in momentary glimpses of teeth, of bloody flesh, and of OILY BLACK BLOOD being spattered about. At the height of the violence we hear Bronschweig SCREAM. Matching the wound of this, as we: CUT TO: EXT. ESTATE SOMEWHERE OUTSIDE LONDON - EARLY EVENING A CHILD'S SCREAM OF JOY. ENGLISH CHILDREN are playing tag or some kind of children's game in the well-manicured garden of a man who the CAMERA FINDS IN F.G. -- the man we have come to know as THE WELL-MANICURED MAN. He is also a member of the syndicate running "The Project", though his venality is cloaked in civility and statesmanship. Right now he's watching the children from the back steps of his mansion, charmed by their game. When he is called by someone o.s. VALET'S VOICE Sir -- you have a call. The Well-Manicured Man turns to see: HIS VALET Holds the door. After a moment the W.M.M. enters past the Valet. As the screams of the children continue to rise and fall. CUT TO: INT. SUBURBAN LONDON ESTATE - A BEAUTIFUL STUDY - EVENING The Well-Manicured Man enters, picks up a blinking line. Through a window he can still see the children playing. WELL-MANICURED MAN Yes. CIGARETTE SMOKING MAN (FILTER) We have a situation. The members are assembling. WELL-MANICURED MAN Is it an emergency? INTERCUT WITH TIGHT CSM AT INT. KENSINGTON BUILDING (NEXT LOC.) CIGARETTE SMOKING MAN Yes. A meeting is set. Tonight in London, to determine a course. WELL-MANICURED MAN Who called this meeting? CIGARETTE SMOKING MAN Strughold. He's just gotten on a plane in Tunis. This pronouncement has the power of ending any further questions. An immediate sense of gravity of the situation. The W.M.M. hangs up, moves to the window where he sees some of the HELP is running from the house. The children have all gathered around a BOY who seems to have hurt himself. He's lifted and being carried by the man who's called the W.M.M. into the house. Off the Well-Manicured Man's concern, we: CUT TO: EXT. LONDON STREET - NIGHT A discreet Town Car pulls up out front an understated building in a better West End neighborhood. A driver exits coming around for the Well-Manicured Man who is already exiting, moving to the building. As a LEGEND appears: KENSINGTON, LONDON: 8:01 PM. CUT TO: INT. KENSINGTON BUILDING - NIGHT The Well-Manicured Man is admitted by a Valet. The interior has the well-heeled look of money, or a finely appointed residence that no one lives in. The Valet takes the W.M.M.'s coat. WELL-MANICURED MAN Has Strughold arrived? VALET They're in the library. He leads the W.M.M. down a hall, to: INT. LARGE STATELY LIBRARY - NIGHT A GROUP OF MEN are standing, looking at something on a TV monitor. A surveillance video. They turn when the W.M.M. enters. CAMERA FAVORING A SMALL LEAN MAN with close-cropped hair. He is at once elegant and imposing with eyes that hold you with laser-like acuity. He is CONRAD STRUGHOLD. The others are of various ethnicities, tailored and dignified. This might be a collection of U.N. delegates. Indeed some are. Their business here, however, doesn't represent anyone's interests but their own. As tipped by the attendance of a GROUP ELDER from the U.S. who we've come to know. But, more importantly, by the Cigarette Smoking Man who holds the VCR remote. He pauses the picture. STRUGHOLD We began to worry. Some of us have traveled so far, and you are the last to arrive. WELL-MANICURED MAN I'm sorry. My grandson fell and broke his leg. The non-response to this has the same effect as a reprimand. But the W.M.M. will not apologize of kowtow. STRUGHOLD While we've been made to wait, we've watched surveillance tapes which have raised more concerns. The Well-Manicured Man glances to the TV, sees the frame paused. HIS POV OF TV MONITOR Where Mulder and Scully's faces are seen in a hallway that we recognize as the Bethesda Naval Hospital. RESUME WELL-MANICURED MAN WELL-MANICURED MAN More concerns than that? STRUGHOLD We've been forced to reassess our role in Colonization by new facts of biology which have presented themselves. GROUP ELDER (speaking up) The virus has mutated. WELL-MANICURED MAN On its own? CIGARETTE SMOKING MAN Its effect on the host has changed. The virus no longer just invades the brain as a controlling organism. It's developed a way to modify the host body. WELL-MANICURED MAN Into what? STRUGHOLD A new extraterrestrial biological entity. It takes a moment to sink in. The weight of this fact. WELL-MANICURED MAN My god... STRUGHOLD The geometry of mass infection presents certain conceptual re-evaluations for us. About our place in their Colonization. WELL-MANICURED MAN This isn't Colonization, it's spontaneous repopulation. All our work... if it's true, then they've been using us all along. We've been laboring under a lie! 2ND ELDER It could be an isolated case. WELL-MANICURED MAN How can we know?! STRUGHOLD We're going to tell them what we've found. What we've learned. Turn over a body infected with the gestating organism. WELL-MANICURED MAN In hope of what? Learning that it's true?! That we are nothing more than digestives for the creation of a new race of alien lifeforms?! STRUGHOLD Let me remind you who is the new race. And who is the old. (beat) What could be gained by withholding anything from them; By pretending to ignorance? Our knowledge may forestall their plans to step up the timetable. To start Colonization early. WELL-MANICURED MAN And if it doesn't? By cooperating now we're but beggars to our demise! Our ignorance was in cooperating with the Colonists at all. STRUGHOLD Cooperation is our only chance of saving ourselves. CIGARETTE SMOKING MAN They still need us to carry out their preparations. STRUGHOLD We'll continue to use them as they do us. If only to play for more time, to continue work on our vaccine. WELL-MANICURED MAN Our vaccine may have no effect! STRUGHOLD Well, without a cure for the virus, we're nothing more than digestives anyway. All eyes go to the Well-Manicured Man. He is respected, if not the odd man out in this room. But he is all restrained anger now. WELL-MANICURED MAN My lateness may have well been absence. A course has already been taken. CIGARETTE SMOKING MAN There are complications. He turns back to the TV monitor where Mulder and Scully remain frozen on the screen. WELL-MANICURED MAN Do they know? CIGARETTE SMOKING MAN Mulder was in Dallas when we were trying to dispose of evidence. He's gone back there again. Someone has tipped him. WELL-MANICURED MAN Who? CIGARETTE SMOKING MAN Kurtzweil, we think. STRUGHOLD We've allowed this man his freedom. His books have actually helped us to facilitate plausible denial. Has he outlived his usefulness to us? WELL-MANICURED MAN No one believes Kurtzweil or his books. He's a toiler. A crank. STRUGHOLD And Mulder? ELDER Our new situation makes us vulnerable. If he learns information as we do, he could jeopardize the Project's secrecy. 2ND ELDER Control of information means control of Mulder. CIGARETTE SMOKING MAN I can control Mulder. I've always controlled Mulder. STRUGHOLD This may take another approach. He says this, casting his look toward the Well-Manicured Man. A look of cold malevolence. The W.M.M.'s reaction is disdain. WELL-MANICURED MAN You can't kill Mulder. He's got too much light on him. STRUGHOLD You need not kill a man to destroy him. WELL-MANICURED MAN (personalizing the inference) No, you need only take away what is most precious to him. HARD CUT TO: EXT. SMALL PUBLIC PARK - CENTRAL TEXAS - DAY AGENT SCULLY She stands against a backdrop of Texas flatland, squinting into the sun. Shaking her head. SCULLY I don't know, Mulder... We are: WIDE ANGLE REVERSE, TO INCLUDE MULDER, standing in the middle of a park, replete with jungle gyms, playground equipment. All brand spanking new. They are standing right where there had once been a hard scrabble, parched and barren little field. Where the earthen hole had been dug by the young boys. And what had later been the site of so much activity by the group of scientists. But where there's now a park, thick green grass covering the parch of ground, including the spot where the hole had been. SCULLY He didn't mention a park. MULDER This is where he marked on the map, Scully. Where he says those fossils were unearthed. SCULLY I don't see any evidence of an archeological or any other kind of digsite. Not even a sewer or a storm drain. Mulder scans the area, confounded. Shaking his head as they walk. MULDER You're sure the fossils you looked at showed the same signs of deterioration you saw in the fireman's body in the morgue? SCULLY (nodding) The bone was porous, as if the virus of the causative microbe were digesting it. MULDER And you've never seen anything like that? SCULLY No. It didn't show up on any of the immunohistochemical tests -- Mulder is listening to all this while looking down at his feet: MULDER This looks like new grass to you? SCULLY It looks pretty green for this climate. Mulder stops, kneels, touches the thick green carpet of turf. He digs around, lifting up a corner of a new square. MULDER Ground's dry about an inch down. Somebody just laid this down. Very recently, I'd say. SCULLY (looking off) All the equipment is brand new. MULDER No irrigation system. Somebody's covering their tracks. They both turn, looking at something that's caught their attention on the street where their rental car is parked. Three kids, all of whom we recognize from earlier. Stevie's "friends". Tooling down the street on new BMX bikes. Reacting to Mulder's loud WHISTLE. This stops them, staring at Mulder blankly across the distance. MULDER Hey! They don't answer. Just keep staring, squinting into the sun. Mulder and Scully start walking toward them. SCULLY Do you live around here? 2ND BOY Yeah. As the Agents approach. MULDER You see anybody digging here? The kids don't answer quickly. 2ND BOY Not supposed to talk about it. SCULLY You're not supposed to talk about it? Who told you that? 3RD BOY Nobody. MULDER Nobody. Same nobody who put this park in? That new equipment... (off the boys guilty looks) They buy you these bikes? The kids shift uncomfortably. SCULLY I think you better tell us. 2ND BOY We don't even know you. SCULLY Well, we're FBI agents. 2ND BOY You're not FBI agents. MULDER How do you know? 2ND BOY Cause FBI agents wear like suits and goofy ties. And dresses like my mom wears to church. Like on that one show. Mulder and Scully pull their badges. The kids' mouths drop. MULDER Maybe you've been watching too much TV. 3RD BOY They all left twenty minutes ago. 4TH BOY Going that way. The kids all pointing in the same direction. EXT. CENTRAL TEXAS HIGHWAY - LATE DAY As Mulder and Scully's rental car RACES by at high speed. CUT TO: INT. MULDER AND SCULLY'S RENTAL CAR - DAY - CONTINUOUS Mulder at the wheel, foot to the floor. Scully's got a map out. The mood is urgent, tense. MULDER Unmarked tanker trucks... what are archaeologists hauling out in tanker trucks? SCULLY I don't know, Mulder. MULDER And where are they going with it? SCULLY That's the first question to answer, if we're going to find them. CUT BACK TO: EXT. CENTRAL HIGHWAY - LATE DAY Mulder slows down to a stop. They've come to a three-way intersection in the middle of absolutely nowhere that offers them three choices. The car sits idling for several beats. RESUME INT. RENTAL CAR Mulder's got his hand on his face rubbing his eyes. MULDER What are my choices? SCULLY About a hundred miles of nothing in each direction. MULDER Where would they be going? SCULLY We've got two choices. One of them is wrong. They are both looking in different directions. The car idling. MULDER You think they went left? SCULLY I don't know why I think they went right. A few moments of silence. Then Mulder steps on the gas and goes straight. Heading out onto the only unpaved road. Accelerating away. Scully looks at him, wondering. As they bump along at speed. Mulder won't look at her for a few moments. Then, turning to her: MULDER Five years together -- how many times have I been wrong. DISSOLVE TO: EXT. TEXAS HIGHWAY - NIGHT HEADLIGHTS appear in the distance on a long, dusty stretch of road. GROWING as they approach, then coming to a stop in a cloud of dust as they move into f.g. Where a LINE OF FENCEPOSTS, BARBWIRE blocks their path. As the car brakes, the passenger door opens and Scully exits. A hot Texas wind blows. A dog is BARKING somewhere. Scully walks into the headlight wash, looking at a sign on the fence. After a moment, the driver's door opens and Mulder exits. MULDER Hey, I was right about the bomb, wasn't I? SCULLY This is great. This is fitting. REVERSE ON SCENE On the fence sign, painted in crude letters, are the words: SOME HAVE TRIED, SOME HAVE DIED. TURN BACK -- NO TRESPASSING. MULDER What? SCULLY I've got to be in Washington D.C. in eleven hours for a hearing -- the outcome of which might possibly affect one of the biggest decisions of my life. And here I am standing out in the middle of nowhere Texas, chasing phantom tanker trucks. MULDER We're not chasing trucks, we're chasing evidence -- SCULLY -- of what exactly?! MULDER That bomb in Dallas was allowed to go off, to hide something: bodies infected with a virus you detected yourself. SCULLY They haul gas in tanker trucks, they haul oil in tanker trucks -- they don't haul viruses in tanker trucks. MULDER Yeah, well they may this one. SCULLY What do you mean by haul? (off his reaction) What are you not telling me here? MULDER This virus -- it... (afraid to say) SCULLY Mulder -- MULDER It may be extraterrestrial. SCULLY I don't believe this. I don't fucking believe this. (reaching her limit of impatience) Y'know, I've been here... I've been here one too many times with you, Mulder. MULDER Been where? SCULLY Pounding down some dirt road in the middle of the night. Chasing some elusive truth on a dim hope, only to find myself standing right where I am right now: at another dead end -- As she says this A BELL starts to sound. A flashing light hits Mulder and Scully. They both turn to see: HIGH ANGLE OVER A RAILROAD CROSSING SIGN Sitting all by its lonely self. No swinging arms or gate. Just one little sign between Mulder and Scully and their car. CAMERA PANNING to the light of a locomotive speeding toward us. WIDE ANGLE OVER TRACKS TO MULDER AND SCULLY They move toward their car, but the train is coming fast. Mulder and Scully stop and wait, watching the train. As the engine breaks frame, eclipsing Mulder and Scully from view. And as it passes by we see TWO VERY FAMILIAR WHITE TANKERS loaded piggyback atop flat bed cars. The train, which is not much longer than this, passes. And Mulder and Scully make a mad dash for their car. The lights come on and Mulder swings the vehicle into a hard accelerating turn, taking the spoke of the intersection that parallels the tracks. As the car hauls ass after the train, we: DISSOLVE TO: EXT. OPPOSITE END OF MOUNTAIN PASS - NIGHT The rails come up a grade where they appear out of a long bending turn. Exiting the mountain pass near the summit of the mountain. And now HEADLIGHTS appear, bouncing toward us. It's Mulder and Scully's rental chugging up the grade. And now pulling to a stop as it REACHES CAMERA. Then the car doors open and Mulder and Scully exit. Putting jackets against the cold desert night. Running over the gravel on the rail bed into sharp f.g. SCULLY What do you think it is? MULDER I have no idea. They start out toward it anyway, whatever it is. But the image that we see next might cause us to ask the same question. REVERSE ANGLE -- MULDER AND SCULLY'S FORMER POV The Agents are moving off the tracks now, picking their way toward the horizon where, at the edge of the great plateau that lays out before them, there are TWO GIANT GLOWING WHITE DOMES. It is otherwise pitch dark out, almost giving the impression that the domes are floating. It would give the distinct impression of otherworldliness, if we hadn't seen a similar, smaller glowing dome over the dirt field where the boys found the skull. And if we could not see the lights of the TRAIN rolling to a stop near the mysterious domes. CUT TO: EXT. GREAT PLATEAU - NIGHT - HIGH WIDE ANGLE SLOWLY CRANING DOWN as Mulder and Scully move through the low scrub of the high desert. Moving towards us as CAMERA CONTINUES ITS SLOW CRANE DOWN, REVEALING in f.g. the tops of CORN STALKS (yes, corn stalks.) What is the perimeter edge of: REVERSE CRANE DOWN (TO MATCH) Acres and acres of corn fields, laying out before us in the dark night. Running all the way to the WHITE DOMED TENTS in the b.g. Mulder and Scully enter the perimeter edge, disappearing into: EXT. ACRES OF CORN - NIGHT TRACKING WITH Mulder and Scully as they move through the field. SCULLY This is weird, Mulder. MULDER Very weird. SCULLY Any thoughts on why anybody'd be growing corn in the middle of the desert? MULDER Not unless those are giant Jiffy Pop containers out there. CONTINUE TRACKING as they move through the tall uniform rows. ANGLE BEHIND THE AGENTS Shooting down the long straight rows. CRANING UP to REVEAL DOMES once again. Like space ships that have landed. CUT TO: OPPOSITE PERIMETER OF THE FIELD OF CORN The Agents exit the edge of the crop field. They have come upon the glowing tents now. Tall and pillowy against the dark sky. There is no evidence of anyone about. No sound, no signs. Mulder and Scully stand at the edge of the field for a moment. Then move cautiously across an open area to one of the domes. CUT TO: INT. WHITE DOME TENT - NIGHT Mulder pulls open the steel door leading in. It opens with a SUCKING SOUND which suggests the interior is pressurized. And as he and Scully step in -- they both JUMP when LARGE FANS just overhead hit them both with hard blasts of air. Stepping quickly out of the downward blasting air, into the still silence of the space beyond. SCULLY Cool in here. Temperature's being regulated. MULDER For the purpose of what? HIGH OVERHEAD ANGLE Our view is down through the crosswires and cables that create the tension support. The effect is a combination of simplicity and perfect function. Stark and high tech. The flooring is gray and flat, featureless. But we don't yet see from this angle exactly what the white domed tent houses. Though the air is still and there is no movement of any kind, there is a sound that permeates the interior. A STEADY HUM. Almost electrical hum, but different. Mulder and Scully move together toward the middle of the space. WIDE ON TENT - MULDER AND SCULLY'S POV Laid out in a grid, low to the ground, are what look like BOXES. Fixed in place like roof vents, except these are on the floor, no more than three feet tall, and about the same measure square. NEW ANGLE - TRACKING WITH MULDER AND SCULLY As they continue to move cautiously, walking out into the grid of box-shaped objects. Coming to the center of the capacious, arena-sized space. Standing over one of the mysterious boxes, which we now see have LOUVERED TOPS. The louvers, however, are shut so that whatever is inside the boxes cannot be seen. SCULLY I think we're on top of something. I think these are some kind of venting. Mulder lays his head and ear to the top of the box. MULDER You hear that? SCULLY I hear the humming. Like electricity. High voltage maybe. MULDER Maybe. Maybe not. Scully looks skyward. SCULLY What do you think those are for? Mulder takes his ear off the box, looking up now, too. THEIR POV At the top of the dome are two LARGE corresponding LOUVER VENTS. RESUME MULDER AND SCULLY Looking up at these vents. CUT TO: INT. WHITE DOME TENT - NIGHT HIGH WIDE ANGLE OVER MULDER AND SCULLY, staring up JUST PAST CAMERA at the louvered vents at top center of the tent. When A LOUD METALLIC NOISE makes them jump. AGENTS POV THE LOUVERED VENTS ABOVE THEM One of the vents is opening automatically, its large metal louvers straining from their flat closed position into an up-and-down open position. When this is complete, the SECOND LOUVER does the same. The straining sound of galvanized metal-on-metal. LOW ANGLE ON MULDER AND SCULLY As Mulder turns his look from the ceiling back down to the mysterious box they're standing next to. Something occurs to him. Something frightening. MULDER Scully....? SCULLY Yeah...? MULDER Run. Mulder grabs her hand, pulling her along. Though she doesn't know why. Or what's about to happen. TRACKING FAST WITH THEM as Mulder leads her back toward the door they entered, which is a good hundred yards away. SCULLY (yelling, on the run) What are you doing? MULDER (yelling back) Come on! When the LOUVERED VENTS on all the low grid-arranged boxes OPEN IN DOMINO-LIKE SUCCESSION -- out of them pouring THOUSANDS AND THOUSANDS OF BEES, rapidly filling the atmosphere of the domed space. As if the insects are being shot out of non-stop cannons. HIGH ANGLE THICK STREAMS of bees head RIGHT AT CAMERA, flying for the open louvers at the top of the dome. As Mulder and Scully run for it down below. TRACKING WITH MULDER AND SCULLY Scully's hand slipping from Mulder's as she pulls her jacket up over her head. Mulder doing the same now, ducking his head inside his own jacket. The Agents are slowed by the bees but still make their zigzag way toward the door -- bees clinging to their clothes. But motion seems to be the key. As Mulder RUNS TOWARD CAMERA -- where the downward blast of air knocks all the bees off him. In the b.g., we see that Scully has fallen behind. Still running, but losing her way in the process, losing her bearings as the thickening swarm of bees descends. CLOSE ON SCULLY When Mulder enters frame, jacket pulled over his head again. Taking Scully by the back of her coat and swinging her toward the direction of the door. Whipsnapping her the rest of the distance to the doorfans. Following right behind her as the fans BLASTING them and the Agents continue right out the doors. To: EXT. WHITE DOMED TENT - NIGHT Scully and Mulder comes blasting out themselves now, but they haven't even had time to catch their breaths when they react to MOVEMENT. Something coming at them in the night. THEIR POV'S - STRAIGHT DOWN THE ROWS OF DOMED TENTS Where BRIGHT BEAMS BLAST ON, moving fast toward them. The RUSHING WHIR of the turbine engines of the unmarked choppers. The bright beams skimming across the ground toward Mulder and Scully, traveling right along the edges of ends of the white domed tents. Threatening to spot the Agents, unless they -- RUN. And they do -- bolting just as the beams and the helicopters blast over the spot they held just moments before. Running to: EXT. ACRES OF CORN - NIGHT - MULDER AND SCULLY - VARIOUS HANDHELD Running flat out now, knocking away the stalks and leaves that block their way. Following and leading shots. POVs and Tracking shots. And chasing angles, as the Agents run through the only cover they've got. As: ANGLE JUST OVER THE TOP OF CROPS The unmarked helicopters swoop right overhead, their BRIGHT SPOTLIGHTS searching and cutting through the cornrows. As the Agents zig and zag just out of the discovering beams. As the choppers zoom right over their heads. REVERSE ON CHOPPERS Traversing the field, then doing sharp banking turns and swooping back over the field now in low drifting hovers. The wash from the blades knocking the corn stalks down so as to reveal anything hidden within. The bright spots making sure that nothing might escape detection. LOW ANGLE - CAMERA SEARCHING AND FINDING SCULLY as she runs up INTO FRAME. She's lost sight of: SCULLY Mulder?! ANGLE ELSEWHERE ON MULDER As he too runs to a stop. Hearing his name. MULDER Scully?! RESUME SCULLY Reacting to the sound of her name, but there's no time to find her bearings on Mulder. Not before she has to take flight again. As one of the choppers appears overhead, hovering into view. Knocking the corn down in a path moving straight toward her. CAMERA LEADING HER as she runs from the oncoming craft. PASSING CAMERA to the left, as the chopper passes CAMERA RIGHT. CUT TO: TRACKING FAST WITH MULDER Beating his way through the corn like Bomba through the jungle. Matching this action, as Mulder runs toward us. When one of the unmarked helicopters BREAKS INTO FRAME in an intersecting path, its BEAM passing right over Mulder and ILLUMINATING HIM. But while it doesn't slow Mulder down, the helicopter maneuvers into a hard banking turn, sweeping over the far end of the corn field and heading RIGHT BACK AT MULDER - AT US. CUT TO: NEW LOW ANGLE ON EDGE OF CORN FIELD Where Mulder bursts out of the perimeter, turning on a quick dime and running an out pattern, just before the chopper BURSTS into frame overhead, its search beam narrowly missing Mulder. NEW ANGLE ON MULDER Running the corner of the field, looking frantically down each corn row until he comes to a stop. No sign of: MULDER Scully?! Mulder reacting to the sound of her response: SCULLY (distant o.s.) Mulder! NEW ANGLE ON SCULLY She's exiting the field behind him. Running toward him, and when she gets to him they both break into a run across the desert. CAMERA FOLLOWING THEM as they sprint away. FOLLOWING THEM until they both start to slow. Slowing to a stop in the darkness. Turning to see: THEIR POV The helicopters have disappeared. RESUME MULDER AND SCULLY Reacting to this. SCULLY Where'd they go? MULDER I don't know. Then they both turn again and continue running. As fast as their feet will take them. Back towards the bluff where their car is parked. EXT. BLUFF OVERLOOKING CORN FIELDS - NIGHT Where Mulder and Scully's car is parked. Stillness, until Mulder and Scully's heads appear as they climb up from the direction of the corn fields. They get in their car and start it quickly. Mulder turns the ignition, but the car doesn't start immediately. He turns it over and over but it won't kick. As he does this, unbeknownst to the agents ONE OF THE BLACK HELICOPTERS rises up from below the bluff, appearing in their rear windshield. Hovering just behind the car like a giant bumblebee. Just as... ...Mulder gets the car started, throwing the transmission in gear and spinning the tires. As they head off back in the direction they came, without their lights on. As they do this, the black chopper continues to hover for a moment, then BANKS OFF AND AWAY. Into the night. Mulder and Scully speed off in the opposite direction. As we: DISSOLVE TO: INT. FBI OFFICE OF PROFESSIONAL REVIEW - DAY CLOSE ON A FILE Being leafed through by a woman's hands. CAMERA TILTING UP to Special Agent Cassidy, the woman we met earlier running the OPR hearing. She takes a quick glance at her watch, looking up when: THE DOOR TO THE ROOM opens. A beat, then Skinner enters with a wearied look. SKINNER She's coming in. Skinner ducks his head back out to look at: INTERCUT WITH: INT. HALLWAY OUTSIDE OPR HEARING ROOM - DAY Where Scully stands looking into the glass of a display case, trying to put her hair and clothes and person together. She's still in the same clothes we saw her in. Seeing Skinner now moving toward him. RESUME OPR HEARING ROOM Scully enters past Skinner. Though she has straightened them, and her hair, there is no mistaking that she's been to the dust bowl and back to get here. Her manner is chastened. Scully tries to keep her eyes on the table where she'll be sitting. Venturing only a brief, polite look to: ANGLE TO INCLUDE CASSIDY AND THE OTHER PANEL MEMBERS They reshuffle their papers, pulling up their chairs. Ready to get down to business now. CASSIDY Special Agent Scully -- SCULLY I apologize for making you wait -- I've brought some new evidence with me -- CASSIDY Evidence of what? CLOSE PROFILE ON SCULLY Reaching into her satchel, pulling out an evidence bag. Whatever she's reaching for she's reluctant to present with confidence. SCULLY These are fossilized bone fragments I've been able to study, gathered from the bomb site in Dallas... As Scully speaks we see A BEE crawl out from under the collar of her suit jacket, crawling toward the back of her neck. Crawling slowly, as if stretching its legs from its long journey. CAMERA DOLLYING around Scully as the bee does, moving into an OVER to: CASSIDY You've been back to Dallas? SCULLY Yes. CASSIDY Are you going to let us in on what exactly you're trying to prove -- SCULLY That the bombing in Dallas may have been to destroy the bodies of those firemen, so their deaths and the reason for them wouldn't have to be explained -- CASSIDY (challenging) -- those are very serious allegations, Agent Scully -- SCULLY Yes. I know. There is a hush of murmured responses to this, the panel members speaking to one another. Assistant Director Skinner shifts uneasily in his chair. He's been here before with Agents Mulder and Scully. He's sensing something outrageous. CASSIDY And you have conclusive evidence of this? Something to tie this claim of yours to the crime -- SCULLY (grudgingly) Nothing completely conclusive -- We have returned to the OVER ANGLE on Scully, where we see the BEE just below her jacket collar on the back of her neck. It CRAWLS back under her collar, DISAPPEARING from sight. SCULLY I hope to. We're working to develop this evidence -- CASSIDY Working with? SCULLY Agent Mulder. Off Cassidy's knowing nod, a general shifting in chairs, we: CUT TO: INT. DOWNSCALE D.C. BAR - LATE DAY Mulder pushes through the front, scanning the room for: ANGLE ON KURTZWEIL Sitting at a booth at the dark rear of the establishment. Mulder enters frame, sitting down across from him. Kurtzweil is jumpy, but he sees from Mulder's expression that something's up. KURTZWEIL You found something? MULDER Yes. On the Texas border. Some kind of experiment. Something they excavated was brought there in tanker trucks. KURTZWEIL What? MULDER I'm not sure. A virus -- KURTZWEIL -- You saw this experiment? MULDER What did it look like? MULDER There were bees. And corn crops. Kurtzweil smiles at Mulder, laughs with nervous excitement. Mulder doesn't quite realize it yet, but this is news to him. MULDER What are they? Kurtzweil slides from his seat, rising. KURTZWEIL What do you think? MULDER A transportation system. Transgenic crops. The pollen genetically altered to carry a virus. KURTZWEIL That would be my guess. MULDER Your guess? But Kurtzweil doesn't respond to this. He's moving toward the back of the bar. Mulder slides out, pursuing him. ANGLE ON BARMAID The few PATRONS sitting at the bar, all turning in reaction to this sudden flurry of activity. INT. REAR OF DOWNSCALE BAR - NIGHT - CONTINUOUS Near the bathrooms. Mulder catches up to Kurtzweil. MULDER What do you mean, your guess? Kurtzweil doesn't stop. So Mulder must physically stop him. MULDER You told me you had answers. KURTZWEIL Yeah, well I don't have them all. MULDER You've been using me -- KURTZWEIL I've been using you?! MULDER You didn't know my father -- KURTZWEIL I told you -- he and I were old friends -- MULDER You're a liar. You lied to me to gather information for you. For your goddamn books. Didn't you? Mulder is getting heated, rough with Kurtzweil. When, unexpectedly A MAN suddenly exits the bathroom. REACTING to this scene. Kurtzweil uses the moment to break from Mulder. Slipping out the back door. Mulder takes a beat, then goes after him. Pushing out the back door into the blinding brightness. CUT TO: EXT. ALLEY BEHIND BAR - DAY Mulder busts out the back door, chasing Kurtzweil. MULDER Kurtzweil! Kurtzweil turns to him. With restrained ferocity. KURTZWEIL You'd be shit out of luck if not for me. You saw what you saw because I led you to it. I'm putting my ass on the line for you. MULDER Your ass? I just got chased across Texas by two black helicopters. KURTZWEIL And why do you think it is you're standing here talking to me? These people don't make mistakes, Agent Mulder. And with that he turns now, striding off. Leaving Mulder to deal with the excellent logic of this. When suddenly Mulder reacts to A NOISE. Somewhere above him. MULDER'S POV Up on a fire escape, A MAN is moving. Mulder can only see his feet and legs from this angle, but it is clear he has been watching Mulder. Upon being spotted, the figure slides away and disappears. ANGLE FROM INSIDE FIRE ESCAPE BUILDING We get a glimpse of the man who was watching him. A face we recognize as that of the man who brushed past Mulder coming out of the vending room, not long before the building in Dallas blew. He is moving quickly now, disappearing into the shadows. CAMERA TILTING DOWN to find: MULDER. He stands staring up, but only for a moment until he turns and hurries off in the opposite direction Kurtzweil disappeared in. CUT TO: INT. MULDER'S APARTMENT - MAGIC HOUR ANGLE OVER MULDER'S DESK at the far end of the living room. The sound of keys in the door, then Mulder enters his apartment in a hurry. Moving to the desk and going at this pace through the drawers. Looking for... A PICTURE ALBUM. Which he takes now, leafing through it. Flipping the pages, looking for: ANGLE OVER MULDER Finding old pictures of young Fox Mulder with his SISTER, Samantha. With his father and mother. The plastic-covered page is peeled back and one of these photos is removed. It is an old family snapshot. A picnic possibly. Mulder stares at the picture. INSERT PHOTO - In the b.g. of the picnic, his head turned to camera, is a young KURTZWEIL. Mulder studies the photo intensely, when there's a KNOCK at his door. Mulder turning to see: SCULLY In his haste, Mulder had neglected to lock his door. Scully is pushing it open. She's still in the same clothes. She looks beat. Her eyes meeting Mulder's. A gaze that says bad news. MULDER What? What's wrong? SCULLY Salt Lake City, Utah. Transfer effective immediately. Mulder is shaking his head. Not wanting to hear this. SCULLY I already gave Skinner my letter of resignation. MULDER You can't quit, Scully. SCULLY I can, Mulder. I debated whether or not to even tell you in person, because I knew -- MULDER We're close to something here -- we're on the verge -- SCULLY You're on the verge, Mulder -- please don't do this to me -- MULDER After what you saw last night -- after all you've seen -- you can't just walk away -- SCULLY I have. I did. It's done. MULDER Just like that -- SCULLY I'm contacting the state board Monday to file medical reinstatement papers -- MULDER I need you on this, Scully -- SCULLY You don't Mulder -- you've never needed me. I've only held you back. (beat) I've got to go. And with that she exits his apartment, the argument too painful, and her ability to be persuaded too clear to herself. INT. HALLWAY OUTSIDE MULDER'S APARTMENT - NIGHT WIDE ANGLE FROM END OF HALL where we see Scully, leaving Mulder's apartment. Moving at a hurried clip to the elevator -- TOWARD CAMERA. As if anticipating her own impulse to turn around and go back. As she moves into f.g. Mulder exits his apt. door. MULDER You're wrong -- He hurries to catch her. As she turns on him. SCULLY Why was I assigned to you? To debunk your work. To reign you in. To shut you down. MULDER You saved me, Scully. (off her look) As different and frustrating as it's been sometimes, your goddamn strict rationalism and science have saved me a thousand times; have kept me honest and made me whole. I owe you so much, Scully, and you owe me nothing. (beat) I don't want to do this without you. I don't know if I can. If I quit now, they win. She is silent, moved. In spite of all her desire not to be. She moves to Mulder, holds him. They break slightly and she looks up at Mulder with deep respect, admiration and... kisses him on the forehead. When... ...suddenly a physical intimacy we've never seen. A heat and passion that can't be denied. The opportunity for the inevitable has presented itself. The moment of truth has arrived. Mulder is staring at Scully as she's looking back at him. His head moves slightly toward hers -- as one of his hands moves up to her neck, drawing her to him. Where there is hesitation on her part, there is also desire. When: SCULLY OUCH!!! Scully pulls away from Mulder, RUBBING at her neck where his hand had been. MULDER What? What happened? SCULLY I think... something stung me. Scully's hand comes out with THE SQUIRMING BEE, which she holds in her hand while Mulder moves around her, checking her neck. MULDER It must... But he doesn't finish his sentence before he has to catch Scully from falling. Her head bobs and she has to catch it. MULDER Scully... SCULLY Something's wrong... (fighting for clarity) I'm having -- lancinating pain -- my chest. My... motor functions are being affected. I'm... Mulder lays her down on the floor during this. Scully continues to speak, though her eyes are not focusing. She is limp in Mulder's arms. SCULLY ...my pulse feels thready and I've got a funny taste in the back of my throat. MULDER I think you're in anaphylactic shock -- SCULLY No -- it's -- Her voice is getting thin now, too. MULDER Scully -- SCULLY I've got no allergy. Something... this... Mulder... I think... I think you should call an ambulance. And Mulder is on his feet in a flash, running for: CUT TO: INT. MULDER'S APARTMENT - NIGHT - CONTINUOUS CLOSE OVER PHONE as Mulder races into the apartment, dashing TOWARD CAMERA, picking up the receiver, dialing. HOLDING ON THE PHONE during this action. TILTING UP for: MULDER This is Special Agent Fox Mulder. I have an emergency -- I have an agent down -- INT. HALLWAY OUTSIDE MULDER'S APARTMENT - NIGHT SCULLY - HANDHELD Picked up and one-two-three loaded on a gurney by TWO PARAMEDICS. 1ST PARAMEDIC Can you hear me? Can you say your name? Scully is trying, but the words won't come out. 1ST PARAMEDIC She's got constriction in the throat and larynx -- are you breathing okay? He lays his head down to her mouth. 1ST PARAMEDIC Passages are open. Let's get her in the van -- NEIGHBORS are in the hall now, along with Mulder. Who is moving beside the Paramedics as they hustle the gurney down the hall. 1ST PARAMEDIC Coming through people -- here we go. Coming through -- CUT TO: EXT. MULDER'S APARTMENT - NIGHT - CONTINUED HAND HELD The Paramedics bang out the front door, stutter-stepping the gurney down to the walk, to their EMT VAN which sits at the curb with the LIGHT BAR FLASHING. Mulder following close by. MULDER She said she had a taste in the back of her throat -- there was no pre-existing allergy to bee-stings -- the bee that stung her may have been carrying a virus -- 2ND PARAMEDIC A virus? 1ST PARAMEDIC Get on the radio, tell them we have a cytogenic reaction, we need an advise and administer -- They get her to the back of the vehicle, guiding the gurney in with experienced hands. Scully's eyes are on Mulder as she's slid into the brightly lit interior. The 1st Paramedic blocks Mulder somewhat as he steps toward the van, anticipating that he's going with them to the hospital. But the doors are closing on him before he gets an opportunity. FOLLOWING MULDER around to the driver's side of the van now, moving to the driver's window where THE DRIVER can be seen in the rear view mirror, his eyes watching Mulder. ON MULDER A moment of vague recognition -- a catch in his step. RESUME As Mulder's momentum carries him to the driver's window where se see again the man from the vending room, who was also surveilling Mulder. And he has a HANDGUN pointed at Mulder, which he FIRES THROUGH THE WINDOW. The glass shattering. RESUME MULDER Throwing himself away backward, but the bullet catches him in the head. Blood and glass spraying onto the side of the van. He goes down to the ground -- as the paramedic van accelerates fast away. LOW ANGLE REVERSE ON MULDER Lying in the street, his head bleeding profusely. While in the b.g., A SECOND AMBULANCE IS SPEEDING TO THE SCENE. As it skids to a stop and TWO NEW PARAMEDICS jump out, we: DISSOLVE TO: EXT. WASHINGTON NATIONAL AIRPORT - NIGHT A MEDIUM SIZED PRIVATE JET is taxiing down an alley off the main runway where a 747 is speeding toward takeoff. The private jet turning TOWARD CAMERA and nosing into f.g. NEW ANGLE ON TARMAC Where MEN IN FAMILIAR BLACK FATIGUES are unloading something from an unmarked cube truck that is also familiar: the very high tech-looking CLEAR CONTAINER, with its monitors and gauges, its oxygen tanks and refrigeration unit. A self-contained life support system. The inside of the container is covered with a thin layer of frost, through which we can see AGENT SCULLY. She lies as if in a state of paralysis, but a blink of her eyes is enough to tell us that she is... alive. TRACKING WITH THE MEN moving the container. As they hustle it to the waiting jet. As The Cigarette Smoking Man is descending the steps of the plane onto the tarmac. Watching as the container is moved to the cargo hold and loaded inside. The hold is closed and the jet engines wind back up. As the Cigarette Smoking Man reboards the aircraft and it taxis away. FADE SLOWLY TO BLACK INT. HOSPITAL - NIGHT Voices fade in slowly, inaudible at first. For regular viewers of the show, they will recognize the voices of the Lone Gunmen. Three nerdish paranoiacs who publish a magazine which charts and cataloged conspiracies past and present, among other government malfeasance. They are Langly, Byers and Frohike. BYERS I think he's coming out -- LANGLY He's coming to. FROHIKE Hey, Mulder... FADE UP, as if our eyes are blinking open. We are in Mulder's POV, and the face right above us is Frohike's. FROHIKE Mulder...? Behind Frohike, looking down at Mulder, are Byers and Langly. REVERSE ON MULDER Staring at the diminutive Frohike, the long-haired Langly and the courtly Byers with dawning recognition. MULDER Oh god... LANGLY What's wrong? MULDER (to Byers, then Langly) Tin Man. Scarecrow. (to Frohike) Toto. Mulder sits up now, rubbing his face, feeling the BANDAGE he's got on his head. MULDER What am I doing here? BYERS You were shot in the head. The bullet broke the flesh on your right brow and glanced off your temporal plate. MULDER (woozy) Penetration but not perforation. LANGLY Three centimetres to the left and we'd be playing the harp. Mulder is still shaking out the cobwebs. BYERS They gave you a craniotomy to relieve the pressure from a subdural hematoma. But you've been unconscious since they brought you in. MULDER When was that? FROHIKE Two days ago. Your guy Skinner's been here with you around the clock. LANGLY We got the news and made a trip to your apartment. Found a bug in your phone line. FROHIKE And one in your hall. Byers holds up the first small device. Frohike holds up a vial containing A BEE. Mulder realizing: MULDER Scully had a violent reaction to a bee sting -- BYERS You called 911. Except the call was intercepted. MULDER (sitting up) They took her -- Mulder pushes the covers off. Swinging his legs to the ground. As A.D. Skinner enters the room. Surprised to see Mulder up. SKINNER Agent Mulder -- MULDER Where's Scully?! As he says this he loses his balance slightly, has to hold onto one of the Gunmen. Struggling with his faculties. SKINNER She's missing. We've been unable to locate her or the vehicle they took her in. MULDER Whoever they are -- this goes right back to Dallas -- it goes right back to the bombing -- SKINNER I know. (off Mulder's reaction to this) Agent Scully reported your suspicions to OPR. On the basis of her report, I sent techs over to S.A.C. Michaud's apartment. They picked up PSTN residues on his personal effects consistent with the construction of the vending machine device in Dallas. MULDER (reeling) How deep does this go? SKINNER I don't know. Mulder sees A MAN IN A SUIT passes by the small window in the door, casting a furtive glance in, then moving off. He turns his look back to Skinner. MULDER Are we being watched? SKINNER I'm not taking any chances. Mulder nods. Pulling now at the bandage on his head. Peeling it away and revealing the wound beneath. MULDER I need your clothes, Byers. BYERS Me? SKINNER What are you doing? MULDER I've got to find Scully. FROHIKE Do you know where she is? MULDER No. But I know someone who might have an answer. Who better. Mulder is undoing his hospital gown now, his white buns gracing the screen for the first time in history. As he ducks into the bathroom. As the men left standing in the room all look to Byers, reluctantly removing his duds. Off this: CUT TO: INT. HOSPITAL HALLWAY - NIGHT ANGLE OVER MAN IN A SUIT standing with his back to Mulder's room, reading a section of a newspaper (the rest of the paper sitting on a chair, as if the man's possibly set up here.) As the door to Mulder's room opens in the b.g. and Frohike appears. Frohike keeps his eyes on the Man as Langly appears now, followed by...Byers? We can't see clearly as the other two block our POV and the third man out doesn't show us his face. The threesome starts down the hall, their footsteps drawing the attention of the Man in a Suit. ANGLE OVER MULDER AND THE OTHER GUNMEN As they head TOWARD CAMERA. Walking at a pace. In the b.g. the Man in the Suit is drifting toward Mulder's hospital room. ANGLE ON MAN IN SUIT Suspicious. He moves to the door, looks in the little glass window. Seeing...Byers, the sheets pulled up to his nose to hide his beard and mustache. Skinner standing next to him, talking on the phone. The Man in the Suit looking down to the end of the hall again. RESUME ANGLE OVER MULDER AND THE GUNMEN As Mulder and his two flankers MOVE RIGHT TO CAMERA. Mulder is taking a cell phone being handed to him by Frohike. Dialing on the move. CUT TO: EXT. ALLEY BEHIND DOWNSCALE D.C. BAR - NIGHT A FIGURE appears at the end of the alley, moving toward us. It could be Mulder from this distance, but as the figure comes closer we recognize him as Kurtzweil. Moving into the f.g., checking behind him, ahead of him. Jumpy. He takes a cautious beat, then moves to the door leading into the bar (established), reaching for the knob. Opening it, finding the Well-Manicured Man standing there. WELL-MANICURED MAN Dr. Kurtzweil, isn't it? Dr. Alvin Kurtzweil? KURTZWEIL Jesus Christ. Kurtzweil is shaken by the sight of this man. Backpedaling a bit, looking around and behind him for an ambush. WELL-MANICURED MAN You're surprised. Certainly you've been expecting some response to your indiscretion. The W.M.M. steps out of the doorway, following Kurtzweil. WELL-MANICURED MAN I'm quite sure whatever you told Agent Mulder, you have your good reason. It's a weakness in men our age; the urge to confess. (stopping his walk) I forgive you that. Kurtzweil is thrown by the words, and the delivery. Stopping his backward progress. Studying this upright and civil man. KURTZWEIL What are you doing here? What do you want from me? WELL-MANICURED MAN You must try to understand, what I'm here to do is only to protect my children. You and I have but short lives left. I can only hope the same isn't true for them. On this note, Kurtzweil turns and hoofs it back in the direction from which he came. TRACKING BACK WITH HIM until HEADLIGHTS hit his face. REVERSE ANGLE A TOWN CAR has pulled into the alley behind him. Accelerating fast down the narrow corridor. Effectively trapping Kurtzweil in. As he squints into its headlights, then turns back with fear in his eyes to the W.M.M. CUT TO: EXT. STREET OUTSIDE DOWNSCALE BAR - NIGHT Where a figure is coming down the street toward us. Running, it's Mulder, going balls out. Running to the entrance of the bar and yanking open the door. INT. DOWNSCALE D.C. BAR - NIGHT Moderately crowded as Mulder enters, stopping to catch his breath. Moving to the back of the bar. Looking for: THE BOOTH WHERE HE MET KURTZWEIL EARLIER It's empty. RESUME MULDER Moving through the bar -- real panic in his expression. He heads to the back. INT. REAR OF DOWNSCALE BAR - NIGHT - CONTINUOUS Mulder passing the bathrooms, moving to the door where we saw the Well-Manicured Man standing just a short bit ago. But there is no one back here now. Mulder moves to the back door, the one leading to the alley, pushing it open and finding: The Well-Manicured Man stands with HIS DRIVER closing the trunk on the idling Town Car (which has been turned around.) The W.M.M. turns to see: WELL-MANICURED MAN Mr. Mulder. MULDER What happened to Kurtzweil? WELL-MANICURED MAN He's come and gone. The W.M.M. moves to Mulder, who doesn't trust him for a second. Mulder is still breathing hard, sizing up this scene. MULDER Where's Scully? WELL-MANICURED MAN I have answers for you. MULDER Is she alive? WELL-MANICURED MAN Yes. Mulder stares at the W.M.M. - measuring him. WELL-MANICURED MAN I'm quite prepared to tell you everything, though there isn't much you haven't guessed. MULDER About the conspiracy? WELL-MANICURED MAN I think of it as an agreement. A word your father liked to use. MULDER I want to know where Scully is. The Well-Manicured Man suddenly reaches into his jacket pocket, without warning or explanation. Mulder tensing slightly. He removes a thin felt envelope. WELL-MANICURED MAN The location of Agent Scully. And the means to save her life. (off Mulder's look) Please... He gestures toward the car where the Driver stands with the back door open. Mulder hesitates, then steps from the doorway. Moving past the W.M.M., sliding in. The W.M.M. gets in after him, closes the door. The car pulls away. CUT TO: INT. LIMOUSINE - NIGHT - CONTINUOUS WE SEE MULDER in the back seat, reflected in the rear-view mirror. Where we also see the eyes of the DRIVER watching him. Mulder is handed the felt envelope by the W.M.M. MULDER What is it? WELL-MANICURED MAN A weak vaccine against the virus Agent Scully has been infected with. It must be administered with ninety six hours. MULDER (beat) You're lying. WELL-MANICURED MAN No. Though I have no way to prove otherwise. The virus is extraterrestrial. We know very little about it, except that it is the original inhabitant of this planet. MULDER (dubious, to say the least) A virus? WELL-MANICURED MAN A simple, unstoppable lifeform. What is a virus but a colonizing force that cannot be defeated? Living in a cave, underground, until it mutates. And attacks. MULDER This is what you've been conspiring to conceal? A disease? WELL-MANICURED MAN No! For God sake you've got it all backwards. This outburst comes suddenly, unexpectedly. WELL-MANICURED MAN Aids, the ebola virus -- on the evolutionary scale they are newborns. This virus walked the planet long before the dinosaurs. MULDER What do you mean, walked? WELL-MANICURED MAN Your aliens, Agent Mulder, your little green men, first landed here millions of years ago. Those that didn't leave have been laying dormant underground since the last Ice Age. In the form of an evolved pathogen. Waiting to be reconstituted when the alien race from which it came returns to colonize the planet. Using us as hosts. Against this we have no defense. Nothing but a weak vaccine. (beat) Do you see why it was kept secret? Why even the best men -- men like your father -- could not let the truth be known? The force and conviction of his delivery leave Mulder shaken. WELL-MANICURED MAN Until Dallas, we believed the virus was simply a controlling organism. That mass infection would make us a slave race. MULDER That's why you bombed the building. The infected firemen, the boy -- WELL-MANICURED MAN Imagine our surprise when they began to gestate. My group has been working cooperatively with the alien colonists, facilitating their programs. To give us access to the virus. In false hope we might be able to secretly find a cure. So that we might save ourselves, as the last of the species. (beat) Your father wisely refused to believe this, choosing hope over selfishness. Hope is the only future he had: his children, (beat, then self-revealing) The only future any of us have. This draws a look back in the mirror from the Driver. MULDER But... he sacrificed his own daughter. My sister, Samantha. WELL-MANICURED MAN The only true survivors of the viral holocaust will be those immune to it: those vaccinated against it and human/alien hybrids. Your father arranged for your sister's abduction. He allowed her to be taken to an alien hybrid program, so that she would survive. As a clone. (beat) He had different hopes for you. That you would uncover the truth about the Project. That you would stop it. That you would fight the future. Mulder sits stunned by this. As if somehow his destiny has been validated, if not pre-ordained. Or maybe just justified. MULDER Why are you telling me this? WELL-MANICURED MAN I thought it only fair you should know, given how hard you've worked. MULDER What happened to Kurtzweil? WELL-MANICURED MAN As your father knew, things need to be sacrificed to the future. MULDER Where is he? WELL-MANICURED MAN Dr. Kurtzweil is in the trunk. Mulder stares at the W.M.M., at his cold-blooded expression. MULDER Let me out. Stop the car. WELL-MANICURED MAN (motioning) Driver. Mulder reaching to this as the limo pulls to a stop. Trying the door, but the door is locked. When he turns back to the W.M.M. he has produced a handgun, which is now pointing at Mulder. Laid casually across a folded arm. Mulder reacts on seeing it. WELL-MANICURED MAN The men I work with will stop at nothing to clear the way for what they believe is their stake in the inevitable future. I was ordered to kill Kurtzweil. A necessary action to protect my grandchildren's lives. (beat) I might just as easily kill you. Mulder is recoiling as he says this. Then, without hesitation in one quick move, he SHOOTS the Driver in the head. The blood spattering on the front windshield -- and on Mulder who has barely had a chance to react. WELL-MANICURED MAN Trust no one, Mr. Mulder. Mulder looks at The Well-Manicured Man, expecting to be next. And for a moment, we do too. But the W.M.M. simply opens the door and steps out of the car. Holding the door open for Mulder who is still frozen by the actions that went just before. EXT. DESOLATE D.C. STREET - NIGHT Mulder steps out of the car, holding the felt envelope. The Well-Manicured Man stands with a sober, intense look. WELL-MANICURED MAN (with quiet force) You have precious little time. What I've given you the alien colonists have no idea exists. You hold in your hand the power to end the project. MULDER How? WELL-MANICURED MAN The vaccine you hold is the only defense against the virus. Its introduction into an alien environment may have the power to destroy the delicate plans we've so assiduously protected for the last fifty years. (beat) Or it may not. MULDER What alien environment? WELL-MANICURED MAN Find Agent Scully. Save her. Only her science can save the future. MULDER What about you? WELL-MANICURED MAN My life is over. (beat) Go. Mulder stands speechless for a moment. Until the W.M.M. points the weapon he's still holding at him. WELL-MANICURED MAN Go now! And Mulder does. Moving away from the car, looking back over his shoulder. As the Well-Manicured Man gets back into the limousine, closes the door. A moment later... THE CAR EXPLODES INTO FLAMES, knocking Mulder to the ground. ANGLE ON MULDER The felt envelope has been jarred from his grasp. Its contents loosed from inside: a piece of paper with COORDINATES on it and an AMPULE and SYRINGE. Mulder gets up, looks back. Then he picks up the envelope and its contents -- and begins to run. Running as fast as he can go. Until, far down the block, he disappears. As the SCREEN DISSOLVES TO WHITENESS -- under which we hear an ominous low end Dolby THX Big Screen rumble. The same sound that opened our story. Then there is movement, as the curvilinear line of a horizon becomes visible, bi-secting the screen between the white of the earth and the white of the sky. We are: EXT. POLE OF INACCESSIBILITY - ANTARCTICA Across the expanse of whiteness, a DARK IMAGE appears on the long flat horizon. Moving toward us. As a LEGEND appears, to establish. CLOSER ON A SNOW TRACTOR Crawling across the harsh frozen land like a domed insect. INT. SNOW TRACTOR Agent Mulder sits behind the controls of the enclosed cabin, several days growth on his face. Dressed in thick, bundled outerwear. He maneuvers the vehicle to a stop. Reaching for a handheld GPS monitor to check his position. Catching his breath for a moment -- all movement is exertion in this climate. Mulder stares hard out the front window, the wipers beating time, but there is nothing out there but whiteness. He wipes the fog from a side window with his gloved hand, seeing nothing but more whiteness. Checking the GPS device again, then reaching for the door latch. RESUME WIDE EXTERIOR Agent Mulder exits the vehicle, hopping down onto the snowscape crust. Setting out on foot with the GPS device held before him. In this forbidding environment he might as well be taking a space walk -- without the security of a lifeline. Which is the impression we get as his tiny figure trudges across the ice, increasing the distance between himself and the snow tractor. MOVING WITH MULDER Up a gentle grade, the snow tractor now behind him. Moving into tight f.g. where he stops, seeing something now which allows him to pocket the GPS device. Dropping instinctively to his knees, so as to avoid being seen by: MULDER'S POV In the distance is an ICE STATION. A row of interconnecting WHITE DOME TENTS, whose design is now familiar to us. There are what look like snow tractors and other snow vehicles parked alongside the structures. RESUME MULDER Pulling a compact pair of binoculars from one of his deep jacket pockets. Training them on: THE ICE STATION - BINO MATTE PANNING across the domes and vehicles, where there is no sign of personnel -- until MULDER PANS off the building, finding in his field glasses AN APPROACHING SNOW TRACTOR. Moving across the landscape toward the ice station. When it pulls to a stop, A MAN exits out of one of the domes: THE CIGARETTE SMOKING MAN. Moving to the vehicle and getting in. The vehicle reverses now, transporting the CSM back away from the ice station. CLOSE ON MULDER Taking the field glasses away from his eyes. The excitement he feels expressed now in his breathing, which has become harder and shallower. Mulder rises, beginning to move the still great distance between himself and the ice station. CUT TO: WIDE ON SCREEN Mulder moving slowly across the white horizon toward the domed tents. LOW ANGLE ON MULDER'S FEET Moving cautiously, and with effort on the snowscape crust. CAMERA RISING up to Mulder's face, determined and watchful. FOLLOWING MULDER The ice station still several hundred yards in the distance, when MULDER SUDDENLY FALLS OUT OF FRAME, disappearing into a hole in the snowscape crust that just moments earlier had been stable footing. HARD CUT TO: INT. SNOW ICE BUBBLE - CONTINUOUS Where Mulder's body falls through a ceiling of snowscape crust, landing on his back with a THUD on a hard surface. It takes him a moment to catch his breath, somewhat reminiscent of Stevie at the beginning of the picture. Wincing through the pain. Until he turns over, regaining his wits, and his bearings. NEW ANGLE Mulder has fallen on a hard, narrow metallic structure. Its dull black color a stark contrast to the white ice it's encased in. The bubble has been created by air coming out of vents in the structure, carving out corresponding patterns in the ceiling; softening the ice and snow above. CLOSER ON MULDER rising to his knees, the AIR from one of these vents blowing onto his face. Pulling off the hood of his jacket, looking deep into the vent which is open, ungrated. And big enough for a man to crawl into. Which, after considering the hole he's fallen through high above him, is really Mulder's only choice. CUT TO: INT. RIBBED CORRIDOR DUCT - CONTINUOUS Mulder pulls himself forward through the ribbed corridor duct with his elbows, moving lizard-like into the constricted darkness. CUT TO: INT. UPPER RIBBED CORRIDOR - CONTINUOUS Above a frozen ice lith, Mulder's head appears, squeezing his shoulders and body out of a venting. With effort, Mulder slides out of the small space, using some architecture above as a handhold. Pulling his legs free and dropping onto the floor. MULDER'S POV It is dark in here, the features of the corridor ill-defined. RESUME MULDER - WIDER Mulder pulls a flashlight from a pocket in his parka, snicks it on. Its beam reflecting off tall frozen liths of ice regularly spaced on both sides of the corridor. NEW ANGLE ON MULDER Training the light down the corridor, which curves away in both directions. Then pointing it at something right in front of his nose: something that gives him a start. Reaching up with his hand to brush away frost from the lith. Finding A MAN FROZEN IN ICE. Naked, his eyes staring into some long-forgotten distance. His hair is dark, his flat features familiar to us. He is the prehistoric hunter from the opening scenes of the movie. His flesh has the opaque, see-through quality that we've seen before. Inside of which, frozen along with the man, is an EMBRYONIC CREATURE. REVERSE ON MULDER Reacting to this sight, then moving off down the corridor, his pace quickened. CUT TO: EXT. POLE OF INACCESSIBILITY - ANTARCTICA LOW ANGLE on the great white expanse. Across which a snow tractor is moving. PANNING with the vehicle to... Mulder's snow tractor, where the first tractor stops, its headlights trained on Mulder's ride. A beat, then the discovering machine moves out again, following the tracks that Mulder has left, which brings it STRAIGHT TOWARD CAMERA. As it passes us, we can see the DRIVER and the Cigarette Smoking Man sitting in the cabin. As we: CUT BACK TO: INT. UPPER RIBBED CORRIDOR - CONTINUOUS MULDER comes to the end of the dim ice corridor where soft light is penetrating through several low, arched openings. Mulder has to drop down to his knees to see into the openings. ANGLE FROM OPPOSITE SIDE OF THE BALCONY PASSAGEWAY Where Mulder is seen looking TOWARD CAMERA. The Balcony passageway is short. Mulder drops to his stomach again, pulling himself through, toward us. When he reaches the opposite end, Mulder pokes his head out, looking up in wonder at: INT. CENTRAL THEATER - BALCONY - CONTINUOUS - WIDE ON A STADIUM-SIZED DOME -- (CGI SET EXTENSION) Imagine a domed sports arena -- this is the scope and scale of the space that Mulder has penetrated. We see him as only a small speck on a balcony midway between floor and ceiling. Pulling himself out of the balcony passageway, which is like countless other passageways. Which are actually ventilation ports. ANGLE OVER MULDER Pulling himself to his feet. Beholding the space before him. Looking down to the center floor where a large central theater gives off a light different from elsewhere in the dome. An icy, bright glow. Leading down to the central theater far below are several LARGE TUBULAR SPOKES. (One of which leads up right next to Mulder's position.) ANGLE ON MULDER Reacting to this. Then something captures his attention. MULDER'S POV There on the floor, far down below, is THE BUBBLE LITTER Scully was transported in. (NOTE* Scully's clothes are still in the bubble litter.) Standing out as a rather human artifact against the otherwise dull gray bulwarks and architecture surrounding it. INT. CENTRAL THEATER - BALCONY - CONTINUOUS - WIDE ON MULDER looks beside him where the joint that connects two sections of one of the long tube spokes is designed with an allowance -- a separation that might allow a man to slip through the joint into the tube. Which is what Mulder does here. CUT TO: INT. TUBULAR SPOKE - CONTINUOUS WIDE ANGLE FROM INSIDE TUBE TERMINUS Mulder squeezing through into the tube, looking down past what looks like a chair lift-like track, on which the chairs are actually empty cryopod mechanisms; the same structures Mulder saw in the ribbed corridor in which bodies were encased in ice. Except these cryopods are empty. Mulder begins to creep down TOWARD CAMERA, picking his way around the empty cryopods. REVERSE ANGLE ON MULDER Creeping away from us. Heading toward: INT. LOWER CRYOPOD CORRIDOR Where Mulder pops out at the lower tube terminus. Which leads into this bulwarked corridor at the base of the large stadium structure. Where: REVERSE ON THIS CORRIDOR Where Mulder is walking past frozen CRYOPODS hanging on a track. Each icy pod containing a HUMAN BODY frozen within. Partially visible behind clear blue ice. But these are modern men, and women. Their expressions a confused horror, as if they have been somehow frozen alive. They are slowly tracking. Walking along the slowly moving carousel of frozen humanity. Stopping, turning, almost as if having sensed: NEW ANGLE OVER OPPOSITE CRYOPOD PUSHING IN ON MULDER'S FACE. Recording the horror and fear he's experiencing, on seeing: CAMERA RISING UP A FROSTY WALL OF BLUE ICE Where a woman's body is encased, its naked features hidden behind the opacity of the newly frozen blue crust. But whose face is unmistakable as that of Agent Scully's. Frozen in a similar expression of far-away horror, her eyes cast slightly heavenward. MULDER hurries to get his jacket unzipped. Removing the FELT ENVELOPE, removing the syringe body, the needle and the AMPULE. Hastily putting the syringe together, getting the needle poked into the soft rubber cap of the ampule. Bleeding the syringe now, the substance inside squirting out of the end of the needle onto the floor of the ship. And the moment it does, the whole floor SIZZLES like water being dropped onto a hot skillet. Spreading out from Mulder in every direction. A VIOLENT CHEMICAL REACTION, as predicted by the man who gave him this substance. A moment later the entire structure Mulder is in SHUNTS. Shuddering violently and setting up a low-end RUMBLE. Causing Mulder to accidentally drop the syringe. LOW CLOSE ANGLE on the floor, where the syringe hits and bounces, but does not break or leak. Mulder scrambling into frame to re-collect it. Seeing the floor where the liquid from the syringe hit -- where it has been ETCHED AWAY by the substance. EXT. HULL OF SPACESHIP/ICY BUBBLE - CONTINUOUS Where Mulder crawled into the duct. Condensed air is streaming out of all the ducts now. The ice and snow above beginning to melt from the force and heat of the blasting all. CUT BACK TO: EXT. ICE STATION - CONTINUOUS We can hear low end rumble and vibration. TWO DOZEN MEN are streaming out of the dome tents. Moving to their carious snow tractors and starting the vehicles. A small exodus, the tractors pulling out of camp in a rush. Heading off in various directions. CAMERA FINDING THE CIGARETTE SMOKING MAN moving to his tractor, with THE MAN WHO SHOT MULDER. Taking the last drag of his cigarette before throwing it into the snow. He stares down at it a moment, as if caught in the grip of some emotion conflicting with duty. The Man who shot Mulder inside the tractor now, throwing open the door for the CSM. MAN WHO SHOT MULDER C'mon. It's all going to hell. He climbs up onto the vehicle, gets in and closes the door. And the vehicle pulls away as we: CUT BACK TO: INT. LOWER RIBBED CORRIDOR - CONTINUOUS - AGENT MULDER Back on his feet, SMASHING now at the crust of brittle blue-ice that encases Scully. BASHING, SMASHING and then finally breaking through the hard outer later, its inner slushy contents spilling out of the puncture that exposes Scully's face and shoulder. Watery aqua-tinted liquid drains from her mouth and nose. But Scully is not conscious, and there is no indication she is even alive, her face frozen in a blank, almost beatific expression. OVER MULDER TO SCULLY As he plunges the needle into Scully's arm at the front of her shoulder. To which there is an immediate reaction -- as if given a shot of adrenalin. Her eyes blinking away the cold moisture. MULDER Scully -- Scully's lips move goldfish-like as she tries to suck in air, an almost fearful expression overcoming her like a swimmer who's been held under too long. But no words are coming out yet. MULDER Breathe -- can you breathe?! Scully is straining to do just that -- when liquid suddenly SPEWS from Scully's mouth. And she begins to cough and gag -- taking big gulps of air as her eyes focus on Mulder as if on a phantom, or a miracle. Finally faint words ushering forth, whispering breaths that Mulder cannot discern. MULDER What? CLOSE ON MULDER AND SCULLY As he leans into her, putting his ear up to her mouth. As the softest sound comes out in Scully's frosty breath. SCULLY Cold... MULDER Hang on. I'm going to get you out of here. As she continues to suck air. CUT TO: EXT. HULL OF SPACESHIP/ICE BUBBLE - CONTINUOUS The hot air blasting from the ducts is causing the ice pack above to melt and collapse. CUT TO: EXT. ICE STATION - CONTINUOUS - WIDE As the ice tractors head away in all directions from the domed structures. A misty fog now emanating from the seams of the domes. Heat and condensation. CUT BACK TO: INT. UPPER RIBBED CORRIDORS - CONTINUOUS Filling with misty condensation, too. The small beams of light that lighted Mulder's way earlier are now small shafts piercing the gathering interior cloud. Illuminating: THE PREHISTORIC MAN Frozen in his icy pod, the hard semi-translucent surface of which is now etched with small streams of water running to the floor. Everything is melting and in motion. Including the CREATURE which is vaguely visible inside the frozen man. It TURNS slightly inside the body, like an animal in utero. Its eyes now looking at us, blinking. As it presses against its own fleshy container, the body of its human host. CUT BACK TO: INT. LOWER RIBBED CORRIDOR - CONTINUOUS It, too, is filling with misty condensation. VARIOUS SHOTS Of the ice encasing the human forms sweating and melting. CAMERA ADJUSTING UP TO REVEAL Mulder pulling Scully along in a fireman's carry. She is dressed now in Mulder's snow parka and the outer nylon pants he was wearing. Scully's legs are weak beneath her. Her body limp, but not lifeless. Mulder laboring to get her up the INTERIOR of the steep curving cylinder spoke, as the air fills with mist. INT. LONG TUBE TERMINUS NEW ANGLE ON MULDER AND SCULLY - LOOKING DOWN THE TUBE Moving toward along the now-halted cryopod carrier hanging from the transport track. Mulder struggling against his own fading energy, pulling Scully up toward: ANGLE ON BALCONY/CATWALK Mulder pushing Scully up, though she seems to have at least some limited ability to do this on her own. The DEEP, LOW RUMBLE we heard in the open frames of the movie reaching full volume now. The whole environment vibrating as Mulder boosts Scully up on the catwalk. Climbing up over the prostrate body. Picking her up from the floor, pulling her back into the fireman's carry. INT. LOWER RIBBED CORRIDOR - CONTINUOUS Where the bodies are all beginning to melt. VARIOUS SHOTS of rivulets of water forming on the icy liths that encase the bodies. The water from them seeping onto the circular central floor. The condensing mist thick and swirling. CLOSE ON PODS Where the body it houses seems to move. Though AS CAMERA PUSHES IN we see that it is the creature inside this body moving, as if the heat and the defrosting are bringing the embryos to life. INT. UPPER RIBBED CORRIDOR - CONTINUOUS - ANGLE DOWN CORRIDOR Scully's head pokes through now, as she's pushed through the opening that Mulder used earlier to get into the vaulted arena. Pushed in fits and starts until she's all the way through. Mulder now straining and squeezing to do the same on his own. The corridor is filled with heavy condensed mist now as Mulder finally slips out of the low passageway, trying to get his bearing now as he huddles low over Scully. Turning his attention to her as she COUGHS HOARSELY -- in some kind of acute spasm of pain -- but alive. MULDER We've got to keep moving. SCULLY (weakly) Where are we? MULDER You got me. But I think I know what they did with Jimmy Hoffa. Scully is struggling now as Mulder tries to pull her to her feet again. In real physical pain. SCULLY I can't... Scully can't finish speaking, her voice becoming a hoarse cough. SCULLY (barely a whisper) I can't go any farther. MULDER Yes you can. You're going to make it, Scully. Mulder hauling Scully up off the floor AWAY FROM CAMERA now. NEW ANGLE ON RIBBED CORRIDOR CAMERA MOVING THROUGH SPACE in the empty corridor, moving at a speed equal to Mulder and Scully's as they round the semi-circular ribbed corridor to meet us. Coming out of the mist, Scully back in the fireman's carry. Approaching the place where Mulder slipped down into the corridor. Mulder stopping and seeing: THE BODY IN THE MELTING ICE LITH As it too moves, the embryonic creature inside it turning slightly, as if coming awake. REVERSE ON MULDER Reacting to this -- and then to Scully who suddenly starts GASPING FOR BREATH. Falling now from Mulder's grasps as her legs buckle and she goes down. LOW ANGLE ON SCULLY Her face is going red, straining for air. Her eyes rolling, seeking relief. As Mulder drops down beside her. MULDER Shit -- But she is unable to answer. Mulder hastening to unzip her/his jacket. To get to her neck and find a pulse. MULDER Scully -- Mulder cannot find a pulse. Scully straining harder now as Mulder reaches his fingers into her mouth, clearing her passageway. Moving on top of her now, and pumping forcefully on her chest -- trying to get air into her. One - two - three. And putting his mouth down to hers (FINALLY!), breathing his life into her. Pulling away from her to see that he is unsuccessful at this -- that Scully is continuing to strain. Pumping her chest again -- MULDER You're not dying on me now -- godammit godammit godammit -- As he pumps her chest. Placing his mouth over hers again and BREATH - BREATH -- BREATH. Lifting his mouth from hers, feeling for a pulse again, putting his eat down to her mouth, praying he'll feel the breeze of a breath. Nothing. While: ANGLE OVER HIM TO THE CREATURE IN THE ICY POD As it moves again, MORE VIOLENTLY NOW. As the ice around it continues to melt and fissure. RESUME MULDER His hands going to a pocket on the inside of the jacket Scully is wearing -- his jacket -- finding again the syringe that he used on Scully. It is still partially full of vaccine. Mulder finding this, getting ready to use it when -- -- Scully's body suddenly comes back to life beneath him. Labored breaths which turn into a coughing spasm. Mulder breaths relievedly for a moment, watching Scully coughing, coming back to life. Her eyes trying to focus on him, finding him. Seeing his labored relief. The panic melting away. SCULLY (weakly, pained whisper) Mulder... She wants to tell him something. He leans down next to her. SCULLY (continued weak) Had you big time. Mulder has but a moment to savor this weary victory though when he REACTS to something, that causes him to WHIP HIS HEAD AROUND. MULDER'S POV DOWN RIBBED CORRIDOR Through the condensed mist he can see CREATURES BEGINNING TO HATCH, sprouting from the melted ice-encased bodies they have gestated in. Their THREE FINGERED HANDS beating at the soft ice. Their powerful feet kicking at it, too. RESUME MULDER Looking the other way down the corridor, seeing -- MORE CREATURES The slushy material that makes up the inner core spilling out with them as the creatures KICK out of their tombs. RESUME MULDER Lifting Scully up with all his strength he has left in him. He's got to get her overhead now, back up the venting that he slipped down from. She is weak and of little help. Mulder gets her propped up on his strength so that he can use the power of his legs to boost her toward the opening. Which puts him face to face with THE EMBRYONIC CREATURE. Its eye looking directly at him, blinking, before it goes into another FITFUL SPASM inside its host body. ANGLE DOWN FROM VENT Where Scully is boosted up TOWARD CAMERA. Her hands reaching feebly for something to grab onto. Finding a handhold. MULDER Keep breathing, Scully. She utters something guttural, unintelligible as the next thrust up from Mulder gets her head and shoulders into the opening of the vent. RESUME MULDER Beneath her, pushing with all his might. His hands under her shoes now, forcing her up into the vent like a rolled carpet into the rafters. RESUME SCULLY Struggling with her arms and elbows, barely conscious, but somehow able to manage herself forward. RESUME MULDER Pushing Scully up the last little way. Then reaching up to find a handhold for himself. Grabbing hold and lifting himself as one of his feet kicks at the ice -- where the creature he was just face to face with BURSTS from its icy pod. One hand, then the other shooting out of the ice where they have broken through the host. Ripping open the front of the body, including the man's face. Making a slimy, gaping tear in what was formerly flesh. Its hands grabbing at Mulder as he thrashes to free himself from it getting a grip. As Mulder struggles to pull himself up, fighting off the creature which he cannot see beneath him. RESUME CREATURE As it emerges from the ice, still grasping and TEARING at Mulder's legs with its claws. But as it BURSTS COMPLETELY from its place, Mulder is able to pull himself up and into the vent in one athletic movement. ANGLE FROM INSIDE THE VENT - SCULLY lies motionless in the ducting, her body forced forward by Mulder's in this last surging move. TIGHT ANGLE ON MULDER Drawing his legs up quickly inside. Not wasting a moment shoving Scully's butt forward in front of him. MULDER Scully -- you breathing? RESUME SCULLY Letting out another low, guttural sound -- which STRAINS out of her with each push forward. CUT TO: EXT. SNOW/ICE BUBBLE - CONTINUOUS Scully's head and arms push up through the vent where Mulder first entered. The ice and snow surrounding it, which had created the bubble structure, have melted and fallen. So that above Scully's larger hole has opened up to the surface. The air is full of condensation, swirling around them. ANGLE FROM ABOVE - THROUGH THE HOLE IN THE ICE Where, through the swirling steam we see Mulder push Scully clear of the vent. Climbing free himself now. When the surface they are upon SHUDDERS AND QUAKES. As if it has come unloosed, destabilized. And with this comes A MIGHTY FORCE OF STEAM from the vent Mulder and Scully just crawled from. Blasting up past them with terrible HISSING FORCE. Causing Mulder to throw Scully away from its superheated energy. Pulling her up the now climbable embankment created by the melting snow; pulling her toward the surface of the ice sheet. CUT TO: EXT. POLE OF INACCESSIBILITY - ANTARCTICA - WIDE Where a wide radius of steam rises from similar and regularly spaced holes in the ice sheet, defining a circular structure beneath. The White Domed Tents of the ice station are in the center of this, dwarfed by the enormity of the melting radius. RESUME MULDER AND SCULLY Mulder pulling her up the softened and collapsed snow. The hot steam blasting up with hideous force behind them. The sound DEAFENING. NEW ANGLE OVER MULDER AND SCULLY Pulling her to the surface of the ice sheet where behind them in the distance the ICE STATION can be seen through the atmosphere of condensed air. When suddenly the ice beneath it gives way and the ice station falls away, caving in to the center of the radius. Which is what begins to happen to the rest of the ice sheet that spreads out to where Mulder and Scully are standing. Causing Mulder to realize: MULDER (over the din) We've got to run! She is weak, but is able to find her footing. Dragged behind Mulder as the ice behind them begins to break away, falling down into an ever-expanding center and sending up magnificent geysers of steam created by the superheated surface below. WIDE ON SCENE Mulder and Scully running AT CAMERA just ahead of the collapsing center. The mass of ice around them beginning to break up. Steam vents erupting instantaneously everywhere. CUT TO: HIGH ANGLE ON SCENE A black dome is becoming visible through the giant circle of steam, in the ever-widening center hole that Mulder and Scully are running from. Which is chasing them to the edge of the radius. CUT TO: ANGLE FOLLOWING MULDER AND SCULLY As Mulder struggles to pull Scully fast enough to outrace the icy debris that is tumbling away just behind them. Large chunks falling and bouncing off the superheated surface below, blown back up like water being dropped onto a hot skillet. CUT TO: EXTREMELY HIGH AND WIDE The Agents mere specks fleeing the circle of churning ice and steam. As it cascades away in three hundred and sixty degrees. From here the deafening sound if absorbed into the vastness, tricking us of the reality of the massive movement of frozen material down below. CUT TO: ANGLE LEADING MULDER AND SCULLY As Scully loses her footing, falling to the ground. Mulder dragging her back up to her feet, though, maintaining forward momentum. While behind them the thundering force of the superheated melting snow and ice is moving in on them. And then suddenly -- MULDER AND SCULLY are gone! The radial edge of the falling snow continuing only a few feet beyond where they disappeared. The violent upheaval of snow abating but slightly. Beat, beat... THEN THE AGENTS APPEAR AGAIN. Thrust upward by a RISING BLACK PRECIPICE which catapults them off its leading edge. As they fall the distance to the sheet of ice below. CUT TO: LOW ANGLE ON ICE SHEET Where the Agents hit hard on the ice sheet. The rain of ice chunks pounding all around them. As the monolithic wall of the craft continues to rise. Mulder trying to get to Scully in this hail of debris which he shields his face from. WIDE ON LEADING EDGE Rising faster now out of the earth as it begins to increasingly shed and break free of the frozen weight it carried. Until the bottom of the edge of the wall appears, lifting clear of the ice sheet and the crater that held it. CUT TO: EXTREME HIGH WIDE ANGLE ON SPACE SHIP Where now we see the scope and shape of the ship, which is breathtaking. The domed center sloping off to a gentle gradient, which is the surface that Mulder and Scully were running on. The ship is now slowly rotating as it moves upward in a gently rising hover. Mulder and Scully are on the ice sheet below. RESUME MULDER AND SCULLY Scully face down on the ice. Mulder lifting his head when THE HEAVY SHADOW of the ship comes over them. Looking up from this position to see: THE SPACE SHIP Moving slowly, laterally just overhead. Thunderously rumbling. The dark detail of its underside visible in this angle. As it continues to rise, the shadow passing over Mulder and Scully. CUT TO: NEW ANGLE OVER MULDER AND SCULLY Scully is still face down on the ice, as Mulder watches the ship's shadow cast over Mulder's SnowCat which is still parked in the distance. Moving up and off. The ship continues up into the Antarctic sky where it rises toward the sky where it begins to get WHITEHOT. Transforming itself into pure energy. It is visible for several moments during transformation. Then it disappears completely. As it does the RUMBLE, which dopplers across the white, barren landscape. Then it is gone. MULDER Watches this then lays his head down on Scully's back. He is spent, at the brink of complete exhaustion. His whole body heaving. But now starting to shiver, and to lose consciousness. Scully's body is motionless beneath him, for a moment we might believe that this is the way it might end. Out here on the ice with Mulder and Scully freezing to death. A chill wind blows off the Antarctic plain, the same LOW RUMBLE, the only taint of silence in vastness of this literal end of the world. Then Scully coughs -- the same hoarse cough. She's alive. Struggling to consciousness. Her head lifting slightly, TURNING TO CAMERA. Her eyes blink open and she coughs again. Feeling Mulder's weight on top of her, unaware of his condition or even where she is. SCULLY (weakly) Mulder... There is no answer. Scully struggling to pull herself out from under the weight of his body. Rolling over so that her face is opposite Mulder's now. Seeing that he has lost consciousness. Finding the strength to roll him over, so that she can cradle him and warm him. HIGH WIDE ANGLE ON THIS SCENE With the Snowcat a short distance away, Mulder and Scully in each others arms. The way it should end. FADE TO BLACK Silence. Longer than we would like. Long enough to make us nervous, then certain, then angry. Then...we FADE UP a prelap of the sound of a CRACKLING FIRE. FADING UP ON: EXT. ACRES OF CORN - MAGIC HOUR TRACKING LOW WITH MEN IN FATIGUES, moving along the perimeter of the corn field as they set fire to the corn stalks with small handheld butane burners. While other Men in Fatigues are moving between the rows dousing the furrows with accelerant. DISSOLVE TO: INT. FBI FIELD OFFICE - DALLAS - NIGHT The large room filled with the evidence and debris from the bombing. It is dark. Until A FLASHLIGHT BEAM pricks the blackness, moving toward us into f.g. Carried by the man we now recognize as The Man Who Shot Mulder. He moves with directness, purpose. Finding what he's looking for amid the cataloged material, he finds on a work bench. Next to the microscope Scully had used. It is the BONE FRAGMENTS, held in an evidence container. He pockets them and exits as quiet and directly as he entered. DISSOLVE TO: EXT. ACRES OF CORN - WIDE - CGI PLATE The sky aglow with orange flames as the crops burn to the ground. We hold on this shot, PRELAPPING the sound of: JANA CASSIDY'S VOICE ... in light of the report I've got before me; in light of the narrative I'm now hearing... INT. FBI OFFICE OF PROFESSIONAL REVIEW - DAY Jana Cassidy sits at the head of the desk, just as when we first met her. She is flanked by the other members of the review board, including A.D. Skinner who sits at the end of the table. Cassidy flips through a file she's referred to before she continues. Looking up with consternation as she resumes. CASSIDY ... my official report is incomplete pending these new facts I'm being asked to reconcile. Agent Scully... AGENT SCULLY Sitting where she last sat, at the small table. The seat next to her conspicuously empty. Her face bears the signs of slight frostbite, somewhat healed. Her expression is even, her attitude composed, but her eyes are filled of dark, restrained defiance. CASSIDY ...while there is direct evidence now that a federal agent may have been involved in the bombing... the other events you've laid down here seem too incredible on their own, and quite frankly implausible in their connection. PANNING THE OTHER BOARD MEMBERS - curious, bemused like Cassidy. Skinner shifts uncomfortably. SCULLY What is it you find incredible? CASSIDY Well...where would you like me to start? Antarctica is a long way from Dallas, Agent Scully. I can't very well submit a report to the Attorney General that alleges the links you've made here. Bees and corn crops do not quite fall under the rubric of domestic terrorism. SCULLY No, they don't. CASSIDY Most of what I find in here is lacking a coherent picture of an organization with an attributable motive. I realize you're very lucky to be alive Agent Scully. The ordeal you've endured has clearly affected you -- though the holes in your account leave this panel with little choice but to delete these references from our final report to the Justice Department. Until which time hard evidence becomes available that would give us cause to pursue such an investigation. Scully has her hand in her coat pocket now. Moving around the table and approaching Cassidy. Removing something which she puts on the desk in front of her. A small vial. SCULLY I don't believe the FBI currently has an investigation unit qualified to pursue the evidence in hand. Cassidy picks up the vial, studying the contents of this vial: the dead bee that stung Scully. Studying it as Scully turns and moves to the door, without permission, no further adieu. ANGLE TO INCLUDE A.D. SKINNER Watching Scully exit. CASSIDY (O.S.) Mr. Skinner....? CAMERA PIVOTING TO INCLUDE CASSIDY. Looking at him. CASSIDY Please ask Agent Scully to come back to this hearing. We're not quite finished. As Skinner rises, unsure of the intent behind this directive, we: DISSOLVE TO: EXT. WASHINGTON D.C. - DAY We are JUST ABOVE THE TREETOPS. The Capitol Dome is in the far distance. CAMERA CRANING DOWN to find Mulder sitting by himself on a park bench. We are WIDE. There is no one else around. Until the Cigarette Smoking Man appears. Walking through the otherwise deserted park. Joining Mulder on the park bench. CLOSER ON MULDER, THE CIGARETTE SMOKING MAN They do not speak for several moments. A quite tension as the CSM lights up a trademark smoke. Inhaling, exhaling. Then: CIGARETTE SMOKING MAN Congratulations on your survival. Your life is worthless now, I hope you know that. MULDER And yours? CIGARETTE SMOKING MAN (derisive) You think you've stopped it. What I've worked for fifty years to create. You haven't stopped it. You can't stop it. (takes a drag) You're just one man. MULDER You're wrong. WIDE ANGLE Mulder rises from the bench heading TOWARD CAMERA. The CSM rising, watching him. As Mulder continues toward us. ADJUST TO REVEAL Agent Scully in the f.g. Mulder moving to her as the CSM watches from the distance. Their eyes meet, an unspoken restored bond exchanged in this moment. Before Mulder takes Scully by the arm, leads her off. Leaving the CSM standing alone in the distance. As we: DISSOLVE TO: EXT. CORN FIELDS/WHITE DOMES - TUNISIA - DAY TRACKING LOW WITH A PAIR OF FEET The wearer of them sporting peasant sandals. We realize shortly that while the feet are moving across sandy ground, that the foliage in the near b.g. is corn. And that the person we are tracking with is passing row after row of stalks. CAMERA RISING AS IT TRACKS REVEALING A TUNISIAN MAN dressed in peasant clothes. He is carrying a piece of paper. Moving with hasty purpose. Stopping at the end of one of the long rows of corn where CONRAD STRUGHOLD is coming toward him. Making his way between rows of stalks. The Peasant waits patiently as Strughold approaches, handing him the piece of paper. Strughold reads it, his otherwise steely countenance reflecting a disturbance seen only in the slight narrowing of his eyes. He looks up at the Peasant and says something to him in Tunisian Arabic. Said as command, which causes the Peasant to nod dutifully and move off as he came. Strughold stands for a moment, then crumples the paper slightly and drops it. Moving off down the same corn row in which he approached. CAMERA DROPPING TO THE GROUND where we find the paper on which we see a flat section that is not so crumpled we cannot read the words: X-FILES RE-OPENED. STOP. PLEASE ADVISE. STOP. CAMERA RISING NOW. Rising up past the stalks. Where we can still see Strughold walking. RISING UP AND UP to reveal ACRES AND ACRES OF CORN. Many times more than we had seen previously. Stretched out across the Tunisian Desert, ending only where THREE WHITE DOMES stand on the distant horizon. Off this image we FADE OUT. THE END

1. SCRIPT APPEARS ON BLACK SCREEN: One hundred years ago the British Colony of Natal in Southern Africa was surrounded by a vast and independent Zulu Kingdom. In 1879, a banle took place that was forever to alter the course of colonial history: I SANDHLWANA 2 EXT. DAWN. Four Zulu's are seen in silhouette herding cattle up a hill. 3. LONG SHOT - Two Zulu's are seen in silhouette high on a precipice. 4. Seven Zulu's are seen walking in silhouette against the sunrise. 5. The sun fills the screen as the sound of many running feet and Zulu drums are heard. 6. EXT. ZULU KRAAL. DAY. A large regiment of Zulu warriors carrying shields and assegais (stabbing spears) are seen running into the Kraal whilst the sound of tribal singing, chanting and drum beating escalates. 7. Inside the camp a group of Zulu's are seen grappling with a bull as they struggle to bring the animal to the ground. They are watched by a vast circle of warriors all shouting encouragement. 8. An elaborate tribal dance ensues. It appears to be some sort of Fenility Rite. The females stand opposite the men in rows, chanting as they move in closer. 9. CETSHWAYO, the great Zulu King emerges into the throng. He is tall, beautifully fat, with a big intelligent face and superb dignity. He surveys his subjects with interest as they stand unanimous, thrusting their assegais into the air whilst shouting their allegiance. 10. EXT. HIGH COMMISSIONER'S RESIDENCE, PIETERMARITZBURG, NATAL. NIGHT. BARTLE FRERE (V.0.) Reading aloud the letter he has just written. Cetshwayo '5 Zulu army to disband and the warriors permitted to return to their homes. 2 11. SWITCH TO INTERIOR. FRERE is seated at his desk whilst LORD CHELMSFORD is seen in the background standing on the veranda. BARTLE FRERE He continues to read aloud: Present military system to be abandoned. New regulations concerning the defence of the realm worked out. CHELMSFORD enters the room, sits and studies two sheets of paper. FRERE continues: All who do not submit will be dealt with as enemies of the Crown. We will not permit the arbitrary killing and FRERE pauses as he underlines a certain word: and unjust oppression which the Zulu people have suffered from their own King Cetshwayo Pausing, FRERE looks up as if to meet his comrade's gaze. CHELMSFORD, however, continues to read, turning the page. BARTLE FRERE You '11 see from the letter that this ultimatum is our decision alone. Her Majesty's government seems to prefer a negotiated settlement 12. CLOSE UP of CHELMSFORD's letter: Her Majesty's government confidentially hope that by the exercise of prudence and by meeting of the Zulus in a spirit of forbearance and reasonable compromise it will be possible to avert the very serious evil of a war with Cetshwayo: 13. Return to BARTLE FRERE. As he melts some sealing wax over a silver burner: BARTLE FRERE (Referring to the letter he has just completed) Does this do what we both know to be right Frederick? CHELMSFORD It does Sir Henry (He folds the papers neatly in half) excellently. The pair exchange glances as BARTLE FRERE applies the wax to his letter. 14. CLOSE UP of stamped seal. 15. EXT. CHELMSFORD'S CAMP PIETERMARITZBURG. DAY 3 Activity everywhere, the incessant movement of an army in the final stages of its formation. Huge ox-wagons are being hauled into the camp. 16. CHELMSFORD and CREALOCK are on horseback in full regaJia as they ride into the centre of the Camp. 17. Squads of Basuto-infantry - tall, rangy bodies, naked except for a loincloth and neck ornaments - are being drilled by foul mouthed, bullying European NCO's. 18. LT. MELVILL, young, dapper, inspects the Martini Henry rifles of a company of REDCOATS who are lined up near the BASUTOS. A CSM (SOT. WILLIAMS) stalks behind MELVILL. ONE REDCOAT, young, thin, gangling, turns his head slightly to peek at the Basutos, and the swift eye of SOT. WILLIAMS detects the disaffection. The young redcoat (PTE. WILLIAMS) turns, guilty at being caught out of the 'Attention' position. The CSM (SOT. WILLIAMS) leans forward until his face is one inch from that of his quavering prey. SGT. WILLIAMS (Shouting) You moved (With more restraint) You moved go and tell the NCO of that black shambles that you love 'im more than you love me (Shouting) NOW' 19. PTE. WILLIAMS blinks, swallows then runs over to the Basuto's NCO. NCO (Addressing the Basutos) You're not fit to be in the British army you different coloured articles. STRAIGHTEN UP! You're like a load of bloody herd boys! (He suddenly becomes aware of PTE. WILLIAMS' presence). PTE. WILLIAMS I'm to tell you Corporal, that I love you more than my Colour Sergeant The Basuto's NCO walks up to PTE. WILLIAMS. NCO That's frightening... Get out of my bloody sight lad. And put your rifle over your head and double round this field (shouting) until you drop bloody dead. Now move, get on with it, at the double. The Basutos, laughing, raise their shields into the air in general amusement as PRIVATE WILLIAMS runs past. NCO Shut up! Get back in the ranks you shower of animals. 20. CHELMSFORD, still on horseback, surveys the encampment. He salutes to SOT. WILLIAMS. CREALOCK, as always, is in attendance. 21. 4 SGT. WILLIAMS Facing the ranks: Company Shoulder arms.... (LT. MELVILLjoins SOT. WILLIAMS) Present arms. LT. MELVILL turns standing to attention, saluting as CHELMSFORD passes. 22. Two BOERS ride into the camp, passing two SUTLERS wagons. We see SOT. WILLIAMS' dismissed COMPANY hurriedly crowding round one of the SUTLER'S wagons, shouting for cigars and gin. 23. The two BOERS, one an elderly man, one a boy of sixteen, have dismounted. SOT. WILLIAMS strides over to them. You passing through? SGT. WILLIAMS ELDERLY BOER We 've come to fight the Zulu. SGT. WILLIAMS We aren't at war yet Referring to the boy: Bit young 'in' he? ELDERLY BOER He's my nephew... he can shoot, track and speak Zulu and fight like hell... he's got Assegai marks to prove it... He gestures to the boy to show SOT. WILLIAMS. The YOUNG BOER pulls up his shin, showing an horrendous white scar across his stomach. SOT. WILLIAMS stares in amazement. Coming to, commanding the attention of a BOY-PULLEN in the ranks: You! Sir. (Running over) SGT. WILLIAMS BOY-PULLEN SGT. WILLIAMS Take 'em to the orderly officer. (SOT. WILLIAMS departs). BOY-PULLEN (Standing to attention). Colour Sergeant Addressing the BOERS: This way. 24. The BOERS follow as the PTE. Leads oft 25. A TROOP OF SIKALI HORSE under the command of COL. DURNFORD ride into the camp. He is a tall, thin-haired man with handsome sunburnt features, intelligent and sensitive eyes and an over-length moustache. He has only the use of 5 one arm, his left arm being completely paralyzed and held immobile, tucked into a special pocket he has sewn into his tunic. COL. DURNFORD and SOT. MA3OR KAMBULA (A powerful and intelligent African radiating authority.) pull up as the troop ride by. 26. With the SIKALI in the foreground, PTE. WILLIAMS is seen in the background, still running, his rifle above his head. 27. The same NCO seen previously addresses the BASUTOS: NCO Company.... 'Shun! (The BASUTOS comply). Move yourselves. 28. SIKALI are seen cantering as if a pre-ordained manoeuvre is about to commence. 29. DURNFORD and S.M. KAMBULA are surveying their troops. S.M. KAMBULA Shall I give the order Sir? COL. DURNFORD Alright, Sergeant 30. S.M. KAMBULA rides offscreen. 31. The SIKALI gather together. S.M. KAMBULA's voice is heard above the throng: S.M. KAMBULA Sikali Horse Forward! 32. The SIKALI ride full pelt, charging at the BASUTOS. The troop continues almost into the first line of the BASUTOS, which consists of their European NCO's. The European NCO's of the BASUTOS stare at the SIKALI troop as they wheel and once again come galloping at them. 33. COL. PULLEINE, LT. MELVILL & LT. COGHILL are seen outside the Officer's Mess amused at the commotion. 34. CLOSE UP. COL. DURNFORD laughing. 35. The NCO's edge away, unsure, prepared to take to their heels. The BASUTO infantry watch, admiring, clapping. 6 The troop skilfully turns their horses, as if on a penny, inches from the BASUTO NCO's then ride away, whooping, in high spirits. LORD CHELMSFORD & COL. CREALOCK, having watched this exhibition, ride forward to meet COL. DURNFORD. CHELMSFORD Splendid horsemanship Who are they? DURNFORD Sikali Horse, My Lord. Christians alL I know each one by name. CHELMSFORD They come well recommended do they? DURNFORD My Lord, they rode for me at Bushman '5 Pass. CHELMSFORD Oh... indeed. Crealock, we should see that Colonel Dumford has an Officer for his hard riders. Perhaps a subaltern from the Twenty Fourth. DURNFORD I thought it might be more effective to find someone who speaks Zulu. CHELMSFORD & CREALOCK exchange glances. CREALOCK Yes. I see you've issued each of them with a Martini Henry Carbine. Our quota for Native contingencies: one rifle to ten men and only five rounds per rifle. CHELMSFORD But will they make good use of them? DURNEORD They're as good marksmen as horsemen. CHELMSFORD There's no doubting their horsemanship Colonel Durnford. CHELMSFORD & DURNFORD salute. DURNFORD Mr. Crealock. CREALOCK nods. DURNFORD exits offscreen. 7 CHELMSFORD We must think how to make best use of Colonel Durnford's African knowledge. 36. Through the smoke of the field kitchens enters the Honourable WILLIAM VEREKER, aristocratically aloof on a fine stallion, his servant following on an equally fine horse. He rides purposely towards COL. DURNFORD as if he has been seeking him. VEREKER Colonel Durnford... William Vereker. I hear you 've been seeking Officers? DURNFORD Good ones, yes, Mr Vereker. Gentlemen who can ride and shoot DURNFORD waits for a reaction. VEREKER, cool, looks into DURNFORD's face and takes out his rifle. Cantering some distance away, VEREKER turns, spurs his horse vigorously and, on reaching DURNFORD, throws his rifle up into the aim. He fires one-handed at the half carcass of a cow being hung up near the field kitchens without veering his galloping horse. The half carcass judders under the impact of the heavy bullet. 37. PTE. WILLIAMS has been jogging wretchedly on. On hearing the bullet he throws himself to the ground believing he has been shot. Two of the kitchen hands help him to his feet. 38. CLOSE UP of SOT. WILLIAMS. SGT. WILLIAMS Shouting across the field: Private Williams. You've stopped. 39. PTE. WILLIAMS regains his composure and, once more lifting his rifle above his head, continues to jog. SGT. WILLIAMS looks on with smug satisfaction. 40. As VEREKER approaches, DURNFORD commands the attention of LT. RAW: DURNFORD Mr. Raw. Take Mr. Vereker to the Store and see he '5 issued the necessary equipment And then show him to the Mess and explain to him how an Officer is expected to behave. RAW salutes and leads VEREKER off left, as DURNFORD watches their departure. 41. INT. OFFICERS' MESS TENT. DAY 8 CLOSE UP. A scorpion is being removed from a specimen jar with a pair of tweezers. It is lifted out of shot to be examined under a magnifying glass revealing LIEUTENANTS COGHILL & MELVILL seated at an impressive green baize table. There are African servants, white-jacketed. SERGEANT MURPHY, a short, broad humorous, coarse-faced man, supervises the servants. CHELMSFORD sits alone at a corner table reading his newspaper. Other Officers are seated around the main table drinking claret and smoking the obligatory cigars. COLONEL PULLEINE is writing a letter whilst LT. HARFORD sits with his tins around him classifying his specimens. As SOT. MURPHY refills their glasses COGHILL & MELVILL gossip covertly in half whispers so that their voices don't carry to the table of their commander. MELVILL Lighting COGHILL' 5 cigar: Our good Colonel Dumford scored quite a coup with the Sikali Horse. COGHILL Um. There are rumours that my Lord Chelmsford intends to make Durnford Second in Command. MELVILL Well that's typical of Her Majesty's army. Appoint an engineer to do a soldier's work. PULLEINE He continues writing without looking up: Now, now Mr. Melvill, less of your spleen. COGHILL & MELVILL smile at one another before their attention is drawn to LT. RAW and VEREKER entering the Mess. RAW Addressing the Mess: Stranger in the Mess. Gentlemen. (To CHELMSFORD) My LorJ The officers and Vereker survey each other. RAW To VEREKER: Announce yourself VEREKER spots CHELMSFORD in the corner. VEREKER Good day Frederick. 9 CHELMSFORD Good day William. (Folding his newspaper, he stands to shake hands). Pleased you could join us. The OFFICERS turn, a bit startled, to look at this newcomer who is somehow on first-name terms with the Lord General. VEREKER It was either that, or join the Zulu. CHELMSFORD (Removing his glasses). Join the Zulu? Oh yes, you're right in the thick of it aren't you? Talked to your father before we sailed.. he said you 'd taken to farming near Zulu land. Sent his regards.. Should I meet up with you. VEREKER (Wryly) That was nice of the old boy. CHELMSFORD I think you 'd better call out who you are. VEREKER turns to address the Mess. CHELMSFORD sits. VEREKER William Vereker. Sergeant Murphy. RAW MURPHY Sir? RAW Bring drinks for the stranger. Allow me to introduce the Mess: Colonel Pulleine. Messers. Melvill, Coghill... With the exception of PULLEINE & MAJOR RUSSELL the Officers stand as they are introduced. COGHILL Morning. During the introductions, SOT. MURPHY selects a large, silver, chalice-like receptacle from a trophy table in another corner. He takes it to the head of the table. RAW Jackson, Milne, Major Russel4 Stevenson,. I0 STEVENSON How do you do? RAW Haiford. . and Haiford's best frienJ HARFORD raises a glass jar containing one of his prized specimens in acknowledgement. Meanwhile MURPHY has collected a bottle of claret from a tray brought by another black servant. He pours the contents into the trophy. RUSSELL Don 't leave your gin around, Vereker, or Harford will have it full of preserved butteifties. A damned waste, if you ask me. HARFORD chuckles as he replaces the lid on his jar. VEREKER Oh I doubt if I'll leave much of that around. There's quite a shortage where I've been. COGHILL Puffing on his cigar: Theyfight with spears don 't they? I mean it doesn't seem quite fair against the Martini Henry. MELVILL You didn't really have to chose between your country and the Zulu did you? VEREKER Um. And a damn close thing it was too. RAW Taking the freshly filled trophy from MURPHY. Ah, well done Murphy. (He presents it to VEREKER). HARFORD Stranger's Cup. (The Officers sit.) Down it in one and we where share your Mess bill for a week. VEREKER And {fI don't? RAW Then a bottle of good claret to each member of the Mess is charged to your account MELVILL if it's too much we can have the bill forwarded to your father... in the 11 House of Lords. Oh no offence meant, Vereker. VEREKER No offence taken, Melvill. (Taking the trophy from RAW). To men who aren 't afraid to speak their minds. RAW Good luck, Sir VEREKER begins to drink. Gradually, the officers join in with cheers of encouragement until the entire Mess is chanting "Down, down, down". They bang their fists on the table in time with the chants. Gulping back the liquid, VEREKER stops as if he has accomplished his task. The Officers applaud. General ad. lib. "Well done". Etc. VEREKER (Expressionless) Not quite. Turning the trophy upside-down, he pours a small amount of liquid onto the floor. Appearing slightly intoxicated, his lips stained red with the wine, he smiles: The bottles of claret, are on me Gentlemen. General calls of "Here, here". RAW Standing, he raises his glass to propose a toast: The Regiment OFFICERS The Regiment VEREKER Still smiling, he wipes the remaining wine from the corners of his moustache. The Regiment. 42.EXT. ZULUKRAAL. DAY A tall, bald imposing Zulu named MANTSHONGA enters the camp. He makes his way through a large regiment of young Zulu braves and older INDUNAS (officers). They surround two young Zulu warriors who are tautly circling. Their shields are held at the defensive, their assegais poised for underhand thrust. 43. CLOSE SHOT - The two warriors fighting. 44. LONG SHOT - The vast crowd encircling the warriors. 45. The crowd cheers as CHIEF CETSHWAYO watches from his throne. 12 46. MANTSHONGA, spotting CETSHWAYO, walks purposefully towards him. MANTSHONGA I bring greetings from your friends, the British, and from the Great Lord ChelmsforJ CETSHWAYO Still watching the fighting Zulus; And what do your Masters say? MANTSHONGA They are angry and send these demands. They say you rule in old ways that are wrong, that you kill your people without triaL The Great White Queen herself cannot kill her lowliest subject though she rules forty lands, each greater than all ofZululanJ BAYELE Kill the Traitor, Father' CETSHWAYO Gesturing to his son to calm down: I do kill, under the customs of the Zulu, and I shall not depart from that Do I go to the country of the white man and tell him to change his laws and customs? MANTSHONGA The British say your armies grow larger and they demand that you disband your lmpis of War CETSHWAYO Tell the British I will not cross the river which divides our lands. But ask Lord Chelmsford if he would disarm his warriors in the face of such threats. 47. CLOSE UP. The two Zulus are now in ferocious combat. 48. SWITCH back to alternate CLOSE shots of CETSHWAYO & MANTSHONGA MANTSHONGA I will ask him but his answer will be to start war against your 30,000 warriors. CETSHWAYO My armies will defend this land 49. General uproar as one of the fighting Zulus falls to the ground. Standing, CETSHWAYO gives the signal to kill. The triumphant Zulu drives his assegai into the other's heart. A group of warriors converge upon the body as MANTSHONGA turns and EXITS. 13 50. EXT. GARDEN. DIOCESAN MANSION. DAY. A garden party is in full swing. There are tables and chairs dotted about a spacious garden. Stringed music is playing and there is an air of English civility. There are ladies with parasols, children playing and Officers present. 51. FANNY COLENSO -25, her cheeks aflame, her manner excitable, is engaged in a sedate' game of cricket with some children and officers. She bats the ball some distance away near COL. DURNFORD. FANNY Anthony (Shouting)... Anthony COL. DURNFORD, engaged in conversation with an Officer and a lady, turns on hearing his name. He spots the ball. COL. DURNFORD (Handing his hat to the Officer) Hold this. Picking up the ball, he gives it to a little girl who has run to collect it. (Smiling at FANNY) Well batted Well batteJ FANNY curtsies in mock recognition. Her eyes flash to his and we sense their secret feeling for each other. 52. VEREKER & two other officers ride along the drive to the mansion. Dismounting VEREKER hands the reigns of his horse to a well-dressed black groomsman and steps forward extending his hand in greeting to the black butler. VEREKER Joseph, how are all the Colenso girls? JOSEPH They are all in the garden, Sir And they will be glad to see you, I'm sure. VEREKER walks down the slope of the lawn, past a young girl on a swing, her maid is in attendance. Removing his hat, he spots FANNY being bowled to by LT. MILNE. Creeping up behind her, VEREKER indicates to MILNE to bowl high. VEREKER (catching the ball MILNE has just bowled) You tipped id Youtippedit! Out! Out! FANNY I did not (Turning) William. (Hugging him) You cheat, you. VEREKER Me cheat? Same old Fanny. (He kisses her on the cheek). 14 FANNY With genuine affection: Welcome. Welcome back. Taking his arm, FANNY & VEREKER walk across the lawn. VEREKER throws the ball back to the cricketers. 53. DURNFORD, still engaged in conversation, turns smiling. His smile fades as he spots FANNY with VEREKER. DURNFORD Excuse me, Ladies. Leaving them, he makes towards FANNY & VEREKER. 54. FANNY Did you get your farm going? Yes, I did. Oh. How was it? I've never been so happy. VEREKER FANNY VEREKER FANNY Stopping, FANNY addresses him earnestly: I'm sorry you had to leave. 55. DURNFORD approaches them. DURNFORD You 've met the... Honourable William Vereker, I believe. FANNY Yes Anthony, we were childhood friends. DURNFORD Your childhood friend shot a dead cow at the gallop the other day. (FANNY laughs). He wasn 't impressed. 56. SWITCH TO MANSION VERANDA. CHELMSFORD watches the threesome as BARTLE FRERE approaches him, puffing on a cigar. CHELMSFORD There is a Mrs. Dumford, is there? 15 BARTLE FRERE She exists.. .but er. . .nothing '5 been heard of her, the eight years Durnford's been in Africa. CREALOCK Although much is spoken of her now, My Lord. These three walk along the veranda. BARTLE FRERE I, er, recommended him to you.. .because he knows Africa so well. CREALOCK Oh indeed. His ability to recruit native contingents is proving invaluable to His Lordship. BARTLE FRERE How do you rate him as a soldier? CREALOCK It is widely held that he has great courage and he's an excellent engineer BARTLE FRERE (Walking down the veranda steps). Shall we join the guests? 57. The DEWITT sisters, both in their whites, are seen playing a game of tennis. They are being watched by LTS. MELVILL & COGHILL (They are both seated). One of the ladies moves off court to fetch the ball that has gone out of play. She glances up at COGHILL. COGHILL Do you think she might be interested in someone? MELVILL Which one? COGHILL Well that one. The one who keeps looking at me. MELVILL ft could be you flatter yourself CoghilL It's that odd eye. LT. RAW approaches RAW (Tongue-in-cheek) They must have locked all the good ones up. 58. BARTLE FRERE, CHELMSFORD & CREALOCK have now joined a selection of the guests at some tables on the lawn for afternoon tea. 16 MRS. DEWITT Ah, General. (She curtsies. CHELMSFORD acknowledges). Do you find our Border Country congenial, My Lord? CHELMSFORD (Sitting) The landscape, most congenial Ma'am but the Border, vulnerable. MRS. PRETORIOUS (Also sitting) Do you really think Cetshwayo will attack us? DURNSFORD, VEREKER & FANNY have also joined the party. CHELMSFORD The intention of the Zulu Impis and their King concern me deeply, Ma 'am. FANNY Cetshwayo has no intention of attacking Natal, Mrs. Pretorious. Unless he '5 given no option. He has no quarrel with us. (She sits). BARTLE FRERE (Sitting next to FANNY) It's very rare to meet a young lady interested in tactical matters, Miss Colenso. Is it not, Sir Henry, most rare? MR. PRETORIOUS You are talking of a violent and murdering barbarian who commands an army of 30,000 warriors just across the river FANNY My father has known and lived with the Zulus for many years. MR. PRETORIOUS Cetshwayo massacred 20,000 of his own people to make himseifKing. COLENSO The English Tudor Kings did no less. Much later in our nation '5 history, I might add, and the French much more recently. CHELMSFORD That may well be, Your Grace, but be that as it may, my duty is clear The defence of all this (indicating the surroundings) NataL COLENSO Yes, well, it's difficult to stand against that position. if you speak only of . (Leaning forward & looking him in the eye).. defence. MR. PRETORIOUS And what does our good Colonel Durnford think? 17 DURNFORD (Walking around the tables to join VEREKER) if the people ofNatal wish to feel safe, let them persuade their husbands and sons to volunteer We need both Officers and men. CHELMSFORD We do Colonel, good point. COLENSO I cannot be brought to believe that Cetshwayo wants a war with Britain. BARTLE FRERE Every Zulu is raised to be a warrior Without a war there 'd be no Zulu nation. MRS. DEWITT Nobody is really safe, are they Your Excellency? JOSEPH has appeared at BARTLE FRERE's side. He whispers something into his ear. LADY FRERE Mrs. Dewitt has four daughters, Henry, and Ifear she feels for them alL 59. VEREKER has wandered away from the tables. He is watching MELVILL & COGHILL chatting to the two DEWITT girls who were previously playing tennis. VEREKER Your daughters may indeed be in some danger Mrs. Dewitt, but not at the moment from the Zulus, Ifear 60. The parties' attention is drawn to the four on the lawn. 61. CLOSE UP of MRS. DEWITT as she laughs politely. 62. As the camera swings back to the four on the lawn we see MANTSHONGA in the background. The camera follows him ending in CLOSE UP as he strides forward to meet BARTLE FRERE. BARTLE FRERE looks grave as if he is already aware of the news he is about to hear. 63. SWITCH, LONG SHOT to where BARTLE FRERE, CHELMSFORD, CREALOCK & MANTSHONGA are now standing. BARTLE FRERE addresses the entire garden party. BARTLE FRERE Ladies and gentlemen, your attention, please. 64. LONG SHOT of lawn. The guests move forward. 65. The camera closes in on the four on the veranda. With one arm behind his back, a cigar in his other hand, BARTLE FRERE continues: 18 BARTLE FRERE (Slowly and deliberately) I think I should inform you that I am obliged to issue a state of war between Her Majesty's Government and the Zulu King, Cetshwayo 66. SWITCH to CLOSE UP of VEREKER & COLENSO. General background noises of dismay as BARTLE FRERE carries on. 67. BARTLE FRERE on his non compliance with the ultimatum made on him urging reformation... 68. CLOSE UP of FANNY & DURNFORD. He drops his head, averting her gaze. 69. CLOSE UP of BARTLE FRERE. He continues: BARTLE FRERE and redress for violations of British Sovereignty. The guests applaud as CHELMSFORD & BARTLE FRERE shake hands. 70. CLOSE UP of FANNY & DURNFORD. FANNY why? Why do men think ofnothing but killing? (She touches his disabled arm lovingly). Tucking his hat under his arm, he looks into her eyes and kisses her hand. Walking away, he replaces his hat and reaching the top of the veranda steps, turns. They exchange desperate, painful glances. 71. CLOSE UPofCOLENSO COLENSO (To himself) This wondeiful land we are privileged to share. (Removing his glasses.) Dear God (hanging his head) there should be room for all of us. 72. EXT. CHELMSFORD'S CAMP. PIETERMARITZBURG. NIGHT ASSORTED CLOSE SHOTS TO COVER THE MOVE TO RORKE'S DRIFT - WAGON WHEELS CREAKING AS THEY TAKE THE FIRST STRAIN OF MOVEMENT, OXEN HOOVES STARTING FORWARD ON RUTTED DIRT SURFACES, WAGONEERS FLICKING WHIPS, PACKS GOING ONTO BACKS OF SOLDIERS, BARE FEET OF NATIVE LEVIES, OFFICERS MOUNTING, THEN SIMILAR DETAILS TO SHOW RHYTHMIC FORWARD PROGRESS, MARCHING, ROLLING DARK SILHOUETTED FORMS. TORCHES. 73. THREE OFFICERS stand watching: 19 OFFICER There goes Number Two Company. 74. Q.S.M. BLOOMFIELD CUTS ACROSS SHOT he is studying a list attached to a clipboard. He is about to walk past a tent when he hears a call of "I'll see yer" coming from within. Suspecting gambling, he moves to investigate. 75. Pulling back the tent flap reveals a group, including BOY-PULLEN playing a game of cards. BLOOMFIELD Do I believe what me eyes see? The whole bleedin' Army movin' off to meet the murderin' heathen and what goes on in 'ere? A game ofBrag. (Sterner) Brag? BOY-PULLEN (Standing) I'm sorry, Quartermaster BLOOMFIELD You'll be more sorrier still when the Zulu ask Lad.. "What 'ave you got to offer me not to slit your gut?" and you say (Pointing to the cards in BOY-PULLEN's hand) ah, the Knave of Hearts, Sir, the Knave of Hearts. The rest of the group chuckle. Offering BOY-PULLEN a coin, BLOOMFIELD gives the order "Move!" Taking the coin BOY-PULLEN leaves the tent. 76. SWITCH to BANDSTAND. A band is playing "Men Of Harlech". CHELMSFORD & BARTLE FRERE move into CLOSE UP in foreground. CHELMSFORD For a savage as to a child, chastisement is sometimes a kindness. BARTLE FRERE Let us hope then, that this will be the final solution to the Zulu problem. 77. EXT. COLUMN ON THE MOVE. NIGHT BOY-PULLEN moves against the traffic towards the back of the moving column. He passes squads of torchlighted marchers, artillery units, riders, wagons, until he comes to the SUTLER'S wagon. 78. THREE SOLDIERS ENTER SHOT and surreptitiously help themselves out of the back of the moving wagon. Noticing, BOY-PULLEN seizes his chance and grabbing a bottle out one of the soldier's hands, makes a dash for it. SOLDIER 'Ere! Come back 'ere you thievin' little beggar~ 20 79. MOVING SHOT. CHELMSFORD, on foot salutes an officer as DURNFORD approaches from behind on horseback. DURNFORD (Calling) My Lord. (CHELMSFORD turns.) I've prepared a list of ideas for you to see. (He removes a paper from his tunic). CHELMSFORD Excellent. Thank you. (He continues to walk away) Give them to Crealock, would you? DURNFORD My Lord. (CHELMSFORD turns again) This list was prepared for you. I don 't think another can understand its true value. CHELMSFORD (Taking the list) Thank you Colonel Durnford. (He exits as DURNFORD looks on). 80. CHELMSFORD joins his group of officers. He mounts his horse and then addresses them: CHELMSFORD Gentlemen, within ten days we shall cross the Buffalo River and British soldiers will then be in Zululand. Colonel Durnford will remain down river 81. CLOSE UP of DURNFORD. He looks agitated by this remark. 82. Undeterred, CHELMSFORD continues: CHELMSFORD where he will be responsible for the defence of the Natal border Turning his horse and without looking at DURNFORD he leads his Party off 83. BLOOMFIELD is joined by BOY-PULLEN BOY-PULLEN Will you hear "Last Post", Sir? BLOOMFIELD I listened extra careful to your "Stand To" this mornin', Boy. ft was peifecL I couldn't 've done it better meseif, not even when I was Bugler to The Duke Of Wellington.. .now tell me, where did you get that black eye? BOY-PULLEN From the Cook, Sir They saw me dip your shaving tin in the tea-water this morning, made their tea taste of Lifebuoy toilet soap, they saij Handing him the bottle of gin he purloined earlier. 2t BLOOMFIELD So, you got it in the line of dooty.. (Taking a swig from the bottle & handing it back to BOY-PULLEN)... point taken. BLOOMFIELD gets up onto a wagon as BOY-PULLEN gulps from the bottle. BOY-PULLEN Will we be fighting the Zulus soo~, Quartermaster? (Joining BLOOMFIELD, he jumps up onto the front of the wagon). BLOOMFIELD Could be. (He shouts for the wagon to move out) Across the river into Zululand. (They share the bottle of gin). They might just be waiting there for us to show up... .them stabbing assegais pointing right at our bellies!.... BOY-PULLEN You afeared of the Zulus then, Quartermaster? BLOOMFIELD One Zulu is only one man.. ..and I'm afeared of no one man... but the Zulu, they come in the thousands.... like a black wave of death.... in the thousands.... and them assegais.... stabbing! The BOY-PULLEN doesn't answer. He stares into the darkness, contemplating the prospect of the morning as described by BLOOMFIELD. 84. Back in the centre of the camp, VEREKER rides past the bandstand to meet DURNFORD. DURNFORD Your orders, Mr Vereker? VEREKER I'm to take the Sikali with the main column to the river DURNFORD Lord Chelmsford seems to want me to stay back with my Basutos. VEREKER I think Chelmsford wants a good man on the border Why he fears a flanking attack and requires a steady Commander in reserve. DURNFORD (Angrily) The wrong side of the river! The wrong place! (DURNFORD glares at VEREKER, who realizes he has hit a raw nerve.) Does he wish me to fight the Zulu, or merely observe their natural habitat? Sensing his cue to exit, VEREKER salutes and saying "Sir" turns his horse to join the Sikali who are leaving the camp. 22 85. DURNFORD walks his horse a few paces forward as he watches the troop leave. DURNFORD (With sincerity) God go with you, Mr Vereker (He turns his horse about as the band music swells to its conclusion). 86. THE CAMP AT RORKE'S DRIFT. THE BORDER WITH ZULULAND. DAY. TRAVELLING P.O.V. THE THREAT OF THE BACKLIGHTED LANDSCAPE BEFORE THEM, THE SUN GLARE MAKING CLARITY OF VISION DIFFICULT. CAMERA PANS UP RIVER. THE MOUNTED INFANTRY CROSS TO THE FAR BACK, THE UNION JACK HELD PROUDLY ALOFT. 87. RIVER BANK. Two punts, carrying redcoated soldiers are being hauled across the water by rows of Basutos on the opposite bank. As they unload, the soldiers immediately form into columns. 88. The first ox-wagon is driven out of the river, with much shouting and encouragement from the drover and watching soldiers. There is general activity everywhere. 89. LOW SHOT. The wheels of the wagons and the Basuto's feet are seen trudging through the slop of mud. 90. LONG SHOT OF CAMP. A column of Basutos is seen walking towards the camp. The white tents are dominant in the background. 91. SWITCH to CHELMSFORD, seen mounted on horseback. He surveys the proceedings through a pair of binoculars. 92. CAMERA PANS to discover VEREKER, on horseback, leading the troop of SIKALI HORSE across the river. 93. CAMERA PICKS UP a calm LT. RAW as he crosses amidst the multitude. 94. CLOSE UP of VEREKER. With gritted determination he spurs his horse onward up the bank. 95. SOT. WILLIAMS is seen seated upon a covered wagon about to enter the water. PTE. WILLIAMS is on foot trying to instruct the animals. PTE. WILLIAMS (Pushing one of the animals from the rear) Come on ox. SGT. WILLIAMS Out! Not the ox's arse, you bloody idiod (PTE. WILLIAMS returns to pushing the side of the wagon). 23 Get 'em in line! (PTE. WILLIAMS loses his footing, slipping into the water. He is fully immersed). PTE. WILLIAMS Serg' ah, I'm drowning Sergeant. (He stands and we see that the water only comes up to his knee). SGT. WILLIAMS Williams, what the bloody 'ell do you mean by 'aving the sante name as me? PTE. WILLIAMS Sorry Serg' (He struggles onward through the water). 96. COGHILL & MELVILL are seen crossing. 97. More oxen cross. 98. A column of redcoats carrying rifles are seen striding onward. The SIKALI HORSE ride past in the foreground. 99. WIDE ANGLE. Both sides of the river are seen. Redcoats climb the hill in the foreground. Everywhere seems more settled. 100. CAMERA again picks up the SIKALI HORSE. They ride across screen in CLOSE FOREGROUND to reveal a stationary VEREKER on horseback. NORRIS-NEWMAN rides towards him. He has a red claret-and-port-drinker's face and is wearing civilian bush-clothes including a huge bush-hat. NORRIS-NEWMAN Do you think Cetshwayo will send a party to greet you, Mr Vereker? VEREKER (Calmly stroking his horse) Oh they're here alright. We just have to make sure they don't get back to announce us. NORRIS-NEWMAN You mean you've seen them? Without answering, VEREKER turns his horse towards the hills. Breaking into a gallop, he shouts the command: VEREKER Forward Sikali! NORRIS-NEWMAN watches through his binoculars, then turns his horse back towards the camp. 24 101. EXT. RIVERBANK OPPOSITE RORKE'S DRIFT. DAY CLOSE UP of CHELMSFORD. We see the view through his binoculars. He is watching NORRIS-NEWMAN enter the camp. CREALOCK approaches on horseback. They exchange salutes. CHELMSFORD What's that strange name the newspaper chap's called? CREALOCK Er, called Noggs, Sir Actual name is Norris-Newman. He presented credentials from "The Standard". CHELMSFORD Our runners bare his dispatches, do they not? CREALOCK (Smiling) Of course, Sir They exchange knowing looks and turn their horses about towards camp. 102. EXT. SWITCH TO RIVER. CLOSE TO CAMP - RORKE'S DRIFT. DAY. A long line of NATAL NATIVE COMPANY is transporting wooden boxes of ammunition on their shoulders across the river. V.0. of a brusque NCO is heard: NCO Come on lads, it's only a river! (The NCO is seen in CLOSE UP in the foreground). 103. LIEUTENANT COLONEL HAMILTON-BROWN, a rough kishman, and old campaigner joins in: HAMILTON-BROWN 104. 105. Come on you piss-arse lot, get these bastards across. It's only water Come along you idle scum, let's 'ave yer HAMILTON-BROWN rides away as we see a native fall into the water under his burden. CHELMSFORD and his Company cross the river. NATAL NATIVE COMPANY is seen again, still struggling across the river. The NCO's VOICE is heard: NCO I'll 'ave your guts fer garters! 25 106. On the far bank CHELNISFORD and his Company are seen riding to meet NORRIS-NEWMAN. CHELMSFORD An historical moment, Gentlemen. NORRIS-NEWMAN Excuse me, My Lord. (Introducing himself) Norris-Newman, of "The Standard", My Lord. CHELMSFORD 1 saw you lead our Cavalry sir NORRIS-NEWMAN Indeedldid, MyLord. Itwas one ofthe first to cross. CHELMSFORD Were they in good heart as they entered enemy territory? NORRIS-NEWMAN They spurred onto high ground, My Lord, full of spirit and looking for the Zulu. Full of sport they were, My Lord. CHELMSFORD Tell what you see. Write it well, Sir, and make sure you get it right NORRIS-NEWMAN If I've got it right, My Lord, you lead an invasion into Zululand, for I see it all around me, but "why?" is the question my readers will ask. "why?" CHELMSFORD Do not confuse yourse{fi Why? We must strike a heavy blow. This cannot be a war of manoeuvre. NORRIS-NEWMAN So attack is your defence. Well let's hope Cetshwayo will offer his Impis full destruction. CHELMSFORD My only fear is that the Zulu will avoid the engagement He turns his horse about and his Company follow as NORRIS-NEWMAN looks on in amazement. 107. CAMERA PANS to follow CHELMSFORD and his Company as they ride to the foot of the hills. 108. We see the view through CHELMSFORD's binoculars. He spots VEREKER with the SIKALI HORSE. 26 109. NORRIS-NEWMAN has caught up with CHELMSFORD: NORRIS-NEWMAN I have it, My Lord, we attack for sport - or is it reputations? CHELMSFORD (Lowering his binoculars) Enough of your politicking, Noggs. NORRIS-NEWMAN I know your views on the usefulness of the Press, My Lord, but the Englishman back home wants to know what his Regiments are doing. CHELMSFORD (Resuming his gaze through the binoculars) Then I trust you will tell him exactly what you have observeJ 110. QM BLOOMFIELD pulls a drowned Basuto from the river onto the bank. He removes the man's ammunition belt. LT. HARFORD approaches. He is on horseback. BLOOMFIELD Look at that waste. Five rounds ruined Mr HaiforJ Each round has to be accounted for. LT. HARFORD (Referring to the BASUTO) It's terrible. Quite dreadfuL Something must be done. BLOOMFIELD (Standing) If they'd been put back in their boxes (moving towards Harford). Boxes banded and screwed down proper like, as His Lordship ordered, nothing would have happened to them, Sir LT. HARFORD I'm talking about our drowned Natives, Quartermaster! BLOOMFIELD Natives is not on my invoices, Mr Haiford. . ammunition is, and 'as to be accounted for. and the brass cartridge cases returned. 111. In disgust, LT. HARFORD turns his horse about. He meets HAMILTON- BROWN at the top of the bank. LT. HARFORD Several of our Natives went under Shouldn 't we have a Rolicall Colonel? HAMILTON-BROWN Not practical, lad.. .we haven 't had time to make up the rolls yet Besides, I'm not sure how many we had before the crossing. HAMILTON-BROWN canters away. 27 LT. HARFORD follows reluctantly, not enthralled by this show of callousness. 112. A Zulu recognisance party is seen atop the ridge. They view the scene below. 113. VEREKER and the SIKALI HORSE ascend the ridge. 114. The infantry - the Twenty Fourth Foot -~fan out in sections, alert to possible attack, and make for the high ground. 115. CHELMSFORD's party rides by below. 116. One of the Zulu's fires a warning shot into the air. 117. VEREKER halts his company, as does CHELMSFORD. 118. The guilty Zulu's voice booms out from above: why do you come to the land of the Zulu? 119. LT. MELVILL turns about in his saddle to address CHELMSFORD. MELVILL May Ianswer, Sir? CHELMSFORD By all means, Mr. Melvill. MELVILL (Moving his horse forward a few paces, he bellows a reply) We come here by the Orders of the Great Queen Victoria. Queen of all Africa. There is a moment of silence: VEREKER (Gives the order) Forward! 120. MELVILL turns to face his Redcoats. MELVILL Company, advance! 121. Turning to a member of his party: CHELMSFORD Major, send the troops. 122. There is a steady advance up the hill. The Zulus turn, scrambling through the undergrowth. 28 123. The SIKALI approach. One of the Zulus turns and stands his ground. He thrusts his assegai at his foe dismounting the SIKALI from his horse. In a second the Zulu jumps astride the horse but his escape is prevented by an offending shot from another SIKALI. 124. More SIKALI advance. They bring down several more Zulus. 125. A group of four Zulus converge on one SIKALI. They pull him off his horse into a crop of rocks. One Zulu manages to mount the horse and rides away encouraged by the others. VEREKER notices this. Slowly and deliberately he removes his rifle from his saddle, takes aim and then fires. The dead warrior falls to the ground. 126. A group of LANCERS track one ZULU. The lead LANCER approaches, guiding his horse expertly. He feints with the downstroke of his lance. The ZULU lowers his shield. The LANCER, on the ZULU now, uses the up-stroke to impale the ZULU to a tree. NOGGS rides near the incident. 127. CHELMSFORD has surveyed the incident through his binoculars. 128. MELVILL (to Noggs) Well done, Sir.. did you see, that Noggs? He deceived him with the up and took him with the down. NOGGS (Studying the deceased Zulu from his horse) Well, well this one's a grandfather at least if he'd been a Zulu in his prime, I'd have given odds against your Lancer, Mr MelIvilL 129. CHELMSFORD returns his binoculars to their case. CHELMSFORD Welt, Gentlemen, first blood to us and a rousing good report in the newspapers to satisjy the politicians, eh? 130. EXT.CAMPATRORKE'SDRIFT. DUSK. Camp-fires are seen and the sound of neighing horses are heard as the CAMERA follows a small troop of horsemen and wagon cross the river. The CAMERA pans towards the sunset as the "Last Post" is heard. 131. EXT. CETSHWAYO'S KRAAL. FIRST DAWN 29 The ROYAL IMPIS squat as they listen to their King. Huge, powerful, glowering. He holds the royal trident spear in his hand as he strides before them. CETSHWAYO My warriors, our people are hungry. We must gather the crops that will feed us through the Winter But first we must defend our lands... from those who would steal the fruits of our labours. The British have broken their promise.. and crossed the Buffalo River into our home- lands. We must fight to survive. A huge hissing sound comes from the multitudes. Assegais thrust to the sun red sky. CETSHWAYO points westward. CETSHWAYO We must kill! ALL ZULUS Usutu... Usutu... Usutu.. ("Kill") 132. Black outlines against the rising red sun, assegais and shields rattling, the Zulus hail their King, pledging loyalty to the death. 133. LONGSHOT. EARLYMORNING. The full splendour of the mountain can be seen through the mist. The country, wide-rolling, is beautiful, but empty. 134. The camp is silent. ALL men's eyes are towards the mountain. CHELMSFORD, seated, views the sight through his telescope. CREALOCK & PULLEINE are close by. MELVILL approaches on horse-back. He addresses PULLEINE: MELVILL (Saluting) We 're ready to move out, ColoneL PULLEINE (Addressing CHELMSFORD) My Lord, we're prepared to move armour to er CHELMSFORD Your destination, Colonel? PULLEINE Um Isil'... (He has difficulty pronouncing the word) CREALOCK (With exact pronounciation) Isandhlwana. Four miles further than that tallest hilL Follow the track and it will lead us to the slopes of the mountain. 30 PULLEINE (With quiet contemplation) Isandhlwana. ..yes.... CHELMSFORD (Leaning away from his telescope) Isandhlwana. 135. THE ARMY PREPARES TO MARCH JNLAND FROM THE RIVER. 136. CHELMSFORD'S army, with ox-wagons seven-abreast, comes to life and proceeds to lumber noisily toward the peak. 137. MELVILL'S company of REDCOATS, guarding the left flank of the wagons, marches, rifles at the ready. Platoons move tactically, one section of each platoon is always in a defensive position. 138. Tension everywhere. Drovers glance anxiously upwards. Empty of visible signs of the enemy, the hills are no less threatening. 139. MELVILL (on horseback) approaches the lead wagon driven by BLOOMFIELD & BOY-PULLEN. MELVILL I want your wagons in an extended line, Quartermaster, but not too extended, or my Company can 'tprotect them. No more than fifty feet between each one. BLOOMFIELD Sir~ MELVILL returns to the flank BLOOMFIELD (To BOY-PULLEN) if they're too close together, the stupid things 'ii walk into each other and you can sit on your arse for a good four hours. Turning about on his seat he addresses the train under his command: BLOOMFIELD Come on lads, keep them wagons moving. No more than fifty feet Keep 'em moving. Keep 'em moving. 140. COGHILL, stationary, astride his horse watches the movement. COGHILL (Addressing MELVILL) There Melvill, there stretched out is my Lord Chelmsford '5 Army. (Spurring his horse onward) What a wondeiful adventure we undertake. What a marvellous spree. COGHILL & MELVILL break into a canter. 31 141. VARIOUS SHOTS OF THE INCESSANT MOVEMENT FORWARDS. 142. SHOUTS, COMMANDS, THE MOVE INTO ZULULAND has started with urgency. 143. EXT. ZULULAND EAST OF ISANDHLWANA. HOT SUNNY DAY. FANNIN, a short, fat English settler, in his thirties, gross-featured, rides sleepily over sloping terrain. Behind him, on foot, several black African retainers follow desultorily. FANNIN snorts, sweats, appears generally fat and unhealthy. He halts his horse and removes a bottle from his saddle- bag. He takes a large swig from the remaining liquid and discards the bottle. 144. FANNIN reaches the top of an animal track at the top of a ridge. Looking down he spots several ZULUS herding a small group of cattle. The ZULUS shout calls of alarm. 145. Turning around to give orders to his retainers, FANNIN spots them scrambling down the slope away from the ZULUS. 146. As FANNIN returns to face front, he gapes as he notices that the valley is black with ZULU IMPIS. They are run-marching towards the west. No noise save the disciplined swish of thousands of feet in the dust. 147. FANNIN hesitates, realizes he's been spotted, quicky, cruelly jerks his horse's head round and spurs over the ridge into the next valley. 148. UHAMA calls out and MBILINI, BAYELE & another, with UHAMA, sprint up the ridge in pursuit of FANNIN. As they mount the crest, they see FANNIN belting down the far side in search of safety. UHAMA stops the other three momentarily from continuing the chase. UHAMA Follow the white Man, let him see you. He will lead you to the soldiers. Then, let the white Soldiers take you. When they think they have broken you tell them that the Impis are in the East 149. EXT. ZULULAND NEAR ISANDHLWANA. DAY. The three Zulus set off in pursuit of FANNIN. Riding desperately, FANNIN, his mouth open in fear and his shoulders heaving with effort, drives his tired horse over the rough country. FANNIN peers about. Huge pistol in his hand, he spots MBILINI and fires. MBILINI 'dies' dramatically, but when FANNIN rides on, MBILINI comes to life, grinning and joins the others to track FANNIN. 32 150. VEREKER and SIKALI appear beyond the next ridge. Spotting FANNIN, VEREKER gives the signal to advance. 151. FANNIN reaches VEREKER's party. FANNIN Zulu Zulu! FANNIN droops in his saddle, too tired to talk. He manages to dismount. VEREKER (Offering a drink from his hip-flask) Here. FANNIN I'm ill.. dozens of Zulus followed me. I must have shot five, six, ten, I lost count. They just kept coming. Blood curdling swine. 152. VEREKER looks down the slope at the three Zulus who have now been apprehended by the SIKALI. FANNIN drinks again. His avid, greedy behaviour does not enamour his rescuers. VEREKER Why did they attack you? FANNIN I discovered their Army, Your Honour a valley full of them and beyondt VEREKER Army? what Army? FANNIN Beyond them hills, Sir and coming this way. VEREKER surveys the area. The terrain is empty. 153. A concealed Zulu scout watches stolidly at the distance reduced figures below. ST 154. THE CAMP AT ISANDHLWANA. 21 JANUARY. 6.OOPM CHELMSFORD's party ride into camp. 155. PULLEINE is seated at a table outside his tent. He is smoking and studying a document as SGT. MURPHY pours red wine into his tankard. VEREKER crosses in front of the table. PULLEINE Officer Vereker, er, would you mind me asking you to take a look at this map? 33 VEREKER (Returning to the table) By all means, ColoneL PULLEINE You see 156. The ELDERLY & YOUNG BOER seen earlier approach PULLEINE ELDERLY flOER Your wagons, Colonel PULLEINE What about my wagons? ELDERLY BOER On an open slope like this, you must bring your wagons round and form them into a laager and do it immediately 157. CHELMSFORD and his lancers arrive at PULLEINE's tent. CHELMSFORD dismounts and addresses PULLEINE. CHELMSFORD I hear you have prisoners, Colonel, well done. (To Vereker) Good evening, William. PULLEINE Thank you, Sir VEREKER Good evening, Frederick. I think you should hear this. (To elderly Boer) You were saying your brother didn 't laager his camp right? ELDERLY BOER They had seventy-three in their party. We found seventy-three skeletons six months later CHELMSFORD (After a moment's reflection) Boers require to laager with only afew wagons, we have many. An unassailable square of British firepower is a defence which can be Jbrmed in a moment The BOERS start to move away. CHELMSFORD You're leaving us Master Boer? The ELDERLY BOER turns ELDERLY BOER I'm going to camp among the rocks over there. 34 The BOERS exit. PULLEINE (Addressing Chelmsford) My Lord, Mr Fannin, er (Picking up and referring to the map) claims to have seen the Zulu Impis, some few thousand or so, in this valley. CLOSE UP of map location. CHELMSFORD Unlikely (Using his riding crop as a pointer) most unlikely. It would mean taking 24,000 men over mountain tops. This is not helpfuL Have the prisoners brought to my camp. 158. EXT. BATTLEFIELD ISANDHLWANA. EVENING. The three Zulu prisoners are tied to two wagons. A CORPORAL is administering a serious beating to BAYELE. VEREKER approaches. VEREKER (Indicating to cease the punishment) Alright CorporaL Anything? CORPORAL No sir, no. VEREKER turns to the prisoner at the other wagon. VEREKER Be sensible man, tell us. The prisoner maintains his silence as VEREKER walks away in dismay. 159. REDCOATS and NATAL NATIVE SOLDIERS, in their separate quarters, clean their rifles, carefully oiling the barrels and working. VEREKER passes RUSSELL busy oiling the elevating mechanisms on his rocket tubes. RUSSELL (To Vereker) Good evening. (Referring to the job in hand) Dirty work, eh? VEREKER (In reply) Very dirty. (To himself) Very dirty. 160. INT. CHELMSFORD'S TENT. CHELMSFORD is seated. PULLEINE and CREALOCK stand behind him. FANNIN is standing to one side beside the desk. VEREKER converses with two of the prisoners in Zulu. 35 PULLEINE What did they say? VEREKER Claim they're deserters from the main Impis in the East. Followed this way so they could give themselves up, go home. PULLEINE Do you believe that? VEREKER Oh their bodies are well oiled. They 're fed regularly, but it's unlikely they're the fugitives they say. CHELMSFORD Have them questioned further VEREKER exits with the prisoners. CHELMSFORD (Rising to address FANNIN at the desk) They claim the Zulu Impis are East towards the Royal Kraal, and yet this fellow says they are further towards the North. (He picks up the map). FANNIN Wherever they are, Your Worship, there are sixty thousand or more CHELMSFORD They multiply, Mr Fannin. You do speak the Zulu tongue, do you? FANNIN nods. CHELMSFORD And tomorrow I intend to find the Zulu Impis, Mr Fannin, and you will accompany me. FANNIN Er, I'm no soldier, Your Honour, and it 's further into Zululand. CHELMSFORD You will accompany me, Mr Fannin, or you will be arrested. (He gives PULLEINE a glance as an indication to dismiss FANNIN) PULLEINE This way, Mr Fannin. CHELMSFORD Crealock We have scouts out in the direction he claims he saw the Zulus? 36 CREALOCK CHELMSFORD Of course, Sir. And? CREALOCK The only reports of enemy activity have come from the direction of the Royal Kraal, at Ulundi. CHELMSFORD Thank you. CREALOCK exits as CHELMSFORD continues to study the map. 161. BOY-PULLEN stands on top of a wagon gazing at the sunset. BLOOMFIELD is checking stores. BOY-PULLEN clambers down and walks over to BLOOMFIELD. BOY-PULLEN Why don 't the Zulus attack? BLOOMFIELD Zulu may not wear shoes or trousers and the like but it don 't mean to say they got no brains. They'll watch us and wait and find our weaknesses. Studying his clipboard, BLOOMFIELD crosses into foreground. BOY-PULLEN Have we weaknesses, Quartermaster? BLOOMFIELD does not answer. He strides forward out of shot. BOY- PULLEN turns, places his bugle to his lips & plays "The Last Post". 162. EXT. ZULULAND EASTOFBUFFALO NIGHT. The camp is quiet - but wakeful at the imminence of battle. BLACKNESS. 163. PTE. WILLIAMS is on sentry-go. There are men seated around a camp fire, PTE. STOREY sits on the back of a wagon, smoking. PTE. WILLIAMS stares into the black night. Insect noises, a horse neighs. He hears something more alarming. His eyes widen, his grip on his rifle tightens. He listens again. He moves to the front of the wagon, convinced he has heard something. Returning to the rear he addresses STOREY. PTE. WILLIAMS What was that, Storey? 37 STOREY (Leaning forward) What? Piss off I never heard nothing. (After a moment's reflection) I don 't think. PTE. WILLIAMS Well I did. Stand To. (He positions his rifle at the ready). Tutting, STOREY throws his cigarette to the ground. He stands, reluctantly. The others do not move. PTE. WILLIAMS (In a forced whisper to the others) Stand To! Ignoring him, all but one remain seated. One other has lit a torch from the fire. 164. This PTE. proceeds to SGT. WILLIAMS' tent. PTE. Stand To, Colour Sergeant. SGT. WILLIAMS (From within his tent) Who gave the order? Private Williams, Sir PTE. SGT. WILLIAMS (Emerging from his tent) I've gotta see this. 165. SGT. WILLIAMS has reached the wagon. PTE. WILLIAMS is still aiming his rifle into the blackness. SGT. WILLIAMS Did you call 'Stand To', Private Williams? PTE. WILLIAMS nods, still listening. STOREY I didn 't hear nothing, Serg'. SGT. WILLIAMS looks at STOREY. His face shows complete contempt for PTE. WILLIAMS. Then he hears something also. It is the approaching sound of horses hooves. SGT. WILLIAMS (With sudden urgency) Well Stand To! damn you! PTE. WILLIAMS takes out his bayonet and attempts to fix it. SGT. 38 WILLIAMS lays a hand on his arm as if to replace the bayonet back in it's scabbard. SGT. WILLIAMS No. You've done well fer once. Don 'tpush yer luck! PTE. WILLIAMS (He continues to attach his bayonet) Iheard 'em first SGT. WILLIAMS (With sarcasm) I'll get you a medal for modesty, Private Williams, would you like that? PTE. WILLIAMS You never would, Colour Sergeant A medal? 166. There are loud noises of advancing bodies coming directly towards them. From the blackness: DURNFORD (V.0.) Colonel Durnford here. SGT. WILLIAMS (To PTE. WILLIAMS) Easy, lad. As DURNFORD and his escort of fifty mounted BASUTOS approach, SGT. WILLIAMS salutes. SGT. WILLIAMS Just follow the track, Sir, you '11 come to Lord Chelmsford '5 Head Quarters. DURNFORD (Spurring his horse onward) Sergeant SGT. WILLIAMS Get down, lads. The line of sentries relax, unfix their bayonets and most proceed to return to their sleeping bags. PTE. WILLIAMS is deflated almost to the point of tears. SGT. WILLIAMS You done welL Keep it up laJ Keep it up. A smile reappears upon PTE. WILLIAMS face. He resumes his watch with renewed enthusiasm. 167. INT. CHELMSFORD'S TENT NIGHT. 39 CHELMSFORD is seated on his bed. DURNFORD stands before him distressed, blinking at his commander's verbal assault. CHELMSFORD You intended to bring your reserves across the river? DURNFORD I have received intelligence from, sources of my own that the Zulu Impis are moving North of here and threaten your left. CHELMSFORD Intelligence? Sources of your own? Did it not occur to you they may be native rumours? Rumours to draw you off- to leave the whole ofNatal open to a possible counter thrust DURNFORD (After a beat) Cetshwayo wants a head on battle. A decisive victory, so that his people can get on with the one battle that is life and death for his Nation - a delayed harvest CHELMSFORD Are you dictating the strategy of this war, Sir? DURNFORD I'm explaining my reasons. CREALOCK enters the tent. CHELMSFORD Yes? CREALOCK A large party of Zulus have been sighted in the direction of the King's KraaL Getting up, CHELMSFORD moves over to look at the map on his desk. 168. CLOSE UP of map as CHELMSFORD picks up a pair of dividers and measures the distance between Isandhlwana and Ulundi. 169. CHELMSFORD turns to face the two men. CHELMSFORD Tomorrow we will continue our advance on Ulundi. Dumford, kindly return to your unit Bring them here immediately to support Pulleine. Mr Vereker will join you as ADC. Do you understand me clearly? DURNFORD And the threat of counter invasion no longer exists? 40 170. 171. Colonel, if on another occasion you flout my direct orders I shall reluctantly relieve you of your commanJ DURNFORD exits in silence. CREALOCK walks over to the map. CREALOCK Perhaps he has thought to conquer Zululand on his own, My LorJ CLOSE UP of CHELMSFORD as he nods in silent agreement. THE CAMP AT ISANDHLWANA. 22N9 JANUARY. 7.OOAM. Reveille is heard. CHELMSFORD emerges from his tent with VEREKER. CHELMSFORD CHELMSFORD I trust you to keep me well informed of Colonel Durnford and his men when they arrive William. VEREKER Certainly Frederick. CHELMSFORD mounts his horse. CHELMSFORD Gentlemen, we move to find camp and engage the enemy, and my nose tells me that we may make early contacfl CHELMSFORD and his party move out. VEREKER looks on. 172. PULLEINE is stationary, astride his horse. MELVILL approaches on horseback. PULLEINE Mr Melvill, until the reinforcement arrives we will Stand To. MELVILL Sir (Riding off, he addresses a Bugler) You there. Sound "Fall In". 173. As CHELMSFORD'S COLUMN moves out, the camera pans away up to the hills to reveal a hidden Zulu Scout. The rear units are half-a-mile from the camp. 174. Below, the camp prepares for immediate battle activity everywhere. Redcoats line up, buckling on their packs and pouches. 175. PULLEINE, MELVILL & COGHILL, all on horseback, are engaged in conversation. 41 PULLEINE (To COGHILL) Huge expanse to keep an eye on. (Referring to Nqutu Range) Would you mind riding over to Stuart Smith & asking him to bring his artillery about? COGHILL Sir (Riding off) PULLEINE Oh, Mr Melvill, kindly send a lookout Tell him to call out the instant he spies Colonel Durnford's Column coming to reinforce us. MELVILL departs. 176. COGHILL arrives at STUART SMITH's area. COGHILL Stuart? STUART SMITH Yes. COGHILL How quickly can you move your artillery forward? STUART SMITH Well, my horses are feeding, as you may observe, Mr Coghill. It'll take a little while. COGHILL Well, fed or hungry, Pulleine wants them in position immediately. (He departs). STUART SMITH Right. (Addressing one of his men) Bombardier, to me please. 177. CLOSE UP of a concerned looking PULLEINE. 178. Various shots of CHELMSFORD'S COLUMN moving forward. l'79. CLOSE in on CHELMSFORD as he rides to meet NOGGS (NORRIS- NEWMAN) CHELMSFORD What o'clock is it, Mr Noggs? NORRIS-NEWMAN Eleven o'clock, My LorJ 42 CHELMSFORD Our friend Colonel Dumford will be should be at this minute approaching Pulleine. I think we'll eat here. I want to scout that mountain top and be back with an appetite in one hour. (He turns his horse about). CREALOCK Sir 180. DURNFORD'S ARRIVAL AT ISANDHLWANA. 22ND JANUARY. 1 1.OOAM DURNFORD'S COLUMN pounds down the slope into the camp. It is welcomed with relief, tension everywhere relaxes and smiles are seen. There is calling and greeting between the forces. 181. AREA BETWEEN WAGONS. BAYELE and the OTHER ZULU CAPTIVE held for questioning are tied up to wagons in an area somewhat screened from the camp. MBILINI is on the ground, his feet and hands are bound. TWO SENTRIES guard them. MBILINI lies almost unconscious, tongue lolling, from the ropes that bind him. Evidence of the beating he has undergone is extensive. The TWO REDCOAT SENTRIES run forward to see DURNFORD'S COLUMN arrive, momentarily leaving the captives. BAYELE (To MBILINI with whisper) My brother We must warn our King. I will call the white soldier back. Can you still move to help me? MBILINI nods. BAYELE (Shouting) Guard. Guard! The TWO SENTRIES turn. One addreses the other: SENTRY I'llfix 'im, Serg' He starts to walk back to the wagons. BAYELE continues to shout. SENTRY Shut that yellin' up, you 'ear me! (He reaches the wagons) Did you 'ear me? Shut up! 43 As he passes MBILINI on the ground, the warrior thrusts his trussed legs between the SENTRY'S legs. The SENTRY stumbles to the ground, his head near BAYELE'S feet. He immediately starts to rise but before he can, BAYELE has lifted his powerful foreleg waist high in stamping position and brings it down with a sickening crunch onto the SENTRY'S lower neck. Now all is desperate speed. Under BAYELE'S directions, MBILINI stretches to the unconscious SENTRY and manages to take his bayonet with his bound feet. 182. INTERCUT WITH SHOTS OF DURNFORD'S ARRIVAL IN CAMP. 183. Cutting the ropes about his neck, MBILINI suceeds in rising to his feet, managing to get the bayonet blade to BAYELE'S bonds. Between them the first ropes are cut. As BAYELE'S hands are freed, the SENTRY on the ground starts to regain consciousness. Taking the bayonet from MBILINI, BAYELE thrusts the weapon into the SENTRY'S back killing him. He removes the bayonet from the SENTRY'S body and also takes a knife from the redcoat's scabbard which he hands to MBILINI. Together they free the third Zulu tied to the other wagon. Making their escape, they edge beyond the wagons. Crouching low, they run up the slope and head for the North. 184. But all British eyes are to the East or on DURNFORD'S column. DURNFORD dismounts, takes in the encampment. PULLEINE Exceedingly pleased to greet you, Sir DURNFORD ColoneL I see you're 'Standing To.' Perhaps the men could eat with their equipment unbuckled. PULLEINE Oh yes, of course. Excellent idea, good. Oh, Mr Melvill, order "Stand Down", will you? MELVILL Sir~ (He turns his horse about) PULLEINE Please. (Indicating that DURNFORD follow him) PULLEINE & DURNFORD walk out of shot as MELVILL is seen in the background. 44 MELVILL Sergeant Stand the men down would you. 185. 8 MWES EAST OF ISANDHLWANA. ROAD TO ULUNDI. 22ND JANUARY. 1145AM. 186. CLOSE UP of pencil drawing in progress. The artist is revealed as being CREALOCK. His composition is of a stationary wagon. 187. NOGGS observes. Glass of claret in hand, he makes his way towards CREALOCK. NOGGS Crealock, old fellah (Sitting beside him). I'm doing notes for my dispatch and I need to clear up afew military points. I don 't want to bother His Lordship. Had it drummed into my thick skull that a good Commander never willingly splits his forces, especially in an enemy's country before knowing their dispositions. CREALOCK has continued to sketch throughout Noggs' banter. CREALOCK Ah, Yes, if we were facing a European enemy armed with guns I think your point would hold, Noggs. Further, may I remind you I do not create the strategies you wish to comment on. I am only his Lordship's Secretary. (He gives NOOGS a smug smile). NOGGS With a slight chuckle he leans closer to CREALOCK. I wouldn 't take overly comfort from that Crealock old fellah because if~he sinks, then you sink with him. NOGUS departs, as CREALOCK looks up for a moment and then continues with his drawing. 188. EXT. PULLEINE'S H.Q. TENT. ISANDHLWANA. DAY. DURNFORD, VEREKER & PULLEINE are seated. They are dining together. The occasion is incredibly civilised. The table is laid with a white linen cloth, silver cutlery, condiments and wine glasses containing claret. DURNFORD (Toying with the wine in his glass) So, you 've been asked to look after me, Lieutenant? VEREKER Well I assure you, Sir, I have no desire to create difficulties. 45 DURNFORD And I assure you, you do not In fact I'd be obliged for your best advice. What have your scouts seen? VEREKER So far only their scouts. But we have had reports of a small Impi farther north, over there. (He turns to indicate the area to his left) PULLEINE His Lordship is of the certain opinion that it 's far too difficult an approach to be chosen by the Zulu command. DURNFORD (Looking to the North) Yes, welt Difficulty never deterred a Zulu commander. (Returning his gaze to VEREKER) How many? VEREKER We don 't know. DURNFORD (After a moment's reflection) I think it would be wise to picket the hills. Just in case. VEREKER rises and collecting his hat, exits to carry out DURNFORD' S instruction. DURNFORD returns to his meal. 189. EXT. NQUTU PLATEAU DAY MOVING SHOT. DURNFORD rides out alone. 190. VEREKER, S.M. KAMBULA, OFFICERS and a troop of SIKALI horse ride out of camp into the foreground. 191. CAMERA PANS the vast African countryside. VEREKER' S column is seen in the distance. CAMERA stops to reveal a ZULU SCOUT in the foreground. He is hidden by a tree. On spying the soldiers, he turns to two young ZULU BOYS behind him. He shouts instructions that they draw attention to themselves by moving their herd of cattle. 192. DURNFORD, now with KAMBULA, reaches the top of a rise. He stops and KAMBULA hands him a pair of binoculars. Surveying the land he spots VEREKER'S column. Handing the binoculars back to KAMBULA, he spurs his horse onward. 193. VEREKER'S COLUMN come over a rise to see the cattle being urged to the lip of the plateau. RAW (Pointing to the cattle) There's steak on the hoof Sir. VEREKER (Pausing for a moment) Sikal4 forward! 46 Kicking their horses and whooping, the soldiers give chase. The ZULUS try to flee but in vain. One soldier, TROOPER JAMES, aims his rifle at one of the ZULUS and fires. VEREKER, hearing the shot, rides towards TROOPER JAMES, but stops when he gets to the ZULU BOY who is lying motionless on the ground. Dismounting, VEREKER goes over to the body and looks down at the dead boy with compassion. 194. TROOPER JAMES spurs to the lip, exultant, keen to kill. He reins his horse abruptly. Holding it still, he stares at the valley before him. Suddenly all energy leaves his body. He stares in disbelief. LT. RAW is beside him. JAMES (Calling, his voice unbelieving) Mr. Vereker! Mr. Vereker! Come and look at this, Sir! VEREKER (Riding into shot he addresses JAMES) You 've just managed to bring down a boy of twelve. JAMES does not respond. He stares straight ahead. Following his gaze, VEREKER spots what James has found before him. 195. EXT. WATERHOLE. VALLEY NEAR ISANDHLWANA. DAY. The valley they overlook is filled with Zulus, Cetshwayo's main Impi. Close-packed, sitting in silence, covering the whole of the valley floor and perching on every inch of its rising sides, are twenty thousand warriors. They have found the long sought main IMPI. VEREKER (Utter disbelief) My God, we 've found them. 196. EXT. NQUTUPLATEAU. DAY SILENCE VEREKER, RAW & JAMES stare down at the Zulu Impis. 197. EXT. VALLEYNEARISANDHLWANA. DAY. The Zulus look up. BAYELE, who stands apart, looks first at his warriors, then up to the English. He shouts the order to advance. Chanting, the Zulus rise and start to clamber up towards the plateau. 198. EXT. NQUTU PLATEAU. DAY VEREKER (Still stunned, he addresses RAW) Warn the camp. Tell ChelmsforJ Inform His Lordship we 've found what he's looking for. 47 RAW (Turning his horse about) Yes, Sir. VEREKER orders his troop to line up facing the Zulu. VEREKER Sikali, forward! The mass of Zulus have started to cover the North strip of the plateau. VEREKER Fire! More and more Zulus mount the crest coming into formation. The troopers are amazed at the sheer weight of enemy number. VEREKER'S troop fire volleys steadily, the Zulus now six hundred yards away. Some Zulus fall but the mass, getting into disciplined ranks, advance implacably towards them. VEREKER gives the order to retreat. VEREKER Retire! Rerire! VEREKER'S troop retreat as the ZULU follow. 199. INT. PULLEINE'S H.Q. TENT. ISANDHLWANA. DAY. PULLEINE is seated at his desk. He is writing a letter. He looks up as he hears distant gunfire. 200. EXT. PULLEINE'S CAMP. ISANDHLWANA. DAY. BLOOMFIELD walks through the kitchen area. He stops and looks to the hills as he too hears gunfire. 201. INT. TENT. ISANDHLWANA. DAY BOY-PULLEN, STOREY and another are having a game of cards. BOY- PULLEN looks up, alert. He too has heard something. STOREY nudges him. STOREY Oy! Goon. What'redoin'? BOY-PULLEN dismisses his concern and continues with the game. 202. INT. MELVILL'S TENT. ISANDHLWANA. DAY. 48 MELVILL is seated, relaxed, his feet up on his desk. He is drinking from a tankard. Another officer lies reclined, smoking. On hearing gunshots, MELVILL jumps up, running outside the tent. MELVILL Don 't tell me the Zulu managed to get up there after alt 203. EXT. CAMP. ISANDHLWANA. DAY. LT. RAW rides into shot. RAW Zulu! 204. MOVING SHOT. CAMERA follows RAW as he rides up to PULLEINE'S tent and dismounts. RAW They're here. PULLEINE emerges from his tent. RAW I've sent to Lord Chelmsforct PULLEINE Bugler. Sound "The Alert". BUGLER runs into foreground. CLOSE UP as he sounds "The Alert". 205. PTE. WILLIAMS is feeding the horses. On hearing the "The Alert" he jumps to attention running out of shot. After a beat he returns to collect his helmet which is positioned on top of one of posts. 206. BOY-PULLEN & STOREY emerge from their tent. There are troops scramblingeverywhere. V.0. Fall in! At the double! Heavy artillery moves into and out of shot. 207. 208. 209. PULLEINE & MELVILL, both on horseback, watch the proceedings. EXT. BATTLEFIELD. ISANDHLWANA. DAY. SGT. WILLIAMS is rallying a Company of Redcoats. SGT. WILLIAMS Wheel 'em in! wheel 'em in! Wheel 'em in! Come on now. Tighten those ranks! COGHILL, on horseback surveys the ranks from the rear. 49 210. A young BOY-SOLDIER walks in front of the redcoats. He carries an armful of markers. With him is STOREY. SGT. WILLIAMS Private Storey. Get those markers pegged out at the double. STOREY Serg'! SGT. WILLIAMS One every 'undred yards STOREY (To Boy Soldier) Come on boy, scamper. SGT. WILLIAMS and Bugler, make sure he pegs 'em in a straight line - towards the enemy! 211. RUSSELL & his men with a group of Natal natives run forward to position the rockets. RUSSELL (Through clenched teeth as he works) Hold them please God three minutes please hold them! (With increasing urgency) Come on, come on, come on. Come on men! 212. STOREY is pacing out the markers on the battlefield. The BOY SOLDIER follows him. STOREY Ninety two, ninety three, ninety four, ninety five, ninety six, ninety seven, nighty eight, ninety nine (Coming to a standstill) What's next, boy? BOY SOLDIER stands motionless. He stares towards the horizon. STOREY Oy. You useless little bastard. Come 'ere. Scamper. BOY SOLDIER (Pointing behind Storey) Look. Look! STOREY turns to look. 213. Vast masses of Zulus appear over the horizon. They are chanting, menacing like a fast approaching swarm of bees. 214. Closer shots of the Zulus as they approach. Their assegais poised high above their heads at the ready. 50 215. CAMERA PANS to the tiny white tents of the camp in the distance. The small Company of Redcoats is seen before them and for the first time it is obvious just how outnumbered they are. 216. EXT. ZULULAND EAST OF ISANDHLWANA. DAY. CHELMSFORD & CREALOCK admire the pleasant surroundings. They walk towards a canopied dining area. Servants have prepared a magnificent table. Silver dishes, polished beautifully and gleaming in the hot sun, are carried from a small field kitchen behind a screen. CHELMSFORD Splendid site, Crealock, splendil I want to establish Camp here immediately. CREALOCK Certainly, Sin Standing around the table are several officers including HAMILTON-BROWN, HARFORD & MILNE. NOGGS is also present. As CHELMSFORD sits, so do the others. HAMILTON-BROWN stands apart, drinking uneasily. CHELMSFORD After lunch, Brown, I want you to return to Isandhlwana and instruct Colonel Pulleine to join us here immediately. HAMILTON-BROWN (Downing the contents of his glass) If you '11 excuse me, My Lord. CHELMSFORD No appetite, Colonel? (He indicates to a nearby servant to refill his glass). HAMILTON-BROWN My men haven 't eaten since yesterday and there won 't be any supplies until I get them back to Isandhlwana. CHELMSFORD Well they can start off now and you can join them when you've eaten. HAMILTON-BROWN Kind of you, My Lord. But I don't think it would be proper for me to sit at your table while they're with their bellies stuck to their backbones. EXITS. 51 HARFORD (Rising to leave) Excuse me, Sir. CHELMSFORD Learn nothing from that Irishman, HafforJ behave. HARFORD Yes, Sir. Except, how not to General ad. lib. Smug laughter, banging of cutlery on table and cries of "Here, here". 217. Solitary SIKALI HORSEMAN approaches Chelmsford's camp. 218. RETURN to dining table. The meal is now over. CHELMSFORD cuts the end off a cigar with a silver cigar-cutter. NOGGS is peeling an apple with a silver fruit knife. CREALOCK walks into shot. He speaks in CHELMSFORD'S ear. CREALOCK A strange message from Vereker, My Lord. It would seem Pulleine has a battle on his hands. No details. No intelligence. CREALOCK resumes his place at table as CHELMSFORD turns to the others. CHELMSFORD Mr. Milne. Kindly take your telescope to a high point Note the events at Isandhlwana. MILNE Sir. (He leaves). CHELMSFORD also rises and leaves the table. 219. CLOSE-UP of CREALOCK, then NOOGS. They both share a sense of foreboding. 220. CHELMSFORD walks slowly and deliberately towards an empty wagon. He goes to the front and leaning against the front panel, lowers his head. He wants to be alone. 221. EXT. BATTLEFIELD. ISANDHLWANA. DAY. SHOTS OF THE ZULU ARMY. They stand, chanting, beating their weapons against their shields, ready to attack. 52 222. CAMERA PANS BACK to reveal the vast enormity of the ZULU army in comparison to the small Company of Redcoats. 223. VARIOUS CLOSE-UPS of kneeling Redcoats, poised, rifles at the ready. Their faces reveal the terror of the reality before them. 224. There is a uniform, disciplined, victorious shout from the ZULU IMPI: ZULU iMi'i Usutu... . Usutu! Only three hundred yards away, the Zulu Impi advance, vastly outnumbering their enemy ahead. 225. CLOSE-UP OF PTE. WILLIAMS. Extremely nervous, he looks to SGT. WLLIAMS for reassurance. SGT. WILLIAMS removes a ceremonial sash from his inside pocket and places it defiantly over his tunic. He winks at PTE. WILLIAMS who returns to face the Zulu with renewed confidence. 226. DURNFORD leads his column onto the battlefield. Dismounting, the Company takes up it's positions and commences to fire a volley. DURNFORD (Still on horseback) Steady men. Steady. Steady now. (Addressing one of his men) Sergeant SGT. Yes, Sir. DURNFORD Ride to Lord Chelmsford. Ride toward Ulundi. Tell him the battle he longs for has started and he needs to move here quickly. Quickly. Yes, ColoneL SGT. 227. CAVAYE'S AND MOSTYN'S COMPANIES The last echo of the "Stand To" is heard. RUSSELL'S men fire a rocket and then another. They sail erratically over the heads of the ZULU IMPI. The third, however, finds it's target and strikes at the centre of the advancing warriors. 228. STOREY and BOY SOLDIER run forward hurriedly trying to position their markers. STOREY All right, this '11 do. (Stopping, he hands BOY SOLDIER his rifle) Here, grab that. 53 229. The Zulus are now uncomfortably close. BOY SOLDIER stands transfixed. BOY SOLDIER Master. STOREY (Realizing the close proximity of the enemy) Oh, bugger that. (He throws the,markers to the ground and seizing BOY SOLDIER'S hand runs back towards their own lines). 230. Still fifty yards away, STOREY & BOY SOLDIER drop to the ground as their own Companies fire a series of volleys in their direction. As the Zulus begin to drop, STOREY & BOY SOLDIER seize the opportunity and return to their feet, again running forward. As another volley is fired, STOREY & BOY SOLDIER again drop to the ground. STOREY Somebody's not watching our bloody markers. (Getting to his feet) Come on, Sunshine. STOREY attempts to help BOY SOLDIER to his feet. The boy's body is limp, sprawled and bleeding. He has been shot in the head. STOREY Oh no. (Bitterly) Come all this bloody way to get shot by a bullet from Birmingham. (Shouting to his own lines) Shoot straight, you bastards! STOREY takes the boy's hat and runs quickly forward as the ZULUS advance over the inert body. 231. The ZULU LEFT HORN is close at hand. RUSSELL works with his Bombardier and artillery men to set up the rockets, but they are losing the race with time. RUSSELL Fire one. Fire two. RUSSELL, recognising the uselessness of his rockets at this point of the battle, draws his sword. He orders his bombardier and small troop of artillerymen to line up and face the Zulu. RUSSELL fights bravely, as do his troop. It is a few dozen men against hundreds. They are inundated by the ZULU tide, which is not checked. Several ZULU fall, but RUSSELL and his troop are simply overcome and vanish as the LEFT HORN continues on its way hence, threatening to cut Dumford's column off from the camp. 232. PULLEINE, on horseback, spots the onslaught through his binoculars from the camp. VEREKER rides to meet him. 54 PULLEINE Reinforcement only. And ride to Stuart Smith. Let his guns cover Durnford for a fall back. VEREKER Yes Sir. (Shouting) Sikali, follow me. 233. VEREKER and his SIKALI troop leave the camp. PULLEINE watches before returning to his binoculars. 234. STUART SMITH commands the airning and firing of his seven and twelve pounders. VEREKER rides up from the background. VEREKER You give me some covering fire for Dumford on the right flank. STUART SMITH Sir. Whole section RIGHT' One of the big guns is brought about to fire at the line to the south which attacks DURNFORD. STUART SMITH Fire! 235. CLOSE ON DURNFORD. He watches in appreciation as the big shells start to land amongst his attackers causing havoc. DURNFORD Fire! (Recognising the hopelessness of the situation) Retreat! 236. The companies wheel about to race back to the relative security of a nearby donga. There is sudden turmoil as a group of ZULUS hurtle over the lower edge of the donga. A fierce hand-to-hand, assegai against bayonet battle ensues as warrior after warrior rises from cover to come over the edge. DURNFORD rides to make sure that firing against the rear line of ZULUS is maintained to prevent it too from coming forward, to secure the temporary breech. 237. SOLDIERS of CAVAYE'S COMPANY have withdrawn to the camp periphery and now fire in line with MOSTYN'S COMPANY, volley after steady volley. COGHILL and MELVILL shout orders to the ranks. COGHILL Choose your targets men. That's right Watch those markers. 55 MELVILL Keep steady. You're the best shots of the Twenty-Fourth. You bunch of heathens, do it 238. CAVAYE'S COMPANY LINES SOT. WILLIAMS walks calmly behind the front line. SGT. WILLtAMS Present, Arms. Watch yer markers. Watch yer markers. Adjust yer sights. STOREY fires in the line. He searches through his pouches for rounds. STOREY I'm running out of bleedin' ammunition. (Calling over his shoulder) Buglen' BUGLER What? STOREY More ammunition. Scamper! BUGLER I've bin twice already. STOREY You can go three times. It won 't do you any 'arm. Go on! Run both ways. The BUGLER runs towards the ammunition wagon, two hundred yards to the rear. The line fire in volley, working the levers of their breech-loaders. COGHILL (Steadying his horse along the line) Keep shooting. STOREY (To the soldier next to him) Soft 'eaded buggers these. (Referring to the ammunition) Flatten out against the bone. Smash 'em out STOREY'S MATE But bullets run out.. and those bloody spears don 't 239. AMMUNITION WAGON. BLOOMFIELD is labouring to open another tightly bound and screwed down ammunition box while BUGLERS wait in a queue, restive. BLOOMFIELD has to stand over the box and exert great pressure on the screwdriver to force the oxidised screws out of their sockets. 56 BOY-PULLEN stands at the front of the queue. He is handing out one box of ammunition at a time to each soldier. A NATAL NATIVE reaches the head of the queue. As BOY-PULLEN goes to hand him some ammunition, BLOOMFIELD looks up and strides forward. BLOOMFIELD Pullen! You will not issue ammuntion from this wagon to any but authorised Companies. This lot can have their own. (He snatches the box back from the NATAL NATIVE). The NATAL NATIVE doesn't understand English but he understands what BLOOMFIELD means. He voices his objection in Zulu. BLOOMFIELD Get to your own wagon. The BUGLER sent by STOREY is waiting impatiently. BUGLER (Running to the front of the queue) 'ow long we gotta wait, Quartermaster? BLOOMFIELD Get back in line, boy. Wait your turn. BUGLER But Sir BLOOMFIELD Move. BLOOMFIELD returns to prizing open the boxes. BUGLER goes to return to the end of the queue but turns back to plead with BOY-PULLEN. BUGLER Pullen? BOY-PULLEN Look it am 't my fault. All the tops are screwed down. REDCOAT AT FRONT OF QUEUE Come on. I'm waiting. BOY-PULLEN gives the REDCOAT one box and then hurriedly hands the other to STOREY'S BUGLER. 240. FRONTLINE. SGT. WILLIAMS Present, Arms. 57 STOREY is beginning to panic. The ammunition situation is now becoming desperate. STOREY Hurry up with that bloody amo Increasing numbers are not firing. They glance back with impatience towards the ammunition wagons, space4 five hundred yards apart, where queues of BUGLERS and REDCOATS wait for rounds that are distributed too slowly. 241. EXT. ZULULAND. EAST OF ISANDHLWANA. DAY. CHELMSFORD and his COLUMN move slowly and steadily from their Camp towards the West. MILNE approaches on horseback to meet them. MILNE My Lord, I watched the camp for twenty minutes. The haze obscures much. The tents have not been stuck. The only thing I could distinguish is the wagons have been moved on mass into the camp. CHELMSFORD Thank you Mr. Milne. Inform Colonel Crealock, would you? MILNE Sir. 242. CAMERA PANS away from CHELMSFORD'S COLUMN as we see an OFFICER'S POV through binoculars. Angle changes as we see a rider enter the camp and approach LT. HARFORD. 243. CHELMSFORD'S HQ. CREALOCK steps into a wagon. He turns to address MILNE who stands outside. CREALOCK Thank you, Milne. MILNE salutes. HARFORD approaches urgently. He remains on horseback and talks to CREALOCK through the open side of the wagon. HARFORD (Out of breath, agitated) The camp is under attack from a large force of Zulu. Colonel Pulleine sends for help. CREALOCK Calm yourself Mr. Haiford. Where do you come by this intelligence? 58 HARFORD Durnford's Cavaye himself rode from the camp. CREALOCK Very well, go on. HARFORD Colonel Harness has already turned with the artillery. CREALOCK (The severity begins to register) They have? I see. Ride after Lord Chelmsford and acquaint him with your intelligence. HARFORD has started but turns his horse about as CREALOCK calls: CREALOCK Mn Haiford. . control your passions. A professional soldier must keep cool and thoughtful in times of stress. HARFORD looks as if he is going to explode but controls his feelings and rides after CHELMSFORD. 244. EXT. BATTLEFIELD. ISANDHLWANA. DAY VEREKER gallops hard as do his troop of BASUTO HORSEMEN. CAMERA TRACKS FORWARD, following them to the donga which DURNFORD'S COMPANIES are defending. Horses are in the donga. The troops are firing from the outer lip of the donga. VEREKER'S MEN provide the much needed backup. DURNFORD Good work, Mn Vereker. DURNFORD spurs his horse forward. The situation is still desperate. DURNFORD (Shouting to his troops) Prepare to fall back. Line after line of ZULUS run forward to join the assault. DURNFORD Move the horses! CLOSE ON DURNFORD. He signals the next tactic as he rides across the donga. Commands are issued down the line. The men now disengage and run in the opposite direction from the ZULUS, leaping into the donga to find their horses and swinging onto saddles to scramble up the far side, galloping 400 yards close to the camp to form a new defence line. 59 "The Retreat" is sounded. There is hand-to-hand, bayonets, spears, hunting knives and ZULUS trying to assegai the horses. 245. A handful of REDCOATS await the ZULU as they clamber over the ridge. Realization of the vast Zulu numbers suddenly dawns as their NCO shouts in desperation: NCO Take the high grouncit The REDCOATS are completely overwhelmed and are soon lost amidst the ZULU onslaught. 246. DURNFORD'S COMPANIES ride into camp. There are wounded lying everywhere. DURNFORD Speed up the ammunition flow, Vereker. I'll try to hold the road to Rorke '5 Drift. VEREKER complies. 247. Like a huge tidal wave, the ZULUS plough their way through the lines of REDCOATS defending the outer perimeter of the camp. DURNFORD (Addressing S.M. KAMBULA) Sergeant, come with me. DURNFORD and S.M. KAMBULA depart as ZULU mercilessly stab at the wounded already on the ground. 248. SOT. WILLIAMS' MEN are under serious attack. 249. The ZULUS are among the NATAL NATIVES, stabbing, stabbing, stabbing. 250. The ZULU LOIN is sitting some three hundred yards from the battle, facing away from it. The ZULU LOIN, two IMPIS of seasoned warriors, start to run towards the gap through which the NATAL NATIVES, ZULUS and SMITH'S GUNS are streaming. 251. Both lines of REDCOATS are attacked from the back, and the lines try to fight enemy in front and behind. SGT. WILLIAMS Fire. Fire. Close ranks. Retreat! SOT. WILLIAMS, pistol in hand, sees the danger to the guns. SGT. WILLIAMS Save those guns. 60 SOT. WILLIAMS grabs a passing ZULU by the throat. He throws him to the ground and beats him to death. Reaching the top of a ridge, he bayonets a ZULU scrambling up the ridge towards him. Withdrawing the blade, he turns just in time to bayonet another ZULU attacking from the rear. SGT. WILLIAMS (Shouting & looking around desperately) Private Williams! PTE. WILLIAMS (From just below the ridge) Sgt. Williams! SGT. WILLIAMS Come 'ere. Get yourself up 'ere. (He grabs PTE. WILLIAMS' jacket pulling him up onto the higher ground). PTE. WILLIAMS (Struggling) Sir.. .Ah!. . . Ah! SGT. WILLIAMS Comeon. Getup! 252. SMITH'S GUNS are driven away. SGT. WILLIAMS (Helping PTE. WILLIAMS to his feet) You '11 get a medal yet, Private Williams. At this point SOT. WILLIAMS falls to his knees. He has been assegaied in the back. PTE. WILLIAMS thrusts his bayonet over SOT. WILLIAMS head, killing the offending ZULU. He turns and bayonets another running towards him. SGT. WILLIAMS Behind you, lad! Ah no... (He is struck again) But it is too late. A single assegai penetrates PTE. WILLIAMS' back. Both Sergeant and Private die together. 253. CLOSE IN on BAYELE as he leads the ZULUS onward. 254. CAMERA FOLLOWS THREE SIKALI HORSEMEN as they gallop towards BLOOMFIELD'S ammunition wagon. Another GROUP OF REDCOATS surrounds the wagon. BLOOMFIELD and BOY-PULLEN serve them with ammunition which is fired with discipline at a rapid rate. BLOOMFIELD Wait your bloody turn. Wait your bloody turn and get in line. (Handing a box to a young private) There you are, boy. 255. LONG SHOT of the ZULUS streaming across the plain. 61 256. Many of the REDCOATS have turned and are running for their lives. The battleground is awash with red tunics. As the CAMERA passes over the dead, one body suddenly leaps to his feet. It is PTE. STOREY. He has been playing 'dead'. Running, he makes for cover beneath a wagon. He searches beyond the mass of ZULUS for a target. He sees the distant INDUNAS, he aims carefully and fires. STOREY, satisfied with the result, now kneels to the corpse of a fallen man beside him. He finds LT. CAVAYE dead. He bends to search him for ammunition. STOREY finds one cartridge, spitting on it for luck, he loads, aims and fires. A huge line of ZULUS run forward and engulf him. 257. CLOSE UP of STOREY'S torso beneath the wagon. An assegai protrudes from his chest. 258. SWEEPING SHOT. The ZULU LOIN is streaming into the camp through the gaps in the north and north-east corner. The end is near. 259. VEREKER and a trooper gallop towards BLOOMFIELD'S AMMUNITION WAGON. VEREKER (To BLOOMFIELD) Over here. Quickly. BLOOMFIELD hands VEREKER a whole case of ammunition which he passes to the TROOPER beside him. VEREKER Quickly, Trooper. 260. VEREKER & TROOPER approach DURNFORD'S LINES with the ammunition. DURNFORD Well done, Vereker. Now goodbye, lad. The pair exchange glances. DURNFORD Go on. After a beat, VEREKER turns his horse about and rides away. DURNFORD Sergeand The Sergeant takes DURNFORD'S HORSE by the bit as DURNFORD dismounts. 62 261. CLOSE UP of the ammunition case as the men frantically try to open it with their bayonets and rifle butts. 262. CLOSE UP of DURNFORD. He is firing his pistol. 263. CAMERA finds ELDER BOER in crowd as he is assegaied in the back. The fighting is hand-to-hand, with a few REDCOATS having rounds which they fire with discipline under the command of DURNFORD. 264. COGHILL and MELVILL command the squad of REDCOATS who form an approximate ring around PULLEINE'S tent. Some wagons have been pulled forward to form a partial barricade. PULLEINE stands in the centre. A BUGLER BOY holding the Regimental Colours is close by. COGHILL & MELVILL ride up to PULLEINE. PULLEINE Well fought, Gentlemen. It's time to save the Colours. Get to Rorke '5 Drift. You must warn them. (To BUGLER BOY) The Colours. PULLEINE takes the Colours from the BUGLER BOY and hands them to MELVILL. PULLEINE Carry them to safety Mr. MelvilL MELVILL Sir. COGHILL and MELVILL take the Colours, spur through the ZULUS and head to the gullies and ravines that lead to the river. PULLEINE watches, moves back into his tent. 265. CLOSE UP of DURNFORD. He looks over his shoulder and then back to the ZULU before him. He makes a decision and moves away from the front line. DURNFORD (To S.M. KAMBULA) Sergeant! Sergeant! Take my horse. Up you go. S.M. KAMBULA is helped up into the saddle. DURNFORD Sergeant, you're to ride back to NataL When you see the Bishop tell him (He pauses momentarily) that is, tell his daughter, I was obliged to remain here with my infantry. Now go. God go with you. 63 S.M. KAMBULA I leave God Jesus with you. He leaves as CAMERA closes in on DURNFORD'S face. 266. SMITH'S guns, at full gallop, sweep through the camp. 267. VARIOUS SHOTS of the battle. The battlefield is covered with dead ZULU and REDCOAT bodies. 268. BLOOMFIELD'S AMMUNITION WAGON. Some of the ZULUS have picked up burning brands from the cooking fires and are setting the wagons on fire. BLOOMFIELD & BOY-PULLEN jump down from their wagon, taking some cases of ammunition with them. Move it! I'm trying. BLOOMFIELD BOY-PULLEN They are only ten yards away when there is a massive explosion. The wagon has burst into flames and the ammunition continues to explode. 269. CLOSE UP of BLOOMFIELD. He is lying face down on the ground in a state of shock. He slowly turns his head and we see the bloody corpse of BOY-PULLEN. BLOOMFIELD'S face grimaces as he is stabbed in the back by an unseen assailant. His face falls into the dirt. 270. INT. PULLEINE'SH.Q.TENT. DAY. PULLEINE is sitting inside his tent. He is writing a letter to his wife. There is a pistol on the table. BAYELE enters the tent. PULLEINE immediately picks up his pistol and aims at BAYELE. There is a moment's hesitation from both. PULLEINE drops his pistol to one side inviting BAYELE to kill him. BAYELE seizes the moment and with one forward fatal thrust, stabs PULLEINE in the heart. PULLEINE slumps onto the desk as BAYELE leaves without remorse. 271. LONG PAN SHOT of MELVILL & COGHILL as they take the Colours out of the camp. 272. VEREKER is nearby as a ZULU leaps out, bringing MELVILL & his horse to the ground. 64 VEREKER shoots the ZULU. MELVILL gets up, hands the Colours to COGHILL and gets back up onto his horse. MELVILL (To COGHILL, indicating the Colours) Give them to me. (COGHILL does so) Come on. Come on! They spur onward, COGHILL using his t)istol as they do so. 273. MOVING SHOT. A gun carriage charges over the slope. As it does so, the rear gunner is shot and the gun itself becomes disengaged from the rest of the carriage tumbling down the slope. 274. GUN CARRIAGE IN FOREGROUND. VEREKER, COGHILL & MELVILL ride over this obstacle (SLOW MOTION) the Colours aloft. 275. EXT. BATTLEFIELD. ISANDHLWANA. DAY. HIGH VIEW. DURNFORD'S South-East defence position. ZOOM forward to show the first refugees behind from the camp breaking out on the South, crossing into the ravine; their line of exit the same as the guns, defended by DURNFORD' S troops. 276. CLOSE UP of DURNFORD. He loads his pistol and turning full circle, realizes that he and his troops are surrounded. Jumping up onto an ammunition wagon, he starts to target the approaching ZULUS, now only ten yards away. He uses all six shots, throws his pistol to one side and picks up a discarded assegai from the wagon. As he frantically tries to batter a ZULU warrior, another ZULU aims a rifle straight at him. There is a single shot. DURNFORD, clasping the shoulder of his disabled left arm, falls off the ammuntion wagon and tumbles down the ravine, landing at the bottom with a painful thud. Out of breath, he struggles to sit upright, his back against the muddy bank of the ravine. A ZULU appears at the top of the ravine. Standing on top of the ammunition wagon, he throws his assegai down at the body below. It finds it's target, piercing DURNFORD in the chest. Short of breath, he makes a vain attempt at removing the weapon but his efforts are futile. He draws his last breath and dies. 277. EXT. FUGITIVE'S RAVINE. DAY. COGHILL, MELVILL & VEREKER desperately fighting to control their horses scrambling down the hazardous rocky terrain - quarry to the pursuing relentless ZULUS behind them. REDCOATS on foot are overtaken and dispatched with stabbing assegais. 278. EXT. RIVER BANK OPPOSITE RORKE'S DRIFT. 65 COGHILL, MELVILL &VEREKER urge their horses onward, galloping into the river. Several ZULUS remain on the bank, shooting rifles and throwing assegais into the water. One ZULU jumps into the water and attempts to swim after them. VEREKER is the first to reach the opposite bank. The other two have become separated from their horses. VEREKER'S is close by. Scrambling up the bank, VEREKER turns to COGHILL & MELVILL who are still in the water. VEREKER For God's sake, hold them back! I'll get the horses. COGHILL is the next to reach the bank. He turns back to MELVILL who is struggling in the water with the Colours. COGHILL It's alright It's alright. He helps MELVILL up onto the bank as VEREKER mounts his horse. VEREKER rides off in pursuit of the other two horses. There is a single rifle shot, which brings VEREKER'S horse to the ground. In the background we see a vast number of ZULUS engulf COGHILL & MELVILL. MELVILL attempts to fight with his sword but he is overwhelmed. There is an awful piercing scream and the two men disappear. 279. INTERCUT BETWEEN VEREKER & GROUP OF ZULUS. VEREKER lies on the ground, his left leg trapped beneath the body of his horse. He sees the ZULUS take up the Colours as they run up to the high ground, revealing COGHILL & MELVILL' S dead bodies in the FOREGROUND. VEREKER is breathing uneasily. He watches with amazement as the ZULUS hold the Colours aloft mockingly. Some ZULUS are wearing their purloined Redcoat uniforms, they whoop and wail exultantly. VEREKER takes his time. He aims his rifle at the ZULU carrying the Colours. The shot kills the ZULU and the Colours fall (SLOW MOTION) down, down into the river. Relieved, VEREKER' S head falls to the sandy bank. 280. The Colours float into CLOSE UP. 66 281. EXT. PULLEINE'S CAMP. ISANDHLWANA. DUSK. CHELMSFORD and his ESCORT ride into the camp. The air is full of smoke and the crackling of fire can still be heard. A dead soldier who has been tied to a post and disembowelled is CENTRE SCREEN. The wind begins to howl as CAMERA follows CHELMSFORD into the centre of the camp. He dismounts. Very slowly he removes his helmet. CLOSE UP of HARFORD. A solitary tear trickles down his cheek as he surveys the area with disbelief. Stationary, CHELMSFORD looks around him. Then very slowly and deliberately he walks forward towards the CAMERA. CAMERA PANS to reveal CREALOCK, still on horseback, in the back- ground. He rides into focus. CREALOCK Excuse me, My LorJ There '5 something I must convey to you. 1 rode a little way along the track to Rorke '5 Drift. The sky above is red with fire (Pause). Your Orders, My Lord? Do we move to the Drift? CHELMSFORD does not answer. He continues to walk forward, expressionless. TIGHT CLOSE UP. CHELMSFORD lowers his head, his eyes still front. 282. CROSS FADE to blood red sunset. Script is superimposed: The Battle of Isandhlwana was recorded in history as the worst defeat ever inflicted on a modern army by native troops. In Parliament, upon the downfall of his government, British Prime Minister, Benjamin Disraeli, asked the question: "Who are these Zulus, who are these remarkable people who defeat our generals, convert our bishops and who on this day have put an end to a great dynasty?" ZULU singing and chanting crescendos. THE END

You've Got Mail (1998) by Nora Ephron & Delia Ephron. Based on the novel "The Shop Around The Corner" by Nikolaus Laszlo. 2nd Final White revised, February 2, 1998. More info about this movie on IMDb.com FOR EDUCATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY FADE IN ON: CYBERSPACE We have a sense of cyberspace-travel as we hurtle through a sky that's just beginning to get light. There are a few stars but they fade and the sky turns a milky blue and a big computer sun starts to rise. We continue hurtling through space and see that we're heading over a computer version of the New York City skyline. We move over Central Park. It's fall and the leaves are glorious reds and yellows. We reach the West Side of Manhattan and move swiftly down Broadway with its stores and gyms and movies theatres and turn onto a street in the West 80s. Hold in front of a New York brownstone. At the bottom of the screen a small rectangle appears and the words: ADDING ART As the rectangle starts to fill with color, we see a percentage increase from 0% to 100%. When it hits 100% the image pops and we are in real life. EXT. NEW YORK BROWNSTONE - DAY Early morning in New York. A couple of runners pass on their way to Riverside Drive Park. We go through the brownstone window into: INT. KATHLEEN KELLY'S APARTMENT - DAY KATHLEEN KELLY is asleep. Kathleen, 30, is as pretty and fresh as a spring day. Her bedroom cozy, has a queen-sized bed and a desk with a computer on it. Bookshelves line every inch of wall space and overflow with books. Framed on the children's classic. Madeleine. As Kathleen wakes up, her boyfriend FRANK NAVASKY walks into the room. He wears blue jeans and a workshirt. He's carrying the New York Times. KATHLEEN Good morning. FRANK (as he reads) Listen to this -- the entire work force of the state of Virginia had to have solitaire removed from their computers -- Kathleen gets out of bed and goes to brush her teeth in the bathroom, and we stay with Frank. FRANK (continuing) -- because they hadn't done any work in six weeks. Kathleen comes out of the bathroom in her robe. KATHLEEN Aren't you late? FRANK (continuing) You know what this is, you know what we're seeing here? We're seeing the end of Western civilization as we know it. KATHLEEN This is so sad. She tosses him his jacket. FRANK (points at her computer) You think that machine is your friend, but it's not. (checks his watch) I'm late. INT. LIVING ROOM - KATHLEEN'S APARTMENT - CONTINUOUS As Frank walks to the apartment door. We see a charming room with a couch, fireplace, books, and a dining table with a typewriter with a cover on it. KATHLEEN (O.C.) I'll see you tonight. FRANK Sushi. KATHLEEN (O.C.) Great. Bye. Frank goes out the door. It closes. Kathleen tiptoes into the hall and looks through the fish-eye peephole watching as he goes down the stairs, disappearing from sight. She walks into: INT. KATHLEEN'S BEDROOM - DAY And looks out the front window as Frank walks out onto the street and turns toward Broadway. He's gone. Good. She sits down at her computer. An expression of anticipation and guilty pleasure as she clicks the mouse. INT. COMPUTER SCREEN - DAY As we see the logo for America On Line come up and Kathleen's code name: Shopgirl. She logs on and the computer makes all its little modem noises as the computer dials the access number and connects and we hear the machine: COMPUTER Welcome. And we see Kathleen, listening for the words she's waiting to hear: COMPUTER (cont'd) You've got mail. And Kathleen smiles as her mail page comes up: INT. COMPUTER SCREEN - DAY We see a list of letters: Big Cash Op: You can make $$$ in your spare time. OIL MKT: You can turn $20 into $20,000 THIS REALLY WORKS U CAN DO IT: Maximize your selling ability nowwwww!!! NY152 Brinkley Kathleen hits the "delete" key and the first three letters -- all of them junk-mail -- are deleted and drop offscreen. Then she selects the "Read Mail" key for "NY 152 Brinkley". And the letter comes up: To: Shopgirl From: NY152 Re: Brinkley Kathleen starts to read the letter aloud: KATHLEEN Brinkley is my dog. He loves the streets of New York as much as I do -- And now we hear Kathleen's voice replaced by the voice of NY 152, a man named JOE FOX -- JOE (V.O.) -- although he likes to eat bits of pizza and bagel off the sidewalk, and I prefer to buy them. Brinkley is a great catcher and was offered a tryout on the Mets farm team -- (continued) INT. JOE'S APARTMENT - DAY A dog is sitting on a large green pillow on the floor. This is BRINKLEY. The pillow has "Brinkley" embroidered on it. Brinkley's master, JOE FOX, a great-looking guy, full of charm and irony, comes into the kitchen and pours himself some orange juice. He's half-dressed. JOE (cont'd) -- but he chose to stay with me so that he could spend 18 hours a day sleeping on a large green pillow the size of an inner tube. Don't you love New York in the fall? It makes me want to buy school supplies. I would send you a bouquet of newly-sharpened pencils if I knew your name and address. On the other hand, this not knowing has its charms. VOICE Darling -- JOE Mmmmmhmmm -- Joe's girlfriend PATRICIA EDEN, in Armani head to toe, comes into the kitchen and turns on the $2000 espresso machine, which starts grinding beans. She's carrying the morning papers. PATRICIA I'm late. (indicating the newspaper) Random House fired Dick Atkins. Good riddance. Murray Chilton died. Which makes one less person I'm not speaking to -- (she drains a cup of espresso as a second starts to come out of the machine) Vince got a great review. He'll be insufferable. Tonight, PEN dinner -- JOE Am I going? PATRICIA You promised. JOE Can't I just give them money? That's the cause? Free Albanian writers? I'm for that. Patricia drains another cup of espresso, looks at him. JOE All right, I'll go. You're late. PATRICIA I know I know I know. She tears out of the kitchen and the door slams behind her. Hold on Joe, listening as he hears the elevator door open and close on the landing outside. IT. JOE'S DEN - DAY As he comes in and sits down at his laptop computer and logs on. JOE & THE COMPUTER (TOGETHER) Welcome... You've got mail. And as he starts to read his letter, we hear: KATHLEEN (V.O.) I like to start my notes to you as if we're already in the middle of a conversation. I pretend that we're the oldest and dearest friends -- as opposed to what we actually are, people who don't know each other's names and met in a Chat Room where we both claimed we'd never been before. INT. JOE'S ELEVATOR - DAY As Joe, dressed for work, takes the elevator down with his elevator man CHARLIE. There's a certain amount of Good morning, etc., as the elevator goes down and the voice-over continues: KATHLEEN (V.O., CONTINUES) What will he say today, I wonder. I turn on my computer, I wait impatiently as it boots up. EXT. RIVERSIDE DRIVE - DAY As Joe comes out of his building. KATHLEEN (V.O., CONTINUES) I go on line, and my breath catches in my chest until I hear three little words: You've got mail. And the camera now pans from 152 Riverside uptown to: EXT. NEW YORK BROWNSTONE - MORNING KATHLEEN (V.O., CONTINUES) I hear nothing, not even a sound on the streets of New York, just the beat of my own heart. I have mail. From you. EXT. BROADWAY - MORNING As Kathleen comes onto Broadway at the corner of 83rd Street and starts downtown. Through a long lens we can see Joe, walking into blocks behind her. As Kathleen and Joe make their way down Broadway we see the West Side of Manhattan in the morning. Mothers and fathers taking their kids to school, people on their way to work, dogs being walked. School buses picking up kids, bakery trucks dropping off brown bags of bread in the doorframes of unopened restaurants. Kathleen stops at a newsstand, says good morning to the newsstand dealer, and picks up a New York Times. Metal grates are pulled up to open flower shops, nail salons, the pharmacy, fish store, the Cuban Chinese Restaurant, Zabar's. Joe stops at the same newsstand. He buys all the papers -- the Times, Wall Street Journal, Post and Daily News. INT. STARBUCKS - DAY As Kathleen picks up her coffee, walks out. EXT. COLUMBUS AVENUE - DAY As Kathleen walks down Columbus, we see Joe a block behind her. She stops to buy flowers and Joe passes her, crosses to the Ease side of Columbus Avenue. EXT. COLUMBUS AVENUE - DAY A building under construction, with plywood board covering the front and wrapping around the corner. Joe goes to a side entrance and enters. EXT. COLUMBUS & 73RD STREET - DAY - CONTINUOUS As Kathleen comes around the corner onto 73rd and stops in front of her store, a children's bookstore called "The Shop Around the Corner." It is an irresistibly inviting store. There are twinkle lights in the windows, framing large stuffed animals reading children's books: Madeleine, Good Night Moon, Where the Wild Things Are. A teddy bear in a pinafore is reading The Stupids Step Out. Waiting for Kathleen in front is one of her employees, CHRISTINA. KATHLEEN Hello, Christina. It's a beautiful day. Isn't it the most beautiful day? Christina looks up at the sky as if seeing it for the first time. CHRISTINA I guess. Yeah, sure. Kathleen unlocks the shop and cranks the grate, which rises, making a horrible noise. Two cabs almost collide in front of the store, with a screech, and one cabdriver starts yelling obscenities at the other. Kathleen unlocks the door to the store. KATHLEEN Don't you love New York in the fall? Christina looks at her puzzled. INT. SHOP AROUND THE CORNER - CONTINUOUS Kathleen turns the CLOSED sign on the door over to read "OPEN" and she activates the computer system. She looks around, and we see a small but charming children's bookstore, with wooden shelves, a tiny area where kids can sit and read, some charming posters and a glass case full of first editions of the Oz books and Alice In Wonderland, etc. There's a playful display of witches, lit with twinkle lights covered with orange pumpkin globes and a sign reading "The Ten Best Witch List" and a collection of witch books -- "The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe," "The Witches," "The Wizard of Oz." On the counter is a glass jar full of sugar-free lollipops. Kathleen hangs up her coat in the back of the store and suddenly stops to daydream. A smile creeps onto her face. Christina looks at her. CHRISTINA What's going on with you? KATHLEEN Nothing. CHRISTINA You're in love. KATHLEEN In love? No. Yes. Of course I am. I'm in love with Frank. I'm practically living with Frank. Do you think you could get our Christmas mailers out this week? CHRISTINA By Monday I promise. I have a paper due Friday. Now what's going on? (she looks at Kathleen) I'm just going to stand here till you tell me. A beat. KATHLEEN Is it infidelity if you're involved with someone on E-mail? CHRISTINA Have you had sex? KATHLEEN Of course not. I don't even know him. CHRISTINA I mean cybersex. KATHLEEN No! CHRISTINA Well, don't do it. The minute you do, they lose all respect for you. KATHLEEN It's not like that. We just E-mail. It's really nothing, on top of which I'm definitely thinking of stopping because it's getting -- CHRISTINA Out of hand? KATHLEEN Confusing. But not really. Because it's nothing. CHRISTINA Where did you meet him? KATHLEEN I can't even remember. (off Christina's look) The day I turned thirty I wandered into the Over Thirty Room for a joke, sort of and he was there, and we started chatting. CHRISTINA About what? KATHLEEN Books. Music. How much we both love New York. Harmless. Harmless. Meaningless. (starts smiling) Bouquets of sharpened pencils. CHRISTINA Excuse me? KATHLEEN Forget it. We don't talk about anything personal. We made a rule about that. I don't know his name, what he does or exactly where he lives, so it will be really easy to stop seeing him, because I'm not. CHRISTINA God, he could be the next person to talk into the store. He could be... (as George walks in) George. GEORGE PAPPAS, in his twenties, one of Kathleen's salespeople, is a cute guy who has no idea that he's supposed to look in the mirror when he gets dressed. GEORGE Morning. CHRISTINA Are you On Line? GEORGE As far as I'm concerned, the Internet is just another way to be rejected by a woman. BIRDIE walks in. She is in her seventies, has white hair, and is tiny, like a little sparrow. She is the store's oldest employee, having worked there for over forty years, and serves as a accountant as well as salesperson. KATHLEEN Good morning, Birdie. BIRDIE What are you all talking about? CHRISTINA Cybersex. BIRDIE I tried to have cybersex once but I kept getting a busy signal. CHRISTINA I know, I know. One Saturday night I was really depressed about not having a date, so I thought, no problemo, I'll go on line and I won't be lonely, but I couldn't get on, there were hundreds of thousands of people who didn't have dates trying to get on. (MORE) You have to wonder which is harder, getting a date or getting On Line when you don't have a date. GEORGE Getting a date is harder. We hear the bell jingle as TWO WEST SIDE MOTHERS come in with two KIDS IN STROLLERS. KATHLEEN (to the kids) Jessica and Maia, how are you today? We hear the sound of the garbage truck. Kathleen goes out the front door to: EXT. SHOP AROUND THE CORNER - DAY As the commercial garbage truck pulls up and TWO GARBAGEMEN start to load her trash. KATHLEEN Hey, you forgot to pick up the garbage last week and I got a ticket. And you're late today -- I could have gotten another. GARBAGEMAN #1 We were here, there was no garbage. GARBAGEMAN #2 Yeah. KATHLEEN Of course there was -- GARBAGEMAN #1 What do you think, I don't want to pick up garbage? You think I go up and down the street picking up garbage, I'm not going to pick up yours? What's the matter with you? GARBAGEMAN #2 Yeah. Kathleen is standing there, tongue-tied. GARBAGEMAN #1 You don't even bundle it right, you're supposed to bundle it and leave it near the curb, you leave it near the store and you use cheap garbage bags, they smear all over the place, and then I got to pick it up with my shovel -- INT. SHOP AROUND THE CORNER - CONTINUOUS As Christina, who's helping one of the customers, looks out the window as the harangue continues. EXT. SHOP AROUND THE CORNER - CONTINUOUS GARBAGEMAN #1 And now you're busting my chops. You're just another garbage pick-up to us, okay? GARBAGEMAN #2 Yeah. As Kathleen continues to stand there, speechless. INT. SHOP AROUND THE CORNER - CONTINUOUS As Kathleen comes back into the store. Christina is ringing up a sale. KATHLEEN That guy went ballistic on me. CHRISTINA I hope you told him off. KATHLEEN Not exactly. Another customer enters the store. The bell jingles. EXT. CONSTRUCTION SITE ON COLUMBUS - DAY A little truck carrying a knife sharpener, its bells ringing, passes the building under construction. INT. CONSTRUCTION SITE - DAY WORKERS, ELECTRICIANS, MASONS, CARPENTERS, etc. in the process of building what looks like a large store. Wires hanging everywhere. KEVIN The electrical contractor called. His truck hit a deer last night, he won't be in 'til tomorrow. The shelves are late because the shipment of pine had beetles. And there's some question about whether we're installing the stairs in the right spot -- JOE That sounds great. KEVIN Testing one two three four. JOE Is the electrician here? KEVIN I just told you -- he hit a deer. JOE I hear nothing. Not a sound on the city streets, just the beat of my own heart. I think that's the way it goes. Something like that. KEVIN (beginning to glean something) Did you and Patricia get engaged? JOE Engaged? Are you crazy? KEVIN I thought you liked Patricia -- JOE I love Patricia. Patricia's amazing. Patricia makes coffee nervous. (suddenly all business) Are we still on schedule? KEVIN We open two weeks before Thanksgiving. JOE I guess we should announce ourselves soon. Tell people we're coming. KEVIN This is the Upper West Side of Manhattan. The minute they hear they'll be lining up -- JOE -- to picket -- KEVIN -- the big bad -- JOE --chain store -- KEVIN -- that destroys -- JOE -- everything we hold dear. But we'll seduce them with our square footage and our deep armchairs and our amazingly swift checkout lines and our discounts and our... JOE & KEVIN (the trump card) -- cappuccino. JOE They hate us in the beginning, but we get them in the end. Meanwhile we should just put up a sign -- Coming soon, a Foxbooks Superstore and The End of Western Civilization As We Know It. INT. FOXBOOKS - WORLD HEADQUARTERS - DAY Joe is in the office with his father, NELSON FOX, and his grandfather, SCHUYLER FOX. The office has been recently redecorated; everything is new and a little overdone. On the wall we see the Foxbooks logo. JOE Kevin and I are both a little concerned about the neighborhood response -- (suddenly notices the garish couch) What is this fabric? Does it have a name? NELSON Money. Its name is money. JOE Gillian selected it. NELSON Of course. SCHUYLER Your father is getting married again. JOE Oh, great, congratulations, Dad. Why? NELSON Who knows? Why does anyone get married? JOE Love. NELSON Yes, that is one reason. SCHUYLER I think you're a damn fool. NELSON Dad, Matthew is four. It would be nice for him if his parents were married. SCHUYLER Annabel is eight and I'm not married to her mother. I can't even remember her mother's name. (he laughs merrily) JOE I have a very sad announcement to make. City Books on 23rd Street is going under ... Nelson, Shuyler, and Joe high-five each other. NELSON Another independent bookstore bites the dust -- SCHUYLER On to the next. JOE And I'm buying their entire stock -- architecture, New York history -- for the new store. NELSON How much are your paying? JOE Whatever it costs, it won't be as much as this exquisite mohair episode. (indicates the couch) We're also going to have a section on West Side Writers -- SCHUYLER -- as a sop to the neighborhood. NELSON Perfect. It'll keep those West Side liberal nut pseudo-intellectual bleeding hearts -- JOE Readers. They're called readers. NELSON Don't romanticize them. It'll keep them from jumping down your throat -- SCHUYLER What's the competition? JOE One mystery store. Sleuth, on 86th and Amsterdam. And a children's bookstore. The Shop Around the Corner. Been there forever. SCHUYLER Cecilia's store. JOE Who's that? SCHUYLER Cecilia Kelly, lovely woman. I think we might have had a date once. Or maybe we just exchange letters. JOE You wrote her letters? SCHUYLER Mail. It was called mail. NELSON (fondly nostalgic and kidding it slightly) Stamps. Envelopes. JOE Wait. I've heard of it. It was a means of communication before I was born. NELSON Exactly. SCHUYLER Cecilia had beautiful penmanship. She was too young for me, but she was... enchanting. Her daughter owns it now. NELSON Too bad for her. As a DECORATOR walks into the office carrying a pile of upholstered pillows, and Joe turns to look at them. COMPUTER VOICE (OVER) Welcome. You've got mail. JOE (V.O.) My father is getting married again. For five years he's been living with a woman who studied decorating at Caesar's Palace. COMPUTER VOICE (OVER) You've got mail. INT. SUBWAY - DAY Kathleen looks up from her book as a butterfly flies through the subway car. KATHLEEN (V.O.) Once I read a story about a butterfly in the subway, and today I saw one. I couldn't believe it. It got on at 42nd -- (continued) The train comes to a stop. The butterfly flies out. KATHLEEN (V.O.) -- and got off at 59th, where I assume it was going to Bloomindale's to buy a hat that will turn out to be a mistake. As almost all hats are. EXT. H & H BAGELS - NIGHT A flour truck is unloading flour into a hole in the ground. JOE (V.O.) Did you know that every night a truck pulls up to H&H Bagels and pumps about a ton of flour into the ground? The air is absolutely amazing. As Joe comes around the corner and sees the dust filling the air. It is amazing. KATHLEEN (V.O.) I guess I've read Pride & Prejudice about 100 times -- INT. JOE'S KITCHEN - DAY As Joe reads a copy of Pride and Prejudice. He can't stand it. KATHLEEN (V.O.) -- and every time I read it I worry that Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy are not going to get together -- but the truth is whenever I think about my favorite book I always think about the books I read as a child -- INT. SHOP AROUND THE CORNER - DAY As Kathleen takes a copy of Homer Price off the shelf. JOE (V.O.) Did you ever read Homer Price? My all- time favorite children's book. (continued) She opens it to the illustration of the doughnut machine that won't stop making doughnuts. JOE (V.O., cont'd) There's a doughnut machine in it that won't stop making doughnuts, they just keep coming down the chute just as regular as a clock can tick. EXT. KRISPY KREME STORE - DAY KATHLEEN (V.O.) Have you been to Krispy Kreme? (continued) Joe, eating a doughnut, looks through the window at the huge doughnut machine as the doughnuts roll down the chute just as regular as a clock can tick. KATHLEEN (V.O., cont'd) There's a doughnut machine right in the window that makes 110 dozen doughnuts an hour. EXT. STARBUCKS - DAY As Joe leaves with his morning coffee. EXT. COLUMBUS AVENUE - NEW YORK - MORNING Joe goes to his painter at work: COMING SOON is as far as he's gotten. EXT. STARBUCKS - DAY She enters Starbucks. INT. STARBUCKS - DAY As Kathleen buys her morning coffee and listens to everyone ordering. We can hear the sounds of Starbucks: "Short decaf cap," "Tall mocha latte." "Grande lowfat regular." Etc. EXT. COLUMBUS AVENUE - A HALF HOUR LATER The painter is further along on the sign. It now reads: COMING SOON, A FOXBOOKS SU -- Kathleen walks past the construction site. She doesn't really pay attention to the sign painter. We see two police cars barreling up 75th Street, followed by a television news truck. EXT. BROADWAY - CONTINUOUS The police cars and TV truck barrel uptown. EXT. 101st STREET - CONTINUOUS They turn left onto West 101st and stop in front of an apartment building on the block. There are more police cars and a horde of television reporters with microphones, etc. George emerges from the building as a newscaster broadcasts. TV REPORTER The body of a woman was found this morning on the roof of a New York building... As George comes out of his building into a horde of REPORTERS with microphones, cameras, etc. and listens to the reporter, who, seeing George, sticks the microphone into his face. TV REPORTER Here is a resident of the building. Your name, please? GEORGE George Pappas. REPORTER Did you see or hear anything unusual last night? GEORGE No. I didn't go out. At that moment, George sees a young woman. This is MEREDITH CARTER. He is struck dumb. REPORTER The victim was red-haired, about thirty- five, wearing a jogging suit. Did you encounter anyone by that description in the building? Sir? George hasn't heard a word. REPORTER Have there been any wild parties lately? George doesn't answer. REPORTER Could it perhaps be one of your neighbors? George continues to stare at the beautiful woman. As he does, she notices him. She stares back. The reporter, ignored, finally turns away. REPORTER (to camera) As you can see, no one here knows anything. He continues to stand there, dumbstruck for a moment. Meredith Carter starts to walk away. EXT. NEW YORK STREET - DAY As George walks along Broadway, past the sign, which now says: "COMING SOON: A FOXBOOKS SUPERSTORE". He sees it. INT. SHOP AROUND THE CORNER Kathleen and several CUSTOMERS in the store. George walks in and goes to the back to hang up his coat. Christina is unpacking boxes. Birdie is at the desk. George looks at Christina meaningfully. CHRISTINA (totally mystified) What? GEORGE The coup de foudre. I had one. I never believed in them, but I just had one. BIRDIE Is that the thing where you get cold suddenly, bang? CHRISTINA No, that's the coup de vieux. BIRDIE I had that. GEORGE The coup de foudre is where you get love suddenly, bang. A thunderbolt. BIRDIE I had that too. Only I had it in Seville, where it was called ,el estruendo de amor. GEORGE I don't know her name, or anything about her. I may never see her again. CHRISTINA And if you ever do meet her, you'll find out all the horrible details, and that will be that. She'll turn out to have pictures of the Virgin Mary all over the walls. GEORGE I won't care. Kathleen sticks her head into the back. KATHLEEN Can someone help me out here? CHRISTINA George had a coup de foudre. GEORGE And Christina's making fun of me. KATHLEEN Don't let her. I believe in this, I completely believe in this. It happened to Madame Bovary, at least six times. CHRISTINA And she was wrong every time. KATHLEEN Yes! (beat) Who was she? GEORGE I don't know. She was standing outside my building with the police and the reporters. KATHLEEN What police and reporters? GEORGE Someone died. KATHLEEN Who? GEORGE I have no idea about that either. They found her on the roof. KATHLEEN A dead body. That's so sad. But you fell in love. That's so great. GEORGE Oh. One other thing. EXT. COLUMBUS AVENUE - DAY The sign is now complete and it says: "Coming soon, just around the corner. A Foxbooks Superstore." Kathleen and George and Christina stand there looking at it. CHRISTINA Quel nightmare. KATHLEEN It has nothing to do with us. It's big, impersonal, overstocked and full of ignorant salespeople. GEORGE But they discount. KATHLEEN But they don't provide any service. We do. George and Christina nod. INT. BARNEY GREENGRASS - LUNCHTIME Kathleen is having lunch with Birdie. KATHLEEN So really it's a good development. You know how in the flower district, there are all these flower shops in a row so you can find whatever you want. Well, this is going to be the book district. If you don't have it, we do. BIRDIE And vice versa. INT. KATHLEEN'S APARTMENT - DUSK Kathleen in the kitchen, unloading groceries. Frank is standing there, plugging in an Olympia Report deluxe Electric typewriter. FRANK When you are finished with Foxbooks, the Shop Around the Corner is going to be responsible for reversing the entire course of the Industrial Revolution. KATHLEEN That is so sweet, Frank. Thank you. That is so sweet. FRANK Hey -- He holds his arms out. They hug. KATHLEEN Although... FRANK What? KATHLEEN (over his shoulder, she notices the typewriter, breaks from the hug) What is that doing there? FRANK Listen to it. Just listen-- He strikes a key. Practically swoons. FRANK The Olympia Report deluxe Electric Report. As in gunshot. KATHLEEN That sound is familiar. FRANK Now listen to this. He puts his ear to the typewriter. Kathleen listens too. KATHLEEN That whirring? FRANK The gentle and soothing lullaby of a piece of machinery so perfect -- KATHLEEN I know where I've heard it before. I know. She whips a cover off the other typewriter on the table. It's the same machine exactly. FRANK I needed a backup. KATHLEEN Don't you have another one at your apartment? FRANK I might, I might. So what? KATHLEEN You're turning my apartment into a typewriter museum. FRANK I'll stop. I'll try. I probably can't. I see one and my knees go weak. Anyway, what were you starting to say? KATHLEEN When? FRANK Before. KATHLEEN Nothing. FRANK Come on. KATHLEEN I don't know. I was just wondering about my work and all. I mean, what is it I do exactly? All I really do is run a bookstore -- FRANK All you really do is this incredibly noble thing -- Kathleen nods. KATHLEEN But I don't know if I -- FRANK (stopping her) Kathleen -- KATHLEEN But I just -- FRANK You are a lone reed. Kathleen looks puzzled. He sticks a piece of paper in the typewriter, starts typing. FRANK You are a lone reed waving in the breeze standing strong and tall in the corrupt sands of commerce. He whips the piece of paper out of the typewriter and hands it to her. KATHLEEN (reading from it) I am a lone reed. (tries it on again) I am a lone reed. Clutching her piece of paper, she wanders into the bathroom. INT. BEDROOM - DUSK We hear the sound of a typewriter begin to clack away in the next room. Kathleen walks past her computer, looks at it. Then she goes over to the window, looks out at her street at dusk. EXT. KATHLEEN'S STREET - DUSK A group of schoolgirls in uniform, in two straight lines, walk past with a tall woman. INT. KATHLEEN'S BEDROOM - DUSK She goes over to the bookshelf and pulls out a copy of Madeleine by Ludwig Bemelmans and opens it to the illustration of the twelve little girls in two straight lines marching through the streets of Paris. She looks at it, then looks up, lost in thought. We hear the sound of the computer keys. KATHLEEN (V.O.) Sometimes I wonder about my life. I lead a small life. Well, not small, but circumscribed. And sometimes I wonder, do I do it because I like it, or because I haven't been brave? So much of what I see reminds me of something I read in a book, when shouldn't it be the other way around? (continued) And hold on her as she thinks about this. In the other room, we hear Frank typing. Kathleen goes to the computer, turns it on. EXT. KATHLEEN'S BUILDING - NIGHT As we see Kathleen, through her curtains, a small figure barely lit by her computer. KATHLEEN (V.O., cont'd) I don't really want an answer. I just want to send this cosmic question out into the void. So goodnight, dear void. INT. DRIP - DAY Drip is a cafe on Amsterdam Avenue with Fifties-style couches and chairs in cozy seating arrangements. Kathleen is standing at the front counter with Christina, getting drinks. CHRISTINA I went to the Foxbooks Website and you can buy anything. They ship it to you in a day. Maybe we should get a website. KATHLEEN My mother would never have wanted us to have a website. "Every book you sell is a gift from your heart." She always said that. As they walk toward the back of the cafe, Kathleen notices a stack of loose-leaf binders on the table. CHRISTINA What if they put us out of business? KATHLEEN It's out of the question. We're a fixture in the neighborhood. We're practically a landmark. (indicating the binders) Men For Women, Women for Men, Women for Women -- what is this? CHRISTINA You fill out one of these forms and they file it in the book and if someone wants to meet you, they arrange it. KATHLEEN What a stupid way to meet someone. CHRISTINA Compared to the Internet? KATHLEEN My little thing on the Internet is just a lark. CHRISTINA So it's still going on? KATHLEEN And I do not plan to meet him. (indicating the book) Why do I get the feeling that you are in here somewhere? Christina flips the book open to her application. CHRISTINA I came in here one night and drank too much coffee and filled one out. (off Kathleen's look) Well how am I supposed to meet someone? KATHLEEN You are a runner. Some day you will make eye contact with another runner and -- CHRISTINA No one ever even looks at me. They don't. On top of which, who are they? They could like the symphony. I could never fall in love with someone who likes to go to the symphony -- KATHLEEN I know. What are you supposed to do there? CHRISTINA I don't know. KATHLEEN Sit. You're supposed to sit. CHRISTINA I could never fall in love with anyone who smokes cigars either. KATHLEEN I'll tell you what I hate. Big fat legs like stumps. CHRISTINA Yeah. I hate that too. KATHLEEN The worst, the worst -- I could never, under any circumstances, love anybody who had a sailboat. CHRISTINA Neither could I. KATHLEEN If I had to get up on Saturday morning knowing that I was about to go down to the pier and unravel all those ropes and put on all that sunblock -- CHRISTINA All that talk about the wind. KATHLEEN And then you have to go out on the boat, and you sail and sail and sail until you are bored witless, and then, only then, do they say, let's turn around and you realize the trip is only half over, only it's not, because the wind has changed -- CHRISTINA It hasn't changed. It's died. KATHLEEN So then there's more talk about the wind. While you just float up and down trying not to get nauseous. And when you finally get back, you have to clean up the boat. CHRISTINA Why don't people have boat maids? KATHLEEN I know. There're all these people who wouldn't be caught dead polishing a doorknob in their house but put them on a boat and they want to rub down everything in sight. EXT. 19TH STREET BOAT BASIN - ANOTHER DAY Joe is on his sailboat. He is polishing his brass and whistling. ANNABEL Joe -- Joe jumps off the boat onto the dock to greet his grandfather's daughter ANNABEL, 8, who is coming toward the dock with GILLIAN, his father's overdecorated 32-year-old fiance, her son, MATTHEW, 4, and the Nanny, MAUREEN. JOE Hello. (picks up Annabel) Annabel, how are you today? ANNABEL Great. JOE (picks up Matt) Hey, big guy -- GILLIAN Don't I get a hello? JOE Hello, Gillian. GILLIAN Kiss me. I'm going to be your wicked stepmother. Joe gives her a peck on the cheek. JOE Who is this? GILLIAN Nanny Maureen. I brought her in case you couldn't handle the kids. ANNABEL Maureen's getting a divorce. JOE I'm sorry to hear that. MAUREEN It's my own fault. Never marry a man who lies. JOE That is so wise. Remember that, Annabel. ANNABEL She taught Matt to spell his name. MATT Fox. F-O-X. JOE Excellent, Matt. (to Maureen) Good work. You can have the day off. I'll take over from here. (to Gillian) You must be late for something. Volunteer work at the Henry Street Settlement. Packing bandages for Bosnian refugees. A course in Chinese literature at Columbia. GILLIAN I am. I'm having my eggs harvested. EXT. STREET FAIR - DAY There's a block street fair with little booths, sausage sandwich concessions, etc. Annabel and Matt have been to the makeup booth. Annabel is a cat and Matt is a pirate. Annabel is carrying a goldfish in a baggie as they walk toward Broadway. EXT. KATHLEEN'S STORE - DAY As Joe, Annabel and Matt walk past. There's some sort of toy miniature princess in a pointed hat sitting outside the store and a sign lit with twinkle lights: Storybook Lady today 3:30. INT. KATHLEEN'S STORE - DAY Kathleen is sitting on a stool reading to a group of CHILDREN, including Annabel and Matt, who are crammed into her store. Joe is watching, along with some PARENTS as Kathleen reads from a Roald Dahl book. INT. KATHLEEN'S STORE - LATER Matt is sitting on the floor reading a book. Kathleen is showing Annabel a copy of a book called Betsy-Tacy. KATHLEEN This is her best friend Tacy, whose real name is Anastasia, and then in the next book Betsy and Tacy become friends with Tib, whose real name, I am sorry to tell you, is Thelma. In another section of the store: George is showing Joe a first edition of Swiss Family Robinson from the glass case. GEORGE The illustrations are hand-tipped, which is why -- JOE It costs so much. GEORGE It's why it's worth so much. Joe smiles and turns to see Kathleen and Annabel at a whole shelf of Betsy-Tacy books. ANNABEL I want all of them. KATHLEEN That might be an awful lot for your dad to buy at one time. ANNABEL My dad gets me all the books I want. KATHLEEN (looking over at Joe) Well, that's very nice of him. ANNABEL That's not my dad. That's my nephew -- KATHLEEN Oh, I don't really think that's your nephew -- As Joe approaches. JOE It's true. Annabel is my aunt. Aren't you, Aunt Annabel? Annabel nods solemnly. ANNABEL And Matt is -- KATHLEEN Let me guess. (to Matt) Are you his uncle? MATT No. KATHLEEN His grandfather? Annabel and Matt start giggling. KATHLEEN (cont'd) His great-grandfather? MATT (shouting with glee) I'm his brother. JOE Annabel is my grandfather's daughter. And Matt is my father's son. We are an American family. He smiles at Kathleen, who finds herself smiling back. Annabel suddenly sneezes. Kathleen takes a handkerchief from her sleeve. It's an old fashioned hankie that's embroidered. She offers it to Annabel, who instead wipes her nose with her hand and then looks at the handkerchief, a little puzzled. ANNABEL What is that? KATHLEEN A handkerchief. Oh my, do children not even know what handkerchiefs are? A handkerchief is a Kleenex you don't throw away. My mother embroidered it for me -- you see? My initials and a daisy, because daisies are my favorite flower. ANNABEL Orchids are my favorite flower. KATHLEEN (to Joe) You know what else children don't know? They don't know what a telephone booth is? Joe is looking at Kathleen. JOE Who are you? KATHLEEN Kathleen Kelly. I own this store. Are you are? JOE Joe. Just call me Joe. (quickly) We'll take these books. He gets the one Matt is reading. And the two other Kathleen has gotten for Annabel. KATHLEEN These are wonderful books. As Annabel gets older the characters in the books do, too. (to Annabel) You can grow up with Betsy. GEORGE You're going to come back again, aren't you? JOE Of course. GEORGE This is why we're never going to go under. Our customers are loyal. KATHLEEN (by way of explanation) They're opening a Foxbooks around the corner. ANNABEL Foxbooks! My Daddy -- JOE (gently putting his hand over her mouth) -- likes to buy at discount. Don't tell anyone that, Annabel, it's nothing to be proud of -- MATT (spelling) F-O-X. KATHLEEN That's amazing. You can spell fox. Can you spell dog? MATT F-O-X. JOE Matt, look at this dinosaur book. Wouldn't you like a dinosaur book? Annabel, maybe you could read this to Matt while I wrap things up here. (moves them to a corner, to them quickly) Sit down, read, and don't listen to anything I say. Returns to counter and gives Kathleen some cash. JOE And the dinosaur book too. KATHLEEN The world is not driven by discounts, believe me. I've been in business forever. I started helping my mother here after school when I was six years old. I used to watch her, and it wasn't that she was selling books, it was that she was helping people become whoever they were going to turn out to be. When you read a book as a child it becomes part of your identity in a way that no other reading in your life does. (stops herself) I guess I've gotten carried away. JOE You have, and you've made me feel... He can't finish the sentence. He looks at her and sees, behind her on the shelf, a picture of a woman who is unmistakably Kathleen's mother, with a young Kathleen. JOE (cont'd) Enchanting, your mother was enchanting. KATHLEEN She was. How did you know that? JOE Lucky guess. KATHLEEN Anyway. She left the store to me, and I'm going to leave it to my daughter. JOE How old is your daughter now? KATHLEEN Oh, I'm not married. But eventually. She smiles at Joe... KATHLEEN So Foxbooks can... KATHLEEN AND GEORGE TOGETHER Go to hell. KATHLEEN (handing him his books) Here you go. JOE We ready? Annabel and Matt join him at the counter. Kathleen gives them each a lollipop. ANNABEL Bye, Kathleen. KATHLEEN Goodbye, Annabel. Bye, Matt. What about cat? Can you spell cat? MATT F-O-X. INT. AUDITORIUM - DAY Someplace like the auditorium at the Museum of Broadcasting. PATRICIA EDEN, Joe's girlfriend, who is the editor-in-chief of a New York publishing house called Eden Books, is standing at a podium at a sales conference. In the audience are sales reps, wholesalers, etc. There's a screen behind her with pictures of the authors being flashed on it as she speaks. PATRICIA (cont'd) And now, the book you've all been waiting for, the book it's been my dreams to publish. The legendary Veronica Grant has written her memoirs -- There's a burst of applause as a photograph of Veronica Grant flashes on screen. PATRICIA (cont'd) -- and I'm happy to report it is just crammed with tragedy. (she laughs gaily) Just kidding, but seriously, it's all here: poverty, addiction, divorce, tracheotomies -- We see pictures of Veronica at eight with her sharecropper family, Veronica at 14 with her first child, Veronica with a series of husbands, Veronica in a wheelchair, etc. PATRICIA (cont'd) -- her third husband beat her up, hip replacement, and an amazing face lift where all the injected fat fell to her chin. Now we see a blow-up of the book's jacket, with a picture of Veronica on it and the title: "Am I Rising from Ashes, or Did I Just Forget to Dust?" PATRICIA (cont'd) This book is fabulous. And even if it weren't, it would sell like crazy, because Veronica is going to plug it to death on every talk show in America. This book... Patricia bursts into tears. PATRICIA (cont'd) I'm sorry. I can't talk about it without crying. Veronica and I have so much in common -- well, not all the sad parts -- but we were both famous by the time we were 29 and, believe me, that's rough. (wipes her nose with a Kleenex, pulling herself together) Anyway, I just want to say that I'm especially thrilled to be publishing it. Veronica lives in my building and we met in the elevator. By the time we had traveled from the eighth floor to the first, we had a deal. First printing: one million copies. Everyone applauds enthusiastically. INT. AUDITORIUM LOBBY - A SHORT WHILE LATER Patricia is leaving, still surrounded by colleagues and sales reps congratulating her. She is the soul of graciousness. Her assistant, Sarah, comes up. SARAH (quickly) You have a dentist appointment in twenty minutes. So you should leave soon... PATRICIA What's my car number? SARAH Car? You didn't say anything about a car -- PATRICIA Are you an idiot? Of course I need a car. God! She walks toward the exit. EXT. 57TH STREET - CONTINUOUS Patricia in the pouring rain, trying to hail a cab. She spots one across the street. PATRICIA Taxi! Taxi! Taxi! She whistles -- a longshoreman's whistle. The cab makes a U-turn, but instead of stopping for Patricia it stops about twenty feet ahead for a MAN in an overcoat who gets into it. PATRICIA Excuse me -- what are you doing? This is my taxicab. (to the driver) Don't take him. I am telling you right now, and I am memorizing your number, don't take him. (to the man) Who the fuck do you think you are? MAN IN OVERCOAT Are you going uptown? PATRICIA Yes. MAN IN OVERCOAT Get in. I'll drop you. INT. TAXI - A MINUTE LATER As the cab turns onto Eighth Avenue, starts uptown. Patricia is dialing her cell phone. She's elaborately ignoring the man who stole her cab. PATRICIA Veronica, it's Patricia, you should have been there, it was unbelievable, we're going to sell truckloads of your book. Call me. She hangs up, folds up the phone, puts it back in her purse as the cab moves on. MAN IN OVERCOAT Are you an editor? PATRICIA Yes. MAN IN OVERCOAT I am a rabbi. PATRICIA Oh, my God, I said fuck to a rabbi. I'm sorry. MAN IN OVERCOAT I hope you don't mind my asking, but are you Jewish? PATRICIA Yes. MAN IN OVERCOAT You should come to our temple. PATRICIA I'm not really religious. MAN IN OVERCOAT Oh, I am surprised, you seem like a very religious person. PATRICIA You're kidding, right? MAN IN OVERCOAT We are at West End Avenue and 83rd Street. Every Friday night, we have a joyous time, everyone dancing, everyone singing. Also some wisdom. Perhaps you have heard of us, we are known as The Singles Temple. He smiles at her. MAN IN OVERCOAT It's a very good place to calm down. The cab stops. MAN IN OVERCOAT Oh, look, I am already here. Very nice to meet you. (gives the cabbie money) Take this woman to her destination. He gets out. Closes the door. A beat too late: PATRICIA Goodbye. EXT. KATHLEEN'S APARTMENT - NIGHT Frank comes up the stoop. INT. KATHLEEN'S APARTMENT - NIGHT Kathleen is dressed up for a party. Frank walks in, looks meaningfully at her. FRANK I saw him. I actually saw him. KATHLEEN Who? FRANK I can't believe it. I saw William Spungeon. KATHLEEN I thought he was in Mexico. FRANK Maybe he's in Mexico, but today he was in New York. The most brilliant and reclusive novelist in the history of the world is here, in this neighborhood. He may be living on this very block. KATHLEEN Where did you see him? FRANK I was on the subway -- INT. SUBWAY - DAY FRANK (V.O.) -- and this musician got onto the train -- Frank is sitting on the subway, reading the Village Voice. The door between the cars opens and a man playing the clarinet enters the car. No one looks up except Frank. FRANK (V.O.) -- and I suddenly saw him, sitting directly across from me doing the crossword puzzle. KATHLEEN (V.O.) How'd you know it was him? FRANK (V.O.) He looked exactly the same as his high school yearbook picture, which happens to be the last photograph ever taken of him. Frank takes out his billfold on the subway, pulls out a piece of paper. CLOSE UP - FOLDED PIECE OF PAPER As Frank unfolds a newspaper clipping of a yearbook picture of William Spungeon at 17. Frank compares the photo of Spungeon with the person sitting across the way. They don't look remotely alike except that the boy in the picture and the man on the subway are both wearing the same style glasses. The subway stops at 79th Street, and William Spungeon gets off. Frank follows. EXT. BROADWAY - CONTINUOUS As Frank comes out of the subway station and looks around. FRANK So I followed him. Frank sees Spungeon cross 79th. He follows. EXT. H&H BAGELS - CONTINUOUS Frank follows Spungeon, who hurries into H&H Bagels passing a HOMELESS MAN holding a paper cup at the door. FRANK (V.O.) He went into H&H and bought a bagel with everything. EXT. H&H BAGELS - A MINUTE LATER As Spungeon leaves the store, passing the paper cup, which we now realize that Frank, in dark glasses, is holding. Spungeon drops his newspaper in a garbage container. FRANK (V.O.) He dropped his crossword into the garbage and I rescued it. Frank plucks the puzzle from the trashcan, follows Spungeon. INT. SPORTING GOOD STORE - CONTINUOUS Spungeon at the counter in the shoe store. FRANK (V.O.) Then he went into a sporting good store and bought tube socks, 6 pair for $7.99. We see Frank, peeking out at him from behind a stack of running pants. Suddenly he's distracted by a couple of joggers. KATHLEEN (V.O.) William Spungeon and tube socks. FRANK (V.O.) I know. I don't want to dwell on it. Frank looks back at the counter. Spungeon's gone. FRANK (V.O.) And then I lost him. INT. KATHLEEN'S APARTMENT - THAT NIGHT Frank waves the crossword puzzle in front of Kathleen. FRANK Do you know what this is worth? He takes an empty instant-frame from the closet, puts the puzzle into it and sets it next to the typewriters. INT. JAPANESE RESTAURANT - NIGHT As the two of them eat dinner. FRANK What I was thinking as I was trailing him was that eventually I would have the courage to say hello to him, you know, not in a horrible, intrusive or slavering fan-slash-acolyte kind of way, but more like, "Hi." "How ya doing?" "Have you ever thought about trading up in the sock area?" "Who knows, maybe he's read my work -- and then we'd become friends, and eventually I'd introduce him to you -- you know how much he loves children's books, there's a whole long section in Relativity's Smile about The Wizard of Oz -- and then maybe he'd come out of hiding so he could help save the store. KATHLEEN What are you talking about? FRANK From Foxbooks. I mean, if things got tough, he could help rally support -- KATHLEEN It's never going to get to that. The store is fine. EXT. STREET - NIGHT As they walk along after dinner. FRANK I don't even know why you would say that? KATHLEEN Neither do I. It just flew out of my mouth. FRANK There's enough business for us all. INT. ELEVATOR - NIGHT As they go up in an elevator. KATHLEEN I mean, we're fine. FRANK You're more than fine, you're absolutely fine. KATHLEEN We're fine. The elevator opens onto: INT. VINCE MANCINI'S APARTMENT - NIGHT A publication party for an author named VINCE MANCINI. A mix of book people, journalists and various other media folk. FRANK Hey, Vince. Congratulations. You know Kathleen Kelly. VINCE How are you? FRANK Guess who I saw today on the subway? William Spungeon. VINCE I thought he was in Mexico. They start chatting. Across the room, Joe is with Patricia, who is telling two other people the story of meeting the rabbi in the taxicab. Joe looks over and sees Kathleen. He suddenly looks stricken. Shifts his position so Kathleen can't see his face, but sneaks a look. PATRICIA Would you get me another drink, sweetie? I'm all out. (continues chattering) So then the rabbi says, "It's a very good place to calm down." Isn't that hysterical? They all laugh. Joe moves over to the bar. JOE Absolut on the rocks. As he is waiting, Kathleen comes up next to him. KATHLEEN A white wine, please. (very friendly) Oh, hello. JOE Hi. KATHLEEN Remember me, from the bookstore? JOE Of course I remember you. KATHLEEN How's your aunt? JOE Good. She's good. (gets his drink) I have to deliver this. I have a very thirsty date. She's part camel. Kathleen laughs. KATHLEEN Joe. It's Joe, isn't it? JOE And you're Kathleen. Joe vanishes into the party. INT. VINCE MANCINI'S APARTMENT - NIGHT - A MINUTE LATER VINCE I can't believe you were talking to Joe Fox. KATHLEEN Joe Fox? As in -- She can't even finish the sentence. INT. VINCE MANCINI'S APARTMENT - A COUPLE OF MINUTES LATER Joe is standing at a table of food, his back to the room. KATHLEEN Fox? Your last name is Fox? Joe spins around, looks at her. JOE F-O-X. KATHLEEN God, I didn't realize. I didn't know who you -- (she trails off) JOE -- were with. (quoting) "I didn't know who you were with." KATHLEEN Excuse me? JOE It's from the Godfather. When the movie producer realizes that Tom Hagen is the emissary of Vito Corleone -- (continued) Kathleen is staring at him. JOE (cont'd) -- just before the horse's head ends up in his bed never mind -- KATHLEEN You were spying on me, weren't you? You probably rented those children. JOE Why would I spy on you? KATHLEEN I am your competition. Which you know perfectly well or you would not have put up that sign saying "Just around the Corner." JOE The entrance to our store is around the corner. There is no other way to say it. It's not the name of our store, it's where it is. You don't own "around the corner." KATHLEEN Next thing you'll be using twinkle lights. JOE Twinkle lights? KATHLEEN Little white Christmas lights that twinkle. I use them in my window and on all my displays, as if you didn't notice. JOE Look, the reason I came into your store is that I was spending the day with Annabel and Matt. I like to buy them a present when I see them because I'm one of those guys who likes to buy his way into the hearts of children who are his relatives. There was only one place to buy children's books in the neighborhood -- although that will not always be the case, and it was yours, and it is a charming little bookstore. You probably sell $250,000 worth of book a year -- KATHLEEN How do you know that? JOE I'm in the book business. KATHLEEN I'm in the book business -- JOE Oh, I see, and we're the Price Club. Only instead of a ten-gallon can of olive oil for $3.99 that won't even fit into your kitchen cabinet, we're selling cheap books. Me a spy. (beat) Absolutely. And I managed to get my hands on a secret printout of the sales figures of a bookstore so inconsequential and yet full of its own virtue that I was instantly compelled to rush over and check it out for fear it would drive me out of business -- Kathleen stares at him. She's speechless. JOE (cont'd) What? (off her look) What? Kathleen shakes her head. Frank turns up. FRANK Hi. I'm Frank Navasky -- JOE -- Joe Fox. FRANK Joe Fox? Inventor of the Superstore, enemy of the mid-list novel, destroyer of City Books -- tell me something: How do you sleep at night? Patricia joins them. PATRICIA I use a wonderful over-the-counter drug, Ultrasom. Don't take the whole thing, just half, and you will wake up without even that tiniest hangover. You're Frank Navasky, aren't you? FRANK Yes. PATRICIA Your last piece in the Independent, the one about Anthony Powell, was brilliant. I'm Patricia Eden, Eden Books. Joe, this man is the greatest living expert on Julius and Ethel Rosenberg -- JOE And this is Kathleen Kelly -- Kathleen glares at him. FRANK You liked my piece. God, I'm flattered. You know you write these things and you think someone's going to mention them and then the whole week goes by and the phone doesn't ring, and you think Oh, God, I'm a fraud, a failure -- PATRICIA You know what's always fascinated me about Julius and Ethel Rosenberg is how old they looked when they were really just our age. Everyone is stopped dead by this observation and looks at Patricia, who smiles at them all. PATRICIA (to Frank) I'm so happy to have finally met you. We will talk. Have you ever thought about doing a book? FRANK Oh sure, it's passed through my head. Something really relevant for today like the Luddite movement in 19th century England. At the same time: JOE Patricia -- KATHLEEN Frank -- INT. KATHLEEN'S BEDROOM - NIGHT As Kathleen and Frank get into bed. FRANK I really like Patricia Eden. She's a very nice person. Kathleen doesn't respond. Frank turns out the light. FRANK She needs educating, that's all. A beat. FRANK She's hopelessly driven by money and power, but there's a hope for anyone who's that familiar with my work -- On Kathleen, as she turns away from Frank and lies there, eyes open. INT. JOE'S BEDROOM - NIGHT As Joe and Patricia get into bed. Brinkley is already on the bed. PATRICIA I had no idea that Frank Navasky was so down-to-earth. Joe doesn't respond. Patricia turns out the light. PATRICIA You read his stuff, you think he's going to be so obscure and abstruse. A beat. PATRICIA (cont'd) He's always talking about Heidigger and Foucault and I have no idea what any of it's about, really. Joe gets up. Brinkley follows. PATRICIA (cont'd) Where are you going? JOE I'm not really tired. INT. JOE'S DEN - NIGHT Joe writes on his computer. Brinkley on the floor next to him. And cut between Joe and his computer screen. JOE (V.O.) Do you ever feel you become the worst version of yourself? That a Pandora's Box of all the secret hateful parts -- your arrogance, your spite, your condescension -- has sprung open. Someone provokes you, and instead of just smiling and moving on, you zing them. Hello, it's Mr. Nasty. I'm sure you have no idea what I'm talking about. INT. KATHLEEN'S COMPUTER SCREEN - DAY And cut between screen and INT. KATHLEEN'S BEDROOM - DAY As Kathleen reads the end of Joe's letter. Kathleen hits the Reply key and starts to type: KATHLEEN (V.O.) I know what you mean and I'm completely jealous. What happens to me when I'm provoked is that I get tongue-tied. My mind goes blank. Then I spend all night tossing and turning trying to think of what I should have said. INT. JOE'S COMPUTER SCREEN AND JOE'S DEN - NIGHT As he replies: JOE (V.O.) Wouldn't it be wonderful if I could pass all my zingers to you and then I would never behave badly and you could behave badly all the time and we'd both be happy? On the other hand, I must warn you that when you finally have the pleasure of saying the thing you mean to say at the moment you mean to say it, remorse inevitably follows. Do you think we should meet? INT. KATHLEEN'S COMPUTER SCREEN AND BEDROOM - DAY Kathleen stares at Joe's letter in her computer. She's frozen. KATHLEEN Meet? Omigod. She sits staring at the letter. She has no idea what to do. EXT. 75TH STREET & COLUMBUS - DAY As the iron gates on all the stores start to open, just the way we saw them open in the opening sequence of the movie. The pharmacy. The optician. The cosmetics supply store. The video store. And now, finally, we see the new grate on the new Foxbooks Superstore start to open upwards. This is the finest grate on Broadway, no question of it. It's electric and almost soundless. We see a sign saying, OPENING DAY. 35% OFF ON ALL BEST-SELLERS. People on the street notice the store. One walks in... CAMERA follows him... INT. FOXBOOKS SUPERSTORE - DAY The inside is beautiful. Gleaning staircase, a cafe, comfortable chairs to sit, a bank of cashiers, everyone decked out in gray alligator shirts with a fox where the alligator should be, a rope for the checkout line, and seven cash registers with seven cashiers. Of course, books, books, books, as far as the eye can see. MATCH DISSOLVE TO: INT. SAME SCENE - LATER THAT DAY The store is jam-packed. Joe with his father Nelson, his grandfather Schuyler, and Kevin, the store manager. JOE No pickets, no demonstrations. KEVIN The neighborhood loves us. NELSON They're wondering where we've been all these years. They're wondering how they ever did without it. SCHUYLER It's a hit. They admire their own store, walk through the downstairs and start up the staircase to the second floor. NELSON How's the children's book department? JOE It's early yet. School isn't out. And there's that children's bookstore nearby -- SCHUYLER Cecilia's store -- JOE Her daughter's -- NELSON We'll crush it -- SCHUYLER She was enchanting. And as they walk on upstairs, several mothers with children come up the stairs behind them. EXT. BROADWAY - MORNING A little group of children dressed as Pilgrims walk down the street as Kathleen comes around the corner to buy her morning paper. Joe is at the newsstand. She turns and pretends to be staring at a wall until he finishes buying his paper and walks on. KATHLEEN (V.O.) I don't think it's a good idea for us to meet... INT. STARBUCKS - ANOTHER DAY Joe is putting sugar into his coffee at the sugar counter as Kathleen comes in. He pretends he didn't see her. KATHLEEN (V.O., cont'd) I love our relationship. There's a lot going on in the day-to-dayness of my life and there's something magical... INT. SHOP AROUND THE CORNER - DUSK We see Kathleen and George at the end of the day, counting the receipts. Birdie is using a calculator to total them. Christina is shelving books. There are Thanksgiving decorations -- cardboard turkeys and pilgrims, books on colonists like Myles Standish. KATHLEEN (V.O., cont'd) ... and thrilling about this island in cyberspace I have with you. SO PLEASE DON'T ASK ME AGAIN. BIRDIE About $1200 less than the same week last year. KATHLEEN That could be a fluke, right? They look at each other. BIRDIE Or not. KATHLEEN Their store is new. It's a novelty. But it will all shake out. Do you think I should put up more twinkle lights? BIRDIE That's a lovely idea. CHRISTINA What if we have to fold? I'll never find another part time job and I won't be able to pay the rent and I'll have to move to Brooklyn. GEORGE The joy of rent control. Six room for $450 a month. CHRISTINA We know. You've told us a million times. I can't believe you're bringing it up at a time like this. It's like bragging because you're tall. Birdie never brags about her rent and she pays even less than you. BIRDIE Ten rooms. I just rattle around from one to the other. KATHLEEN Hey, guys. We are not going to fold. The door opens, and Meredith Carter, the woman George had swooned over in front of his building, walks in. George stares, frozen in place, as she walks up to him. MEREDITH George Pappas? GEORGE (I have died and gone to heaven) Yes. MEREDITH (flashing her badge) Detective Carter, 23rd precinct. I'd like to ask you a few questions. Kathleen suddenly sees George, following Meredith out of the store. He's in a complete daze. KATHLEEN George? Where are you going? He goes out the door. LAURA MARGULIES, a well-known children's book author, enters as George leaves. LAURA Kathleen, are you surviving? KATHLEEN Laura! We're so excited about your new book. When should we schedule your signing? LAURA Oh, it's being published in January. Are you going to be in business in January? I'm so worried. KATHLEEN We're doing great, aren't we? CHRISTINA Great. BIRDIE No difference whatsoever. LAURA Thank God. Well, you know you can count on me. For anything, support, rallies. Picket lines. We can get the Times to write something. Or that nut in the Independent -- KATHLEEN What nut in the Independent? LAURA Frank Navasky. This is just the sort of thing that would outrage him. She smiles brightly. INT. COFFEE SHOP - DAY George and Meredith are sitting in a booth. MEREDITH Mr. Pappas, I'm investigating the murder of the woman found on the roof of your building. Do you live alone there? GEORGE Do I live alone? Yes I do. Do you live alone? MEREDITH Yes. George takes her hand in his and looks at it as if it were the eighth wonder of the world. He starts stroking it, caressing it... Meredith pulls it away. A beat. Then she gives it right back to him. He continues stroking. They stare at each other. He puts her fingers into his mouth. MEREDITH (overwhelmed) What are you doing? GEORGE I don't know. I have no idea. MEREDITH You have to stop. GEORGE I can't. She utters a little moan. INT. GEORGE'S APARTMENT - A SHORT WHILE LATER They come into the apartment. She throws herself into his arms. EXT. RIVERSIDE DRIVE PARK - DAY As Christina runs, desperately trying to make eye contact with men running in the opposite direction. No one will look at her. INT. ZABAR'S CHEESE DEPARTMENT - NIGHT The place is mobbed -- the usual crush the night before Thanksgiving. Kathleen, pushing a shopping cart, is trying to wedge her way through the crowd in the cheese department. As she reaches across three people to grab some Brie, she sees Joe walk into the store. Quickly, she turns her back so he can't see her. She stands there frozen. A beat... Peeks around, doesn't see him anywhere. Cranes her neck this way and that. No Joe. INT. ZABAR'S CASHIER AREA - CONTINUOUS Kathleen, now wearing dark glasses but looking not at all disguised, looks around and spots a short line and makes a beeline for it. At that moment, Joe comes from the Appetizing Department and gets on the line she was heading for. Panicked, Kathleen retreats onto another line and stands with her back to him. INT. SAME SCENE - MOMENTS LATER The CASHIER totals up Kathleen's purchases and Kathleen hands over her credit card. CASHIER This is a Cash Only line. KATHLEEN What? CASHIER Cash Only. KATHLEEN Omigod, I only have a credit card. Is that okay? PERSON BEHIND HER IN LINE Of course it's not okay, there's a sign. CASHIER There's a sign. PERSON IN LINE (to the person behind her) She doesn't have cash. "She doesn't have cash" is repeated all the way down the line. Joe turns to see what's going on. ANOTHER PERSON Get on another line, lady. JOE Oh, hello. KATHLEEN Hello. JOE Do you need some money? KATHLEEN No, I don't need any money. Thank you very much. CASHIER Get on another line. JOE Hi. (off her nametag, big smile) Rose. Great name. Rose, this is Kathleen, I'm Joe, and this is a credit card machine. Happy Thanksgiving. Rose just stares at him. JOE (cont'd) Now it's your turn to say happy Thanksgiving back. ROSE Happy Thanksgiving back. Joe looks at her, winks. JOE Mississippi is a hard word to spell. How do you spell it? I-T. (big smile) Now take this credit card and put it through the machine, zip zip. The cashier, completely charmed, takes Kathleen's credit card. Kathleen is appalled. Everyone on the line signs irritably and audibly. JOE So you're fine. KATHLEEN Fine. JOE Happy Thanksgiving. As Kathleen signs the charge slip and the cashier exasperatedly starts to put her groceries into a bag. INT. JOE'S FATHER'S APARTMENT - THANKSGIVING DAY An elegant East Side apartment. Schuyler, his youngish French wife, YVETTE, Nelson, Gillian and their child Matt, and Joe are sitting and listening as Annabel sings Tomorrow. ANNABEL The sun'll come up tomorrow, bet your bottom dollar that tomorrow, there'll be sun -- Joe is on a loveseat with Matt. Gillian lifts Matt up, sits down in his place next to Joe and plunks Matt into her lap. Nelson is already seated in a chair in front of the loveseat and can't see her without turning around. As she continues singing, Gillian moves her hand next to Joe's leg. Joe edges away. He looks around the room, sees Nanny Maureen standing behind the couch. He stands, offers her his seat. She sits. INT. KATHLEEN'S LIVING ROOM - DAY A much more informal Thanksgiving dinner. We see the leftovers on a sideboard near a round table in Kathleen's living room. Kathleen, Frank, Birdie, Christina, George and George's new girlfriend, Meredith and TWO OTHER FRIENDS are standing around the upright piano. Birdie is playing a Christmas song, and everyone is singing. As the singing continues, over, we cut to: EXT. FOXBOOKS SUPERSTORE - DECEMBER DAY As the Christmas decorations and twinkle lights go into the window. Birdie walks by the store. She stops to look at the customers inside, and then notices a sign in the window: "Book Signing January 10 - Best Selling Children's Author Laura Margulies." There's a picture of Laura Margulies. EXT. SHOP AROUND THE CORNER - DECEMBER DUSK Kathleen is in the window decorating a little tree with lovely decorations from a box. Two people are carrying a tree home, there's the sound of church bells. Kathleen looks up as a couple of people walk past the store, carrying Foxbooks shopping bags. Then she unwraps a pair of ruby slipper ornaments, and as she starts to hang them on the tree we hear the sound of the computer. KATHLEEN (V.O.) This is such an odd Christmas. I find myself missing my mother, who's been dead for ten years. New York at Christmas is so loaded with all the things we used to do -- INT. NEW YORK STATE THEATER - 1972 - DAY As Young Kathleen, dressed in a little velvet dress, sits in the audience next to her mother watching the ballet. KATHLEEN (V.O. cont'd) -- going to the Nutcracker -- EXT. ROCKEFELLER CENTER SKATING RINK - 1972 - DAY KATHLEEN (V.O. cont'd) -- ice skating at Rockefeller Center, where I was knocked into a 6-year-old maniac -- A SIX-YEAR-OLD BOY knocks into her. YOUNG KATHLEEN Hey, watch out -- SIX-YEAR-OLD BOY Me watch out, why don't you watch out? I'm not sliding around like a baby. You think I come here to skate with babies? Young Kathleen's jaw drops and she stands there tongue-tied. KATHLEEN (V.O.) My first experience as a speechless person. Her mother skates up and takes her hand. The boy skates off. KATHLEEN (V.O.) I always miss my mother at Christmas, but somehow it's worse this year since I need some advice from her. And we hear the sound of another computer. INT. JOE'S DEN As he replies to Kathleen. JOE (V.O.) My mother took me ice skating too -- EXT. ROCKEFELLER CENTER SKATING RINK - DAY We see a little boy, YOUNG JOE, 8, skate past holding someone's hand -- JOE (V.O., cont'd) -- although my mother did not skate. The nanny skated -- And we now see JOE'S NANNY, a young Sonja Henie, who suddenly peels off into a series of triple lutzes, as JOE'S MOTHER absently reads a copy of Vogue in the spectators' section. INT. LINCOLN CENTER THEATER - 1972 - DAY JOE (V.O.) And I was in the Nutcracker. We see the stage now. There's Young Joe, among the children at the Christmas party. JOE (V.O., cont'd) So was my nanny. As JOE'S NANNY #2 pirouettes past. JOE (V.O., cont'd) Different nanny. By the way, I'm surprised you aren't a writer. Although you probably are a writer and don't know it. Are you a writer and I don't know it? INT. JOE'S APARTMENT - 1972 - NIGHT Young Joe, at the dinner table with his father. A wide shot of a big room with a huge table and servants. Joe looks very small at the table as he eats his soup. JOE (V.O., cont'd) My mother died when I was ten. I was staying with my father, who is not famous for intimacy, and whose way of breaking the news of her death was to tell me she would not be coming to pick me up as usual. It was a car accident, and I don't know where she was going or who she was with, and I assume what I owe her is my tendency to cover almost any emotion with a joke. A useful gift, unless you want to know what you're feeling. She was very beautiful. People toss that word around a lot, but my mother was. The camera moves closer to the dining table. We see that tears are rolling down little Joe's cheeks. INT. JOE'S DEN - NIGHT Joe stops typing. He is surprised to find his eyes watering. A moment of confusion as he cannot believe he has moved himself to tears. Shakes his head, shakes the emotion off. Starts typing again. JOE (V.O., cont'd) Ancient history. So what kind of advice do you need? Can I help? INT. KATHLEEN'S BEDROOM - DAY Kathleen in bed with her laptop reading Joe's letter. She starts to type a response. Suddenly there's harp arpeggio and an Instant Message flashes on screen. From NY 152 CLOSE ON KATHLEEN - TOTAL SHOCK ON SCREEN AS WE SEE THE MESSAGE JOE (V.O.) I had a gut feeling you would be on line now. INT. JOE'S BEDROOM - DAY Joe is in bed with his laptop. And cut back and forth between them and their computer screens as they type Instant Messages to one another. Possible split screens. JOE (V.O., cont'd) I can give you advice. I'm great at advice. KATHLEEN (V.O.) I don't think you can help. JOE (V.O.) Is it about love? KATHLEEN (V.O.) My business is in trouble. My mother would have something wise to say. JOE (V.O.) I'm a brilliant businessman. It's what I do best. What's your business? KATHLEEN (V.O.) No specifics, remember? JOE (V.O.) Minus specifics, it's hard to help. Except to say, go to the mattresses. KATHLEEN (V.O.) What? JOE (V.O.) It's from The Godfather. It means you have to go to war. CLOSE ON KATHLEEN - LOOKING AT THE COMPUTER KATHLEEN (to herself) The Godfather? She starts to type. KATHLEEN (V.O.) What is it with men and The Godfather? JOE (V.O.) The Godfather is the I Ching. The Godfather is the sum of all wisdom. The Godfather is the answer to any question. What should I pack for my summer vacation? "Leave the gun, take the cannoli." What day of the week is it? "Maunday, Tuesday, Thursday, Wednesday." And the answer to your question is "Go to the mattresses." (continued) CAMERA ON KATHLEEN - CONSIDERING WHAT HE SAYS JOE (cont'd) You're at war. "It's not personal, it's business. It's not personal it's business." Recite that to yourself every time you feel you're losing your nerve. I know you worry about being brave, this is your chance. Fight. Fight to the death. INT. JOE'S APARTMENT - DAY Patricia comes in as Joe is waiting for Kathleen's response. PATRICIA Look what I bought. Joe types "Ciao" and signs off. Looks up to see Patricia showing him a Plexiglas menorah. PATRICIA I was just passing this store on Columbus Avenue and it caught my eye. JOE What is it? PATRICIA A Menorah. JOE It doesn't look like a Menorah. PATRICIA I know. I don't know what came over me. I don't even celebrate Hanukkah. INT. KATHLEEN'S BEDROOM - DAY As Kathleen logs off, Frank comes in. KATHLEEN Frank, I've decided to go to the mattresses. Do you think it would be a gigantic conflict of interest if you wrote something about us? INT. THE SHOP AROUND THE CORNER - DAY It's January. The store is more crowded than we've seen it. Frank is there with several copies of the Independent. The phone is ringing off the hook. Christina and George are fielding calls. Birdie is reading Frank's article. BIRDIE (reading) "Kathleen Kelly and her mother Cecilia Kelly have raised your children. If this precious resource is killed by the cold cash cow of Foxbooks, it will not only be the end of Western civilization as we know it, but the end of something even dearer: our neighborhood as we know it. Save the Shop Around the Corner and you will save your own soul." Frank, that's charming. FRANK You think it's a little over the top? BIRDIE Just say thank you. FRANK Thank you. CHRISTINA (calling to Kathleen) Channel 2's outside. INT. BACK ROOM - THE SHOP AROUND THE CORNER - SAME TIME Kathleen is primping in a tiny wall mirror. She takes a deep breath. KATHLEEN In a second. GEORGE (from the other room) The Village Voice is coming. KATHLEEN Omigod. Frank sticks his head in. FRANK (in shock) It's him. KATHLEEN Who? FRANK God. It is God. INT. SHOP AROUND THE CORNER - CONTINUOUS Kathleen comes out of the storage room. William Spungeon is standing there. WILLIAM SPUNGEON I'm William Spungeon. KATHLEEN I'm very pleased to meet you. I'm Kathleen Kelly. Frank is practically levitating. SPUNGEON I knew your mother. Although she knew me only as W. That enormous bookstore is obscene. FRANK I'm Frank Navasky. I carry your picture in my wallet. He pulls it out. Spungeon looks at him like he's crazy. KATHLEEN We've organized pickets. Channel 13 is doing a special. SPUNGEON I'd be glad to talk to the press if it's all right with you. They've been trying to interview me for years. FRANK The press? I'm the press. KATHLEEN You'd allow that? For me? For the store? That's incredible. Although you wouldn't have to be photographed. I respect that. If it's television, they could just put one of those blurry dots in front of your face. SPUNGEON No television. CHRISTINA (referring to the TV crew) They're waiting for you -- FRANK I know all your books. Phaelox the gnome, the little man who comes from nowhere... and is going nowhere... (quoting) "Where did you come from?" "Nowhere." "Where are you going?" "Nowhere." SPUNGEON Cool it. I'm starting to break out in hives. (to Kathleen) Here's my phone number. KATHLEEN I had no idea William Spugeon had a phone. SPUNGEON Adios. He gives a little wave and leaves. FRANK This is historic. (beat) Do you realize what I've done? By writing that piece, do you realize? I've brought William Spungeon in from the cold. Holy shit. I am completely amazing. At that moment a TV REPORTER sticks her head into the store. TV REPORTER Kathleen Kelly? Kathleen takes a deep breath, walks out the door. EXT. SHOP AROUND THE CORNER - A FEW MINUTES LATER CHANNEL 2 TV REPORTER Are you ready, Miss Kelly? KATHLEEN Luca Brasi sleeps with the fishes. CHANNEL 2 TV REPORTER What? KATHLEEN Never mind. I'm ready. Shoot. INT. TELEVISION SCREEN - THAT NIGHT CHANNEL 2 TV REPORTER We're here in front of the Shop Around the Corner, the famous West Side children's bookstore now on the verge of having to close its doors because the big bad wolf, Foxbooks, has opened only a few hundred feet away, wooing customers with its sharp discounts and designer coffee. KATHLEEN They have to have discounts and lattes, because most of the people who work there have never read a book. And pull back now to reveal that we're in: INT. GYM - NIGHT Five TV sets are on, over adjoining treadmills, Joe and Kevin are on two of the treadmills, walking and watching. JOE She's not as nice as she seems on television. KEVIN You've met her? JOE She's kind of a pill. KEVIN She's probably not as attractive as she seems on television either. JOE No, she's beautiful. But a pill. KEVIN So you don't feel bad about basically destroying her livelihood not to mention her legacy not to mention her raison d'etre. JOE It's not personal -- KEVIN It's business. JOE Right. Exactly. They look up at the television. INT. TELEVISION SCREEN - CONTINUOUS Joe onscreen, with a super: Joe Fox, Vice-President Foxbooks. JOE I sell cheap books. Sue me. I sell cheap books, and as a result -- listen to this, because it's really bad -- more people can buy books. The show immediately cuts back to the newscaster. On Joe and Kevin. KEVIN That's what you said? JOE (outraged) That's not all I said. I said -- I can't believe those bastards -- I said we were great, I said people can come and sit and read for hours and no one bothers them, I said we stock 150,000 titles, I showed them the New York City section. I said we were a goddamn piazza where people could mingle and mix and be. KEVIN A piazza? JOE I was eloquent. Shit. It's just inevitable, isn't it? People are going to want to turn her into Joan of Arc -- KEVIN -- and you into Attila the Hun. JOE Well it's not me personally, it's more like it's the company -- KATHLEEN (on the television) And I have to say, I have met Joe Fox, who owns Foxbooks, and I have heard him compared his store to a Price Club and the books in it to cans of olive oil. On Joe, reacting. EXT. SHOP AROUND THE CORNER A small rally is taking place, with picket signs. Kathleen is standing on a small speaker's platform, along with the Borough President. KATHLEEN My mother used to say to me that every book you sell is a gift from the heart... EXT. FOXBOOKS - DAY As 20 CHILDREN march in front of the store, holding little makeshift picket signs and singing songs. "One, two, three, four, we don't want this Superstore." Customers go right through the line and into the store. INT. FOXBOOKS SUPERSTORE - DAY We can hear the pickets marching and singing outside -- although the store is full of customers anyway. The Fox men -- Joe, Nelson and Schuyler -- are sitting in the cafe. Nelson is holding a copy of a weekly newspaper, which has the old high-school yearbook picture of William Spungeon on the front page and a headline: William Spungeon Emerges from Hiding to Support Bookstore. SCHUYLER Who is this Spungeon anyway? JOE He's a writer. NELSON Well, I've never heard of him. And neither has anyone else in this place. INT. TV SET - NIGHT As we see SIDNEY-ANN STRONGIN, a young and attractive PBS talk show hostess for a show called Inside Media. SIDNEY-ANN The New York Literary world was shocked this week when William Spungeon, the most famously reclusive author since J.D. Salinger, announced that he was coming out of hiding because of his loyalty to a small children's bookstore on the West Side of Manhattan. Discussing this tonight is a man I happen to think of as one of this city's most underappreciated assets, Frank Navasky. FRANK Thank you. SIDNEY-ANN This all happened because of you, didn't it -- FRANK Well, I knew William Spungeon loved children's books so I wrote a provocative column -- SIDNEY-ANN Your specialty. Frank laughs. Sidney-Ann laughs. FRANK And it kind of smoked him out. INT. KATHLEEN'S BEDROOM - NIGHT As she and Frank watch the television show. FRANK ON TELEVISION Technologically speaking, the world's out of hand. Take the VCR. The whole idea of a VCR is that it makes it possible for you to tape what's on television while you're out of the house. But the whole point of being out of the house is so you can miss what's on television. Radio. Now there's a medium I can get behind. SIDNEY-ANN ON TELEVISION Well, we're on television... and you're good at it. FRANK ON TELEVISION Thank you. Another little moment between them. SIDNEY-ANN ON TELEVISION The bookstore. Tell us about it. FRANK ON TELEVISION Are you planning to collect radios? SIDNEY-ANN ON TELEVISION Do you think I should? FRANK ON TELEVISION The Shop Around the Corner is a true New York treasure. SIDNEY-ANN ON TELEVISION As are you. I'd love to have you back. FRANK ON TELEVISION Any time. Are we done? SIDNEY-ANN ON TELEVISION Not at all. FRANK ON TELEVISION Because I just want to say that the only show I do watch is yours. KATHLEEN (appalled) Omigod. FRANK Hey, I was just being polite. Okay, I admit, I slobbered all over her. The show continues. EXT. SHOP AROUND THE CORNER - DUSK As we see Kathleen flip the open sign to closed. INT. SHOP AROUND THE CORNER - DUSK George is talking to Kathleen and Birdie, who is toting up the week's receipts. GEORGE And I can't decide whether to put sausages into the meat sauce or just chopped meat. Last time I made it, Detective Carter and I never even sat down to dinner because -- (he makes some sort of hand gesture indicating that sex prevented them from dining) and last night, I made margaritas in the blender, and I took the ice cube and -- BIRDIE Spare us. George goes out the door. Birdie looks at Kathleen. KATHLEEN Don't tell me. Not the slightest difference? Birdie can't bring herself to answer. KATHLEEN (cont'd) How could that be? All this publicity and not one bit of difference? Oh Birdie, what am I going to do? What would Mom have done? BIRDIE Let's ask her. She opens the locket hanging around her neck. There's a picture of Kathleen's mother inside it. Birdie holds the locket up to her face. BIRDIE Cecilia, what should we do? Birdie holds the locket to her ear and listens. A pause. KATHLEEN Birdie? BIRDIE Shhhh. (after a beat, shrugs) She has no idea, but she thinks the window display is lovely. Good night dearie. Birdie smiles and picks up her shopping bag, goes out the door. EXT. SHOP AROUND THE CORNER - NIGHT It's starting to rain. Kathleen lowers the grate over the store. As she turns to walk away, William Spungeon steps in her path out of the shadows. KATHLEEN Oh my goodness, hello. What are you doing here. SPUNGEON Loitering. Lurking. Skulking. Stalking. He laughs. So does she. Dramatically, he whips out an umbrella and opens it over the two of them. SPUNGEON (cont'd) You look very beautiful. KATHLEEN Thank you. But I'm a wreck. He touches her cheek suddenly. Kathleen starts. Then he blows on his hand. SPUNGEON An eyelash. It's gone. Kathleen relaxes. They start walking. KATHLEEN Are you writing another book? SPUNGEON I'm in the home stretch. I'll be done in approximately six more years. KATHLEEN Should I discount? SPUNGEON It's about a man on a quest for knowledge who meets a woman he cannot resist. KATHLEEN If I discount I have to fire someone because I can't discount with this overhead but whom could I fire? I couldn't fire anyone. Spungeon suddenly puts his hand through Kathleen's hair. She stops, frozen in place. SPUNGEON You have your mother's hair. Thick, wild, the color of Nebraska wheat. He grabs her and tries to kiss her. KATHLEEN What are you doing? Let me go. He backs her into a wall. KATHLEEN Stop it. Are you crazy? She kicks him in the shins, wiggles free and runs away. SPUNGEON (calling after her) If you change your mind, you can E-mail me. Hermit@AOL.com. INT. COMPUTER SCREEN - NIGHT The mail form says "To:" and Kathleen types in "NY 152". The form says "Re:" and Kathleen types in: "Advice" EXT. KATHLEEN'S APARTMENT - NIGHT Rain is falling. KATHLEEN (V.O.) I need help. Do you still want to meet me? EXT. JOE'S APARTMENT - NIGHT Rain is falling. We hear the sound of the computer. JOE (V.O.) "Where? When?" INT. NUT SHOP OF BROADWAY - DAY George, Kathleen and Christina in the shop. Kathleen is buying more lollipops. KATHLEEN We're meeting in a public place. CHRISTINA Well don't go anywhere with him. Don't even go out to the street with him afterwards. Get a dial cab to just sit there and wait for you. GEORGE Did you tell Frank? KATHLEEN There's nothing to tell. CHRISTINA But did you tell him? KATHLEEN He's away. At the 32nd anniversary of the Chicago Seven trial. GEORGE And he's gone to a place where there are no phones. Do you even know this guy's name? Kathleen shakes her head no. CHRISTINA And you're going to meet him in a bar? KATHLEEN Not a bar. That place on 83rd with the cheesecake. GEORGE And he will wear a flower in his lapel, and you will be carrying a copy of Anna Karenina with a rose in it. No answer. CHRISTINA Oh God, no. KATHLEEN Not Anna Karenina. Pride and Prejudice. EXT. FOXBOOKS - NIGHT As Joe and Kevin walk out of the store and start downtown. KEVIN I suppose she's carrying a copy of a book with a flower in it. Joe doesn't say anything. KEVIN Not really. JOE Really. KEVIN Which Jane Austen is it? JOE Pride and Prejudice. KEVIN She could be a real dog. JOE I know. Look, I'll just stay ten minutes. I'll say hello. Drink a cup of coffee and split. I'm outta here. He looks at Kevin. JOE (cont'd) Walk me there, okay? EXT. 83RD STREET - NIGHT As the two men walk toward Cafe Lalo, the European cafe on West 83rd Street. JOE What if she has a really high, squeaky voice? I hate that. It reminds me of those mice in Cinderella. KEVIN What mice in Cinderella? JOE Gus-gus and oh shit, I can't remember the other one. Why am I compelled to meet her? I'm just ruining a good thing. KEVIN You're taking it to the next level. I always do that. I always take a relationship to the next level, and if it works okay I take it to the next level after that, until I can finally get to the level where it becomes absolutely necessary for me to leave. JOE I'm not going to stay long anyway. I already said that, didn't I. Christ. I'm a total wreck. As they reach: EXT. CAFE LALO - CONTINUOUS Joe stops and looks at Kevin. JOE Kevin, this woman is the most adorable creature I have ever come in contact with. If she turns out to be even as good-looking as a mailbox, I will be crazy not to turn my life upside down and marry her. KEVIN She could be a real dog. JOE (a total panic) You go look. KEVIN Me? JOE Just go to the window and check her out. KEVIN You're pathetic. Kevin goes to the window and looks inside. EXT. CAFE LALO - NIGHT Joe and Kevin in front. Kevin looks in the window. JOE See her? KEVIN There's a beautiful, whoa, a very beautiful girl. JOE Yes. KEVIN But no book. Let me see, let me see... Wait a minute. There's a book with a flower, so it must be her. JOE What does he look like? KEVIN There's a waiter blocking, I can't see her face. He's serving her a cup of tea and she's putting in three spoonfuls of sugar -- JOE Well, why shouldn't she? KEVIN No reason. Unless she has hypoglycemia. Oh, he's moving. JOE Can you see her? KEVIN Yes. JOE And? -- KEVIN (clearly frustrated) She's very pretty. JOE She is. I knew she would be. She had to be. KEVIN She looks... I would say she has a little of the coloring of that Kathleen Kelly person. JOE Kathleen Kelly of the bookstore. KEVIN Why not? You said you thought she was attractive. JOE So what? Who cares about Kathleen Kelly? KEVIN Well, if you don't like Kathleen Kelly, I can tell you right now you ain't gonna like this girl. JOE Why not? KEVIN Because it is Kathleen Kelly. Joe elbows Kevin aside and looks. JOE Oh, God. A long beat. KEVIN What are you going to do? JOE Nothing. KEVIN You're going to let her just wait there? JOE Yes. Yes I am. That's exactly what I'm going to do. Why not? KEVIN But she wrote the letters. JOE Good night, Kevin. I'll see you tomorrow. He walks away, leaving Kevin. Kevin stares after him. Then he walks away in the other direction. INT. CAFE LALO - CONTINUOUS Kathleen, sitting alone, at a table for two, is drinking her tea. She's starting to feel a little foolish. She checks her watch. A loud, boisterous group comes in and sits at the table next to hers. They're laughing. A man from the group grabs the empty chair at Kathleen's table. MAN Do you mind? Kathleen jumps up. KATHLEEN Oh, yes. I'm expecting someone. Please. She takes the chair back. Sits down again. She watches the group as they playfully fight over the menus. She checks her watch again. Then she opens her copy of Pride and Prejudice and looks at it. She can't focus. A man comes into the restaurant and she looks up hopefully at him. But he's going to meet another group of people. As he passes her table, he knocks the book and the flower onto the floor. KATHLEEN Oh! She jumps up and rescues the book and flower as if they were precious china. In the window, now, behind her, Joe appears. He watches, as she rearranges the book and the flower. He disappears from sight. A beat... He walks in the door. JOE Kathleen Kelly. Hello. What a coincidence. Mind if I sit down? KATHLEEN Yes I do. I'm expecting someone. Joe picks up her book, looks at it. JOE Pride and Prejudice. Kathleen grabs it back. KATHLEEN Do you mind? She places it back on the table, puts the rose into it. JOE I didn't know you were a Jane Austen fan. Not that it's a surprise. I bet you read it every year. I bet you just love Mr. Darcy, and that your sentimental heart beats wildly at the thought that he and whatever her name is are really, honestly and truly going to end up together. KATHLEEN Would you please leave? Joe sits down. KATHLEEN Please? JOE I'll get up as soon as your friend comes. Is he late? KATHLEEN The heroine of Pride and Prejudice is Elizabeth Bennet and she's one of the greatest, most complex characters ever written, not that you would know. JOE As a matter of fact I've read it. KATHLEEN Well, good for you. JOE I think you'd discover a lot of things if you really knew me. KATHLEEN If I really knew you, I know what I would find -- instead of a brain, a cash register, instead of a heart, a bottom line. Kathleen is shocked at herself. JOE What is it? KATHLEEN I just had a breakthrough, and I have to thank you for it. For the first time in my life, when confronted with a horrible, insensitive person I actually knew what I wanted to say and I said it. JOE I think you have a gift for it. It was a splendid mixture of poetry and meanness. KATHLEEN Meanness? Let me tell you -- JOE Don't misunderstand me, I'm just paying you a compliment. He lifts the book off the table. Kathleen grabs for it. KATHLEEN Why are you doing this? She manages to get the book, leaving Joe with the rose. JOE What have we have? A red, no, crimson rose, tucked into the pages. Something you read about in a book, no doubt. One of those books with a lady in a nightgown on the cover about to throw herself off a cliff. She holds her hand out for it. KATHLEEN (cont'd) Give it to me. Joe puts it between his mouth and his nose like a mustache. JOE It's a joke to you, isn't it? Everything's a joke to you. She grabs the rose. Puts it back in the book. KATHLEEN (cont'd) Please leave. I beg you. He stands up, walks from the table, sits down at the very next table, with his back to her. The door to the restaurant opens. Kathleen looks at it hopefully. A pleasant looking man, who's immediately joined by a pleasant looking woman. For a moment, Kathleen looks just a little droopy, as if the wind has just gone out of her sails. She takes out her compact, looks into her mirror. She slides it over to look behind her, at him, just as he's looking sideways at her. He turns away suddenly. Then she blots her lipstick with her handkerchief. JOE You know what the handkerchief reminds me of? The first day I met you -- KATHLEEN The first day you lied to me -- JOE I didn't lie to you -- KATHLEEN You did too -- JOE I did not -- KATHLEEN I thought all that Fox stuff was so charming. F-O-X. JOE I never lied about it -- KATHLEEN "Joe. Just call me Joe." As if you were one of those stupid 22-year-old girls with no last name. "Hi, I'm Kimberley." "Hi, I'm Janice." What's wrong with them? Don't they know you're supposed to have last names? It's like they're a whole generation of cocktail waitresses. She stops herself -- it's a tangent she never meant to go off on. But Joe has stood up and seated himself back at her table. JOE I am not a stupid 22-year-old girl -- KATHLEEN That's not what I meant -- JOE And when I said the thing about the Price Club and cans of olive oil, that wasn't what I meant either -- KATHLEEN Oh, you poor sad multimillionaire. I feel so sorry for you. The door opens and a large and very attractive TRANSVESTITE in a boa comes in the door. JOE I am going to take a wild guess that this isn't him, either. Who is he, I wonder. Not, I gather, the world's greatest living expert on Julius and Ethel Rosenberg, but someone else entirely. Will you be you be mean to him too? Will you start out sweet as sugar candy and then suddenly, miraculously, like a bolt from the blue, find that sharp little tongue of yours? KATHLEEN No, I won't. Because the man who's coming here tonight is completely unlike you. The man who is coming here is kind and funny -- he has the most wonderful sense of humor -- JOE But he's not here. KATHLEEN If he's not here, he has a reason, because there is not a cruel or careless bone in his body. I can't expect you to know anything about a person like that. You've nothing but a suit. A beat. Joe gets up. JOE That is my cue. Good night. Joe leaves. EXT. KATHLEEN'S APARTMENT BUILDING -- LATER THAT NIGHT Kathleen comes down the street. She drops the rose in the trash can. INT. KATHLEEN'S APARTMENT - A MINUTE LATER Kathleen comes in, drops the book on the table, takes off her coat and goes immediately to the computer. She clicks on American Online. Waits impatiently to connect. Looks with anticipation at the mail box. THE COMPUTER SCREEN - NO MAIL Hold on Kathleen as a tear starts down her face. She takes her handkerchief out of her sleeve and wipes her face and blows her nose. Then looks at her handkerchief and tosses it over her shoulder. She goes over to the bed and turns it down and slips out of her shoes. Then she lies down on the bed, fully clothed. She reaches up to turn out the light. INT. JOE'S APARTMENT - NIGHT As Joe turns on his closet light and hangs up his jacket. The computer is on the desk, and the light on it illuminates the room. Patricia is in the next room, eating matzos. PATRICIA (O.C.) So I said to her, "If you think I will even talk to you about paying that kind of advance for an author whose last book is being used as trivets all over the world, you are completely crazy." On Joe's face, barely bearing. INT. FOXBOOKS SUPERSTORE - DAY As Kevin and Joe walk through the store. KEVIN But underneath that disagreeable exterior she could turn out to be -- JOE A real bitch. Let's not talk about it. I'm going back to the office. You must have work to do. KEVIN Not really. This place is humming like a top. EXT. SHOP AROUND THE CORNER - DAY As Kathleen comes around the corner. Christina is waiting. CHRISTINA What happened? KATHLEEN He never came. CHRISTINA He stood you up? INT. SHOP AROUND THE CORNER As Kathleen puts her purse into the drawer. KATHLEEN I think something happened, something terrible and unexpected that made it impossible for him -- George walks in. GEORGE What happened? KATHLEEN He wasn't able to make it. GEORGE He stood you up. KATHLEEN What could have happened? (continued) George looks suddenly stricken. KATHLEEN (cont'd) Why didn't he come? Maybe he showed up, took one look at me and left. CHRISTINA Not possible. KATHLEEN Maybe there was a subway accident. CHRISTINA Absolutely. KATHLEEN A train was trapped underground with him inside. CHRISTINA And no phone. George continues to look stricken. He's starting to shake his head. KATHLEEN Or an automobile accident. Those cab drivers are maniacs. CHRISTINA They hit something and you slam right into that plastic partition. KATHLEEN His elbows could be in splints -- so he can't really dial -- CHRISTINA Or he could be in the hospital in one of those semi-private room with like -- CHRISTINA & KATHLEEN (together) -- no phone. They look at George. Still shaking his head. KATHLEEN (to George) What? George hands them a New York Post. They look at the cover: COPS NAB ROOFTOP KILLER KATHLEEN What are you saying? GEORGE It could be. Dead silence. GEORGE (cont'd) He was arrested two blocks from the cheesecake place. CHRISTINA Is there a picture? There it is. It's of a man with his jacket pulled over his head. They all look at it. CHRISTINA So that explains it. GEORGE He was in jail. CHRISTINA And there was a phone -- GEORGE -- but he got only one call and he had to use it to call his lawyer. CHRISTINA You are so lucky. GEORGE You could be dead. KATHLEEN Are you crazy? This man couldn't possibly be the rooftop killer. CHRISTINA Remember when you thought Frank might be the Unabomber? KATHLEEN That was different. CHRISTINA How long did you sit there all alone? KATHLEEN Not that long. Joe Fox came in -- CHRISTINA Joe Fox! KATHLEEN I don't want to talk about it. (closes her eyes) Let's get to work. They look around. There's no one in the store and nothing to do. A pause. KATHLEEN There must be something to do. There's always something to do. They hear the jingle of the front door. They look hopefully toward it. It's only Birdie. CHRISTINA He stood her up. Hold on Kathleen as the computer sound begins. KATHLEEN (V.O.) I have been thinking about you. Last night I went to meet you and you weren't there. I wish I knew why. I felt so foolish. (continued) INT. KATHLEEN'S APARTMENT - NIGHT As she types. And we cut from her face to the screen as we hear a voice-over: KATHLEEN (V.O.) And as I waited, someone else showed up, a man who has made my professional life a misery, and an amazing thing happened -- I was able, for the first time in my life, to say the exact thing I wanted to say it. And of course, afterwards, I felt terrible. Just as you said I would. INT. JOE'S APARTMENT - LATER The E-mail from Kathleen continues as Joe reads. KATHLEEN (V.O.) I was cruel, and I'm never cruel. And even though I can hardly believe what I said mattered to this man -- to him, I'm just a bug to be crushed -- but what if it did? No matter what he's done to me, there's no excuse for my behavior. Anyway, you are my dear friend, and I so wanted to talk to you. I hope you have a good reason for not being there last night, but if you don't, and if we never really connect again, I just want to tell you how much it has meant to me to know you were there. Joe sits there a second. A moment of intense ambivalence. Then he hits the Menu key and signs off. COMPUTER Goodbye. Joe stands and leaves the room. The computer sits there. Hold on the computer. We hear him open the refrigerator door. We hear him close the refrigerator door. He passes the den without even looking into it. A moment later he comes back into the room, stares at the computer. He starts for the bedroom, changes his mind. Circles the computer. He's going to go cold turkey if it kills him. Fuck it. He sits down. Sign on. Starts to type. JOE (V.O.) I am in Vancouver. He stops... Hits the delete button and erases the message. He starts typing again: JOE (V.O.) I was stuck in a meeting, which I couldn't get out of it, and there was no phone. He backspaces to erase "there was no phone." Screen now reads: I was stuck in a meeting, which I couldn't get out of it. Joe sits there thinking for a moment. Then he starts typing. JOE (V.O., cont'd) The electricity went out in the building and we were trapped on the 18th floor and the telephone system blew too. He stops and looks at it. Then he types: JOE (V.O., cont'd) Amazingly enough. He sits looking at it. Then he deletes the whole thing. Sits looking at the blank screen. JOE Fuck you. He clicks the Yes box. Then he starts to type again. JOE (V.O.) Dear friend: I cannot tell you what happened to me last night, but I beg you from the bottom of my heart to forgive me for not being there. He deletes "for not being there." Then types again, after "to forgive me". JOE (V.O.) -- for what happened. I feel terrible that you found yourself in a situation that caused you additional pain. But I'm absolutely sure that whatever you said last night was provoked, even deserved. And everyone says things they regret when they're worried or stressed. You were expecting to see someone you trusted and met the enemy instead. The fault is mine. (continued) EXT. NEW YORK STREET - DAY As Kathleen and Christina walk down the street together. JOE (V.O., cont'd) Someday I'll explain everything. Meanwhile, I'm still here. Talk to me. CHRISTINA Did he say anything about meeting again? KATHLEEN Not really. It doesn't matter. We'll just be like George Bernard Shaw and Mrs. Patrick Campbell and write letters our whole lives -- They go into an apartment building. INT. BIRDIE'S APARTMENT - DAY A large rent-controlled West Side apartment. Birdie is pouring tea. There's a plate of cookies. Christina is looking at the picture of Birdie as a young woman, dressed in a sort of Carmen Miranda getup. CHRISTINA Where was this taken, Birdie? BIRDIE Seville. KATHLEEN When you had the thunderbolt? BIRDIE Yes. What did you decide, dearie? KATHLEEN Close. We're going to close. CHRISTINA Close. KATHLEEN Although it feels like such a failure. It feels like I'm quitting. It feels like... Mom... She closes her eyes. Birdie sits down on the loveseat next to Kathleen, puts her arms around her. Hold on them. BIRDIE Keeping the store open doesn't keep your mother alive, although sometimes I think we all think it does. Christina looks over at the picture of Birdie. CHRISTINA Who was it, Birdie? That you had the thunderbolt over? Birdie shakes her head. She's not going to tell them. CHRISTINA (cont'd) It's so romantic. BIRDIE But it wasn't meant to be. CHRISTINA Why not? BIRDIE He ran Spain. CHRISTINA Spain? BIRDIE The country. He ran it. That was his job. And then he died. Just as well. INT. SONY LINCOLN SQUARE THEATRE - NIGHT As Frank and Kathleen go up the escalator, on their way to a movie. FRANK She fell in love with Generalissimo Franco? KATHLEEN Don't say that. We don't know that for sure. FRANK Who else could it have been? It was probably around 1960 -- KATHLEEN I mean, it's not like he was something normal, like a socialist or an anarchist or something -- FRANK It happened in Spain. People do really stupid things in foreign countries. KATHLEEN Absolutely. They buy leather jackets, they go see Flamenco, they ride in gondolas, they eat in restaurants where guitarists sing Malaguena sola Rosa, but they don't fall in love with fascist dictators. They enters one of the theatres. INT. THEATER - CONTINUOUS As they find seats and sit down. A trailer is playing. KATHLEEN Birdie is a very kind person, she's practically my surrogate mother. FRANK Well she's out of her mind. KATHLEEN She is not. FRANK I could never ever be with anyone who doesn't take politics as seriously as I do. The person in front of them turns around. PERSON IN FRONT OF THEM Do you mind? FRANK A hot dog is singing. You need quiet while a hot dog is singing? The two of them sit there. KATHLEEN I have something to tell you. I didn't vote. FRANK What? KATHLEEN In the last mayoral election, when Rudy Giuliani was running against Ruth Messinger, I went to get a manicure and forgot to vote. FRANK Since when do you get manicures? KATHLEEN Oh, I suppose you could never be with a woman who gets manicures. FRANK Forget it. It's okay. I forgive you. PERSON IN FRONT OF THEM Shhhhhh. KATHLEEN You forgive me. Hold on them a beat. Kathleen stands and walks out of the theatre. INT. SONY LINCOLN SQUARE THEATRE ESCALATOR - NIGHT Kathleen on the down escalator. Frank scrambling to catch up with her. FRANK What's going on? Kathleen's upset. FRANK (cont'd) Hey. What is it? EXT. COLUMBUS AVENUE - NIGHT As they walk uptown. FRANK Look, this has been a big week, you're closing the store -- KATHLEEN It's not that, Frank, really it's not. It's just... Frank... FRANK I know, that was terrible of me. KATHLEEN What was? FRANK To jump all over you when I'm the one who's really... Oh, God, I don't know how to say this -- KATHLEEN What is it? EXT. COLUMBUS AVENUE - NIGHT As we see Kathleen and Frank being served drinks in a glassed- in extension of a restaurant. INT. COLUMBUS AVENUE RESTAURANT - NIGHT As Kathleen looks at Frank, waiting for him to begin. FRANK You're a wonderful person, Kathleen. KATHLEEN So are you. FRANK And I'm honored that you want to be with me because you would never be with anyone who wasn't truly worthy -- KATHLEEN I feel exactly the same way about you. FRANK Oh, God, don't say that, please, that just makes it worse. KATHLEEN What? (he shakes his head) You don't love me? Frank shakes his head no. KATHLEEN Me either. FRANK You don't love me? Kathleen shakes her head no. FRANK But we're so right for each other. KATHLEEN I know. A long beat. KATHLEEN That woman on television, right? Sidney-Ann. Frank nods. FRANK I mean, nothing's happened or anything. KATHLEEN I think she's a Republican. FRANK I can't help myself. Kathleen pats him. FRANK (cont'd) What about you? Is there someone else? KATHLEEN Oh, somewhere out there, I'm sure. Somewhere -- (she throws up her hands) In cyberspace. EXT. KATHLEEN'S BUILDING - NIGHT As Frank, carrying a typewriter, walks out off Kathleen's building and puts it into the back of a taxicab. EXT. SHOP AROUND THE CORNER - DAY As a sign goes up in the window: "Closing This Week: All Stock 40% off." INT. SHOP AROUND THE CORNER - LATE THAT DAY The store is crowded. People are buying stacks of books. We hear brief snatches of conversation: Birdie telling a customer she's planning to travel, Christina saying she's finally going to have to finish her dissertation, George saying he's been offered a job at Foxbooks but even though it's okay with Kathleen, he wouldn't work there if it were the last place on the earth. There is a frantic, rummage sale atmosphere. Kathleen, busy at the cash register, looks up for a minute at her beautiful store being ravaged by vultures. We hear the sound of the computer and hear her voice-over: KATHLEEN (V.O.) My store is closing this week. I own a store. Did I ever tell you that? Probably not. It's a lovely store -- As a woman dumps a huge stack of books on the checkout table. WOMAN SHOPPER This is a tragedy. (yelling across the shop to her husband) Honey, grab a copy of The Trumpet of the Swan. KATHLEEN (V.O.,cont'd) -- and in a week, it will be something really depressing, like a Baby Gap. I am being amazingly brave -- WOMAN SHOPPER What are you going to do with yourself? KATHLEEN I don't know. I'm going to take some time. I have a little money saved. I'm almost looking forward to it -- KATHLEEN (V.O.,cont'd) I am so cheerful I would make Pollyanna throw up. SECOND SHOPPER I came here every Saturday when I was a little girl. I remember when your mother gave me Anne of Green Gables. "Read it with a box of Kleenex," that's what she told me. THIRD SHOPPER She's looking down on you right now. KATHLEEN I'm sure she is. KATHLEEN (V.O.,cont'd) I have promised myself I'm not going to cry. A FORTH SHOPPER approaches the counter with a stack of books up to his chin, and manages to slide the stack on the counter. FOURTH SHOPPER We should bomb Foxbooks. KATHLEEN It's not their fault. The truth is, the world is just... different. She starts ringing up the sale. EXT. FOXBOOKS SUPERSTORE - NIGHT As Kathleen walks home. KATHLEEN (V.O.,cont'd) Soon we'll just be a memory. In fact, someone, some foolish person will probably think it's a tribute to this city, the way it keeps changing on you, the way you can never count on it, or something. I know, because that's the sort of thing I'm always saying. But the truth is, I'm heartbroken. I feel as if part of me has died, and my mother has died all over again, and no one can ever make it right. She stops in front of the window, watching the customers lined up to buy books. EXT. FOXBOOKS SUPERSTORE - NIGHT As Kathleen enters and looks around. She goes up the stairs. INT. FOXBOOKS SUPERSTORE - CHILDREN'S DEPARTMENT As Kathleen walks into it. It's huge, of course. With its reading area, and stage, and room for displays, and child-size furniture, and so many books and so many customers. Kathleen sits down on a little child-size chair, completely wilted. KATHLEEN FROM ANOTHER P.O.V. And now we see Joe watching her, from a distance. She doesn't see him. A woman browsing, stops a sales person. WOMAN SHOPPER Do you have the "Shoe" books? SALESPERSON The "Shoe" books? Who's the author? WOMAN SHOPPER I don't know. My friend told me my daughter has to read the "Shoe" books, so here I am. KATHLEEN Noel Streatfeild. Noel Streatfeild wrote Ballet Shoes and Skating Shoes and Theater Shoes and Movie Shoes... (she starts crying as she tells her) I'd start with Skating Shoes, it's my favorite, although Ballet Shoes is completely wonderful. SALESPERSON Streatfeild. How do you spell that? KATHLEEN S-T-R-E-A-T-F-E-I-L-D. WOMAN SHOPPER Thank you. As she walks away. KATHLEEN (to herself) They know nothing, they know absolutely nothing. ON JOE as he watches her. We hear the sound of the computer. She starts out of the store. And hold on him. JOE (V.O.) I'm sorry. INT. JOE'S COMPUTER SCREEN A screen which says Reply and which now reads "I'm sorry." INT. JOE'S OFFICE - DAY On Joe at his computer, staring at the screen. JOE Asshole. He backspaces, deleting. Starts typing again. JOE (V.O.) I'm sorry. I don't know what to say. Truly I don't. And anything I do say will sound trite. I hope you feel better. He sits there, appalled at his own triteness. EXT. JOE'S STREET - NIGHT As a taxi comes down the street and stops in front of Joe's building. PATRICIA (V.O.) What I was thinking was she'd probably make a great children's book either. JOE (V.O.) Why would you think that? They get out of the cab. PATRICIA She knows everything. She has flawless taste. She's famous for it. The salesmen swear by her. If she likes it, it sells. Period. INT. JOE'S LOBBY - CONTINUOUS As they enter the lobby and walk toward the elevator. JOE So you're going to offer her a job? PATRICIA Why not? What else has she got to do? JOE Now that she's destitute -- PATRICIA Thanks to you. JOE Well, I can't imagine her working for you. PATRICIA Why not? JOE She has a horrible personality, she's... nice to everyone all the time. It's exhausting. And her staff turnover is ... non-existent. They've been there forever. Until... recently, when they all found out they were going to lose their jobs. PATRICIA Thanks to you. The elevator door is closing. PATRICIA (cont'd) Hold the elevator! They get in. INT. ELEVATOR - CONTINUOUS JOE Hello, Charlie, Veronica. PATRICIA Last time, we rode in an elevator, we made the deal of the century. What is going to happen this time? CHARLIE Miss Grant's going to get me a part in one of her movies, that's what's going to happen. VERONICA In your dream, Charlie. PATRICIA (back to the conversation with Joe) I love how you've totally forgotten you had any role in her current situation. It's so obtuse. It reminds me of someone ... Who? Who does it remind me of? (thinks for a moment) Me! The elevator suddenly stops. PATRICIA Shit. VERONICA Shit. JOE It is stuck? CHARLIE Could be. He pushes the open button. Nothing. Turns the key, hits the open button, flicks the emergency switch. The he starts hitting the buttons in every possible combination. JOE Charlie, what are you doing? CHARLIE Bang the door. PATRICIA Really. Joe bangs the door. Nothing. CHARLIE I hope this thing doesn't plummet to the basement. VERONICA Can it do that? JOE No. He picks up the phone. JOE This is Joe Fox. Who is this? Hi, Juan. We're stuck on the sixth floor. There are four of us -- PATRICIA (grabs the phone) -- and if you don't get your ass up here in two shakes and get us out -- He hangs up. JOE (to Veronica) Are you all right? VERONICA It's hot. Joe hands her his handkerchief. CHARLIE Everyone should jump in the air. PATRICIA What? CHARLIE We jump. The elevator thinks that no one is here and it opens. Everyone stares at each other. JOE One -- two -- three -- They all jump into the air. They all land. Nothing happens. INT. ELEVATOR - A LITTLE LATER Patricia is sitting on the elevator floor, polishing her nails. We hear the fire department banging outside... VERONICA If I ever get out of here, I'm going to start speaking to my mother. She slept with Oscar, and maybe it was Oscar's fault, I don't know, and then she sold the story to Inside Edition. That could have been Oscar's idea, too. Who knows? But I divorced him. I wonder what she's doing right this minute. I think of her... whenever I hear about a new pill. Ecstasy, Zoloft, Fenphen, I just think, I hope Mama knows about that. She takes out a tissue and dabs at her eyes. PATRICIA Maybe you can make up on Rosie. That would be so great for the book. CHARLIE (trying to figure it out) If I ever get out of here... PATRICIA If I ever get out of here, I'm having my eyes lasered. CHARLIE I'm marrying Oreet. I love her. I should marry her. I don't know what's been stopping me. He takes out his wallet and looks at a picture of Oreet, shows it to Joe. JOE If I ever get out of here, I'm going to -- He stops, he looks at Patricia who is fishing through her purse. PATRICIA Where is my TicTacs? (looks at Joe) What? The firemen crowbar open the elevator door. EXT. 79TH STREET BOAT BASIN - NIGHT Joe and Brinkley walk out on the dock toward Joe's boat. Joe is carrying Brinkley's pillow, his laptop and a suitcase. He boards his boat and goes below. A light goes on. We hear the sound of the computer. JOE (V.O.) I came home tonight and got into the elevator to go to my apartment. An hour later, I got out of the elevator and Brinkley and I moved out. Suddenly everything had become clear. (continued) INT. BOAT - NIGHT A small sleeping area with a berth and a little table, where Joe's laptop has been hooked up to the phone. Joe is on the narrow berth, as is Brinkley. JOE (V.O., cont'd) It's a long story. Full of the personal details we avoid so carefully... Joe puts Brinkley on the floor, on his pillow. Brinkley jumps back onto the berth with Joe. INT. KATHLEEN'S APARTMENT - DAY Kathleen is making tea. She starts toward the bedroom. We see her computer, now hooked up in the living room, where all of Frank's typewriters used to be. KATHLEEN (V.O.) I wonder whether change isn't a kind of infection. You start with one thing -- something you never ever thought would change and it does -- (continued) INT. KATHLEEN'S BEDROOM - CONTINUOUS KATHLEEN (V.O., cont'd) and the next thing you know even your bed is in a different place. (continued) Kathleen enters the bedroom and we see the entire room has been rearranged. She gets into bed and turns on the television set. EXT. SHOP AROUND THE CORNER - DUSK The bookshelves are empty. KATHLEEN (V.O., cont'd) Six months ago, when you and I first met, I knew everything about myself -- what I would be doing for the rest of my life and even the person I would be doing it with. Now I know nothing. On the door is a small sign. "After 42 years, we are closing our doors. We have loved being part of your lives." Kathleen turns out the light in the store and opens the door. The little bell over the door jingles. Kathleen reaches up on her tiptoes for the bell and detaches it. Then she comes out of the store, carrying the bell. Kathleen locks the door and reaches down to operate the grate for the last time. The grate starts to lower. Kathleen looks at her store, one last time. Then she walks off, carrying the bell. We hear it jingle in the night. And hold on The Shop Around the Corner, and it slowly turns into a computer-enhanced version of itself. And then, suddenly, it vanishes with a poof, leaving an empty screen. EXT. A BLUE SKY WITH A BIG COMPUTER SUN SHINING IN IT, AND PAN DOWN TO: A COMPUTER VERSION OF COLUMBUS AVENUE The trees sprout leaves and birdies start to tweet. And the scene turns into a real version of: EXT. COLUMBUS AVE. - FOXBOOKS - MORNING INT. FOXBOOKS SUPERSTORE - DAY George is now the head of the children department at the store and he is sitting in the children's section on an itty- bitty chair. His staff is sitting on little itty-bitty chairs too. GEORGE Then, in the 19th century, Caldecott revolutionized the publishing of children's books by the introduction of color illustrations -- We see: THE STAFF Several are dozing. EXT. RIVERSIDE DRIVE & 72ND - DAY Joe walks past the Eleanor Roosevelt statue. He's with Annabel and Matt: JOE What about going to the Children's Zoo? ANNABEL I don't want to go to the Children's Zoo. JOE Okay. The Staten Island Ferry. ANNABEL I want to go to the Storybook Lady. MATT I want to go to the Storybook Lady. JOE Well we can't go to the Storybook Lady. INT. JAPANESE NOODLE RESTAURANT - DAY Annabel is sitting in her chair, staring glumly at a bowl of Japanese soup and noodles. JOE I'll read you a story. ANNABEL Where did she go? JOE She had to close her store. ANNABEL Why? JOE She didn't have enough business. ANNABEL Why? JOE Well. Her store was very close to our store, and you know our store sells books at a slightly lower cost -- ANNABEL Why? JOE Why do we sell at a lower cost? So more people can buy books. ANNABEL Why couldn't she sell that way too? JOE Because she's small and we're big. How about we go get some candy? ANNABEL So now she's gone and it's all your fault. JOE It's business, Annabel. It's not personal. How about we go get so much candy you'll be bouncing off the walls for days? MATT What's personal? ANNABEL Personal means that she's gone forever, and now we'll never get another book from her as long as we ever live. She burst into tears. Matt bursts into tears too. JOE Remember the man who worked with her? ANNABEL (a wail) No. JOE Well I hired him. ANNABEL You killed the Storybook Lady. Matt throws himself on the ground, crying. Annabel sobs hysterically. INT. FOXBOOKS SUPERSTORE - DAY George is wearing the same pointed hat Kathleen wore as the Storybook Lady. There's a sign that says: Storybook Person. Several children are listening. We see: ANNABEL She's glowering. INT. KATHLEEN'S BEDROOM - NIGHT Kathleen is in bed with a huge box of Kleenex. She has a terrible cold. Her nose is red, her eyes are watery. On the bedside table are a huge assortment of atomizers, pills, etc. We hear the sound of computer keys clicking. JOE (V.O.) Why haven't you written? KATHLEEN (V.O.) I have a cold. INT. JOE'S OFFICE - DAY We see Joe on his computer. JOE (V.O.) How's your cold? KATHLEEN (V.O.) My ears are blocked, my nose is clogged. INT. KATHLEEN'S BEDROOM - NIGHT She's drinking cranberry juice. Joni Mitchell on the stereo. The sound of computer keys clicking again. JOE (V.O.) Are you feeling any better? KATHLEEN (V.O.) I'm lying in bed listening to Joni Mitchell and drinking cranberry juice which I am sorry to say is the exact same color as my nose. I keep thinking about my future. What future? What am I going to do? EXT. 79TH STREET BOAT BASIN - LATE AFTERNOON As Joe is walking Brinkley back to the boat. A limousine has pulled up near the pier and the driver is unloading bags. Joe stops to see the passenger: his father, Nelson Fox. JOE What are you doing here? EXT. 79TH STREET BOAT BASIN - DUSK Next to Joe's boat is a larger yacht. INT. YACHT - NIGHT In the main cabin Joe and Nelson are having drinks. Nelson lifts his glass in a toast. NELSON To us. JOE Father and son, together at last. That happened with Gillian? Nelson ignores the question. NELSON I've stayed here after, let's see, your mother, Laurette that ballet dancer -- JOE -- the nanny -- NELSON Was she the nanny? I forgot that. How ironic. Then there was the ice skater -- JOE -- also the nanny -- NELSON Really. How amazingly ironic. Sybil the astrologer. JOE Whose moon turned out to be in somebody else's house, as I recall. NELSON Just like Gillian. JOE Gillian ran off with someone? NELSON The nanny. JOE Nanny Maureen? Gillian ran off with Nanny Maureen? That's incredibly ironic. NELSON True true. JOE There's no other word for it. NELSON Who did you break up with? JOE Patricia. You met her. NELSON Would I like her? (cracks himself up) Just kidding. Isn't this great? Have some peanuts. Of course I have to live out of a suitcase for a least three weeks, and then there's the inevitable legal hassle, more of your inheritance down the drain. JOE Don't worry about it. NELSON I won't. But then I get to meet someone new. That's the easy part. JOE Oh, right, a snap to find the one single person in the world who fills your heart with joy. NELSON Don't be ridiculous. Have I ever been with anyone who fits that description? Have you? JOE On to the next. NELSON Isn't it a beautiful night? Hold on Joe. EXT. KATHLEEN'S STREET - DAY Joe, on his way to Kathleen's apartment building, carrying a bunch of daisies, wrapped in cellophane. Joe goes up the stoop to her building and looks at buzzer. Sees Kelly, 3A. He presses. Nothing. Presses again. KATHLEEN (voice clogged, through intercom) Who is it? JOE Joe Fox. INT. KATHLEEN'S APARTMENT - SAME TIME Kathleen, in her pajamas, at the intercom, horrified. KATHLEEN What are you doing here? JOE May I please come up? KATHLEEN It's really not a good idea. Someone else walks up to the door, unlocks it and walks in. Joe follows. INT. KATHLEEN'S APARTMENT - SAME TIME KATHLEEN (into the intercom) I have a terrible cold, can you hear it? I'm sniffling and not really awake -- EXT. KATHLEEN'S APARTMENT - CONTINUOUS As Kathleen continues to talk through the Intercom to an empty stoop. KATHLEEN'S VOICE and I'm sleeping practically twenty-four hours a day, and taking echinacea -- INT. KATHLEEN'S APARTMENT - CONTINUOUS KATHLEEN (into intercom) -- and vitamin C, so I would really appreciate it if you would come some other time -- There's a knock on the door right next to her. Kathleen practically jumps out of her skin. She looks through the peephole. There he is. JOE Kathleen? KATHLEEN Just a second. She puts on a robe, runs frantically about picking up various scattered wadded-up Kleenexs, opens the front door. Joe is holding a bunch of flowers wrapped in paper. JOE Hello. KATHLEEN What are you doing here? JOE I heard you were sick and I was worried and I wanted to -- (he hears voices) Is someone here? KATHLEEN Just the Home Shopping Network. JOE Bought any porcelain dolls? KATHLEEN I was thinking about it. (beat) You put me out of business -- JOE I know that -- KATHLEEN And now you turn up with flowers? Did you come to gloat? JOE No. KATHLEEN To offer me a job -- JOE No, I wouldn't think of -- KATHLEEN Because I have plans, I have lots of offers. I've been offered a job by -- well, actually by -- JOE My former? KATHLEEN Former? JOE We broke up. KATHLEEN That's too bad. You seemed so perfect for each other. (she claps her hand over her mouth) I don't mean to say things like that. No matter what you have done to me, there is no excuse for my saying anything like that. But every time I see you -- JOE Things like that just seem to fly out of your mouth. KATHLEEN Yes. I'm sorry. I'm starting over. (sharply) Thank you for coming. Goodbye. (she says it again, a little more nicely) Thank you for coming. Goodbye. She starts to the door. JOE I bought you flowers. KATHLEEN Oh. (trying as hard as she can) Thank you. She takes them. He takes them back. JOE Why don't I put them in water? He heads for the kitchen. A beat, while she stares after him. Then follows. INT. KITCHEN - DAY When Kathleen gets to the kitchen, Joe is checking the kettle for water. Turns on the stove. JOE You're sick. Sit down, please. He pulls out a kitchen chair. Kathleen sits. She's a little woozy. JOE Vase? KATHLEEN Upper left. He gets out a vase. Fills it with water. JOE George says hello. He told me you weren't feeling well. KATHLEEN How is George? JOE Great. He's revolutionizing the place. No one is allowed to work in his department who doesn't have a Ph.D. in children's literature. He unwraps the paper around the flowers. Daisies. Puts them in a vase. KATHLEEN I love daisies. JOE You told me. He puts the vase on the kitchen table. Kathleen plays with the petals. KATHLEEN They're so friendly. Don't you think they are the friendliest flower? JOE I do. KATHLEEN When did you break up? JOE Oh, a couple of weeks ago. KATHLEEN Everyone is breaking up. You. Me. This other person I know broke up with someone in an elevator. I think it was in an elevator. Or just outside it. Or after it. It got stuck. I think. And suddenly everything became clear. When I saw you, at the coffee place, I was waiting for him and I was -- JOE -- charming. KATHLEEN I was not charming. JOE Well, you looked charming. The teakettle whistles. Joe turns off the burner. JOE Tea? KATHLEEN Upper right. He gets out mugs and teabags and pours the water. KATHLEEN I was upset. And I was horrible. JOE Honey? Kathleen nods. He puts in two spoonfuls, gives it to her. JOE I was horrible. KATHLEEN True. But I have no excuse. She picks up the daisies and carries them into: INT. KATHLEEN'S LIVING ROOM - DAY Joe follows her. They both sit. JOE Whereas I am a horrible person and have no choice but to be horrible, is that what you're saying? KATHLEEN No I am not saying that because I am done saying horrible things, even to you. JOE You did it again. She claps her hand over her mouth. JOE I put you out of business. You're entitled to hate me. KATHLEEN I don't hate you -- JOE But you'll never forgive me. Like Elizabeth. KATHLEEN Who? JOE Elizabeth Bennet in Pride and Prejudice. She was too proud -- KATHLEEN I thought you hated Pride and Prejudice. JOE -- or was she too prejudiced and Mr. Darcy too proud? I can never remember. (beat) It wasn't personal -- KATHLEEN -- It was business. What is that supposed to mean? I am so sick of that. All it means is it's not personal to you, but it's personal to me, it's personal to a lot of people. (she shrugs helplessly) What's wrong with personal anyway? JOE Nothing. KATHLEEN I mean, whatever else anything is, it ought to begin by being personal. Kathleen stands up, picks up the daisies. KATHLEEN My head's starting to get funny. I have to go back to bed. They walk to... EXT. KATHLEEN'S BEDROOM - CONTINUOUS Kathleen puts the daisies next to the bed and gets into it. She fluffs up the pillows, pulls up the blankets, surrounds herself with Kleenex and Evian and sneezes a gigantic sneeze. KATHLEEN Why did you stop by? I forget. JOE I wanted to be your friend. KATHLEEN Oh. JOE I knew it wasn't possible. What can I say? Sometimes a person just wants the impossible. Could I ask you something? KATHLEEN What? JOE What happened with that guy at the cafe? KATHLEEN Nothing. JOE But you're crazy about him -- KATHLEEN Yes. I am. JOE Then why don't you run off with him? What are you waiting for? A long beat. KATHLEEN I don't actually know him. JOE Really. KATHLEEN We only know each other -- oh God, you're not going to believe this -- JOE Let me guess. From the Internet. KATHLEEN Yes. JOE You've Got Mail. KATHLEEN Yes. JOE Very powerful words. KATHLEEN Yes. Joe sits on the edge of the bed. JOE I'm happy for him. Although -- could I make a little suggestion? I think you should meet him. No. I take it back. Why meet him? KATHLEEN (starting to get sharp again) I hardly think I need advice from someone who -- He reaches out and gently claps his hand over her mouth. And holds it there. It's unexpectedly tender and sexy. JOE I concede I bring out the worst in you, but let me help you not to say something you'll just torture yourself about for years to come. She starts to smile and he removes his hand. They look at each other. JOE I hope you're better soon. It would be a shame to miss New York in the spring. Joe stands. KATHLEEN Thank you for the daisies. He starts for the door. JOE Take care. KATHLEEN I will. JOE Goodbye. KATHLEEN Goodbye. We hear the door close. Hold on Kathleen. EXT. CENTRAL PARK - DAY Christina is running. She sees a good-looking MALE RUNNER coming toward her. She has no hope that he will notice her, and starts to look away as they get close to one another. MALE RUNNER Hi. CHRISTINA Hi. He passes her. Christina can't believe it. She does a little dance of joy. Camera pulls back as we see her by the reservoir on a beautiful morning doing her little celebratory spin. Then she resumes her morning exercise, running on. INT. THE SINGLES TEMPLE - FRIDAY EVENING Patricia comes in. The place is packed. There are hundreds of young Jewish New Yorkers singing folk songs and dancing the hora. The Rabbi is dancing among them. Patricia sees the rabbi, leading the dance. The rabbi whirls madly toward her, like a human dreidel. RABBIT Shabbat shalom! He grabs Patricia's hand, and to her surprise, they go whirling off together. INT. KATHLEEN'S BEDROOM - DAY Kathleen at the computer, typing. KATHLEEN (V.O.) I have been thinking about this and I think we should meet. She clicks the send button and then exits from American On Line. On her computer screen we now see the standard screen with several icons: American On-Line, Word, Recycle Bin, etc. She clicks Word. She goes to File: New. There are several choices of format. She stares at the choices. Then she clicks Book format. A blank page appears in the computer. She starts to type: "Once upon a time there was a little girl named..." She pauses for a moment and looks around the room. She sees the flowers that Joe brought her. And then she types: "Daisy." As she goes on typing... INT. JOE' BOAT - NIGHT On Joe typing. JOE (V.O.) We should meet. And we will meet. But I'm in the middle of a project that needs... (he pauses to think of the right word) ... tweaking. A look of calculation on his face. EXT. STARBUCKS - DAY We can see Kathleen through the window, drinking a cup of coffee. And now we see Joe walk into Starbucks. He waves at her, pretending surprise at seeing her. Has he been watching the store and waiting for her to come in? We'll never know. INT. STARBUCKS - A FEW MINUTES LATER He's sitting next to her at the counter in the window. JOE Tweaking? KATHLEEN That's what he said. JOE He's probably married. KATHLEEN That's a terrible thing to say. It's not possible. JOE Have you asked him if he's married? Have you said, "Are you married?" KATHLEEN No. Joe looks at her, shrugs. INT. KATHLEEN'S BEDROOM - NIGHT As she types: KATHLEEN (V.O.) I know this is probably a little late to be asking, but are you married? INT. JOE'S OFFICE - NIGHT As he answers: JOE (V.O.) Am I married? What kind of a question is that? How can you ask me that? Don't you know me at all? Oh wait, I get it. Your friends are telling you the reason we haven't met is that I'm married. Am I right? INT. SIDEWALK CAFE - ANOTHER DAY Kathleen and Joe having nachos. JOE So he didn't exactly answer. KATHLEEN He did too. He nailed me. He knew exactly what I was up to. Which is just like him. JOE But he didn't exactly answer, did he? Did he? KATHLEEN No. JOE Maybe he's fat. KATHLEEN I don't care about that. JOE You don't care that he might be one of those guys who's so fat he has to be removed from his house with a crane? KATHLEEN That's very unlikely. JOE Why else do you think he's putting off meeting you? Although... maybe that's not it. Maybe... KATHLEEN What? JOE Never mind. KATHLEEN What???? JOE He could be waiting til he's paroled. KATHLEEN Oh, you won't believe this, there was a moment when George thought he might be the rooftop killer, which was completely ridiculous -- Her voice trails off, as she considers whether it could be true. JOE What's his handle? She shakes her head. JOE Come on, I'm not going to write him. Is that what you think? KATHLEEN NY 152. JOE One five two. One hundred fifty two. Very interesting. He's 152 years old. He has 152 hairs remaining on his head. He's had 152 moles removed and now he has 152 pockmarks. EXT. FARMER'S MARKET ON BROADWAY - LATER As they walk past tables of bread and flowers, etc. JOE His combined college board scores. KATHLEEN His IQ. JOE The number of women he's slept with. KATHLEEN The number of times he's seen The Godfather. JOE That's the first good thing I've heard about him. KATHLEEN His address. No, no, no. He would never do anything that prosaic. On Joe, looking a little wounded. KATHLEEN (cont'd) The only thing I really care about besides the married thing... and the jail thing... is the boat thing. JOE The boat thing? KATHLEEN I could never be with anyone who has a boat. JOE Oh. KATHLEEN So that clinches it. We'll never be together. I'll take care of these. He picks up a mango, squeezes it. JOE (cont'd) I could never be with anyone who likes Joni Mitchell. (singing, imitating Joni) "It's cloud's illusions I recall, I really don't know clouds at all." What does that mean? Joe waits for Kathleen to say she likes Joni Mitchell. But Kathleen doesn't say anything. She starts intently picking over apples, trying to find some she wants. JOE How's your book coming? EXT. BROADWAY - DAY As they walk away from the market, going uptown. KATHLEEN There's a children's book editor I know, from the store, and she's excited to read it. When I finish it. Who would ever have thought I'd write? I mean, if I didn't have all this free time, I would never have discovered -- She stops, realizing what she's saying. KATHLEEN (cont'd) The truth is, he was the one who made me start thinking about writing -- JOE Mister 152 Felony Indictments -- KATHLEEN Mister 152... insights into my soul. JOE Yes. Well. Can't compete with that. KATHLEEN Well. I keep bumping into you. Hope your mango's ripe. JOE I think it is. Want to bump into me Saturday? Around lunchtime? EXT. COMPUTER SCREEN - NIGHT As Joe types. JOE (V.O.) How about meeting Saturday? The first day of spring. 4 P.M. There's a place in Riverside Park at 88th Street where the path curves and when you come around the curve, you'll find me waiting. INT./EXT. SATURDAY - GREY'S PAPAYA - THE FIRST DAY OF SPRING Kathleen and Joe are putting mustard on their hot dogs. JOE Today? KATHLEEN Today. JOE Whoa. KATHLEEN I know. In Riverside Park. JOE Isn't that amazing? Maybe I've seen him, and I don't even know it. EXT. COLUMBUS AVENUE - DAY As they walk uptown, eating their hot dogs and drinking papaya drinks. JOE He could be the Zipper Man. KATHLEEN Who's that? JOE This guy on Amsterdam who repairs zippers. You'll never have to buy new luggage. KATHLEEN Stop teasing. JOE Timing is everything. He waited until you were primed. Until you knew there was no other man you could ever love. KATHLEEN (almost believe it) Yes. JOE Sometimes I wonder... KATHLEEN What? They stop walking, they look at each other. JOE If I hadn't been Foxbooks and you hadn't been The Shop Around the Corner and we'd just met -- KATHLEEN Don't. JOE I would have asked for your phone number and I wouldn't have been able to wait 24 hours before calling and asking, "How about coffee, drinks, dinner, a movie, for as long as we both shall live?" KATHLEEN (almost a swoon) Joe... JOE And then we would never have been at war. KATHLEEN No. JOE The only fight we'd ever have is what video to rent on Saturday night. KATHLEEN Who fights about that? JOE Some people. Not us. KATHLEEN We would never. A long beat. JOE If only... KATHLEEN Please. I have to go. She doesn't move. JOE Let me ask you something? How come you'll forgive him for standing you up and you won't forgive me for a little tiny thing like putting you out of business? Kathleen looks at him. Shakes her head. They look at each other. JOE Oh how I wish you would. It's all Kathleen can do not to forgive him. It's all Joe can do not to kiss her. KATHLEEN I really do have to go. JOE You don't want to be late. She's in agony. He turns and walks away. After a moment, she does too. EXT. KATHLEEN'S APARTMENT - LATER As we see Kathleen come down the street and walk into her house. EXT. KATHLEEN'S APARTMENT - LATER As she comes out of the apartment house, having changed her clothes. EXT. RIVERSIDE DRIVE - LATER AFTERNOON As she comes toward the entrance to the park. EXT. RIVERSIDE DRIVE PARK - LATE AFTERNOON As Kathleen comes down a path in the park, near 88th Street. She comes to a stop. Looks around. A young woman in running clothes passes by. A young father pushing a baby in one of those strollers runners use to push babies in. Kathleen looks at her watch. Suddenly she hears a noise. A dog barking. And Brinkley comes around the corner. VOICE Brinkley! Brinkley! And hold on Kathleen as she sees. JOE And she starts to cry. And he comes to her. And puts his arms around her. JOE Don't cry, Shopgirl, don't cry. KATHLEEN I wanted it to be you. I wanted it to be you so badly. And as they kiss, we hold on them. And crane up and away as we see them, a couple kissing in the park on a beautiful spring day. A dog is leaping around them. And as we get further and further away from them, the screen turns into CYBERSPACE And the dog turns cartwheels and flipflops. And we tilt up to see the clouds and the sky and hear the sound of computer keys, clicking, clicking, clicking FADE OUT